ABEOKUTA.

Otago Witness, Issue 2654, 25 January 1905, Page 71

ABEOKUTA.

{By a Resident.) Behind Lagos, head of the colony of that name, aboiit fifty miles to the north, lies the town of Abeokuta, with its hundred thousand inhabitants, the capital of the Egba people. The ' Egbas are a branch of the Yorubas, and are perhaps the most advanced of that people. They have been in constant contact with the European race longen- than any other of the Yorubas ; and they have shown their admiration for European customs in the sincerest way, — that of imitation. Abeokuta is the* seat of government for the Egbas, and now beasts a national flag and a council of government,- whose formal head is th© Alake, recently a visitor to this country. The town is made up of many separate townships or districts, each under its own chief, at one time bitterly jealous of each ether ; but strife and faction have given way to more' or less substantial unity, and the government of the whole town is now vested in the council composed of the various chiefs. His Britannic Majesty's representative is a member of this council, and keeps a paternal eye upon all its doings.

The town has a history. Its name means "Under the Rock," and all visitors ■u-t impressed by the wonderful rocky scenery of the district. The town lies giouped about great masses of boulders, which rise abruptly from the plain here and there to a height of two or three hundred feet. Many years ago a large grotto or cave beneath the largest of ; these rocks was the home of a band of robbers much dreaded by the people of the district. About a hundred years ago a wave of civil war swept over the country ; and after its cessation these robbers withdrew from the cave, which then became the home of a few refugees from the various U-wns that were destroyed.

Gradually this settlement was increased by the arrival of other refugees and in other ways, till at length a considerable •population was gathered together, the town being then fortified by a wall and a deep ditch. The people of the neighbouringtown did their best to destroy Abeokuta, making raids upon it and selling the inhabitants as slaves, until a skilful leader arose, who united the Abeokuta people and. drove off the invaders. It was through the energy of this man that a; road for commerce was opened up to Lagos, the sole port for the Ygruba country. He conquered tihe kingdom that lay between him and the coast, and so made it possible for his people to use the river Ogim, on whose banks the town stands, as a safe waterway to the coast. The canoe traffic on the river Ogun was one©

large and important, 1 ait since the railwaj has been opened the river has been comparatively little used About "this time a numer of Egbas whc had been sold as slaves and rescued by British cruisers returned from Sierra Ltone, where they had learned something of civilisation and something, too, of Christianity. These, as -was only natural, gav-e a bright account of the English who had been their rescuers, and -.so disposed the mind of Shodeke, the leader mentioned above, and his followers to the English people that invitations were sent to missionaries to come and settle there. This invitation was accepted, and an English, mission was opened in 1846. . Three years later the town was again engaged in war, the aggressors in this case being the Dahomans, who are perhaps best known as the people whose army was singular in having a large proportion of women-soldiers. Their country lies to the east of the Ogun, and is now in French territory, and most efficiently controlled. The force that marched across from Dahomey was sixteen thousand strong; some six thousand of the warriors being women. So fiercely did they fight and? so much terror did they spread that even now the name of the Dahomans is almost enough to create a panic. However, on this occasion a determined resistance was made, and the King of Dahomey, instead of getting the easy victory and rich plunder be expected, was met by a force equal to his own, which compelled him to retreat after a terrific fight, in which he lost over a thousand warriors. It is said that the fight lasted four hours, and that the smoke from the guns was so thick that even at a distance of a hundred yard® the opposing armies were scarcely visible to each other. Ac times the fight raged hand-to-hand, and one account says that the combatants even broke their empty guns over each other's, heads. Th^ Dahomans, though forced to retreat on that occasion, continued a menace to the town for years, and in- 1862 made eijothev attempt to capture it by means oi a carefully planned and vigorously maintained . siege. It was a terrible time. Every man who could hold a weapon was at the walls, any able-bodied man found in the streets meeting with execrations from the women, and sometimes with- 1 blows as well. The assault was continually expected, but unaccountably delayed, though parties were always abroad reconnoitring the defences *und capturing any stragglers or scouts who had ventured' to leave the town. The method of scouting, 1 employed by the Dahomans , was clever and effective. Parties crept through the bush in single file, and when trying/ toeffect a capture would spread out s<£ as to enclose the unfortunate straggler in a" diamond-shaped enclosure. At a given signal they would close in, and it Tfcas raie that the victim escaped. There are a few old people in the town to-day who remember those days. The Dahoman king had announced that, any white men he found in the town would be made his hammock-bearers, an announcement k not calculated to calm the nerves. The siege had oner or two amusing incidents. '■ A whit© man in the town who possessed what was for the time a fine glass made himself of service to the defenders by spying out the lines of Dahoman scouts in lie distance, and also by reporting the doings in the distant camp. However, an old chief of the .town, a great horseman, conceived a particular hatred for this white man, and was loud in his' assertions that "the white man was a liar." On, one occasion he ' determined to prove it by riding out in the direction in -which ifc was reported soouts were prowling , about. He had a triumphal exit from tha town, but returned a little later minus ' his horse, with his respect for the whita man heightened considerably, and a wiser though a sorer man. - Fortunately for the Egbas, the siece was unexpectedly and suddenly raised, smallpox having "broken out in the Dahoman camp, the king's son being the first victim. This was enough ior a people so superstitious, and they hastened to leave what novelists call the ill-omened spot. All danger of another similar siege has been obviated 1 by the French occupation of Dahomey ; and though at first the Dahomans were dealt with in stern and! seemingly remorseless fashion by their conquerors, the lesson has beer learnt, and they have settled down into quiet and peaceful occupiers of the country. The memory of the Dahomans is even yet a terror, for thsy fought with great fury. At one of the town gates to-day there lies an old brass cannon which the writer found on inquiry -to have been taken from the Dahomans. " An eye-witness oi the siege tells of one incident that illustrates the fury of these Amazon fighters. One had _ been taken prisoner, and was brought into a room where r number men were together. While they were debating her fate, her eye caught sight of a musket standing in a corner, and, breaking away from those who held her, she snatched up the weapon and shot a man dead on the spot, and so was immediately shot down. We may be thankful that we have not now to encounter an enemy so relentless and fierce. Since those days, however, the colony, of Lagos has spread, and British influence has grown, and consequently peace haa generally prevailed. While other towna Lave vanished into the maw of the British Empire, Abeokuta has been allowed to re-« tain its independence to a certain degree, although a British Commissioner lives in the town and has a seat in the council/ Trade in foreign goods has increased, anos two Manchester firms and one German firm have stores just inside the town\ Tha walls are broken down, though in many t places the ditch remains, and gives som# idea of the former strength of the place,.' which must have been great in the days before artillery came: into general use. Th 4 railway serves Abeokuta now, although ifi does not come right into the town. Aros

an important station of the Lagos Govern rnent railway, lies about three miles from Ake, across the river, where the king's palace is situated, and a branch line runs from Aro across a particularly fine ste-el bridge over the River Ogun to the small station just outside one of the town gates, rather nearer to the palace. There is some talk, though it has never Leen moie than talk, of a light tramway to connect the township ot Ake with -the rail way.

The'town is a great mart for the various produce of the country. Palm-oil, palmkernels, and cotton are brought through continually. The Cotton Growing Association is established here, and is doing a useful work for the trade of the countiy. There is no doubt that excellent cotton can be crown bjre, and that it will become ,i staple of ths country if the cultivation of it is encouraged and a good market found for it.

The climate is treacherous, as is the caoe all along the ccast. The heat is great, and makes the place trying to Jiuropeans. Still, it is fairly dry, and cue who is accustomed to it gets to dread tin moisture of Lagos town more than the heat that is so constant here.

Missions ara well a-epresented. The Church Missionary Society has many churches and schools, and the Wesleyans and Baptists are here too. Perhaps the finest buildings are these of the Roman Catholic Mission.

The town is becoming more and' more Anglicised. English is spoken largely, and it is taught in all the schools, which, by the way, are all under the. management of the various churches, receiving small grants from the Egba Government. What will be the future of the town? It is uncertain. If its government can control ib effectively, no donbt it will remain the head of a dependent state ; but if, as has already happened more than once, discontent is aroused and the help of the British troops at Lagos has to be called in to uphold the Egba Government, probably it will pass into British hands.

As to whether that would be a good •tilling for the to>yn, opinion is much divided. Meanwhile, fchoie who live longest will see mosi\ — Chambers's Journal.