The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-02-01
THE BRITISH INVASION
Against the Fulahs South of the
Niger River.
A FULAH CAPITAL DESTROYED.
Tho Royal Niger Company Has Sent a
Powerf~i Expedition Against the Natives
in the Vicinity of Kabba. but May be
Overwhelmed by Numbers.

Powsrfei Expedition Against the Natives
in the Vicinity Of Kabba. bnt May bs
Overwhelmed by Numbers.
LONDON, Feb. IA telegram from
Egoom, in the middle Niger region, dated
Jan. 22, says that the column Of the Royal
Niger company's expedition against Elnir
and Nupe arrived in good order, after a
seventeen days march of 200 miles. The
men were at times compelled to march
single file through the bush. The power
OF the Fulahs in the regions of the south
Niger river has been utterly destroyed.
The hotilla and detachment accom-
pnning the expedition surprised and de-
stroyed the southern Fulah, capital of
Ladi. This town was depot for stores,
and the Fulahs were retreating In that
direction when it was captured Twelve
hundred slaves were rescued Most of
these slaves were elderly men, all the
women and children of both sexes having
been sent to the capital at Blda.
A recent telegram from Lagos gives an
account of the expedition sent out by the
Royal Niger company. This expedition
consisted of 500 hausa troops, six Maxims.
twenty-six mounted European officers and
800 carriers. Sir George Gohie, the gov
ernor, accompanied the column. The Royal
Niger company's flotilla Of armed stern
wheeled steamers was ordered to patrol
tho Niger for the purpose of cutting off the
retreat of the Fulah forces to Bida The
London Times gives an account of this
expedition and of the strange people
against which 1t was directed. Tho Times
says
"The Fulah army has assembled at
Kabba. The Fulahs In the vicinity of
Kabba are said to number nearly $1,000
foot and 1000 caualry, and the troops Of
the company have.un arduous and peril
Gus task before them. The enemy are
Nupe, the most powerful of the vassal
states dependent on the great Mahomme-
dan empire of Sokoto.
"The quarrel between the Emir Nupe
and the company is of long standing. 1t
has been his practice to execute whole
sale raids on the slaves to the south Of the
Niger and tho Binuo amongst the tribes
under the protection of the company. He
was warned in 1892, when Sir George
Golde and Lord Scarborough visited Bida
his capital, that if this practice were per-
severed In he would have to fight the COM
pany, and for some years the raids were
discontinued.
'Last May he sent the Prince Mnrkum
into the district southwest of the Niger
with the object of resuming the raids or
of attacking Lokoja, the military capital
of the company, as soon as the land was
dry enough to admit of operations, and
the Markum had established himself at
kabba 1t was at this point apparently
that the troops of the company planned
to attack him while their fleet of armed
sternwheelers and launches cut off his re-
treat from Bida by patroling the Niger
This plan The Times pronounces as
daring and subject to many chances, but
1t added, if it succeeded it would effect
ually break the most dangerous and tho
most dangerous and the most treacher-
ous dependent Mahommedan power with.
in the sphere of the Royal Niger company.