The Early Times in Victoria (Limbe)

By Joe Burnley (Originally published on the Hard Times Blog)

The city of Victoria was the solution to the vexing problem of Spanish harassment at Fernando Po. The Baptist missionaries who resided in this small island using it as a hub for their work there, and in the Cameroons, had finally lost patience with the Spanish authorities. The British had used Clarence as a base for their naval squadron from where their man o' wars patrolled the gulf of Guinea to disrupt the trade in human slavery, which had been abolished in England, but was still the main trade in that area at that time. They tried to encourage the more legitimate trade in palm oil. This occupation led to the creation of a Creole society at Fernando Po.

The Rev. John Clarke and Dr. George K. Prince, stopped at Clarence on Fernando Po, en route to the Nigerian interior. Their reception by the head of the naval squadron was extremely warm. Freed slaves and other black immigrants pleaded for the establishment of a Christian presence on the Island. The two men advised their superiors in England on their findings, and in 1842, Thomas Sturgeon (1810-1846) arrived on Fernando Po from England. This was followed by the Jamaican Joseph Merrick (1818-1849), Alexander Fuller(D. 1847), and his son Joseph Jackson Fuller (1825-1908) in 1843. Alfred Saker (1814 - 1880) arrived the following year with his wife.

A lot of other Jamaicans , freed slaves from Sierra Leone had made the island their home. Joseph Merrick and his group had ventured to the mainland of the Cameroons, first stopping at Bimbia and then on to Duala. Alfred Saker also went to Duala were he setup his headquarters for operations in the Cameroons. Merrick had established a settlement at Bimbia by 1845, and was translating the Bible into the local Isubu dialect.

In early February 1843, Spain had asserted its long-standing claims to the island. The captain of a Spanish fleet planted the Spanish flag at Clarence, renamed the city Santa Isabel, and proclaimed his intent to establish the Roman Catholic Church as the official religion of the island. On the 23rd of May 1858 a Spanish steamer was visible from Clarence. Don Carlos Chacon the Governor-General of all the islands belonging to Spain in West Africa was on board.

On January 5, 1846 virtually the entire community at Santa Isabel, including newly arrived recruits such as Joseph Jackson Fuller, petitioned Queen Victoria stating that they believed they were under British protection when they immigrated to West Africa.The appeal by Christians for Britain to intervene on their behalf resulted in sporadic correspondence over the next few years. Even with some successes, these had been attained at great cost. The ranks of missionaries had been decimated by disease. Even the Jamaicans who were black had also succumbed in great numbers. Don Carlos Chacon immediately sent for Saker and informed him that the Protestant form of worship must cease. All this made the move to the mainland was inevitable.

Saker embarked on the task of finding a suitable place, with an agreeable climate, free of disease. He did not want to settle at Bimbia for fear of diseases, but found Ambas bay quite tolerable. Its natural beauty captivated him. He then went to Chief Bile (King William), and negotiated to buy the land at Ambas Bay. The shrewd chief was an old hand in these things and extracted a tidy sum from the Baptists.This was 1858. He then returned to Fernando Po and prepared the congregation for the move to Ambas bay. He would later rename the settlement Victoria after the reigning Queen at the time.

On the 12th of August the first party of settlers landed from Fernando Po. One of the members of this party was Stephen Burnley, father of the Late Rev. Joseph Ebakise Burnley first African pastor of The Native Baptist Church in Victoria till 1936. Saker now concentrated on building homes for the new emigrants.

The children of some of the converts at Bimbia, Bota and others from neighbouring Bakweri villages and the islands were brought to Victoria for training. Saker then drew up a constitution with laws for the proper governing of Victoria. A town council and court for the administration of justice were established. Rev. Diboll of Santa Isabel came to supervise and advice the new leaders. He presided at court and kept records of the proceedings.

In 1866 Horton Johnson was appointed president of Victoria. It was a very high honour for a coloured man at the time, but unfortunately he died in 1867. The next agenda was the building of schools, and the first Bakweri to enroll in one of these schools was Peter Mokoko-Mokeba. He was followed by David Nanjia Carr and Samuel Eyum Sama. At this time Mr. Pinnock was the senior teacher assisted by junior teachers like Joseph Wilson jr., Isaac Johnson (son of Horton Johnson), Charles Steane (father of the late CharlesNako Steane who founded the present Victoria Baptist School in 1932).

In 1869 another school was opened in Bota as a result of the influence of George Luma Martin, the first convert from Bota land to settle in Victoria. In 1873 another school was opened at mapanja under Stephen Burnley.

Comments

[Peter MANGA]

Your article is interesting but incomplete. It is too narrowed by your obvious insistence on reducing the history of Victoria to a few Creole families. Where are the Wovias, Bota-Islanders, Bota-landers and others who were in the Ambas Bay before the arrival of missionaries. Please read Ardener,s [An Eyewitness to the Annexation of Cameroon].
Thanks for bringing Victoria,s history out
peter

[Sako]

Hi Peter,

I think your confusion stems from the fact that you do not realize that the boundaries Victoria of 1858 were much smaller than the boundaries of Victoria (Limbe) of 2006. Neither Bota island nor Bota land were part of the Victoria that Alfred Saker bought and on which he built his town. Mr. Burnley's narrative is about the land that the Baptist mission owned and nothing more.

[Paul Mokake]

Mola Burnley,
I read your article with interest. It contains part of the information I have been looking for in my research. While your concentration has been specifically on the founding of Victoria by Alfred Saker, I am looking for information on Joseph Merrick and the work he began.
Do you have more information on him? I have been to Jamaica in search of this and read most of the books presently available about his contribution to the church in Cameroon. Any assistance in this direction will be highly appreciated.

[peter Manga]

Hey, i did not say Victoria was bigger then than it is today. Infact i reacted to the article because it clearly states part of our history as natives of victoria. However, my remark was aimed at broadening the debate and so others could contribute interesting articles.
I am sorry if my reaction caused any bad feeling.
Keep it up brothers afterall what interests us is that our history should be known.
thanks
peter

[George Mbella Martin]

Very interesting account of our history. As Victoria (now Limbe) prepares to celebrate 150 years of its existence, Joe Burnley's story certainly educates the young ones about this colourful past. For example, I am just learning that my grand old greatest great grandfather GEORGE LUMA MARTIN, was the first convert from Botaland. Like his descendants, he expressed love for his people by influencing the opening of the first school in Bota in 1869. Over the years, Botaland and Wovia have produced sons and daughters who are still contributing to the growth of our nation.
Thanks Joe Burnley.

[Catherine Martin]

Hello Joe,
Keep it up. I was asked by the church to come up with a history magazine to celebrate 150 years since Alfred Saker landed in Victoria and founded the church and town. The magazine is on sale now for 2,000frs a copy. It is entitled "The coming of the gospel to Victoria". Your mum encourage me and gave me some of your daddy's pictures of Rev Burnley and other early christians which I used. I will try and send some copies to you for you to perus. We have to get together and come up with more projects of this nature. People are very interested in this type of history. Any homecomers this christmas? Greet all.

Your aunty Nalowe

[Patricia Baker]

Hi
I am very interested in getting hold of a copy of the magazine you have recently produced called "The comng of the gospel to Victoria".
I am currently involved in our family history research and find that REVEREND ALFRED SAKER is my great great great grandfather, my great grandfather was born in Lagos c1869, so furiously trying to find any information relating to the family.
I look forward to hearing from you
Kind regards
Patricia

[Sam Sanderlin]

Hi, I am also interested in the article "The coming of the gospel to Victoria". I will be in Cameroon in April or May. Where can I pick up a copy?
Thanks,
Sam

[Bob]

Sam:

Perhaps, when you go to Victoria aka Limbe, you contact the Burnley Family. They are still there in Victoria.

[Sam Sanderlin]

Thanks, I will look up Burnleys and look forward to meeting them. I just found a copy of the 100 year anniversary of Victory and would be interested in the 150 year article as well.
Also, for those interested, Bibliolife just started reprinting Joseph Merrick's memoir which was written by John Clarke in 1850. The title of the reprint is called "Memoir of Richard Merrick: Missionary in Jamaica." The memoir starts out about Richard, Joseph's father. Part two of the memoir is about Joseph Merrick and Cameroon.

[Annette]

Hi there
Thank you for the information on beautiful Limbe (Victoria) and it's rich history!
I am a missionary kid who grew up in Cameroon, in Kumba. I've been back in Switzerland for over 20 years, but now and again I feel homesick for my second home. Recently, my memory took me back to Limbe, where we used to spend our easter holiday. I have been searching the web for a photo of the house, but sofar I haven't been successful. Perhaps you can help me. I think we used to call it "the Alfred Saker House". It was a big colonial type house with a nice veranda overlooking the sea, right by the river (was it Missouri?). If you could help me to find a photo of the house - or even put one on your website, I would be thrilled. I would just love to see the house again and show it to my husband. Perhaps one day, we will be able to visit, but at the moment it's not possible, as we have two little children. Maybe, when they're older...?
Thank you for having read all that!
God bless you!
yours sincerely,
Annette

[Ngale Ewoko]

It was nice for me to see the oragine of my county and my village in full deatails.Thanks to all who made effort to bring it out for people like us who did not know more about it.

[Sam Sanderlin]

Just got back from visiting Limbe where we were able to see the Saker monument and visit with an associate pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church. We bought several copies of the above mentioned magazine history from the church. Great job!!

[Janet Saker]

To Patricia Baker, Alfred Saker is my great great uncle, so he and Alfred would have been brothers, have you been able to trace the family tree back any more generations than their father John? If so, perhaps we could share information?

[Patricia Baker]

For Janet Saker - Hi Janet, I would love to catch up and share, I have got back to parents John and Sarah and might be back a bit futher but sometimes it is hard to confirm

[Nalowe Martin]

Hello Sam Sanderlin, I am happy you bought some copies of the magazine I produced during the celebration of Alfred Saker to Victoria. Last Year, towards the end of the year, the town of Victoria, now Limbe celebrated 150 years. I was involved in the depicting of the coming of Alfred Saker to Victoria. It was very interesting. The town of Victoria came out to watch the beautiful scenery and acting. There is a video that will be coming out pretty soon, in the next couple of weeks. All those interested should respond and directions will be given on how to obtain copies of this video. The town had three days of celebration and other activities like: beauty contest, canoe race, church musical competitions, presentation of the different dance groups especially the native dance groups of the surrounding villages of Victoria, carnival parade, musical show involving about 15 different musicians,and many more. It ended with a gala night at the Fini hotel.
Concerning the magazine I wrote for the church, it can be purchased through the Ebenezer Baptist church, Limbe. There are many more copies available. The church has pictures of Alfred Saker when he landed at the shores of victoria. There are pictures of the 50 and 100 years celebrations taken by the beach of Victoria. Very interesting information for all to know.

[Mrs L Jones]

I am conducting family history research and concentrating on someone who apparently died in Bota in June 1964. His death was described as "immersion". Do you think this would have been reported in the media of the time and are there any archives available. I'd be very grateful for any help I can get on this, so look forward to a reply.

Thanks

[Manfred Schläfcke]

I found this article most interesting. My grandfather lived at Viktoria and Kribi in the years 1901-1907 as a merchant of the Woermann-Faktorei. Does this Faktoryhouse exist until today? If there is somebody, who can send me a Photo of this House, I would send to him a Photo of the Year 1901, which had taken my grandfather, and twenty Euro for the work.
Please answer me. My adress is:
Manfred Schläfcke,
Buchwaldstraße 64,
D-22143 Hamburg,
Germany

[janet saker]

Hi Paricia, have been talking today to other relatives here in Australia (family funeral), who have also been researching, and no-one seems to be able to get back further than John and Sarah, I can let you know the Austalian connections if you are interested, where are you located?

[Timothy Reynolds]

I am the pastor of Borough Green Baptist Church in Kent and I am doing research into the life of Alfred Saker. Alfred Saker was born in Borough Green in 1814 and baptised in the church of which I am the pastor. We have two grave stones in the burial ground with Saker on - one for John Saker, the other for Remelian Saker. It looks as if the one for John could have been Alfred's brother (he had two brothers, John and Mark).

[Sam Sanderlin]

Hi Pastor Reynolds,

Is it possible to get a few digital pictures of your church along with some pictures of any other interesting Saker sites? Not sure if you can post them for all to enjoy? Thanks,
Sam