160 XI. BULAMA. CHA P. of the alarming consequences that would enfue, if this terrible ship and her cargo were not deftroyed! The alarmifis gravely afferted, that all the Hankey's crew had died, and that the captain was dying. It is true, that Capt. Cox had almost died with grief, from the report cruelly circulated refpecting his fhip. But it is equally certain, that not one of the crew had died, either on the passage from Grenada, or in the river *. The calumniators, however, had in view another object than truth; and their success was such as might gratify the most malignant fpirits; for they had nearly caused the death of a man who never offended them, materially hurt the property of the ship's owners, and, what must have been still more pleasing to them, greatly injured the Bulama Affociation. This calumny prevents application for a charter. 574. The prejudices thus industriously raised against the colony at Bulama, and which, from the want of information, it was impoffible to repel, deprived the Trustees of all hopes of success in then applying for a charter. They preferred waiting till the torrent of malicious, or ignorant, clamour had spent itself, and till time and undoubted intelligence should confirm or contradict, the reports. The prejudices against Bulama rendered it extremely difficult, if not impracticable, to fuccour a colony, then deemed peftilential; and there can be no doubt that this was one great object of the calumniators. * Meff. Henry and Samuel Cox, of Great Prefcot-ftreet, the owners of the Hankey, have been fo good as to favour me with a perufal of her log-book, which juftifies the above statement. It also confirms Mr. Beaver's letters respecting the transactions at Bulama, up to the time when the Hankey left that Ifland; and contains numerous proofs of his unremitting exertions and attention to the interests of the infant colony. C. B. W. 575. But 575. But the Truftecs omitted nothing that depended on them, towards the relief of the colony. One of the fhips belonging to the Sierra Leona Company having been then ready to fail, application was made to The Honourable the Court of Directors of that Company, to order their fhip (the Fecility) to touch at Bulama, which was granted with the greatest readiness and liberality. (See § 391.) A fupply was accordingly fent by this fhip, with a credit to Mr. Beaver, on the officers of the Sierra Leona Company, for any articles he might want, to the amount of £100, and assurances of farther fupplies of stores, and an additional number of colonists. 576. The Subfcribers, however, having a general meeting, empowered the Trustees to raise 10 per cent. on the subfcriptions, for relieving the colony, the sum of £403:50 was collected, including £140 remitted from Manchester, and £144 paid by the fix Trustees. An affortment of cloathing, medicines, provisions and ammunition was accordingly put on board the fship John, Capt. Cloufton, who engaged, for £150, to land the stores at Bulama, together with such passengers as might come on board. The Trustees offered every reasonable encouragement to good men to embark as colonists, and fix were engaged; but, from the bad accounts induftriously propagated against the colony, only one man, a black, had the courage to embark. The John was cleared at the custom-house, in June 1793; but, having been obliged, from the war, and her having provisions on board, to wait for convoy, it unfortunately happened that she did not finally fail till October *. French flying squadrons and *The present war, fo injurious to the S. Leona colony, contributed to the entire ruin of that of Bulama. I fhall afterwards notice the baneful effects of war, on the Swedish defign to form a colony in Africa. C. B. W. CHA P. BULAMA. S. Leona Co. kindly crder the Felicity to call at Bula ma, with fup plies. Greater fupdid not arrivs plies fent; but in time. Colonists pre vented by the calumny from going out. XI. CHA P. contrary winds prevented the convoy, the Diadem of 64 guns, from getting fooner out of the Channel. The supply thus fent to Bulama, by the Felicity and the John, amounted to £387: 17: 8, including freight and primage. BULAMA. enclosures, buildings. Hens and goats in plen ty. 577. We now return to Mr. Beaver's tranfactions at Bulama, fubsequent to the 16th March, 1793. The Fecility brought a letter from him to the Trustees, dated July 24th. He writes that, fince the 15th March, he had been particuLandscleared, larly employed in the tedious and laborious work of grubbing up roots; that he had made fome enclosures, and was making more; that he had built two houses, each 34 feet by 21, one for the fick, and the other, divided into three, for the grumettas, (fee plate IV.) No material occurrence had taken place; and the rest of the letter, being confined to the flate of the colony, it will be beft to give it nearly in his own words. "With hens and goats I am plentifully stocked, and, in a few days, I fhall have cattle in abundance. All our garden feeds, that came out last year, throve very well; but, from our cattle breaking though the hedge, and our building afterwards over a great part of the garden, eyery thing in it was deftroyed. This feafon, our European feeds, which are not only old (at least 3 or 4 years) but mouldy, could not be expected to produce. Some few I have procured from Biffao, and they do very well. Oranges, limes, pawpaws, malaguetta, goavas, ground-nuts, yams, Guinea corn and cotton thrive to admiration→ Towards the end of the dry season, most of the rivulets near us dried up; but the spring whence we have always taken our water, though it was never dry, yielded not more water, at it's lowest ebb, than would supply 50 men. About two miles from us, there is a run of water fufficient for at least 2000 souls, and it is also convenient for watering ships. European and tropical vege tables thrive. XI. BULAMA. I am induced to think that there are many other fprings CHAP near us; as, for the laft 3 months of the dry feafon, elephants were continually fwimming across the river, from the Biafara to this fhore; but I never yet faw one swim from this island to the oppofite land. This I can only. account for, by supposing that, on this fide, there is plenty of water, and, on the other, little or none. One of the fe fleets of elephants I attacked, and killed two. The probofcis is excellent food.-The rains, which fet in between 7 and 8 weeks ago, are much more violent this feafon, than the last, and have damaged fome of our ftores. I have therefore been obliged to cover our wooden roof with thatch, which, for fecurity from fire, I fhall take off at the commencement of the dry season. Wooden roofs * will never keep out the rains in this country.” labourers. 578. At this time, Mr. Beaver had with him 23 grumet- Number of tas, 5 women and boy, as many as he wifhed for, with the Europeans he had; but, had the number of the latter been increased, he would have employed 100 of the former, and he was, at any time, sure of obtaining double the number.He had then 27hhds. of bread, 46 bls. of pork and 33 tierces of beef. But the bread was very bad, and the falted provisions spoiling, which had induced him to receive 10 bls. of pork which the Sierra Leona Company had generously ordered the captain of the Felicity to deliver him, if he desired it. The goods with which Mr. Beaver paid the grumettas, were then nearly exhausted; but he had about 300lb. of *Mr. Beaver muft here mean boarded roofs; for fhingles, or thin pieces of board, in the form of tiles or flates, make excellent roofs in any climate; and I am affured, are very commonly used in all parts of the W. Indies. Their only dif advantage is their being combuftible; but they are much lefs fo than thatch. C. B. W. S. Leona Co. furnish so bls generously pork. BULAMA. Colony defen fible, and only wanted men. CHA P. ivory, which he meant to exchange, with fome trading vessel, for cloth.—Mr. Beaver concludes this interesting letter with obferving, that he could defend the place against any force of the natives; that the island only wanted colonifts; that, to fuch as would come out, fuccefs was certain; that, with one tenth of the support given to the Sierra Leona colony, he could ere now have easily acquired lands fufficient to maintain 500,000 fouls: that the Biafaras often reBiafaras, &c. quefled him to build at or near Ghinala; and that a similar invitation had come from Bulola, about 70 miles up the Rio Grande, but that, having neither goods nor (European) men, he was tied down to a few acres, and was inactive from neceffity, not from inclination*. invite Mr. B. to build. Mr. B. fooths the impatient colonists. 579. In Sept. a cutter belonging to the Sierra Leona Company went to Bissao; and by her Mr. Beaver received tea, fugar and molaffes. From the great damps, owing to the want of medical affistance, dry and elevated houses, and proper drains to carry off the water, accumulated by inceffant rains, the colony was then very fickly. They were indeed fo reduced as to be obliged to have the mate of the floop to act as cook,not another man,either on fhore or on board being then equal to the task. On the 20th Sept. the men, observing that the time when they were to expect the veffel with new colonists had elapsed, and their spirits having been depreffed by sickness, all agreed to quit the colony, when they Could +. Mr. Beaver, with his ufual fpirit and presence of mind, told them that the time in which the vessel was expected, had barely elapsed; that she might have been detained by *See in the Append. Notes, &c. refpecting S. Leona and Bulama, NOTE GG, • No. 5, 8, 10. + See in the Append. Notes, &c. respecting S. Leona and Bulama, NOTE GG, No. 11. contrary |