an army chiefly depend, is very imperfectly developed in the American service. This evil arises in part from the ideas of equality in which the American officer has been educated, and in part from the difficulty of enforcing proper regulations, owing to the army being split into a number of petty detachments, scattered at wide distances. The officers commanding these small bodies, thus removed from the inspection and control of their superiors, too commonly become the petty tyrants and oppressors of their companies. The American soldier's nominal pay is larger than that of the British soldier, but his comfort and health are not cared for as well as the British soldier's are, and no amount of pay can compensate for the deprivation. It would be much better for the American soldier if he had more comfortable quarters, a more wholesome dietary, more liberal treatment when sick, and the sympathy and protection of his officers, even if this should be purchased by a reduction of his pay. At present the American soldier is only paid once in every two months, and his pay being most commonly consumed in riot and debauch in a few days, its large amount is more an injury than a benefit to him. The pay of a soldier is 13 dollars, or £2 12s. per mensem, but from this sum two dollars or eight shillings a month are deducted, to be returned at the end of the term of service. Instead of bounty, the American soldier, whether regular or volunteer, by a law of last Session of Congress, receives 100 dollars, or £2at the expiration of his term of service.

GAMBIA COLONY AND THE LATE BADDIBOO WAR.

VERY little is known in England of the Gambia Colony, its sister, Sierra Leone, monopolizing all the interest felt for the settlements on the west coast of Africa; yet it has some claims on the sympathy of the mother country, being the offspring of our generous policy towards the French. After the long war with the modern Themistocles, on the flag of France being restored to Gorce, by the treaty of Vienna, the English residents, who were chiefly merchants, preferring to trade under their own flag, made an exodus to a large sand-bank eighty miles to the southward, situated at the mouth of the great river Gambia, which island they called St. Mary's, from the contiguity of the cape of that name, the north-east part of which presented the advantages of deep water for shipping, and the river Gambia was the best high road some 250 miles into the interior.

This river was well known to the British, Mungo Park having made it his high road to the interior on his first expedition, besides it is in tradition that James, Duke of York sailed up it, and built the fort called after him, on a small island about twenty miles from the mouth. Certain it is that both the Duke and his royal brother dealt largely in slaves. This fort was levelled to the ground during

the "hundred days," by two French frigates, the black sergeant in command refusing to strike his flag; and it has never been rebuilt. On completing its destruction, and giving the brave defender and his small garrison of four soldiers an honourable burial, the frigates proceeded to Sierra Leone, where they did great damage to the town, and were only stopped in their career of devastation by the news of Waterloo, and the consequent peace.

The British cherished no desire for territorial aggrandizement, having purchased the island from the Chief of Combo, with the intention of using it solely as a pied-a-terre for trade, as their ancestors had done at Pennsylvania. The natives viewed the settlement with no jealousy. The African is essentially a trader, and has been so since the world began. They regarded the "white houses" of Bathurst-called after the then Colonial Minister-as a depot of European articles established for their convenience; yet as many different tribes debouched on the river side, and rival interests clashed, the white man found it no easy task to steer clear of differences, and to maintain the peace so essentially vital to trade. It was equally necessary to show no signs of fear, as his warlike neighbours might coalesce, and destroy the new settlement, for the sake of the plunder alone.

The first difference involving war took place in 1837 with the King of Bana. This potentate was a kind of river pirate, levying a heavy tax on all vessels proceeding up the river for trade purposes. It was considered vital to the very existence of Bathurst to build a fort at a point on the north side, about three miles across the river, opposite to the town, to protect our shipping from the exactions of his war causes; and the colonists felt themselves strong enough, with their small garrison, to carry out their determination, without waiting for assistance from England. The enemy had, however, entrenched themselves behind the coveted spot, and it proved a hard nut to crack. Chivalry was displayed on both sides. The Mandingoes would not fire upon the boats full of soldiers and volunteers, allowing the British to form in order of battle before they opened fire from the trenches. An engagement ensued, but the enemy held their own, and drove back the assailants with loss! Lieutenant Berwick, the officer commanding the expedition, now sent back the boats to Bathurst, and told his men they must either take the trenches and stockade, or be driven into the sea. They answered with a cheer, and carried the fortifications at the point of the bayonet! Mr. Brown, at present a member of the Gambia Council, was a young volunteer on this occasion, and bravely won his spurs by the side of the officer commanding. A substantial fort now stands on the battle-field; and Berwick Town, a neat, liberated African village, faintly by its name immortalizes a gallant deed of arms now long forgotten.

Then followed the Dunkaseen war some hundred miles up the river, caused by the plunder of a vessel belonging to Mr. Goddard, a merchant of Bathurst and a member of the legislative council. Fear of robbery does not exist in Africa near the large towns, as the older men amongst the native community who have visited the British and French settlements on the coast are sufficiently sensible and well

informed to know that a day of retribution may possibly arrive. Not so the "boys" as they are called, a term equivalent in signification to our "mob" should these see a vessel becalmed under the Mangroves, adjacent to a town whose inhabitants are disaffected to the British and free from the inspection of their head men, of whom they stand in great dread, the opportunity thus afforded of falling upon an unarmed schooner full of guns and rum is a temptation not to be resisted. This was the case at Dunkaseen; the chief could not or would not give any redress, and an expedition was fitted out under the command of a naval officer accompanied as before by volunteers. To the surprise of the force after advancing some distance into the interior they found that the chief's town consisted of a regular fortress worthy of European engineering; without artillery they could make no impression on the place, there was nothing left but to retreat to the boats; on the march back they suffered much from want of water. Mr. Goddard was severely wounded and to this day is a sufferer. From this time to 1849 the temple of Janus was shut in the Gambia, when unfortunately, Governor Sir R. G. Macdonald landed on the left bank of the river, near to the trading port of Tantebar about sixty miles from Bathurst, to shoot with some friends without asking the permission or sending the usual present to the chief of the country; the dignity of the Mandingo was hurt at this neglect of courtesy, and the consequence was that the Governor and suite suffered some personal violence from the "boys," instigated, it is supposed, by the chief. The presence of Mr. Brown, a very influential merchant, saved the lives of the whole party, it being the habit of the natives of the countries on the river to respect the person of the European trader, but to dislike and even resent the appearance of a government official unless his visit is covered by the proper forms, presents, and explanations. This outrage led to an expedition against the town of Kaning, the capital of the chief of the Tantebar district, under the command of Captain now Colonel Hill, Governor of Sierra Leone; the troops burnt the town, inflicting considerable damage on the country, but were not sufficiently strong to storm the stockade without artillery, yet the raid proved to the natives that it was unwise to beard their neighbours the white men, who evidently would not suffer unprovoked assaults to pass unpunished.

About this period the cultivation of the ground nut was only trifling, between three and four thousand tons were annually exported: ten years afterwards in 1858 the exportation rose to fifteen thousand tons.

The river chiefs began to see that it was their interest to cultivate the friendship of the English trader, who gave two shillings the bushel for the produce of the ground; industry took the place of idleness and plunder, and the banks of the river were cultivated far above McCarthy's Island. This trade, added to the other exports of golddust, ivory, wax and hides, gave Bathurst renewed vigour and prosperity. I should have mentioned before that on the first establishment of the colony it was deemed a good measure to purchase an island up the river 180 miles from Bathurst, as a depot for goods : U. S. MAG., No. 398, JAN., 1862.

I

many of the natives of the far east might bring their gold and wax there, and yet not venture as far as the seaboard.*

The river chiefs did not again molest the European trader till very lately. Let us leave them awhile and proceed to the southern seaboard in order to make our history of the colony complete, and explain the intricacies of the colonial home policy which eventually in 1853 took a warlike course.

I do not know exactly the year, but some time after the occupation of the sand-bank of St. Mary's it was found necessary to form a sanitarium, the town of Bathurst being very unhealthy during the rains, arising from the miasmatic influences of its neighbourhood. A strip of land was purchased from the king of Combo, extending from Cape St. Mary's to the southward one mile and a half, and about one quarter of a mile in breadth. Once settled on the main land, the British could not but be aware of the internal dissentions amongst the natives. Combo harboured a rebellious town in its bosom, called Sabbajee, the inhabitants of which were a set of bigoted Marabouts who despised greatly their Sonnikee dram-drinking king, together with his uncircumcised allies, the British. Close under the walls of Cape House, just outside the boundary, Baccow presents itself; it had been loyal to the king of Combo, residing at Zundum, seven miles in the interior, from time out of mind. Frequently the Sabbajee warriors would attack Baccow, and the civil war, which raged for years, was frequently witnessed from the windows of Cape House. The governor of the Gambia tried to mediate, from time to time, between the king and his subjects, especialy as our supplies were cut off, and the Jawlas, a tribe who make and convey the palm wine from the Casamanee, were prevented crossing Combo by these disturbances, thereby seriously injuring the colonial revenue. The king being tired of the war and afraid of these unruly subjects, offered the territory extending from Sabbajee to the sea, to the Governor, if he would destroy Sabbajee. Governor Sir Richard G. Macdonell was in favour of closing with the offer, but just at this period he was promoted to Austalia; it remained for a soldier, Governor Major O'Connor, to carry out his predecessor's policy, which he effected without bloodshed. The first capture of Sabbajee, in 1853, was more like a military pic-nic than a campaign; the natives knew that the governor was strong in troops, having the triennial West India relief then in the harbour of Bathurst, and the sailors of a troop ship at his disposal. The town was burnt without opposition, and the inhabitants retired coast-wise to the fanatical town of Goongour on the seaboard twenty miles further south; with the cunning of Mahommedan's they bided their time, begging the Governor to let them return, pointing out in their palaver that to live under the dominion of a

*It was called after the Governor General of the coast, M'Carthy, and colonized by liberated Africans. Vessels drawing twelve feet of water might lie alongside the wharfs and ship goods for the ocean. A small garrison has held it against all comers for these fifty years, and it has answered all the expectations of its founders, but failing in one important respect, the climate in the rains is fatal to the European. In July and August 1860, three assistant surgeons died of fever within a very short time of each other.

dram-drinking Pagan was painful to men of their enlightened minds, but that the British Government was the communis mater of the African tribes, that there could not possibly be any cause of difference, and that they would obey the Queen with fidelity and affection. Some demon whispered to the Governor to relent, back they came to their lores et penates-rebuilt the town, but this time, by the order of their new master it was not to be stockaded. Matters proceeded quietly enough until the summer of 1855, when they laid a deep plot to rid themselves of their British rule, as well as that of their King; first they cut down and hid in the bush a sufficient number of stakes to form a stockade, contracted alliances with Goongour, and watched by their spies all that was going on at Bathurst; an order came, unfortunately, to send as many officers as possible to Sierra Leone on a court martial; only two or three young soldiers were left; now was the time to be independent, and rule Upper Cambo themselves, but they wanted a pretext-a casus belli-for they have their feelings of honour like ourselves, and have never been known to shed blood without an assigned cause. Opportunely enough for their wishes, just at this period a summons was issued by a magistrate in Bathurst, to be served at Sabbajee, on a native who was required to give evidence in the Supreme Court, in an alleged case of slavery. By some mistake, never explained, a party of twelve soldiers from Cape House accompanied the constable, and two European officers rode with the men, more for the sake of a ride than for duty, as the number of soldiers employed but warranted a non-commissioned officer in charge. Much to their surprise, on arriving at Sabbajee, they found themselves treated as enemies, and were compelled at once to retreat to Cape House, three miles off, fighting all the way; Ensign Armstrong lost his arm, and Dr. Davies narrowly escaped being made prisoner, two soldiers were taken into slavery, but returned after the war; the ensign was immediately promoted to a lieutenancy in the 75th, in which regiment he distinguished himself at the great siege of Delhi, receiving his Company in the 23rd Regiment as a reward for his gallantry.

With the energy and promptitude of a good soldier, the Governor, Colonel O'Connor, marched from Bathurst that very evening, 16th of July 1855, with all his available force, about 200 men from the detachments of the West India Regiments serving on the coast, the same number of Militia hastily collected, and a few volunteers. One howitzer only accompanied the expedition. The Governor halted that night at Cape House, and organized a plan of attack for the next morning. It was generally supposed that the wily old Chief of Baccow, Majeeboo, gave information over night to the Sabbajee warriors of the Governor's movements, that the town was to be attacked in the morning, and that the road the Governor purposed selecting was that usually taken through the Sabbajce wood. The wood was situated about a short mile from the town of Sabbajee, and afforded a kind of natural stockade for its protection. Directly on the enemy finding that the force was really going to march by the high road, they manned the wood and silently waited for it. Unfortunately the bush takes a horseshoe form at the entrance of