Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1861-06-04

nI NWNI nMm ACes 20 NenuerIY FAIR
Bythefatse heart Of Archie Olaref
BY my Iovo-und M ruined faith r
by al thatts strchg IA hfe-and death,
Though he wed yea this very day,
with fece turned heaVenward l shall pray
Till my soul gses cut at q deathly door =
g ds peace abide With thsm svernOrel s
IBteIeslinF Account Of Africa and the
People Called YorubRs = Their Aablts
ard CaPaeRies- The Cotton Region o
Abbeshuta.
Robert Campbell, q negro, resident in
Philadelphia, has written an interesting ac-
count Of a visit TO some tribes Of Western
Central Africa, made by himself and DR.. NJ.
r. Deiany, Of New York City, in ls59-6O, as
commissioners from the African people of
The United States and Canada to explore in
the valley Of the Niger, and obtain, if posi-.
bic, certain privileges and grants from the
native kings, under which emigrants from
this country might safely and adyantageously
settle in that region.
The region explored by Campbell with
this object lies between the rivers 0gun and
Obs, which empty theiI waters in the Blight
of Benin, in latitude GO 30t, and longitude
80 80 and 40 90. The cou1try which he
found fit for settlement, and in which he and
his companions were able to make proper
treaties, belongs to the Yorubas and Egbas,
AhEEG 10 AAA AAAAhANA&N BOCRAlf ~ III
considerable towns, and given to trading aud
agriculture. They have among them q num-
Der of those Arab merchants who are and
have long been the most successful travellers
in ~LteriOr Africa, and from these they have
caught more or less of the Arabian language,
and also traces of the semi civilization which
these traders bring with them. They know
how to manufacture glass. Campbell says
eDpbstically =
llr-o = 80 . ,,o-o
the face Of the earth. Rise as early as you
please and enter a native compound, and you
will there fed the women engaged at their
varied occupations. Go at night as late as
you please, and there, by the feeble light of
her lamp, she is seen in the act oflabor, spin
ming, weaving or preparing food for the en-
suing day. There is not a child among the
Akus-I say nothing of other African tribes
who is not instructed in some means of real
iziDg a living. The men are builders, black
smiths, iTon-smelteTs, tanners ald leather
workers, %tailors, carpenters, calabash-carv
ers, weavers, basket hat and mat makers,
farmers; the women weave, spin, dye, cook,
brew, make pots, oils, soap, and know moi
what else.
IRON SMELLING.
/ passed through two iron. smelling vii.
lsges on the road between Oyo and Isehiu
in Yoruba, but they were not in operation
as the war, of which mention shall be mad
hereafter, had driven the inhabitants into tn,
larger towns for protection. The furnaces
or the portion of them above the earth ar
made of clay. They are in the form of cylin
ders, about thirty inches high; the diamete
of the bases about six feet. A hole is mad
in the upper base, communicating both will
six or seven similar holes around the conve,
surface, and, by a small o%rifice, with q larg
cavity underground and beneath the cylinder
In this Immediately under the o%riice, l founI
a mass of Stag. They use charcoal for fue
which they produce in abundance in tn
forests, in the midst Of which these village
are usually located.
wEAvE2s.
The apparatus of the weayers is very sim
pie. There are two kinds, one used by tn
: men, producing cloth of only O few inches il
width, and another by the women, produC
ing cloth ss wide as of English manufacture
Tie men can make cloth OF an indefinit
Length: the apparatus used by the womeI
limits the l@gth of the cloth to about tw
and a half yards. l forbear a description 0
either of these eontrivGnces, as such as
could make would hardly be ineligible,
There is an incident in Mr.. Campbell
journey which proves that courage andliberty
are both valued in Africa as much as il
America.
A CAPTIVE RELEASED.
A woman with her son and daughter be
sought me TO permit them to go under GU,
projection 10 Abbeokuta. told her she wa
welcome to all the protection | could afford
and we left together the next morning early
AT shout eleven o'clock, when half wal
on our journey to 81 -olorun- pellu, we sud
denly met about two hundred Ibadan sol
diers. Ny servants, who were before me
attempted to pass by the foremost of them
hut were very roughly arrested. Myself anC
the rest ofthe party soon came up and wert
all Immediately surrounded. They kept us
while discussing the fate of my people fol
nearly two hours. AT length they demanded
a present as the condition on which they
would allow US TO proceed. | had nothing
to give, having left Oyo with only two suit
of clothes, one on my back, the other in {
small bundle. My other things consisted
only ofs gutta .percha sheet and some cook.
ing utensils.
i told the man who carried them to open
the things and allow them to take whatever
they desired; seeing We had nothing, they
informed my interpreter, after q little con,
sideraiion among themselves, that we could
depart peaceably, but they must keep as their
csptives the woman and her two children
lt was too distressing TO see three human
beings about to be deprived of their liberty
Tit old woman wept bitterly, bat her tears
were apparently unbeeded. Itold them tina
il wss impossible for me to leave these PEG
pie; they had placed themselves under N,
protection, therefore | could not permit then
10 be taken away except with myself also
that they could take my horse, my watch
my money, all had, ia short; but / woult
not permit them TO take these people. The,
hesiiated; l saw they were moved, and
kept up my entreeties.
Al length the balagun OF Captain, TO WHOM
! addressed myself, and who remained silen
all the time l spoke, with almost a tear il
his eye exclaimed: "OtO, Oto, Oyi6o, moo
"Enoueh, enough, white man, 20 on'n Whe
one OF his party attempted TO take away
tin cup my interpreter carried, he drew hi
sword, declaring that IL was at the peril q
any one to touch as. Some of his peopl
seemed much disappointed. We hurrie
away, and fou hours after were elimbin
an immense rock, rising like an island frot
the surrounding plain, on the summit of whic
il situated "Biolo-run-pellu, (" 1.-THE Lor
THs COTTON CROP OF GBBEOKUTA.
Cotton from Abbeokuta has been an art
Gle Of export to the British market for abou
eight JeRrs. In the frat year only two hun
bred ard thirty FIVE pounds could be prc
cured, but fiom that time, through the effort
OF Thomas CleRg, Esq of Manchester, an
several gentlemeB connected with th
Church Missionary Society, Londoa, the ex
port bss move than doubled every year, unit
in 1859 the quanti'y reached about six thou
sand bales, or sesen hundred and twent
thousand pounds
The plant Ab0ands throughout the entir
country the natives eultivating il for th
Manufacture Of cloths for their own con
sumption. Its expectation Ia, therefore, cap
able Of indefaite extension. In the seed
& purchased from the natives at somethin
Itta than two cents per p0undas IT IL the