The soil of the island is a red or light coloured sand, with little appearance of clay or mould, but from its having furnished the natives of the adjacent country, and the inhabitants of a small town which formerly stood on the island, with rice previously to our taking possession of it, I am satisfied it would, by proper management, bring all the productions of the country to perfection; and, no doubt, be rendered as congenial to the culture of some of our garden vegetables as Senegal or Sierra-Leone.
The edges of the creeks which intersect the island, and the low grounds about them, are thickly covered with mangroves, which are rapidly decreasing in being turned to advantage for fuel both in the houses and for the burning of lime. The palm tree, the monkey-bread, or baobab, and several other kinds of large trees, are thickly scattered all over the high grounds, and with an abundance of shrubs and ever-greens give the place a cool, refreshing, though wild appearance.
Sarah Creek, so called by the natives, is from twenty-five to forty yards wide, and at ebb tide contains no less than seven feet water in the shallowest place, many places having twelve and upwards, with a bottom of hard sand and clay.
Crooked Creek, which is about the same breadth, has only two feet water at its mouth during the ebb, but its general depth in other places is from three to six feet.
Turnbull Creek is likewise very shallow, having in no place more than five feet water. It is possible that much benefit might result from so shutting up the mouths of Newt and Crooked Creeks, and the one adjoining the latter, as to prevent the high flood-tides in the rainy season from entering them, as it would, if effectually done, reclaim from inundation and its consequent bad effects, a large space in the almost immediate vicinity of the town. But it remains to decide whether the ground about them is lower than high-water mark, in which case it would be impossible to remedy the present evil in any other way than raising the level of the surface, a work that would be attended with considerable expense and difficulty.
That this infant colony has answered, nay, exceeded the most sanguine expectations of all concerned, is strongly proved by the very great and rapid increase of its population, not only by the considerable augmentation of the number of British merchants, but by an immense influx of the inhabitants of Goree, who, not finding employment under the French Government there, and being excluded from the trade of the Gambia, except through the medium of Saint Mary’s, or a small factory belonging to the French at Albreda (than which they are not allowed to go higher up the river) are daily emigrating to Bathurst.
The troops, inhabitants, and merchants are abundantly supplied with beef, mutton, poultry, fish, fruit, milk, butter, palm-wine, and all the African vegetables by the natives of the surrounding towns, who, feeling the advantage of such intimacy with the settlement, flock to it in great numbers, and consume a large proportion of the European articles imported into the colony.
Gold, ivory, bees-wax, and hides are brought thither in considerable quantities by the natives, traders, and the inhabitants of Goree who have settled there, and are annually shipped for England by the British merchants; fine timber of the mahogany kind has been found on the banks of, and islands in the river, and has likewise been sent to the home market, where, I believe, it has met with some encouragement.
ARTICLE II.—See [Page 59.]
PRESENTS TO THE KING OF KATOBA, APRIL 18th, 1818.