the Guinea Coast to the British Crown, which doubled the extent and population of H. M.'s Gold Coast Colony.

1873, War with Ashantee.

66

6. Castle S. GEORGE D'ELMINA was built by the Portuguese Government in the 15th century. The Dutch took it in 1537. It is, therefore, the oldest European colony under the British Crown. During the 235 years of Dutch rule it had 105 governors. Thẹ famous DE RUYTER Won battles off this coast. 'The actual transfer was effected when Governor Ferguson, the last representative of the King of Holland, handed, in the presence of the native chiefs and people, the ancient gold and ivory baton of De Ruyter, the symbol of Dutch sovereignty in Guinea, to Mr Pope Hennessy, April 6, 1872."

D. LAGOS, or NIGER TERRITORY.

1. The Island of Lagos and adjacent territories on the Slave Coast, south of Dahomey, were taken possession of in 1862, for the more complete suppression of the Slave Trade in the Bight of Benin, for the protection and development of trade, and for the benefit of the surrounding African tribes. The chief was granted a pension of £1000 a year.

2. The Exports are PALM-OIL, palm kernels, shea butter, indigo, ivory, ground-nuts, native manufactured cloth, cotton, calabashes, and benni-seed.

Lead-ore, canewood, and cotton (wild) are abundant in the interior. It is confidently hoped that palm-oil and cotton will become articles of extensive export; and when the native tribes learn the value of legitimate commerce, the slave trade will die of itself. There is now a biweekly post from Lagos to Rabba, a town 250 miles up the Niger.

V. ISLANDS WEST OF AFRICA.

1. S. Helena, probably the best known of all the solitary islands in the S. Atlantic, is 800 miles from Ascension, and 1200 from the nearest point of W. Africa, in 15° 55′ S. lat., and 5° 42′ W. long.

2. The Climate is mild and variable: summer, 68° to 72°; winter, 57° to 70°.

3. It is well watered by abundance of clear springs. Homeward-bound East Indiamen generally touch at the island for turtle, fresh water, and fresh provisions, the providing of which constitutes the trade of the island. It is also of use as a sanitary station. The island is oblong in shape, and has several hills in the interior.

4. Government is administered by a Governor and Council. It had 37 governors under the E. I. C. (1673–1828), and 12 since it has been transferred to the Crown. Sir Hudson Lowe was Governor during Napoleon's exile.

5. HISTORY.-1501. Discovered by Portuguese on S. Helena's Day. The Portuguese and Spanish discoverers, when they made any discovery, usually looked at the calendar, and named the newlyfound place after the saint for the day.

1588. Captain CAVENDISH, on his return from a voyage round the world, sighted it.

1657. Taken by the English East India Company.

1668. Dutch took it as a station for their East India Company. 1673. Captain Munden took it from the Dutch, and Charles II. gave it to the English East India Company.

1815-21. NAPOLEON THE GREAT was kept here like a caged eagle till his death. His body was removed to its present resting-place beside the Seine, in the Hotel des Invalides, in 1840. The student should read Thackeray's account of this second funeral.

B. ASCENSION.

Ascension is 960 miles S.W. of the Gold Coast, and 800 N.W. of S. Helena. The capital-if so small an island may boast a capital-is Georgetown.

"It is an isolated island in the S. Atlantic, of volcanic origin, one peak rising to the height of 2870 feet, situated 7° 55′ 55′′ S. lat. and 14° 25′ 5′′ W. long.

"It is said to have been discovered by the Portuguese on Ascension Day, 1508; hence its name. Its area is about 35 square miles. It remained uninhabited till 1815, when the English took possession of it.

"It is in the charge of the Board of Admiralty, by whom a naval officer is appointed as Governor, whose rule is as absolute as if on board a man-of-war. The population, chiefly Royal Marines, is about 500. "The chief Exports are turtle and birds' eggs. Among its indigenous productions are the tomato, castor-oil plant, and pepper.

"The Imports from the United Kingdom in 1870 were £4217, and the exports nil."- Whittaker.

VI. ISLANDS EAST OF AFRICA.

A. MAURITIUS, or ISLE OF FRANCE. (37 x 28 miles.)

Debt,

Imports,

Exports,

£1,100,000 at 6 per cent.

£1,807,302 (from U.K. £335,216).
£3,053,054 (to U.K. £1,010,494),
nearly £1,500,000 in advance of
1870, chiefly owing to the large
export of sugar.

1. Mauritius, or The Mauritius, is a pear-shaped island situated in the Indian Ocean, 400 miles E. of Madagascar, between E. long. 57° 17′ and 57° 46'; and S. lat. 19° 58' and 20° 32'. It has a coast-line of 109 miles, in which are several harbours; that of Port Louis, the capital, being the best. The coast is fringed by extensive coral reefs and islets, through which the streams of the island have kept openings. The surface is diversified with numerous mountain range and valleys, especially in the west, where the mountains are above 2000 feet. Fifteen mountains have been measured; the highest is Montagne de la Riviere Noire, 2902 feet. The climate is hot but healthy. The maximum annual temperature is about 77°, Jan. 82°, July 72°. Mean depth of rain, 41 inches.

2. Divisions.-The island is divided into nine counties or departments, with French, English, or Dutch names, e.g., from north to south, Riviere du Rempart, Pamplemousses, Flacq, Moka, Port Louis, Plaines wilhems, Grand Port, Black River, and Savane.

3. Government.-The island and its dependencies are administered by a Governor and Executive Council, and a Legislative Council of 7 official and 7 non-official members.

The island has a Bishop of the English Colonial Church.

There were 13 Governors of the island from 1638 to 1710 for the Dutch or Batavian Republic; 14 for the French East India Company, 1721-67; 18 Governors for the French Government, 1767 to 1810; and 29 for Great Britain, 1810 to 1873.

4. Towns.-The chief town is

PORT LOUIS (65,000), the capital, on the N.W.
Mahebourg, in the S.E., on Grand Port.

5. Productions and Trade. The staple productions of the island are SUGAR and RUM. Indeed, it has been compared to one vast sugar plantation.

The Imports (value about £2,000,000 on an average since 1856) are wheat and other sorts of grain, cotton, linen, and woollen manufactures; timber, tobacco, oils, boots and shoes, beer, and wine.

Exports (value over £2,000,000) are chiefly SUGAR and RUM, and a few other articles such as cotton, copper, &c. The exports have been worth more than £2,000,000 a year since 1857. In 1863 they were nearly £3,000,000, and in 1871 above £3,000,000. The average production of sugar is about 100,000 tons.

There are two lines of railway, called the Northern line and Midland line, used chiefly for conveying sugar.

6. HISTORY.-1507. Discovered by Portuguese.

1548. Dutch made a settlement on it, and called it Mauritius in honour of their Prince Maurice.

1710. Taken by the French. During the wars between England and France it became a source of great mischief to homeward and outward bound Indiamen from the facility with which sorties could be made upon them by French privateers and men-of-war.

1810. Captured by Sir Ralph Abercrombie.

1814. Ratified to England by Treaty of Paris.

7. Immigration.--In 1854 a system of importing Coolies from Hindostan or China to work in the sugar plantations was commenced. They come under labour contracts for a fixed term of years, after which they are taken home. There are generally above 100,000 (sometimes 160,000) of them in the island at once.

8. Dependencies.

(1.) SYCHELLES ISLANDS.-The Sychelles or Mahé Islands are situated 940 miles from Mauritius, between S. lat. 40° and 50°. They are under a Civil Commissioner. There are between 30 and 40 of them, which cover an area of 50,000 acres. (2.) AMIRANTES.-A group of 11 islets S.W. of the former. (3.) Detached Islands, including Rodrigues, Diego Garcia, and 10 others. Diego Garcia (26 × 12 miles) is 300 miles E. of Mauritius, and is cultivated by a colony from the chief island.

(4.) OIL ISLANDS, consisting of 11 small island groups.

The possession of islands such as these and others on the African and other coasts is important, because it introduces some form of regular government into them, and prevents them becoming nests of pirates. They serve, to some extent, as British sentry-boxes in the ocean.