le to heavy fines or censure should
they overstep the strict line of their orders. Let them rather be
assured that the nation fully understands the difficulties with which
they have to contend, and will afford them support should they err in
exhibiting their zeal in the repression of the evil traffic. The west
coast still requires watching; each harbour on the east coast from which
slaves are shipped must be blockaded, till every Arab dhow manned by a
slave-trading crew is captured and destroyed. Our fleet of gunboats
could not be more usefully employed than in such an undertaking, and in
a few years, or months even, under active officers, they would render
slave-trading too precarious a pursuit to be followed.

EXPEDITION UP THE NIGER.

To assist in the suppression of the slave-trade on the west coast of
Africa, an expedition was organised in 1841, and placed under Captain
Henry D. Trotter, commanding H.M. steam-vessel _Albert_, Lieutenants
Fishbourne and Stenhouse. She was accompanied by H.H. steam-vessel
_Wilberforce_, Commander William Allen, with Lieutenants James Strange
and H. Harston, and H.M. steam-vessel _Soudan_, Commander Bird Allen.
These vessels were built for the purpose by Mr Laird, of Liverpool.
The two first were 139 feet 4 inches in length on deck, 27 feet breadth
of beam, 11 feet depth of hold, 6 feet draft of water, and 457 tons
measurement, and each was armed with one long brass 12-pounder, two
brass 12-pounder howitzers, and 4 brass 1-pounder swivels, besides small
arms. They had lofty masts, and were square-rigged forward and schooner
aft; but though excellent sea-boats when hauled on a wind, from being
flat-bottomed, they made much leeway. The _Soudan_ was smaller, and
drew only 4 feet 6 six inches. They were fitted with ventilating
machines, and every means that science could devise was employed for the
preservation of the health of the crews. On reaching the mouth of the
Niger, a party of Kroomen were taken on board. After proceeding some
way up the Niger against a strong current, they reached a spot fixed on
for establishing a model farm, when the stores for the purpose were
landed. Unhappily, the paddle-box boat of the _Wilberforce_ got adrift
and sank in the centre of the river, whence she could not be recovered.
Soon afterwards sickness attacked the crews of all the ships, and so
rapid was the progress of the fever that the little _Soudan_ had only
six persons able to move about