Political

Treaties. — During the past year I concluded Treaties with the King of Bénin, and with the Chiefs of Abrakar, thus placing a large extent of Hinterland" under Her Majesty's protection.

Relation of Tribes one to another. — The people to be considered under this head are the Jakris , the Bénins , and the Sobos. There are also a few Ijo Settlements between the Bénin River and the Niger, but thèse are hardly worth considering. The inhabitants are more or less pirates, and beg, borrow, or steal according as the opportunity offers There are also the Mahin people between Jakri and Lagos, but they are a very harmless community, who spend their time chiefly, and almost entirely, in fishing.

Under the head of » Trade « I mentioned the fréquent quarrels on trade matters that take place between the Jakris on the one hand and the Bénin and Sobo people on the other.

For a long time the Jakri people have been divided into two factions, and until very lately, skirmishes were of common and fréquent occurrence. The one party lives on the right bank of the river, with Nanna as a Head; and the other on the opposite bank, headed by Numa, the ruling Chief of Batere.

Since the death of Numa, in February last, the party feeling is not so pronounced.

However , the différence between the two factions is simply the objection of the left bank people to be dictated to by Nanna; the most différences arise in trade matters. Numa was particularly weak-minded and incapable Chief, but his son, who succeeded him, is a very superior man altogether , and, in time , is likely to improve very materially on his father's rule; and further, he is not afraid of Nanna. In addition to ail this, he is a very loyal supporter of Her Majesty's Government. His name is Dore.

Ail questions that used to be settled by »war palaver« are now settled by Her Majesty's Représentative to the district.

The Sobos are very disunited as a tribe, and are continually quarrelling amongst theselves.

Any quarrels that take place between the différent tribes are nearly

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always a case of trade dispute , though the King of Bénin occasionally makes raids on the Sobo people for the purpose of obtaining slaves,

Names of Kings and Chiefs.

Bénin. — King Dvunami.

This King is kown by several names, but he chose Dvunami as the one to be shown on the Treaty.

Jakri. — Nanna, Acoro Walla , Nafonie (right bank) ; Tragini, Dore, and Dudo (left bank).

In addition to thèse there are many other Chiefs of little or no importance.

Sobo. — None of any great importance that I have corne across. Abrakar. — Waffebi and Aye Popo.

The Jakri Chiefs are simply traders, each having his own town. The more wealthy a Chief is the more powerful he becomes.

Characteris tics of various Tribes, andhow far their Influence extends.

Bénin. — The Bénin country it little known , very few white men having visited Bénin city, the capital.

The Portuguese trated there as far back as the early part of the sixteenth century.

Tbe King of Bénin is a very important personage. His power is suprême, though he is very much tied down by fetish customs, and is more or less in the power of his big men. The rule is one of terror ; the customs are barbarous , human sacrifices being of very fréquent occurrence, the usual mode of killing people beiDg either by crucifixion or décapitation.

The people are very indolent as a race , are far from being brave, but are superior to the surrounding tribes in this respect. They are very lazy in their habits, and chiefly engage in agriculture and in the production of palm oil.

Bénin city is the seat of a powerful theocracy of fetish priests. The King of Bénin, as far as importance and influence goes, is on a par with the King of Dahomey.

The people are very clever in the working of métal, though the art appears to be practised by very few. It is probable that they were taught this by the Portuguese.

The country, as far as I saw it, though I did not go further than Bénin city, is one dense forest, though there are occasional openings. Bénin city is situated in a fairly open country, but is surrounded by thick forest ; the propable reason for this exubérant growth of trees being owing to the timid nature of the inhabitants, who feel safer by having a natural screen round their towns.

I saw no hills during m y travels in the Bénin country. The only roads are bush paths. The soil is chiefly red clay , and there is a scarcity of water generally — that is, as far as my small expérience goes.

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During my stay in Bénin city I had to send over 3 miles for water every day.

Bénin city is the white man's name for the capital of the country; the natives, however, call it Addo. It is also known as Ubini. It would cause confusion if Addo was used, as there is another Addo at the back of the Bénin country. Houses are conspicuous by their absence , and I fancy they are not found until one is well clear of the Bénin country.

Now that a Treaty exists between Her Majesty and the King of Bénin , it is to be hoped that the undoubted wealth of the country will be developed, and the barbarous customs, more especially the human sacrifices, abolished.

Jakri. — The Jakri people act as middlemen in the trade with Bénin and Sobo. They are a timid race. Ail their towns are built in the bush, and are generally approached by a small creeck. Trade quarrels are continually occuring between them and the neighbouring tribes. They fight, as a rule, from their canoës. Their towns are quite unprotected, and as far as stockades and such defences go, the bush and creek approaches being their safeguard in the case of attack.

They are pagans, the chief god or Ju Ju being Maluko, a sea deity.

The customs are barbarous, though in this matter they are now held in check.

The mode of punishment used is hanging and drowning.

The sass-wood ordeal is of very fréquent occurrence. An accused person generally demands it as a right.

Sass-wood is the poisonous bark of a tree, and is as a rule administered by the medicine-men from Bénin city.

The ordeal is undergone by both the accuser and the accused, i. e., if any doubt exists as to the guilt of the person charged with the offence.

As a rule, one of the two die, and he is accordingly said to be in the wrong. Should a Chief or man of importance have to undergo the ordeal, he always députes a slave to act for him.

I maganed to stop several cases of this diabolical custom during the year, but there were, I fear, maoy occasions of which I never even heard, and it must take a long time before the custom is entirely abolished.

There are, of course, occasions on which only the accused has to partake of the sass-wood. Should he live through the ordeal, he is innocent. I fancy the presenting of a douceur to the medecine-man is a very effectuai way of insuring a mild dose of the médecine used. The King of Bénin always demands a fee on such occasions, so one can hardly expect him to lend much assistance in abolishing the custom.

For small offences amongst the slaves, such as theft, the punishment is that of cutting off one or both ears.

The Jakri tribe occupies the lower part of the Bénin River, extending to the Forcados to the southward, and to the Mahin country to the northward. The tribe is distinct from the Bénin and Sobo people, but is Said to be connected with the Yorubas.

There was a King of Jakri until 1850; he lived at Warri. Keboa

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was the last to reign. The rule would appear to have been very unpopular , as the King could summon any free man , and use him as he thought fit, as a servant or otherwise.

The Jakris are free born. They never work, ail work being done by slaves.

The conntry is one network of creeks, and the ground chiefly mangrove swamp, though it rises, and the soil is good, after going about 20 miles up the river.

Sobo. — A timid and uncivilized tribe. No towns of any importance. The people live in the bush, i. e., their towns and villages are ail built in the bush. As a tribe, are very disunited.

The chief industry is oil production, and the people are given to agriculture.

The country extends between the Ethiope and Warri Rivers.

The people are pagans, and carry on a large traffic in slaves with the Bénin and Jakri people. They do not keep slaves themselves.

There is a good deal of intermarriage between the Jakri men and Sobo women.

The country is similar to the Bénin country, dense forest being the rule, although I came across vast plains, sandy soil, and long grass about 8 miles above Eku, on the right bank of the river.

There was no sign of life, either human or animal, on thèse plains.