(1.)

"RESOLVED, That the erection of a Company, for the purpose of opening APPENDIX. and establishing a trade in the natural productions of Africa, to the Free Settlement in St. George's Harbour, is a measure highly proper."

(2.) "RESOLVED, that the thanks of the Meeting be given to Mr. Sharp, for the

pains he has taken in the bufinefs: and he is hereby requested to take to his affift- Refolutions, ance, fuch profeffional and other advice, as he may find necessary to the project." "In cafe the proposed establishment should take place, we agree to take the shares of £50 each, fet down against our respective names.

"These undermentioned gentlemen were not present; but they have fignified their defire to subscribe, viz. Mr. Alderman Le Mefurier, W. Morland, Efq. Mr. J. Phillips, Mr. Jo. Shaw, and Mr. Vickeris Taylor."

NOTE C. See § 335, 473.

691. The circumstances attending the breaking up of the first colony at S. Leona, Situation of the colonists, in Nov. 1789, are stated in the second report of the Directors, (see § 473.)—The after their colonists having loft their houses and their little property, took immediate refuge in difperfion. Bob's Island, belonging to the factory at Bance Island, where, however, they do not appear to have remained long. Mr. Alex. Kennedy, in a letter " to the St. George's Bay Company," dated Bance Island, Feb. 9th, 1791, writes thus concerning them. "Some fettlers paid me a vifit laft week. When I gave them Mr. Granville Sharp's letter, they seemed very much overjoyed; and the thoughts of not being forgot in England feemed to give new life to them. About 50 of them live at Pa Bofon's, about 12 miles above Bance Ifland, and a few live and fometimes work on Bance Inland. The others are scattered up and down the country. I cannot get any exact account how many there are, &c. I have been up where they live, and I understand, the chief, Pa Bofon, expects a confiderable prefent for the time they have been living with him. They bear a very bad character among the flave-merchants here; but I am rather apt to believe it is not so bad as they say; for I faw every thing very regular; and they have a kind of church where they say prayers every Sunday, and fing the pfalms very well. I attended, when there, personally,' with fuch of my people as were with me, and they all feemed to pay great attention." Without

Gg

APPENDIX.

Mr. Falconbridge fixes

them at Granville town.

Accounts of

S. Leona.

Without obtruding my own reafonings concerning their character, I cannot help obferving, that fuch an account of them as the foregoing might naturally be expected, after repeated calamities had carried off the incorrigibly vicious and improvident, and doubtless had alfo improved the furvivors. Befides, ftrong neceffity would at length effectually recommend the examples of those who had all along been regular and induftrious.

NOTE D. See § 336.

692. At the palaver held on this occafion, Mr. Falconbridge, in behalf of the St. George's Bay Company, repurchased, from King Naimbanna, and the subordinate chiefs, for goods worth about £30 fter. all the land which had formerly been purchafed by Capt. Thompfon. But it was agreed that the colonists should not build on the former spot. Mr. F. therefore took poffeffion of a village, confifting of 15 or 16 good huts, which the natives had recently abandoned, from a notion of it's being haunted; and he rightly thought that their fuperftitious fears would tend to prevent their hoftile attempts, especially in the night. In about 4 weeks, he erected fome additional huts, and a house in which he depofited the ftores and ammunition he had brought out for the relief of the colonists. But, not trufting to the honour of the natives of the place, he regularly appointed a guard every night. This new village he named Granville Town, in honour of it's benefactor Granville Sharp, Esq.

NOTE E. See § 337, 367.

693. Lieut. Matthews is not the only author who has given a favourable opinion the climate of of the climate of S. Leona.-Old Purchas (Vol. I. p. 44.) gave a good account of that place, from the observations of a Mr. Finch, made in 1607.-In Ogilby's Africa, printed in 1670, we read that "Serre Lions, according to Jarrick, many take for the healthfulleft place in all Guinea," and that "the air is better for a man's health, than, in many places of Europe, &c."-" We fhall only mention," fays Dr. Lind, "the high hills of S. Leona, upon whofe fummits the air is clear and ferene, while thick mifts and noifome vapours overspread the lower grounds: yet, even at this place, the English inhabit a low valley, merely for the benefit of a spring of good water, the carriage of which, to any part of that hill, might be easily performed by flaves," (Dif. of hot Clim. p. 158.)—And if by slaves, why not by freemen, especially blacks? for I do not believe that the Doctor would have recommended any labour that could injure either freemen or flaves. Is it not probable that the benefit of trade (which the Doctor elsewhere alludes to as the cause of the unhealthful fituations of "trading factories," (fee § 75,) may have partly dictated this most abfurd and pernicious choice of the English refiding, in his time, at Sierra Leona? And may we not hope that fuch preference of trade to health, is now at an end, in that river?-But farther: Mr. U. Nordenskiold, brother of the gentleman of that name who lately died at S. Leona, among other places in Africa proper for coloniz

ation, mentions C. Mefurado, C. Monte, Rio Sherbro and Bance Ifland, in Sierra APPENDIX. Leona river. "Treatife on the Utility of Commerce and Colonization in both the Indies and in Africa, Stockholm, 1776."-Sir Geo. Young of the Navy has a good opinion of the climate of S. Leona, especially (like Dr. Lind) of the higher grounds; and, before the black poor failed in 1787, he gave Capt. Thompfon, of His Majefty's floop Nautilus, particular directions where to place the town.-That excellent man, Mr. Harry Gandy of Bristol, who made two voyages to S. Leona, where he remained a confiderable time, writes thus: "Gambia is a much deeper river, yet for want of a harbour near the fea and good water, it is, on these accounts, rather inconvenient; and, though some other parts of the coaft may justly boast of their several beauties, richness and fertility, yet, for want of a good river, a safe harbour and fine water, they can, for colonies, by no means ftand in competition with Sierra Leona; which has alfo this concomitant advantage, beyond a leeward fituation, or any near the line, that being fo far to windward, a paffage from thence, (viz. S. Leona,) to England, might be made in half the time that is commonly done from the Gold and Slave Coasts." See his letter of the 3d Dec. 1788, in the N. Jerufalem Mag. No. IV. -See alfo the opinion of Mr. Woodin in Note B.-Thus it appears, that the gentlemen concerned had very good reafons for chufing S. Leona as a proper place for a new colony; for it is natural to suppose, they confulted most of the above authorities, and perhaps others which I may not have feen. But unfortunately, the intemperance of many of the first colonists, and the hardships fuffered by them all, from the want of proper shelter and food, were fuch as no human conftitutions could withftand, in any climate whatsoever.

NOTE F. See § 343.

694. The most useful products of that portion of Africa which I have included in the map, as the best adapted for colonization, have been already enumerated. S. Leona is a part of that tract of country; and an abridgement of those paragraphs of the report which defcribe it's productions, would be little elfe than a repetition of all or most of the contents of the fifth chapter, to which, therefore, I beg leave to refer the reader-alfo to Note B B.

NOTE G. See § 335.

profligacy of London.

blacks in

695. The blacks living in London are generally profligate, because uninftructed, Caufes of the and vitiated by flavery: for many of them were once flaves of the moft worthlefs description, namely the idle and fuperfluous domeftic, and the gamblers and thieves who infeft the towns in the W. Indies. There are fevere laws against carrying, or enticing, flaves from the Islands, without the knowledge of their owners. Yet fome of those fellows contrive to conceal themselves, or are concealed by others on board ships on the point of failing; a better fort come to attend children and fick perfons on board, and others are brought by their masters, in the way of parade. Many of Gg 2 them,

APPENDIX. them, naturally enough, but perhaps without fufficient reflection, prefer "a cruft of bread and liberty," in Old England, to ease, plenty and flavery in the W. Indies. For, excepting the too frequent exceffes of capricious, tyrannical, or drunken owners, the treatment of fuch flaves is as good as that of the truly useful field-negroes is bad. In London, being friendless and despised, on account of their complexion, and too many of them being really incapable of any useful occupation, they fink into abject poverty, and foon become St. Giles's black-birds. Unhappily most of the first colonists of S. Leona, compleatly answered this description, before they embarked; though their original circumftances were different. (See note A.) The Directors, therefore, did right in rejecting a new embarkation of fuch London blacks; and it is to be hoped, they will always adhere to their refolution of strictly examining the characters of those, of whatever complexion, whom they send out as colonists. See § 127, et feq. and, above all, § 301.

Firft terms

offered to coJonifts by the S. Leona Co.

NOTE H. See § 362.

696. The Directors also published a paper entitled "Terms of the Sierra Leona Company, to all fuch Settlers as shall fail from England, within three months from the date hereof, in order to go to Sierra Leona." Of this paper, which is dated Nov. 3d, 1791, it does not feem neceffary to give more than an abridgment, which I shall do, by copying its marginal contents.

(1.) "Each fettler to have twenty acres of land for himself, ten for his wife, and five for every child." Mines, &c. referved for the Company.

(2.) "No rent on the land to be charged till midfummer 1792. A quit-rent of one fhilling per acre to be then paid for two years. A tax, not exceeding two per cent on the produce, to be chargeable for the next three years, and afterwards a tax of four per cent." (See § 193.)

(3.) "A fettler, by depofiting fifty pounds for each ten acres, may have, besides his own proper lot, as far as forty additional acres, and fhall have flores from the Company to the amount of his depofit."

66

(4.) Every fuch fettler to be carried out at the Company's expenfe. To have three months allowance of provifions, and three month's half allowance, and baggage, if lefs than one ton, to be carried free of freight."

(5.) "Lots to be forfeited, except those of women and children, if one-third is not cleared in two years, and two-thirds in three years. The clearing of lots of women and children, muft, after three years, be proceeded upon, according to the fame rate of progress."

(6.) "No one to buy more than 20 acres, in the town diftrict, till three-fourths of his land is cleared."

(7.) "Settlers to give £50 fecurity for their paffage, and to be allowed thereupon, to borrow £30 worth of goods, from the Company's ftores."

(8.) "Paf

(8.) "Paffage-money out never to be called for, if the fettler stays 12 months, APPENDIX. nor passage money home, if the settler or his wife is obliged to return on account of health."

(9.) "The settler may pay £50 in money, if he pleases, instead of giving a joint bond for it: the £50 so paid, to be returned him at the end of one year."

(10.) "Bond, or payment of £50 to be dispensed with in the cafe of artificers and husbandmen well recommended, and in fimilar cafes, at the difcretion of the Directors."

(11.) "Houfes to be built by the Company, each fettler paying ten per cent rent, or purchasing his house at prime cost."

(12.) "Settlers to affift jointly in clearing the ground for the town, or to pay a commutation in money."

(13.)" The Company to fell goods to the fettlers at a profit of 10 per cent.'

(14.) The Company to buy the produce of the fettlers, or to convey it for them at 24 per cent. commiffion, and cuftomary charges, giving them a credit for twothirds of the value."

(15.) "No duty on articles imported or exported, ever to exceed 2 per cent."

NOTE I. See § 369
$

697. It gives me no small satisfaction to find that some attention has been paid to these my very able and worthy countrymen; efpecially as I had the honour to introduce them both, as well as the late Mr. Strand, another Swede, to the acquaintance of fome of the Directors; and this I did at their own particular defire. Mr. Nordenskiold and Mr. Strand, while they lived, did the credit I expected, to the character given of them, a character which Mr. Afzelius ftill fupports, with honour to himself and satisfaction to the Company.

NOTE K. See § 370.

698. In the very outfet, the whole undertaking at Sierra Leona was in great Danger of danger of being ruined by the fecret efforts of flave-merchants, and flave-hold- enemies to the colony becomers, to get their friends into the Direction. Had they fucceeded, they would ing Directors, doubtless have proceeded in a manner very analogous to the too common practice of Mortgagees-in-poffeffion of Weft Indian eftates, and who frequently refide in England. Such a gentleman, by means of a proper agent, has perhaps buildings erected which are not immediately neceffary, and, in fhort, increafing expense by various methods which I have not room to detail, at the fame time, neglecting the crops, he, in a few years, makes an estate his own; while the unfortunate owner, in an island perhaps where few of the refiding planters can help one another, hath not the means of contending at law with his powerful oppreffor, nor even dares to murmur, for fear of exasperating him and making things worse. By fuch arts, are moft

of