ey were fired upon by the inhabitants of a
village, and obliged to return. The next morning a large number of
men were sent armed, these were immediately fired upon by the
natives. The Quorra then sent a signal rocket into the town, and
continued firing her long gun at intervals for an hour and a half.
The natives still continuing to fire, the crews of both the steamers
landed and drove them out of the town or village, and then burned it
to the ground. Three of the natives were found killed, and one was
dying, one or two of the English were slightly wounded. The news of
this engagement reached Eboe before the steamer, and Mr. Lander is of
opinion, it will have a salutary effect on the natives up the river,
and be the means of preventing any further resistance. Nine men are
said to have died before they left the Nun, and two or three
afterwards. There was also an American merchant brig, the Agenoria,
lying in the Nun. She had been fitted out by a company of merchants
of New Providence to explore the Niger. She had with her two small
schooners, which were to proceed up the river, while she remained at
the entrance. Nearly all the white men belonging to these vessels had
died, and the remainder appeared in the most wretched state, and they
had abandoned all intention of attempting to proceed up the river
with the schooners, it being considered impossible to do so with any
sailing vessel. The brig intended to procure a cargo of palm oil, and
proceed to the United States. The Agenoria was fitted out secretly by
the company, and had cleared out for a whaling voyage.

No doubt whatever exists, and the sequel fully confirms the opinion,
that the conduct observed by the crews of the steamers in attacking
and destroying the town of the natives was highly impolitic and
uncalled for. It is true the natives had commenced the attack, and we
have only to refer to the accounts transmitted to us, of various
travellers on penetrating into the country of a savage people, and
especially a people of the depraved nature of the Africans, with whom
Lander had to deal, that they are generally the first to resort to
force, not so much with the hope of victory, as with the desire of
plunder. In the generality of cases, however, it is to be found that
the hostility on the part of the natives was more easy to be quelled
by a show of forbearance and an inclination to enter into terms of
amity with them, than by an open desire to meet force by force.