Description: Includes correspondence discussing Glover's Volta expedition.
Note:
John Hawley Glover (1829-1885) entered the Royal Navy in 1841, and served off the coast of West Africa and in the East Indies. He was wounding during fighting in the Second Anglo-Burmese War in 1853. In 1857, he participated in Dr William Balfour Baikie's second ascent of the River Niger as surveyor. After the expedition's steamer 'Dayspring' was wrecked near Jebba in October, Glover trekked overland to Lagos three times to ensure the safe return of the party. While at Lagos he surveyed its lagoons. He returned to West Africa in 1861 and surveyed the Gold Coast. Britain had annexed Lagos in 1861 and Glover left active naval service to join its new colonial admiration, becoming Secretary in 1864 and then Administrator from 1866 to 1872. Glover often acted upon his own initiative and pursued policies which were at odds with the Colonial Office. These tensions came to a head in 1872, when he clashed with the new Governor-in-Chief of West Africa, John Pope Hennessy. Hennessy sent Glover home in June. Although this was done without authority, the Colonial Secretary, the Earl of Kimberley, did not reinstate Glover. In 1873, however, Glover returned to West Africa as a result of the Asante invasion of the Gold Coast. He offered to mount an expedition to threaten the Asante flank and rear in the Volta region and was appointed Special Commissioner to the eastern district. With a handful of British officers and a cadre of Hausa police, Glover mobilised an army of African auxiliaries. In January 1874, he advanced across the Pra River. Glover's successful diversion supported the main invasion force commanded by Sir Garnet Wolseley, which defeated the Asante and captured Kumasi on 4 February. This collection is composed of archives relating to Glover's government of Lagos and the Volta campaign during the Second Anglo-Asante War. AMDigital Reference: RCMS 131.
Original Version:
Reproduction of: John Hawley Glover correspondence, Nov 1873 3-29 Nov 1873.
Location of Originals:
Royal Commonwealth Society Collections at Cambridge University Library
Copyright Note:
Royal Commonwealth Society Collections at Cambridge University Library
