494 A TROPICAL DEPENDENCY thence by sea to Tripoli, his own prediction being that he would be the *' first of many" who would take this road when he had reported its advantages and security in Tripoli. His calculation was that goods could be carried between the Lagos coast and Kano in forty days without risk, whereas, between Tripoli and Kano, the journey extended sometimes to seven months, with the risks of the desert in addition. It has since been reported that the arrival of this Arab in Tripoli, and the account which he has given of his journey, has created a great sensation in commercial circles there. It remains still to be seen how much of the northern trade will in this way be diverted to the British coast.

The facilities which have been given by the new order of things to caravans travelling southward towards the coast have, of course, been reciprocally extended to traders travelling northward from the coast to the interior, and upwards of four thousand trade licences were this year issued by the British Government in Ilorin to petty traders, many of whom flocked from the coast provinces into the town. The British Resident of Ilorin reports that whereas, in old days, no Yoruba trader was to be found upon the left bank of the Niger, there is now no market of importance in Northern Nigeria in which they are not to be found. This, if correct, is in itself extremely satisfactory. It prepares the way for an easy flow of trade from the coast to the interior, and the impetus which has already been given to the trade of the coast colonies is clearly marked in their annual returns.

The question of caravan tolls is an interesting one, upon which the permanent policy of the British Administration is still open to consideration. It seems fair that all trade profiting by the safety of the roads, and the new markets opened to its activity, should bear a share of the expense by which this state of things is brought about. But, on the other hand, the undesirability of placing any restriction upon the movements of trade is keenly recognised. It is to be desired on all