Here is a very early description of Banjul, once known as Bathurst, two years after the island was occupied by the British  in 1816, by a passing British observer

‘Gambia, Friday 13th March 1818.

Early this morning we began to enter the noble Gambia (river), between Cape St Mary’s and Banyon Point on the right and Sangoumar, the Bird Islands and Barra Point, on the left. The bay is 12 or 15 miles wide and the mouth of the river between Barra and Banyon Point is six miles wide. The weather is pleasant, the thermometer at 68 degrees and the sun obscured by a hazy athmosphere.

At 12 am we anchored near the village of St Mary’s, situated on Banyon Pont. It is an infant settlement, commenced only two years ago. The governor’s house, the barracks, and a few houses are tolerable and well built; most of the others are constructed of very slender materials, just sufficient to afford a shade from the sun and a shelter from the dew and rains.

The people are cheerful, and generally employed in some kind of labour. Some were unloading goods; some burning shells for lime; and some at work in the carpenters’ and smiths’ shops. We stood some time to see a company of soldiers go through the manual exercise. They were mostly Africans, above the ordinary stature, well formed, and neatly dressed. They appeared to be quite expert and intelligent. The military force of the place is about a 100 men.

A few pieces of cannon, mostly dismounted, are arranged along the beach. There is no fort or blockhouse. Notwithstanding the exposed state of the settlement, there is no fear of assault from the native tribes.

The number of Europeans is about ninety and the population of the village is already seven or eight hundred. Trade is the soul of the colony: this will increase annually, as the trade of the whole river will concentrate here. The spot does not invite agriculture and there are none in the settlement whose interest and disposition incline them to it.

The officers attend to the civil order and safety of the colony; the merchants hope to amass a fortune and return home. There is, as yet, no attention paid to literary or mortal instruction; hence, any internal improvement of the place will be very slow; unless some humane society afford their aid…..

The settlement claims only a small tract of land for use of which there is an unusual allowance of a small parcel of goods to the king of Combo. This man is well spoken of… This is a noble river, and flows through a luxuriant country…’