the soil; as also from the flatness of the country, which would prevent the soil from being carried away by the rains when cleared of the bush.  It is in my opinion far more adapted for agricultural purposes than the Sierra Leone side of the bay.  Spices of almost every description grow naturally and in abundance; and it would require but little capital, with industry, to make the soil produce sugar, coffee, tobacco, and indigo in great plenty.  In short, the produce of the Boollam country might, without very great labour be made to rival that of either our East or West India possessions, in fact almost every article imported into Great Britain from either is indigenous to this soil.  The indolent and lazy natives, however, cultivate little excepting rice.  The articles procured from the British settlement at Sierra Leone, such as fire-arms, gunpowder, tobacco, rum, &c. are got in exchange for timber, and occasionally labour.

“During my residence in Boollam, it frequently struck me, that a British Settlement on the Boollam coast would be highly desirable, say at Madina.  For the reasons stated above, I am almost certain that practical agriculture would soon become prevalent, inasmuch as it would soon become profitable.  Another, and a very strong inducement to settlers would be, that Madina, and indeed the whole range of the Boollam coast, is very healthy.  What is called the country fever in Sierra Leone, is scarcely known in Boollam.

“To-day five or six of the mourners came to do service to me, which they performed by bending their heads to the earth, and, in that position, moaning in a low tone the praises of the deceased King, mixed with compliments to myself.

  “At midnight I received letters from Sierra Leone, by which I had the
  satisfaction of learning that His Excellency approved of my measures.

  “Wednesday, March 7th.—­This day I succeeded in removing the
  numberless evasions and objections urged by the chiefs against the
  treaty.

  “In effecting this measure Mr. S——­’s exertions were of the greatest
  service.

  “In the evening we were a good deal amused by the natives fishing on
  the beach.  They caught a great number of fish, such as snappers,
  cat-fish, soles, sharks, &c.

“Thursday 8th.—­This day the convention arrived, and the blanks being filled up, and the treaty solemnly signed and ratified, I had the satisfaction on Friday, March 9th, 1827, of hoisting the British flag, and of taking possession of Boollam in the name of His Britannic Majesty.”

Such is the narrative of Lieutenant Maclean, respecting a people whose habits are as peculiar as his account of them must be interesting to Englishmen.