XI. INTRODUC TORY Sharp was not only particularly inftrumental in bringing this CHA P. important cause to a decision; but took care that every oppressed negro, whofe cafe came to his knowledge, fhould enjoy RES the benefit of it; for many negroes, illegally confined, in MARKS. order to be clandeftinely conveyed to the West Indies and America, have fince owed their deliverance to Mr. Sharp's active and fpirited interpofition. In fhort, many years before Dr. Smeathman proposed, or probably conceived, his plan, Mr. Sharp's exertions and writings, had distinguished him as the fteady affertor of the ancient, noble, unsophifticated principles of the constitution of his country, and the indefatigable benefactor of the Africans, and of the poor and those who had none to help them." 66 331. These observations are not the vile flourishes of a fycophant's pen. By every friend to the cause I have the honour to support, they will readily be allowed to contain nothing but literal truth; and Mr. Sharp ought not to be furprised, that merit like his has become known, notwithflanding his ingenuous endeavours to conceal it; for, I am perfuaded, he looks not for his reward from men. Neither are cation with the mother country was comparatively infrequent-as would appear from this remarkable circumftance alone, That no law explicitly enacting flavery is to be found in any of the colonial ftatute-books. Even the Weft Indian law-makers never ventured on fo flagrant a violation of their charters, which exprefsly ftipulate that their internal laws "fhall not be repugnant, but as near as may be, to the laws of England." Hence all their flave-laws fuppofe the exiftence of flavery, and are confined merely to it's regulation. Thus flavery, which is repugnant to natural law, has, in the British dominions, no fhadow of foundation even in pofitive law, the only foundation it can have in any civilized country. In other words, it is in every respect, an illegal, unwarrantable, and indefenfible abuse.-See Mr. Sharp's prefentation of the injuftice and danger of tolerating flavery," and his "Law of Retribution;" alfo the Effays figned Common Senfe in the Morning Chronicle, the Star, and the Diary of Dec. 1791.-So much for Weft Indian flavery. Another fpecies of mercantile flavery I have touched on in 191, 197, note.. "Re thefe XI. CHAP. thefe observations made with a view to detract from the respect due to the memory of Dr. Smeathman, who will ever be gratefully remembered by the friends of Africa, as the man who first laid down a specific plan for it's civilization, and supported it with exertions which, in 1787, caufed, or accelerated, his diffolution*. For, on his return from Sierra Leona, finding the "Committee for relieving the black poort," already formed, he appears to have most zealously co-operated with them, as well as with Mr. Sharp, and to have laboured to derive from their benevolence, fupport to his grand design of civilizing Africa ‡. * Mr. Heathcote, a gentleman who was well acquainted with the late Dr. S.neathman, has been fo obliging as to promife me a series of obfervations on the thermometer made by Dr. S. while on the Coaft, and which, if I receive them in time, fhall be inferted in the Appendix, after the names of the Subfcribers to the Bulama undertaking. That committee confifted of the following gentleman, viz, Jonas Hanway, Eq. Chairman; Montague Burgoyne, Eiq. Harley ft. B. Johnfon, Efq. Liffon Green; Sir Joseph Andrews, Bart. Knightsbridge; George Peters, Efq. Old Bethlem; John Ofborne, Efq. New Norfolk ft. J. J. Angerftein, Efq. Albemarle ft. J. P. Andrews, Eq. Brompton; S. Hoare, Eiq. Lombard ft. G. Drake, Efq. Bedford Sq. F. Matthews, Efq. Bridge ft. Weftminster; W. Ward, Eiq. Fenchurch ft. Richard Shaw, Efq. London Bridge; J. Cornwall, Esq. Portland Place; S. Thornton, Esq. M. P. King's Arm's Yard; H. Thornton, Eiq. M. P. Bartholomew lane; T. Boddington, Esq. Mark lane ; General Melville, Brewer ft. ↑ In 1771, that able geographer, Alexander Dalrymple, Efq. drew up a plan for promoting civilization, by fitting out fhips to convey useful animals and vegetables to New Zealand and other remote regions, which are still deftitute of many important productions, to which their respective foils and climates are undoubtedly congenial. The propofer generously offered to take upon himself the command of the firft fhip which fhould be equipped for fuch an expedition, the whole expense of which he estimated, at £15,000,-a small demand from humanity on the wealth accumulated by commerce! The celebrated Dr. Franklin, being informed of this benevolent scheme, wrote a paper to recommend it, which was printed and circulated with Mr. D's plan and eftimate. It is mortifying to add, that this proposal, so refpectable in it's origin, fo moderate in it's means and fo beneficent in it's end, did not receive the fupport it merited. But the difcerning editors of the Annual Register faw it's value, and inferted it among the " Useful Projects," in their volume for 1779, under the title of " Plan by Dr. Franklin and Mr. Dalrymple for lenefiting distant, unprovided countries." This philanthropic hint seems, however, to have had fome weight with Dr. F's own countrymen, for in the year 1787, an expedition was fitted out at the expense of several gentlemen in Boston, in North America, for the laudable purpose of difcovering channels of liberal commerce, and conciliating civil intercourfe with the natives of the great fouth western coaft of that continent, of which the medal, at the end of this work, is a memorial, and was diftributed, in filver and copper, among the natives for that purpose. XI. ONA. Comm. for relieving the black poor. 332. Refpect and gratitude are alfo juftly due to thofe CHA P. worthy perfons who, before Dr. Smeathman proposed his plan, had formed themselves into the Committee SIERRA LE just mentioned. But the design of fending them to Sierra Leona appears to have been the fuggeftion of Dr. S. The memory of the chairman of that Committee will long be revered; and fome of the other members (for I have not the honour of knowing them all) have fince invariably acted the part of generous, enlightened and confcientious promoters of the abolition of the flave-trade, and the civilizatim of Africa. I allude particularly to the Meff. Thorntons and Mr. Samuel Hoare. The following is an Abridgment of the Report of the Court of Directors of the Sierra Leona Company to the General Court, held at London, on the 19th of October, 1791. Edit. 2*. 333. In pursuance of the Act of Parliament incorporating the SIERRA LEONA COMPANY†, the following thirteen gentlemen have been chosen Directors for the present year (viz. the year commencing on the 19th of October, 1791.) HENRY THORNTON, Esq. M. P. Chairman.. JOHN KINGSTON, Efq. The next General Court, held on the 30th of Nov. 1791, refolved that £50,000 fhould be added to the £100,000 capital already subscribed for, (see § 354, note.) At the fame time, several Refolutions were paffed to regulate the recommendations of, and the ballots for, the new subscribers. An Abridgment of thofe Refolutions will be inferted in the Appendix, after the lift of the original subfcribers to the S. Leona Company, with which it is connected. † An Abridgment of this act will be inferted at the end of the Appendix. 334. CHA P. SIERRA LE ONA. 'Their mortality. 334. In 1786, the humanity of fome gentlemen was excited towards the diftreffed blacks, who then fwarmed in London* Above 400 of them, along with 60 whites, mostly women of bad character and in ill health, (fee § 301) were accordingly fent out, at the charge of government, to Sierra Leona. Neceflity, it was hoped, would make them induftrious and orderly; and Capt. Thompson of the navy, who conducted them, obtained, for their use, a grant of land to His Majesty, from King Tom, the neighbouring chief, and afterwards, from Naimbanna, the king of the country. This land, being about 20 miles fquare, His Majefty was enabled to grant by Act of Parliament (1791) to the Sierra Leona Company; and it was confirmed by a direct grant from King Naimbanna. 335. From the disorders they brought on board with them, aggravated by debauchery and confinement, thefe people became very fickly, during their long detention in the British Channel, as well as during their paffage, and after their arrival. They were landed in the wet season, unprovided with proper fhelter, without order and without industry. From these causes 50 died before they left Ply. mouth, and 34 at fea; 15 ran away and 85 died on the coaft, in the first four months after their arrival. After the firft year, however, there was no great mortality +. It was Refpecting the first rudiments of the colony, the distinguished fupport it received from Mr. Sharp, the character of the original colonists, &c. I have been fortunate enough to collect feveral authentic circumstances, which, being too long for a foot note, I intend to infert in the Appendix, together with fome other particulars, marking them NOTE A, NOTE B, &c. For, I fear, that, if placed at the foot of the page, careless readers might miftake them for notes of the Directors. See, in the Appendix, "Notes, &c. refpecting S. Leona and Bulama." NOTE B. +Immediately after the prefent S. Leona Company was formed, Dr. J. Bell, at the request of Mr. H. Thornton, the Chairman of the Court of Directors, drew up a tract entitled "General Diredlions for the Prefervation of Health, &c. for the benefit of the fettlers at Sierra Leona, printed by J. Phillips, 1791." and which was very properly diftributed among the colonists. T even XI. SIERRALE ONA even said by one Green, who was in England in 1791, and C HA P. who always lived with them, that in the two fucceeding years, he did not think above five or fix died, out of near 200, living in the fame town. By very flight tillage, and a vaft increase of poultry, these settlers, though far from being industrious, maintained themselves, and poffeffed a small and increasing property, when a circumstance, not necessary to be detailed, entirely dispersed them, to the number of their difper180 or 200, who left their plantations and a great quantity of poultry *. 336. Mr. Falconbridge, who arrived about a year after, found 48 of them living together. But fome had gone to the W. Indies, others to England, and the rest feared they would all be made flaves. Mr. F. brought them to Fora Bay, about a mile and a half from their former townt. Sixteen foon joined them from other parts.—Before Mr. F. left them, (in June 1791) they had cleared and planted about four English acres of land; and, on the whole, he thought they would fupport themselves, as before their dif persion, with very little labour. Of those 64 settlers, 39 were black men, 19 black women, and 6 white women. The men seemed determined to defend themselves, were warmly attached to the fociety who sent them out, but still in general turbulent and disorderly. fion. 337. The climate is much the fame, in point of heat, as Climate. that of the West Indies; but there is a very cool fea-breeze * See in the Append. Notes, &c. refpecting S. Leona and Bulama, NOTE C. See in the Append. Notes, &c. refpecting S. Leona and Bulama, NOTE D. |