The following letter has been received by the African Aid Society from the Rev. Samuel Crowther, of Abbeokuta. The Committee think it of so much importance that they have decided on printing it for the information of the Friends of the Society:—

Lagos, January 5th, 1861.

LORD A. CHURCHILL, M.P., F.R.G.S.

MY LORD,—Your Lordship's most encouraging letter of the 23rd November last was duly received with the enclosed prospectus, showing the travels of Mr. Campbell, and the proceedings of the African Aid Society. Your Lordship's letter was of double value to me, not only because it came from such a personage, but because it contains also the contemplation of making efforts to accomplish an object, in reliance on Divine aid, which, when realised, will be one of the most humane, benevolent, and charitable that ever was achieved for the deliverance of the oppressed children of Ham in this part of West Africa; especially in the Bight of Benin—viz., an attempt to have a personal communication with the King of Dahomey, in order to make efforts to change that monarch's course of proceedings. I must now answer your Lordship's queries in order, according to the best of my knowledge.

1. By the help of God, both myself and my son Samuel* will promise the African Aid Society every assistance in our power, and within our influence, and will not be backward in our co-operation, as far as in us lie, in the accomplishment of the object in view, the elevation of this country, and more so as we have known Dr. Delany and Mr. Campbell personally, and thus became acquainted with the objects for which they were sent out by the Society.

2. The promise of help by the Society in any way in their power to strengthen our hands and further our views on behalf of Africa and the Africans, at our request, is received with gratitude, and we shall not be backward in making such requests at the proper time, both as regards the Yoruba country and the countries on the banks of the Niger; our fields of operations are large and extensive, and we trust we shall not be wanting in energy and zeal to work them. In the collection of specimens for the Museum we shall do our utmost, in contributing what may come within our reach, from time to time, as we get whatever may tend to illustrate Africa.

3. The state of those parts of the Yoruba country traversed by Dr. Delany and Mr. Campbell are at present very much distracted by the war which had just commenced when they left the country, but this will not prevent any steps being taken to further civilization, and improve the country where the influence of war has not reached. I believe, ultimately, the whole country will be laid open for improvement, development of its resources, and for active legitimate commerce.

4. The restless King of Dahomey has even threatened to make another attack upon Abbeokuta; but recent report says he has enough to do at present in putting matters to rights in his own territory; that, in all probability, he shall not be able to go out this year, or make an attempt upon Abbeokuta. But this is a mere popular report.

* Mr. Samuel Crowther is a medical man, F.R.C.S.

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out of the country; but it is great glory to them to keep and protect the people in peace and safety. It is on this account that the white people do not sell their people, nor kill them in sacrifice, but keep and protect them, that the nation may become large, rich, and powerful, and God prospered them.

10. If I comprehend your questions rightly, such arguments as the above I would suggest; it will feed his pride not a little to think that he is classed among the great kings of the four corners of the world, and that he is known by name and noticed by them—that he is begged by them to follow their advice—that he is considered as a great father to the nations of this country, whom he ought to protect. When such arguments have been recounted and turned over by some kings and chiefs in this country they have concluded that it was a message from God sent for their good.

11. During the time of this monarch's march out, not only is the whole neighbourhood disturbed, but trade also suffers materially on the coast—many hundred tonnage of shipping comparatively lie idle in the roadstead of Lagos, when the interior people are obliged to keep at home and watch, to defend their towns and villages from sudden attack—especially Abbeokuta, which is fast growing into a place of great trade in produce. Thus, not only the natives of the country are affected by these annual moves, but European trade also; London and Liverpool are much affected by them, when the three best months of the year for shipping across the bar of Lagos are actually wasted away by trade being checked.

12. Treaties have been made with the chiefs of the Cameroons, Old Calabar, Bonny, and Brass, in the Right of Biafra, and they are, in a great measure, observing them. If treaties to abolish the slave trade have been made with the King of Dahomey, I hope he would be compelled to observe them.

My Lord,

I have the honour to remain,

Your Lordship's most obedient, humble Servant,

SAMUEL CROWTHER.

LONDON: W. J. JOHNSON, PRINTER, 121, FLEET STREET.

Lagos, January 5th, 1861.

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5. Most unfortunately, the people of Abbeokuta have been spending their strength in the war with Ibadan; so that if the King of Dahomey should take advantage of their present engagement out of home, to make a sudden attack, he might do immense mischief in combination with their opponents, the Ibadans. Should he be coming out this year, great fears may be entertained for the safety of Abbeokuta; but I hope there is some grounds of belief in the report that he may not be able to go out this season.

6. The King of Dahomey had been visited by different persons at different times, either as commissioners, consuls, or captains from British and French Governments, or by merchants on the coast of his territory on their own business; and from all the information I could gather, he was always attentive to all what they had to say; the King, as an individual, I was told, would be inclined to change his course of proceedings; but that he would be afraid of the old superstitious chiefs, by whom, it is said, he is very much influenced and guided in keeping up the customs of their ancestors. I was informed that though publicly the King is everything, yet when he withdraws, his head chiefs are his dictators; so according to this, what he would he could not do, without the concurrence of these head chiefs, because when they combine he is likely to be rebelled against, as any other African chief. Rev. T. B. Freeman, late of the Wesleyan Mission, made several personal visits to the late King, in all which I was informed he was very well received, and attentively listened to.

7. If intelligent, honest, and faithful persons, who take deep interest in the cause and understand the language *well*, can be employed as interpreters, to accompany the representative of the Society in the communication with the King, I believe all will be safe enough. In a country like this, where civilised power has to do with an uncivilised one in an important matter as now in question, through the medium of an interpreter, there are very many great disadvantages. *Much depends, then, upon the interpreter.* It is quite a different thing when civilised power has to do with civilised power directly. If the interpreter be faithful in the discharge of his duty, much good may result, but if *unfaithful, careless, and disinterested*, he can make matters worse than ever. There is a great difference between a person interested in a cause, speaking on behalf of that cause, and a person who has no interest in the cause, employed to speak on behalf of the cause; the one will speak with feeling to the feelings of the individuals spoken to, but the other with indifference, to the ear only, which takes no effect. This is a common mistake often made as regards messengers or interpreters employed on such important errands. *This should be very much borne in mind.*

8. Moral and practical arguments which may be best employed in such an effort to change the course of that monarch's proceedings should be conveyed to him according to their own idea as much as possible; sometimes such an idea may appear to civilised persons to be very foolish and childish, but to an untutored mind such an idea is often very forcible in arguing with them on most important points; in fact, anything conveyed to them according to their mode of thinking can never fail to have its desired effect, provided it be done in a proper manner, and from right quarters.

9. The arguments I should use would be as follows, as if I were speaking to him myself upon the subject in question:—

(a) God made the world and the people therein; the world has four corners, all of which are

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more or less dependent one upon the other, according to God's all-wise arrangements, particularly in trade, by which the goods of one country are exchanged for the produce of another country; hence active legitimate trades which are carried on between Europe, Asia, America, and Africa, the four great corners of the world. (The idea of corners for the four great divisions of the world is borrowed from the shape of a square compound, which shape the world is conceived to be by the people of this country.)

(b) God has given his religion to the world; but before that religion was known to any of these four corners of the world, they used to worship false gods, contrary to the will of the great God; but as soon as the religion of God was received and followed by any king or people of those four corners of the world, the blessing of God has rested upon that nation and people.

(c) Before the religion of God was known in Europe, Asia, and America, the kings and people of those parts of the world used to worship idols and to make sacrifices of bullocks, sheep, goats, fowls, pigeons, and human beings, to propitiate their gods; but since the Word of God has told them that what they were doing was wrong, they have given these things up; and God has commanded them to tell all the kings and people of the world who do not yet know the mind and will of God, that it is wrong to do so in the sight of God.

(d) The same message from God has been told to many kings in Africa—this part of the world—and they have received it with gladness, and are now doing the will of God, who also blesses them.

(e) As it appears the King of Dahomey has not yet known this to be contrary to the command of God, who is the King of the whole world, you have sent to acquaint him of the fact, that it is sinful in the sight of God to worship any other but the true God, and that God is particularly very much displeased to see so many human sacrifices annually offered by the kings of Dahomey, contrary to the will of God, the King of the whole world. That all the people of God in Europe, Asia, and America, especially the people of God in England, are very sorry to hear that this practice is still continued in such a frightful manner. Therefore, you send, in the name of God, to beg him to change this course of worship, especially by human sacrifices, which is the cause of another great evil — the destruction of towns and villages in consequence, in order to supply human victims, from the captives, for the horrid custom, the remainder of whom are sold away into slavery across the great waters; thus the country is depopulated, to the great distress of thousands of families. This is a very sorrowful thing, and, therefore, should be given up for God's sake.

(f) That monarchs are appointed by God over nations to take care of the people as nursing fathers, to protect them, to encourage them, to do everything that is good, lawful, and right, so that legitimate trade and commerce, which makes any people great, may flourish among them and enrich the nation. That in this way England has become such a mighty nation as she is now, and that if the King of Dahomey would act according to the kind advice of Christian England, which seeks the King's welfare, as well as the prosperity of his people, the King would prosper and become their great friend, as other great kings of the four great corners of the world have become since these many hundred years.

(g) That it is no glory to monarchs to depopulate nations, either by killing or selling the people

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12. Treaties have been made with the chiefs of the Cameroons, Old Calabar, Bonny, and Brass, in the Bight of Biafra, and they are, in a great measure, observing them. If treaties to abolish the slave trade have been made with the King of Dahomey, I hope he would be compelled to observe them.

My Lord,

I have the honour to remain,

SAMUEL CROWTHER.

in the new enterprize have been more or less con-
nected with the old anti-slavery movement; but,
instead of constituting an objection to their pre-
sent enterprize, this fact, we think, indicates a
very interesting and fortunate rapprochement—
that is, if the founders and leaders of the new
movement can avoid the grand mistake to which
English philanthropists have hitherto been so
faithful. In this country we have been accustoming
ourselves to regard slaveowners in America with
an undisguised and systematic enmity; we have
thought it politic to place ourselves in antagonism
to them personally and politically as much as to the
practice of the slave-trade; and instead of taking
their difficulties into account, instead of doing our
best to help them in escaping from their embarrass-
ments, we have employed denunciations and threats,
rather than counsel and assistance. It might hav
been supposed that we were bent rather on aveng-
ing the lost negroes of the past, by ruining the
slaveowners of America, than of redeeming Africa
and elevating the negro of the future. If the
leaders of the new movement can avoid this mis-
take, they may yet show the world that slavery
abolished can be reconciled with friendship for the
great American republic, and we shall have another
and beautiful illustration of the old fable of the
North Wind and the Sun.

One of the arguments brought forward yesterday
was, that while we are, through the consumption of
American cotton, actually furnishing funds for the
maintenance of slavery, we are also painfully de-
pendent upon one single source for a great staple of
our trade. There is some truth in this, but no
error could be greater than to imagine that intelli-
gent Americans are opposed to the extension of new
fields for the production of cotton. On the con-
trary, the interests of America and England are
here, as in so many instances, at one; and the expla-
nation is very simple. Whatever oscillations may
take place in the supply of cotton, their injurious
effects ultimately fall more or less upon the cotton
grower; for his customer is a person of precarious
business, and of course he loses where his customer
is in straits. If it were possible to establish other
cotton fields, not only would the number of looms
at work throughout the world be greatly multiplied,
but their working would be rendered far more regular.
Now America is placed so advantageously both for
production and transit, that she may be said to
have the first place in the European market. Hence
she does not fear competition; for those supple-
mental sources which would increase the supply
should furnish her with a market always open.
We do not forget that Liberia itself was founded by
the statesmanlike philanthropy and sagacity of
Americans. In his reply to a deputation the other
day, as we reported, Lo JOHN RUSSELL vouched
for the sincerity and earnestness of the United
States Government in operating against the slave
trade. In these facts we see how readily our
anglo-Saxon cousins can be induced to act with us
when we treat them with due consideration and
confidence; and we have some hopes that the
adaming men of the new society have recognized,
and have determined to avoid, that old blunder of
wantonly creating enemies in the West, which de-
feated the efforts of former philanthropists.

African Aid Society,

7, ADAM STREET, STRAND, LONDON, W.C.

GLASGOW BRANCH COMMITTEE.

CHAIRMAN. — HENRY DUNLOP, Esq., of Craigton,
Chairman of Chamber of Commerce.

BLACKIE, W. G., Ph.D., F.R.G.S.

CAMPBELL, Wm., Esq., of Tillichewan.

CAMPBELL, Sir JAMES, of Stracathro.

CAMPBELL, JAMES A., Esq.

CCGAN, ROBERT, Esq.

CRUM, JAMES, Esq., of Busby.

CRUM, WALTER, Esq., of Thornliebank.

EWING, A. ORR, Esq., Rutho.

GALBRAITH, ANDREW, Esq., Ex-Lord Provost of Glasgow.

HENDERSON, JOHN, Esq., of Park.

MCDONALD, JOHN, Esq., Park Terrace.

MCKINNON, WILLIAM, Esq.

ORR, Sir ANDREW, of Harvieston and Castle Campbell.

PATERSON, JOSHUA, Esq., M.D.

PATON, W. P., Esq.

RITCHIE, JOHN, Esq.

SMITH, JOHN, Esq. (Messrs. David and John Smith).

SMITH, WILLIAM, Esq., Lancefield Spinning Company.

STEVENS, NATHANIEL, Esq.

TENNANT, HUGH, Esq., Wellpark.

WATSON, JAMES, Esq., Chairman of Stock Exchange.

ALEXANDER MOORE, Esq., Secretary.