BULAMA. CHA P. and embraced him very cordially. As the only defence of the place was a cannon covering each gate, of which the Bijugas were much afraid, Mr. Beaver informed Bellchore that he never admitted any one into the fquare; but that he would give up to his people the grumettas' hut, which were under a large tree, and that he himself would live with him. in his tent, which was pitched a little way without the gate. Appearing contented, after he had dined with Mr. Beaver, he begged to be admitted into the block-house, in which he was gratified, and then returned to his own people. A grumetta foon after reported to Mr. Beaver, that he heard Bellchore fay to his men, That most of the white men were dead, that those living were all fick, except the captain, and that they were his people whenever he pleased; that he put them there, and whenever he chose could take them away; adding that they were his chickens, an expreflion which Bellchore applies to the Biafaras, to fignify the ease with which he takes them. which alarms and haraffes 557. This alarming language induced Mr. Beaver to dithe colonists. vide his fmall force into two watches, 2 colonists and 3 gru mettas in each. One watch was commanded by himself, and the other by Johnstone, a grumetta; for not one of the colonists was well enough to execute the order with vigour. Mr. Beaver took other precautions, and, refolving to perish rather than yield, he took out the heads of two barrels of powder, and kept a match burning between them all night, fignifying to the colonists, that there was no alternative between preserving the place, or blowing up himself and them. Only one of the floop's crew then remained, and he was on board, with orders to fire into the huts, if he fhould hear the report of two mufquets. The night paffed quietly; but two of the people were much worse in the morning, from the the cold dews and the fatigue of watching; and two of the CHA P. grumettas, ftill lefs able than the whites, to bear fuch hardships, were taken ill. XI. BULAMA. gets rid of them. 558. Mr. Beaver, seeing his force thus diminish, intimated Mr. Beaver to Bellchore, in the morning, that "there was much work to do; that the people would not attend to it while his men were on the island; that he would be happy, if he would stay with him, and fend his men away." Bellchore, paufing, replied, "My son has reason: I see that you have a great deal to do, and we are in your way-we will depart." Mr. Beaver made him fome handsome prefents, and he quitted the island an hour before dark. Bellchore undoubtedly came to act with hoftility or peace, according to the weakness or strength he might observe; and it must be attributed folely to the presence of mind, firmness and vigilance of Mr. Beaver, that this alarming visit terminated fo happily. reduced to extreme weak nefs. 559. He was employed in putting the place in a state of The colony defence, till the 11th Dec. when the grumettas, dreading another vifit from the Bijugas, determined to leave the colony. Mr. Beaver told them, that every man in the island was free to go where he pleased; that they had voluntarily come to work for him, and that he would not detain them a minute against their inclination; adding, that though he wanted a few grumettas, if they did not like their situation, they might depart in the first boat. Accordingly, a canoe arriving on the 14th, they were paid their wages, and all went away, except Johnstone and another grumetta, who remained to affift in navigating the pinnace to Bissao, in queft of more men. Mr. Beaver alfo permitted Harrison, one of the colonists, to depart in the pinnace, agreeably to his maxim, "never to ask a man to stay in the island, who wished CHA P. wifhed to leave it." * XI. BULAMA. Another vifit from the Canabacs. When the pinnace left Bulama, there remained with Mr. Beaver only one man, fit for duty. They flept in the east gate-way, having the fick, 7 in number, in the adjoining birth, to be ready to act in a body, in case of an emergency. In this critical fituation, hourly expecting another visit from the Bijugas, they remained till the 21ft, when a Biffao canoe arrived with five grumettas, " a cargo," (as Mr. Beaver calls it) "more valuable than gold." The whole colony was then scarcely able to dig a grave. The grumettas were immediately fet to perform that duty, for two subscribers who had died in the morning. The lofs of one of them, Mr. Aberdein, was feverely felt. Of that gentleman, Mr. Beaver writes thus: "In him the Affociation loft one of it's best members, the king loft a good subject, the weak loft an advocate, fociety loft an ornament, and I loft a friend. He was unfortunate in this world: may he be happy in the next.' 560. On the 27th, Johnstone returned in the pinnace, with 18 grumettas, 3 women and 2 children, among whom were all who had before left the colony, except one. This proved to be a very seasonable reinforcement; for, on the fecond day after, two Bijuga canoes arrived, with two fons of Jalorum, the other king of Canabac, and about 40 men. Mr. Beaver faluted them, kept under arms, and giving the men the outside huts, as when Bellchore was there, kept Jalorum's fons with him. In the middle of the next night, they departed, owing to one of the men having, in discharg "On the contrary," adds. Mr. B. "when the Hankey left us, I advised them all to go home; for fo many lazy and cowardly people were never, before, I believe, collected together, in fo fmall a number."-See in the Append. Notes, &c. refpecting S. Leona and Bulama, NOTE GG. No. 5, 8, 16. ing his piece, accidentally lodged a ball in the foot of an- CHA P. other. XI. BULAMA. 561. Till Jan. 1ft, 1793, the colony was employed in finishing the upper part of the outer wall of the block- Employment. house, in logging the tambours, and in making plaifter for the logging. On this day, they began to fet up the inner posts for the houses, on the north fide, and to dig up the roots of the trees, cut down during the rains. 562. Jan. 3d, a cutter arrived from S. Leona, bound to Biffao, for ftock; and the mafter reporting that falted, as well as fresh, provisions, were wanted at that colony, Mr. Beaver sent them 10 barrels of pork, and 6 tierces of beef, promising 5 bullocks, if a sufficient number could not be procured at Bissao *. 563. Jan. 4th, Mr. Beaver was informed, by a Bissao canoe, that a ship bound to Bulama, with a number of colonists on board, had got on fome fhoals between that island and Arcas, and wanted a pilot. He therefore went, in the twoDared boat, to conduct her in, leaving the block-house with a strong band of grumettas, and strict injunctions to Mr. Hood, the only furviving subscriber, to preserve good order and a strict watch. On the 8th, he found the ship, which was the Scorpion floop of war, having orders from the admiralty, to give every poffible affiftance at Bulama, and to report to them the state of the colony. She had not been in any danger, but had only got into the wrong channel, and the captain, not thinking it prudent to proceed, had, fince Mr. Beaver's leaving the block-house, fent his boat thither, for the neceffary information, and which returned an hour before he got on board. See in the Append. Notes, &c. refpecting S. Leona and Bulama, NOTE G G. No. 2, 12. Mr. Beaver affifts S. Leo na with provi fions. Man of war offing. arrives in the С НА Р. XI. BULAMA. Bad charts mislead the man of war. Formidable vifit of the Bijugas. 564. Had not Mr. Beaver joined the Scorpion when he did, Capt. Ferris would immediately have returned to his commodore, at C. Roxo. Mr. Beaver's vifit was therefore fortunate, as it prevented the captain from returning without visiting Bulama, when he might have said, and very properly, that there was not water for large fhips. His mistake was owing to a very bad chart. Mr. Beaver observes, that "the charts are all erroneous; but the one published by Sayer, in Fleet street, with draughts and observations by Woodville, is the best, and it is fufficient for the purposes of navigation *." 565. The officer from the Scorpion, faid that, at daylight, when he landed at the block-house, he saw 12 canoes close to the S. W. point of the harbour, and that they immediately retired to the other fide. This intelligence made Mr. Beaver very uneafy, as he had never seen above two canoes there, and that very feldom. He was indeed convinced, that they were Bijuga canoes, and on a hostile errand. But perverse winds prevented his return till the 10th, when the Scorpion anchored before the block-house, having, the preceding day, spoke with an English merchantman, commanded by Mr. Moore, who piloted the expedi * At this place, in the original Report, the Trustees have been pleased to introduce a note, expreffing their approbation of the large map at the end of this work, as well as of the author's general exertions in the cause of the Africans. Were he infenfible of the kind attention paid to him, in this inftance, he would be unworthy of it. He certainly has spared no pains or expense, to render his map the best, upon the whole, hitherto published. Yet he would by no means be understood to offer it to the public, as incapable of improvement, being fenfible how much remains to be done, before our geographical and nautical knowledge of that coast is compleat. See the remarks on the map itself. |