To The Gold Coast for Gold: A Personal Narrative. Vol. I

The authors chronicle a voyage from European Atlantic islands to West Africa, describing ports of call, island landscapes, and a detailed survey of gold-producing regions along the Ancobra River. Combining travel narrative, natural-history notes and route-survey data, they examine local mining practices, ore occurrences and practical methods for extraction, advocating shallow washings and hydraulic techniques over costly deep shafts and heavy machinery. The account discusses working mines, concessions, labor shortages and hazards such as pit collapse, situates economic prospects amid regional unrest, and appends practical recommendations for developing the coast's goldfields and for organizing labor and equipment.