The Express.
London, England, 1850-02-14 00:00:00

THE EXPEDITION UP THE GAMBIA.

TO TIM IDITOS OP Till DOILY PIRO.
81R,—As many garbled statements, and untrue
assentor's, have been made in several papers, relative to the
expedition which was undertaken up the Gambia, Rimiest
the King of Koltun', will you allow me to suite what
reaLy were the bats, so far as they have mine to my know-
ledge. As I was on the expedition, I ought to be aequ iuted
with them, and am desirous that the truth should be

known.
In the "oath of July, 1848, • More, belonging to a Lin-
don house trading to the Gambia, wee Pandered by the
natives, some of the stolen goods were traced to the king's
house. The mercantile hues addressed the governor,
complaining of this outrage, and requesting him to see the
king on the subject. He pew:tweed up the river in Feb-
ruary, and went to the king's town of /Luanne to remon-
strate with his sable majesty on the felony and out-
' rage of which his subjects had been guilty. He
was accompanied by the cohabit surgeon and the
representative of one of the largest mercantile
houses here. He and his companions had their fowling.
pieties, as is the universal =mom with both Europeans and
natives in this country. Whilst remonstration with the
king on the subject he and his companions were assaulted ;
he was strack on the head with, the butt-end of a gun, hit
clothes were pierced through is several planet, and the
lives of all three would probably have been sacrificed were
it not that eons people from the neighbouring town of /Ca-
sella got round them and protected them.
It was the universal opinion amongst the merchants and
traders at the Gambia (Cr, at least, I heard of the opinions
of only ate petsoa to the contrary) that, if this outrage
were not pufsked, neith.r life nor property would be sate.
It became, therefore, absolutely necessary, for the seke of
the trade and the preservation of life up the river, that
a severe punishment should be inflicted, but to do this was
by no means an easy task..
Tin expeditions which had been previously attempted,
although they had cost large suss and been undertaken
with considerable form had failed ; and the natives con-
stantly boasted of their 'failure. I have not the slightest
doubt, from all I hued and saw, that they were at this time
convinced that they might commit any outrages with im-
punity, and were resolved to commit them.
The result of our expeditioa against Keenung I confi-
dently assert has been to totally change this hellos ; and
they one and all now declare that they will
attempt to fight Englishmen.
Capt. Hill had to march upon Keenung with a very in-
adequate force—be had only 220 men of the 2nd and 3nl
W. I. Rests., some militia and volunteen, about 300
sltcgether. Ye was able to get only 80 labourers to carry
water and each provisions and stores, as could not be taken
in the few carts we were able to procure.
We landed at Tenderbar on the Gth of May, on the fol-
lowing day we marched to Bambucoo. Additional defences
had been thrown up round the town, and to do the natives
justice they fought, as they always do, behind stockades,
with great outlier and oolongs. We bad two men killed
and some nine or ten wounded, but at length succeeded in
destroying the place.
On the 9th of May we marched to Keenung. Tnis place
is a kind of fortress, and one of the strongest native ones
in Africa. Four rum of trees, about the thickness of a
man's body, are sunk some feet in the ground, and rise about
eight feet above it. In some places there are five or six
rows of trees. Artillery, unless very heavy, produces little
effect on such a stockade. It might, however, be set fin to
with famines, or blown in with bags of powder. We bed
the town in several places with our rockets, tic , and theist
completely destroyed it. A breach appeared practicable, but
was found not to be so. Night wu now owning on, and
it had to be decided whether the place should be com-
pletely destroyed on the next day or not. The reasons
which decided the governor and the commandant not to do so
were I believe perfectly valid. In the first place, without
any of the (ales cantofexcestive humanity, it is very painful to
destroy life beyond what is imperatively mammary. And
agent, it was certain that many of our own men must have
fallen. The King and many of his people had fled from the
town, which was held by some; of the most desperate,
assisted by Mahommedan emetics from the neighbouring

towns.
As these people give no quarter, they fancy they shall
receive none from us, and therefore would have defended
themselves to the last, and s)ld their lives as dearly u they
could. Even after out men get into Bainbucoo, some were
wounded from the houses. If any considerable number of
our non had been wounded in addition to those we already
had we could not have brought them back with us, the medi-
cal °Moen having reported the impossibility of moving many
more.
It is to be borne in mind, that the only object we can have
in engaging in headlines with the natives of Africa, or any
other savage or half-civilised people, is to inflict such an
amount of punishment as will sister them from outrage and
violence in future. The object to be attained is the same as
in the punishment of criminals at home. There can be no
doubt that such an amount of punishment has
been inflicted in this instance, and the siorrutners
el that opinion has been fully proved, since the
persons really in a position to form a cornet
opinion are the merchants and traders at Bathurst and
MacCarthy's Island. With • single exception, they ad-
dressed the governor, declaring that the expedition had been
absolutely necessary for the protection of life and property.
They also addressed Captain Hill and his officers, thinking
' thou In the very strongut terms for the manner in which
the expedition had been conducted, congratulating them on
les emcee% and declaring they believed that the best results
would felifor frees it. On our return on the 10th from
Lassuag, the people of Quenelle met as to congratulate us
OS OW GOMM sad promised to do everything in their
Fuer Se meow outrage throughout the country.
We rseneimoi for two days at Tenderbu, and
some of tins neighbouring chiefs, who, when sent for before,
had only returned insolent messages, now came in, gave
solemn aisurances of future good conduct, and promised
that they would give their attention to the cultivation of
their lands and to trade.
I have sines then been some four hundred miles up the
river, and everywhere the declaration of the natives seas the
some, "that they would attend to trade, and never attempt
so sot white man again." And I have been assured by
mend of the merchants and traders, that there probably
amen was a year in whirl so large a quantity of land had
bus hid down, in ground rents, and other productions of
the senatry, u the present.
Few persons, who have not been in Africa, can have any
idea of what the condition of the African really Is in his
own country. He is not the innocent African represented
Zsgoom,e, nor the mere savage fancied by others. The Man-
and most of the liahornedin tribes, have ;Waisted a
metals' civilisation; but it is equally true that they have the
vim el the half savage ; that they are boastful, lying, and
treacherous ; and will constantly prefer plunder to steady
industry, when not deterred by the fear el punishment; and
will be guilty of any outrage when excited.
I am fully persuaded that there is no man who more inti-
mately understands the African character, or who is more
anxious to induce the
_people to develop the reseurces of their
country, than Mr. M'Donnell, nor one who would mete
greater personal sacrifices for their advancement and welfare.
Nor is there in the British army an officer less likely to use
immensely severity or cruelty than Captain Hill, nor one
of men gaudy and judgment.
I have the hound to be, air, your obedient servant,
A FRIEND OF TRUTH.