PREFACE

Mr. John Harford—the man who first¹ opened up the still little-known Qua Ibo river, another region inhabited by Negro peoples—likewise needs no introduction or apology. I am confident that the unpretentious original: "quite unconscious" picture of a West Coast trader’s life he provides in Appendix II will do much to dispel the unrealistic original: "fantastic" ideas people have about West Coast traders and how they live. I am convinced that if the British public had more information of this kind, they would realize—as I have, through my extensive experience with these traders—that they are the group of white men who can be truly trusted to manage West African affairs.

I sincerely wish that this entire book had been written by men like the authors of Appendices I and II. We are in desperate need of reliable information regarding West Africa. This is the kind of information that can only be obtained from resident white men—those who live in close contact with the local people and must understand them to survive and succeed—as well as from scientifically trained observers. A passing traveler, moving quickly through a region like West Africa, is not as reliable a source as they might be in other parts of the world. In those other places, their observations can be verified by recognized authorities and supplemented by the written literature of the people they describe. However, in West Africa (outside the areas studied by Ellis), there are no authoritative accounts written since the eighteenth century, and the local populations have no written literature of their own. Therefore, you must go back to the basic elements original: "Urstoff," a German term meaning "raw material" or "fundamental substance." Here, Kingsley uses it to mean primary, firsthand evidence. and rely only on expert observers whose lives and property

¹ Mr. McEachen first traded there using a "hulk" A decommissioned ship used as a floating warehouse or trading station, common in West African rivers where permanent buildings were difficult to maintain., but he withdrew in 1873 after about two years. No trade was conducted in this river by white men until Mr. Harford arrived; since then, it has continued steadily.