New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-07-22
WESTERN AFRICA.
TUE KrNGpoM OF YORUBA.
F,em Our Own cesresroea.rt; ,,o ~.
pr

mn q In
sons have accidentally met with trace oil goid IN
white quartz which tested with acid and with nre.
have also seen an which judged IRON It's sp-
pearance to be antmony.
In this part of the country there stones near
Tie ses About forty miles from Badsgry there s
little iron eementsd conglomerate This, with occs-
sona beds of yelowsh frabe sandstone, is found IN
various parts of the interior Potters clay is common
in all parts Of the country. In some places there Is
good clay for mortar which has the appearance OF
unhardened granite. Ii underles conglomerste and
sandstone Quartz is common but not often abundant.
In stream few miles north Of Awaye, six days from
the coast there is trsp-rock and Sfitte protogene
among the rugged granite hills few miles further
have never met with lime, but have seen small slab
of white marble used by bead-dresser, which they
said came from Ikishi, near the line OF borgu
On the plains of the interior have seen occasional
drift pebbles considerably corroded by exposure to the
weather. 1t may be that lake once existed IN the
tsbe.ands of the Kong Mountains which was drained
by some volcanic commOtion. According TO some
native statements there is desert OF considerable eA
tent between Ashanti and the Niger
From the sandstone and quartz, win the senerai
appearance of the country would judge the central
and southern portions of Yoruba to De an snclent
secondary formation. Yet the prevailing ROCKS are
pneiss and granite. The former generally occupies te
plains and beds of streams, but is sometimes round III
large and solid masses OF the latter lie usuai Color
of the ppess gray On the river Ogun one day north
of Abbeokuta at the two hills called Olokenell II Is
nearly white and further east il appears to pass grad
uay into sort of white oil-stone, which is good for
whetting but rather hard.
The granite, which is nearly always grey, is hrst
seen at Abbeokuta. Here the grains are quite large
ard afford good crystals of ielspar. Proceeding inte-
rer il becomes finer aud finer in each successive range
Of hills II is always hard and strong. Like granite
in other countries il is much broken 10 pieces. Some
of these fractures very ancient, would say orgl-
nal and others are recent | attribute the latter to
the heat of the sum- though some Of the rocks thus
rent asunder are quite large. case OF tins KIND oc-
Cured lately in Georgia between Penhed aud Greens-
boro: the top of hard uuractured granite rock ew
off and broke tn pieces, with consderaoe report on
a hot day in dry weather.
In some parts of Yoruba the granite perforated by
circular holes few inches in depth and diameter, aud
contracted nearly to point at the eottoh' Inc uh-
even surface of these is sometimes more quaroze thah
the rest of the rock Perhaps they formed 10y the
outbursting of air. when the mass was in state OF
martial fusion In walking over granite mountain AT
Bollorrppeu five days from the coast, the sound OF
nv cane on the rock discovered cavity beneath the
surface several feet in diameter There was no assure
anywhere near the spot.
The Granite knobs appear 10 have been heaved up in
detached masses even where they adjacent so rs to
form continuous ridges On several hills observed
crsterlke depressions two or three yaru' ueeP ana
from 10 TO 20 yards in width Two oil these crateIs
NAV be found in Abbeokuta, but they are not SO wen
defined ma several at BiomorrunpeDu. From some OF
ments OF the rock, descends toward the paln'
Az Awave some rocks of small elevation are so much
worn into culies and superficial points that could at
tribute their appearance 20 nothing else thah ohg con-
tinued action OF waves, though the sea 10 now sn
dsvsi iourney distant. | also discovered some small
FRAGMENTS Of granite worn into ellipsodal hgires, as
IL Lv the same agency. Their surfaces were muen
corroded by exposure to the air ana ram. ater
careful investigation OF numerous rocks III the VICINITY
| could only conclude that the sea-coast was once at
Awaye, and that all the NILS ana chaihs VI s'ahte
south of this point had emerged from the earih since
that perod One huge of solid rock has It's base
distinctly waterwOrn to the hight OF about thirty feet;
another short distance TO the south OF tns mas It's
summit worn while its base to the hlght Oh <Vo iee'
hears no traces of such action IL possible that inc
farmer stood in the edge of the water, and has not
been since but that the latter had Its summit
in the sea- and afterward heaved up ABOUT 'hree
fourths of its present hight Some great rocks "heh
stand mile or two further south, are not mathea ny
the action Of water, and saw no such MARKS On 'he
hills in any part of the country south OF Awa!e'
was disappointed in being unable 10 detect any or
psnc remains in the fiat country about Badagry &C
but if the original coast was at Awaye TINS part vi
the country then too deep under water 10 oreeo
and too far from the land to receive from ireshwater
currents MANY of the shells &c. which constitute or
GAME remains. -. 4 .
content to offer nothing more than e" general re-
marks. e A. o
citation ia its exceeding uxuriance. Those who have
never seen the like form no just conception OF s
dense clustering and wildly green appearance Wmch
neither pen nor pencil Adequately describe some
of the trees especially baobabs and cotton-trees at
tain dimensions almost incredible. African wood IL
generally dry and hungry scarcely any OF it Is hne or
otherwise remarkable, though have seen ii,tie
good ebony and piazzaposts in the mountainous dis-
tricts which resembled fine mahogany. One KIND vi
wood resembles hickory in texture and toughness an-
hla MIA Ea
are very durable; others not liable to be eaten by
worms: Others are good for saving into boards, and
others again for splitting IL would not be practicable
10 build logcabns in Yorba, because, when the trees
are of the proper SIZE they are 700 Sa .,u
and they are too big when sufficiently tall
Uerbscions plants with snowy flowers are scarce
which Greatly etract from the beauty OF the helds and
prairies FlOwerng trees and SHRUBS are hunle,ous
THERE'S iasmin two or three g0rdehas' se'era hhe
ofthe oeander family several bignonas and ma
nv o,bers which would be highly priced in the temperate
yone The oil palm aud some other valuaoietrees wiz
he noticed when we come TO speak OF the resources Vi
the country ,,o.,lv a..
The cultivated plants are such as we are mostly &C,
o,inted with Indian and vans are the PIincPai
articles of food for all classes. ihey nav nsss
go .weet potatoes leas, beans, ground peas
souashes okra eseulent hibiscus, Guinea cori o1nea
senssbes much inferior 70 ours, various hiiiu' "
greens onions ginger capscum, papa"s, ~ 49,,
oranges and lines. The watermelons are all' Some
but the seeds afford fine oil used IN COOKING. 49,
of the oourds are very large. Cotton IL eohs'en'
ercp, but i. seldom yields more than two or 'bree
hundred pounds in the seed per acre Their tobacco
infere which arises in part from the fact that they
never topit. ,..... Oh. .,ms q.
Some OF the weeds OF cultivation are tne sale az
our own. among which are purslaln- careless "eeo,
ysrd grass, and one species Of jamestown weed or
isturs, Another species has purple flowers; The
crnpcrass is very much like cur own but think an
Otber species IL. ara NJ, nums,ou.