Thread by @YorubaHistory

Residence at Eyeo, or Katunga, the capital of Youriba

Tuesday, January 24th. [1826] — Early this morning the King paid us a visit, accompanied by his favourite eunuch and Abaco the messenger.

Source: Richard Lander from Kano to the sea-coast by Clapperton, Hugh (1829)

He had received previous information that he wished to have the presents intended for him this night ; and such is the crooked policy of these petty sovereigns of Africa, that no present can be given, ...

... no business or transaction of importance can be done openly : all must be conducted under the cover of night, and with the greatest secrecy, from the highest to the lowest.

We first began inquiring after his health. I then told him that I was the King of England’s servant, sent by his majesty to beg his acceptance of a present, which then lay before me; that we had heard his (the King of Youriba’s) name mentioned in England as a great King;

... that we now experienced the truth of the report ; that three white men, two of them my companions, and one a servant, had died on the road ; that another of my companions was at Dahomey, to ask the King of that country to allow him a passage through his dominions.

I told him that all the Youriba people had behaved well to us ; that the caboceers of the different towns through which we had passed supplied us with every thing we wanted, ...

... especially the chief of Jannah, his friend, who had shown the greatest attention to us, and had given us a good man for a messenger, who had conducted us with safety and attention to his majesty’s capital.

Upon this the messenger was ordered to make his prostrations, and his majesty rubbed his shoulders with his hand.

I then told him that the King of England would be glad to make him his friend, and that whatever he, the King of Youriba, might have occasion for would be sent from England by one of the King’s ships to Badagry.

The King then replied in assuring us that we were truly welcome to his country; that he had frequently heard of white men ; but that neither himself, nor his father, nor any of his ancestors had ever seen one.

He was glad that white men had come at this time ; and now he trusted his country would be put right, his enemies brought to submission, and he would be enabled to build up his father’s house, which war had destroyed.

This he spoke in such a feeling and energetic manner, and repeated it so many times, that I could not help sympathising with him.

He then said we were welcome to his country, and he was glad to see us, and would have been so, even if we had not a cowrie, instead of coming with our hands full, as we had done;

...that he wanted nothing from white men, but something to assist him against his enemies, and those of his people who had rebelled against him, so as to enable him to reduce them to obedience;

...that his slaves from Housa had joined the Fellatahs, put to death the old, and sold the young ; that he was glad to hear that all his people had behaved well to us;

... that had any of them refused us assistance, he should have sent an order to cut off their heads ; that the caboceer of Jannah was his slave, whom he put there to look after that part of his dominions;

that Badagry, Alladah, and Dahomey all belonged to him, and paid custom for every ship that anchored there:

and he concluded by assuring us he wanted nothing but assistance against his enemies ; feelingly deploring the civil war occasioned by his father’s death, the state of his country, and of his capital, Katunga.

He then asked us if we did not see the ruined towns as we came along the road.

“All these,” says he, “ were destroyed and burned by my rebellious Housa slaves, and their friends, the Fellatahs.”

The King described here is Alaafin Majotu who reigned 1802-1830.