Memoirs of Giambattista Scala

This is the first English edition of the Memoirs of Giambattista Scala, who from 1852 to 1859 was a pioneer in the 'legitimate' trade which was replacing the Atlantic slave trade. From his vantage point in Lagos, Scala witnessed and recorded the dying years of the slave traffic and the growth of an export trade from West Africa to Europe, notably in palm products. From 1855 he also served as Sardinian Consul, and observed the growth of British influence within Lagos and the surrounding parts of southern Yorubaland. Originally published in 1862, these Memoirs provide an intelligent account both of life among the Yoruba and of the small, mixed community of Europeans, traders, and missionaries now settling in Lagos.