PREFACE.
The intention was to prepare only a small pamphlet, containing
those points of general information respecting the
Egbas and Yorubas, as persons interested in the objects of
my visit to those people would wish to learn; but in spite
of efforts to be brief, the work has attained its present dimensions,
with the length of which, however, as a book,
there is certainly no cause of complaint. The narrative is, as
far as possible, confined to personal observations, though this
has perhaps deprived the casual reader of some details otherwise
interesting. Much error, particularly in reference to
Africa, has been propagated in consequence of writers generally
not confining the subject of their books to their own
observations. In my own case, I presume, the sources of information being equally accessible, that the intelligent reader
can obtain for himself, as easily as I can for him, whatever
information he desires about the early history of Africa, its
ancient races, and the efforts of the Portuguese, British and
Dutch to circumnavigate and colonize the continent.
Several items of information are omitted, partly because they are not of general interest, and partly because my worthy colleague and brother, Dr. M. R. Delany, will include
