The yearly revenue and expenditure of the government is given in the following table:

Every attempt has been made to keep expenditures within revenues. The principal sources of revenue are customs, which in 1922-23 furnished £2,035,359, or 60 per cent of the total, an increase over the amount of £1,777,250 in 1921-22, which constituted 59 per cent of the total revenue. Next in importance were railway receipts of £892,115 in 1922-23, or 27 per cent of the total, an increase of 1 per cent over 1921-22. Other revenues in 1922-23 were fees of court, £148,218; licenses, £78,325; interest, £72,241; posts and telegraph, £68,624; rent of government lands, £9,918; light dues, £2,893; land sales, £232; and miscellaneous, £49,271. The principal items of expenditure in 1922-23 were: Railway £397,020; public debt charges, £382,452; public works extraordinary, £300,823; public works annually recurrent, £190,877; public works department, £171,801; political administration, £130,452; medical department, £122,813; police, £113,383; posts and telegraphs, £112,438; education, £100,074; sanitation, £92,580; Gold Coast Regiment, £88,564; prisons, £44,600; pensions and gratuities, £87,678; and many miscellaneous services. On March 31, 1922, the public debt was £7,319,118, and one year later £7,299,118.

Commercial credits.in the Gold Coast are practically the same as in Nigeria.

SIERRA LEONE

Next in size to the Gold Coast is Sierra Leone, bounded on the north and west by French Guinea and on the east by Liberia. It is composed of the colony of Sierra Leone and the Sierra Leone protectorate. The former is confined to the hill country of the Sierra Leone Peninsula and adjacent islands. Sierra Leone Peninsula has long been known to navigators as one of the few places on the West African coast where mountainous land is found close to the sea. It is well wooded in places, but in general has a poor quality of soil. The protectorate which consists of all the northern part of Sierra Leone varies in configuration. It is well watered by a network of rivers and streams, but owing to the rise from the coast to the Futa Jallon Range of hills in the northeast, few of them are navigable for more than a short distance. The southern sections are dense bush country, which merges into the more open and thinly-wooded country of the north.

The total area of the colony and protectorate is about equal to that of Ireland, and supports a population of 1,541,311 (1921 census). Of this total 85,163 are on the Sierra Leone Peninsula, which includes the city of Freetown, with a population of 44,142. The city is located on the northeast corner of the peninsula, on a natural harbor at the

mouth of the Rokelle or Sierra Leone River. The town is well laid out and many improvements, including a pipe borne water supply, have helped to dispell the evil reputation that was early attached to it. There are no large towns in the protectorate as the bulk of the natives reside in villages ranging in size from 30 to 100 houses.

ADMINISTRATION-EDUCATION-RELIGION

Sierra Leone as a British colony dates back to 1787. The governor and commander-in-chief of the colony is also governor of the protectorate. To assist him in the colony, executive and legislative councils are nominated, while the protectorate is divided into three Provinces with a European commissioner over each.

In the colony most of the inhabitants are Sierra Leoneans or Creoles, largely descendants of the original settlers. They speak English and are largely Christians. In the protectorate there are 14 principal tribes speaking different languages, and many of the tribes are subdivided into clans with different dialects. Some of the tribes, in order of importance, are the Mendi, Timmani, Limba, Sherbro, Susu, Kuranko, and Lokko. Of late years Christianity as represented by the Anglicans, Wesleyans, United Methodists, and Roman Catholics has made little progress, while Mohammedanism has been fairly successful.

In the colony elementary education is given in government and mission schools, of which there were 122 in 1923, with an enrollment of 10,634, and an average attendance of 7,596. There are also 11 secondary schools, the government model school, and 2 trade schools. All of the elementary schools receive government assistance. In the protectorate there is some activity in educational lines at present. The government institutions are the Bo School for the sons and nominees of chiefs, the Agricultural College at N'jala, Bumpe School, Baüma School, Gbangbama School, Gambia School, and six vernacular schools. The Bo School is the largest, and in 1923 had 158 boys on the roll.

FOREIGN TRADE

A review of the foreign trade of Sierra Leone shows it is quite similar to that of the other West African colonies. This colony was hit by the world trade crisis of 1921, but recovered during 1923. The following table shows the total trade of Sierra Leone in recent

The above table shows total imports and exports, including specie. In 1913 the commercial exports were £84,621 greater than commercial imports, but in all other years commercial imports exceeded commercial exports, the greatest being in 1920 when the excess was £928,092. The excess of commercial imports in 1923 amounted to only £74,812.

The following table shows the principal imports of Sierra Leone during 1922 and 1923:

In addition to the above, large quantities of apparel, foodstuffs, lumber, metal iron manufactures, and other articles were imported. Imports of cotton piece goods in 1923 were not equal to those in 1913, when 16,074,461 yards, valued at £267,089, were imported, but they were greater than in 1921 when only 4,526,771 yards, valued at £219,566, were imported. There were increases in nearly all important lines in 1923, especially in manufactured articles, which increased from £780,546 in 1922 to £1,136,110 in 1923.

The following table shows the principal exports from Sierra Leone during 1922 and 1923:

Increases were recorded in all but kola nuts and native rice. The total for palm kernels constitutes a record for the colony. The commercial and economic life of the colony is dependent on the export of these raw materials. Production is now increasing as prices are rising above the 1921 depression.

The following table shows the direction of the trade of Sierra Leone during 1922 and 1923:

Thus, the United Kingdom again improved its position in the trade of Sierra Leone. The United States furnished a smaller share of the imports largely due to the price and exchange factor, but purchases of Sierra Leone products increased. Among the notable changes were the decrease of exports to other British West African possessions and the increase of exports to Germany.

As disclosed by the above table the United States is second in the import trade of Sierra Leone and in 1923 supplied 9.52 per cent of the total imports, which is nearly 2 per cent less than in 1922. Although the percentage dropped there was actually an increase in the value of American imports. More tobacco, sugar, kerosene, and flour were imported, although there was a considerable decrease in the quantity and value of lumber. In exports to the United States, an advance was recorded mainly on account of heavier shipments of ginger, palm oil, pepper, and piassava. With the institution in recent years of direct steamship service between the United States and West Africa, a great increase in trade was noticeable, but the chief drawbacks to American goods are high prices and the high exchange, which are still apparent.

COMMUNICATIONS

Of late years the government has been devoting itself to the building up of a more extensive system of communications. In 1896 the Sierra Leone Government Railway was started, and in 1923 there were 338 miles of road open to traffic. The main line runs from Freetown to Pendembu, a distance of 2271⁄2 miles, with a branch line running from Boia Junction to Kamabai, a distance of 104 miles. The capital expenditure on December 31, 1923, was £1,696,977. The following table shows recent increases in the business of the railways:

Supplementing the railroad is a network of roads and paths leading to such centers as Bo, Kamabai, Moyamba, Hangha, Blama, Pendembu, Segbwema, Bauma, and others. In 1923 there were 260 miles of first-class roads and well over 1,200 miles of second-class roads. During certain seasons of the year the latter are not usable. There is also a considerable mileage of waterways, but for the most part not navigable. A number of streams are navigable for 20 or 25 miles, but above that they are blocked by rapids, falls, etc. Some steps are being taken to further develop some of the streams. The railway department has charge of the telegraphs and telephones, with well over 1,000 miles of wire in use, mainly following the railway. The post-office department has opened 41 offices in the colony. Nearly all of the external trade of Sierra Leone enters and clears at Freetown, but other ports of call for vessels are Sherbo, Mano Salya,

and Sulima. The harbor at Freetown is deep enough for all vessels and the government has constructed a wharf which is connected directly with the railway. A number of private wharves have also been constructed. Sherbro does not have a deep harbor and most of the traffic is river borne or coasting. The revival of trade in 1923 is shown in the following table of entrances and clearances of vessels:

Vessels of British registry made up 68.09 per cent of the total shipping in 1923, the remaining 31.91 per cent being largely Dutch, German, American, and Italian, with a small amount of Swedish, French, and Danish.

CLIMATE

The climate of Sierra Leone is tropical, with a heavy rainfall and high atmospheric humidity during the greater part of the year. The shade temperature rarely falls below 70° or rises above 95° F. There are two seasons, the wet and the dry. The single rainy season lasts from May to the end of October. The rainfall is highest on the coast, decreasing gradually inland. Records taken at Freetown show the average rainfall from 1882 to 1891 was 166.07 inches, and from 1912 to 1921 it was 122.66. The highest was 204.19 inches in 1883, and the lowest was 102.34 inches in 1914.

AGRICULTURAL RESOURCES

OIL PALM

Sierra Leone, like the other British West African colonies, is largely dependent upon its indigenous agricultural products. The mainstay of the colony is the oil palm, which is found in nearly all parts of the colony and protectorate, except the rocky and mountainous tracts. The exports of both palm kernels and palm oil were retarded because of the lack of transportation, but since the opening of the railway and the feeder lines they have greatly increased. The following table shows the relation between the yearly exports of Sierra Leone and the average price per ton for the corresponding year in Liverpool: