Consul Hewett's Treaty with King Jaja of Opobo

When King Jaja of Opobo asked Consul Hewett for a definition of the word 'protection' before signing the proposed treaty in 1884, he received a written assurance that the Queen did not want to take his country or markets but was anxious that no other nation should take them. This exchange illustrated the 'narrow legalistic concept of protectorate' under which the British officially pledged non-interference in internal affairs. In practice, this concept was soon abandoned as British commercial and administrative ambitions expanded.