West African Studies

Among my friends, I must mention Mrs. J. R. Green, Mrs. George Macmillan, and Miss Lucy Toulmin Smith; but do not imagine that they or any of my other supporters original: "creditors" approve of a single solitary opinion I express, or the way in which I express it. It is merely that I have the power of bringing out the virtues of my fellow human beings, whether white or black, in a way that is honorable to them and fortunate for me.

I must also acknowledge the great debt of gratitude I owe to Mr. John Holt of Liverpool. A part of my work concerns the affairs of the people known as the Bubis original: "Bubies"; the indigenous people of the island of Bioko of Fernando Po An island off the west coast of Africa, now called Bioko, and no one knows as much about Fernando Po as Mr. Holt. He has also been of the greatest help to me in other ethnological The study of the characteristics of different peoples and their relationships questions and has most generously permitted me to go through his collections of African artifacts. It is, however, useless for me to attempt to record my full debt to Mr. Holt, for in every part of my work I owe him much. I do not wish you to think he is responsible for any of it, but his counsel has always been on the side of moderation and generosity in the face of harsh criticism. I honestly confess I believe I am by nature the very mildest of critics; but Mr. Holt and others think otherwise; and so, although I have not altered my opinions, I have refrained from publishing several more detailed versions of them out of respect for his superior knowledge.

I am also under a debt of gratitude to Professor Tylor Edward Burnett Tylor, a founding figure in the field of cultural anthropology. He is also not involved in my opinions, but he kindly permits me to tell him things that I can only "tell Tylor"; and now and again, as you will see regarding the Fetish A term used by Kingsley to describe West African religious and magical systems question, he corrects me with a refreshing firmness. In fact, I feel that any attempt at far-fetched original: "fantastic" explanations of West African culture will not receive any encouragement from him; and it is a great comfort to a mere researcher original: "drudge" like myself—