Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-10-17

Oeoon river, bearing the now-celebrsted
name OF Abeo-Kuta Foundation stone),
against whose wallis the whole might Of
Dshomey has twice broken itself in
vain. This African Manchester--re-
specting which shall have 4 good deal
to say . few weeks hence, when I
come TO describe the country lying i'm
mediately to the west Of the Niger
Delta-hss found its Liverpool in the
port Of Lagos, which, although at
present sharing in the universal de-
preston Of West-African trade, is con-
fdently declared by the best local au-
thorities to have q great future before
it. Even during its brief existence as
a British colony it has given satisfactory |
promise of q brilliant development
hereafter. AS long ago as 1870, barely |
nine years after its annexation by
England, the annual estimate Of its i'm
ports and exports ranged as high as
e4O0, $50 Upwards Of $4,000, O0O) for
the former and ISIS, 1865 for the latter,
while in the ensuing year the local
revenue derived from customs dues,
crown lands, &C., was slightly in ad-
vance of 100000 (s200,000). The
position of the town on low island
near the mouth Of the Ogoon river in
one Of the countless shallow lagoons
from which the place takes its Portu-
euese name Of =" Lagos" Qakes), can
not strictly be called healthy, but there
can be no doubt whatever as to its
commercial advantages, regarding
which I shall have occasion to speak
more fully in future letter.
The history of this curious settle
ment is not easy to trace, those of the
natives who really know something
about it being obstinately uncommuni-
cative, while those who know little or
nothing areas is often the case in far
more civilized countries-eager to tell
all that they know and a good deal
more. 1t may, however, be considered
as satisfactorily sscertained that Lagos
owes its origin to a sevcnteenth'cen-
fury migration Of some brisk young
men of the Yorubs tribe, who antici-
pated by two hundred years Horace
Greeley's advice to "go West" The
leader Of this exodus was chief bear
ing the simple but musical name of
Ogoonfuminireh, which, being inter
preted, means "the god Of iron has
given me success" The packing of all
this into one word is striking tribute
to the compressive powers OF the
Yoruba language, although even this
falls short of the similar exploit
achieved by one Of Thackeray's Indisn
heroes, who translated the single word
Futtebghur," (which means literally
"home Of victory,'') into "the abode
OF the white man near the mango tope
consecrated to RAM"
Under the polysy Liable chief and his
successors the Yoruba settlement grew
and fourished. From their first town
on the edge Of the lagoon the immi-
grants crossed to lido, an island lying
close to that upon which Lagos now
stands, the latter being colOnized some
what later, partly by themselves and
partly by successive bands of settlers
from the neighboring kingdom Of Benin,
who were gradually nsturalized among
the Yorubas after the fashion Of the
Danes in Saxon England. Estab'
lished in this miniature Venice, the
colony of Exc las Lagos was then
called speedily rose to the rank of al
Independent State, defed all its enemies
on the mainland, and acquired q very
considerable commerce, chiefly III
slaves. which were supplied in mex
haustible abundance by the constant
wars Of the interior.
But the new State, like other king
doms Of greater renown, was destined
to prove that & house divided against
itself cannot stand. In 1915 its throne
wa. disputed by two powerful chiefs
one OF whom, = staunch upholder o.
the slave trade, succeeded in driving
out the other, who was avowedly op
posed to it. The latter's cause wa:
espoused by the English, who. in No
, yember, 1851, sent small force to at
tack the town. Its defences proving
more formidable than had been sup
posed, the first attempt was repulsec
. with some loss. Five weeks later, how
, ever, it was successfully renewed, tn
exiled King reinststed, and mission
, station established by the Church Mis-
4 sionary Society in the captured town
9 from which all the Portuguese slave
, traders were summarily expelled. Bu
the Kings death by treachery, tw'
. years later, was instantly followed b.
. the outbreak Of fresh disorders, an
: on the 9th Of August, 1861, the Who'll
, territory of Lagos, from obi on tn
4 east to Denham Water on the west
r was formally annexed by the Britis
t Government.