West African Studies

...people in the African Forest Belt region; for in them, in that region, lies the original source material. I have not reprinted "The Connection between Religion and Law" here, as it is available—thanks to the courtesy of the Hibbert Trustees The Hibbert Trust is a charitable organization that supports research and lectures on religion and philosophy.—in the National Review, September 1897.

I have saved my most difficult explanation and apology for the end: the section regarding the Crown Colony system The "Crown Colony system" was the British method of governing overseas territories directly through an appointed governor and council, without local representative government. Kingsley was a vocal critic of this system in West Africa.. This topic is why I must ask you to disassociate me from every friend I have and to hold me alone responsible. I am solely responsible for these views; the only things for which I might be seen as sharing responsibility with others are the statistics taken from government sources.

Writing this has been the most difficult task I have ever undertaken. I would have given my right hand to have done it well, for I know the consequences if things continue as they are. Alas! I am hindered by my poor style of expression. I cannot show you anything clearly and concisely. I have to present a series of pictures of things and hope you will gain the true impression from them. I do not dare to claim that I am telling you "the truth." I only say: look at it. To the best of my ability, I am giving you not an artist’s painting, but a photograph—a version that is cluttered with detail and lacking in color. All the while, I have wished to Heaven that someone else was doing this who could do it better, because then I know you would understand, and all would be well.

I know there are people who accuse me of being blunt or even brutal in my statements. I feel this is unjust, and it makes me wonder what they would say if they had to speak about West Africa. It reminds me of a difficulty a friend and I had with a steam launch A small, steam-powered boat. called the Dragon Fly, whose "internal health" Kingsley is using a medical metaphor for the boat's engine and mechanical state. was chronically poor and subject to severe breakdowns. Well, one afternoon, he and I had to take her out to the home-going steamer, and she had...