considerable distance, as there is not any cultivated land within many miles of New Town.

Being desirous of paying the king of Warré a visit, I left my vessel early in the morning, in the month of February, having Wacoo as my guide and protector. As the journey to the capital would occupy two days and one night, we took every thing requisite to render ourselves comfortable during the time we should be in the canoe which conveyed us, and which had over it an awning made of mats, that protected us from the intensity of the rays of the sun, and the heavy dews of the night. Our canoe proceeded at about the rate of four miles an hour, taking an east course along the creeks, some of them both wide and deep, and others barely of sufficient magnitude to allow our small bark to navigate them.

During our passage to Warré, we crossed two rivers, which join the sea to the north

ward of Cape Formosa; and we only saw two small villages on the whole extent of the road to that town.

This country is covered with an impenetrable forest, which grows upon land that seems composed of alluvion; and even in the middle of the dry season, water covers a large portion of its surface nearly to the depth of a foot.

We arrived at WARRE' about five o'clock the following day. This town is situated. on a beautiful island, about five miles in circumference, and which might have fallen from the clouds in the midst of a desert; for it is a little elevated above the surrounding country before described, is well cultivated, and has much the appearance of an extensive park.

The sub-stratum of the island is composed of a tenacious red clay, from which the inhabitants manufacture jars for holding water, and utensils of various forms for domestic purposes. These are baked in ovens, con

structed of wood, placed in the open air, and the oven is consumed while the pots are baking. From the great quantity we saw manufactured, earthenware must constitute here a considerable article of trade.

Much trade is carried on here with the natives of Bonny and New Calabar, who come in their canoes for that purpose; and the slaves obtained by them are principally composed of the natives of Allakoo, who are called at Bonny the brass country negroes, from the circumstance of the neptunes, or large brass pans, taken from Europe to Bonny, being requisite for this particular trade. These neptunes are used, during the dry season, by the Creek and surrounding country people, for the purpose of evaporating sea-water to obtain its salt, which is here the medium of exchange, and a great trade is carried on in this article with the interior country. These people assemble at the mouths of the river, where they construct huts and carry on their manufacture.

The capital of Warré is divided into two towns, distant from each other half a mile. The most populous one is that in which the king resides, and the combined population amounts probably to 5,000 souls.

We had lodgings prepared for us at the house of our guide's father, and soon after our arrival, refreshments were sent us by the king, accompanied by a message, that he would be glad to see us the following day. We accordingly waited on him (our guide acting as linguist), and arrived at his house about mid-day. After passing through five or six apartments of various forms and sizes, we were ushered into the audience chamber, where we found his sable majesty fully prepared for the occasion, and seated on a low stool, placed on a kind of platform, raised about eighteen inches above the floor. A boy was holding a pink silk umbrella over his head, and another was brushing away flies with an elephant's tail. To our extreme surprise, we found the king rigged

out in the European style, and wanting nothing to complete the dress but a shirt and a neckcloth.

The king whose name is Otoo, appeared about sixty years of age, his countenance mild and intelligent, and his person of the middle size, inclined to corpulency. He had on a white satin waistcoat trimmed with silver lace, a silk purple coat much embroidered, black satin small-clothes with knee buckles, coarse thread stockings, shoes and buckles, and a large black hat trimmed round the edge with red feathers; all of which appeared to us of Portuguese fabric, except the coat and waistcoat, which, there is little doubt, had, at a former period, been worn by some noble peer or knight at the court of St. James's.

Our audience continued about an hour, when king Otoo dismissed us with much courtesy, and requested that while we remained at Warré we would visit him daily.

On entering the first apartment of the