tained, for his disbursements on the journey, he took his departure about the 25th of APPENDIX. Aug. 1792, (the middle of the rainy season) for Robanna, the island on which King Naimbanna refides. There he was detained fome time by bad weather, when, hearing of the arrival of the York, he returned to Freetown, in hopes of obtaining fome articles which he could not procure when he firft fet out, but which he thought had probably arrived in that fhip from England. In order to take a more compleat view of the country, he now refolved to go to the town of Port Logo, by the river Scaffos (or Scarcies.) Accordingly he fent to Robanna for the goods which he had left there. He received, however, but a forry account of them. King Naimbanna's courtiers, it feems, like others of that privileged order in every part of the world, thinking themselves intitled to make free with every thing they found within the walls of the palace, had converted to their own ufe most of the articles, efpecially the liquors, which Mr. N. had deposited there. The small remnants of them which were returned, together with the goods he had obtained from the York, he put on board a floop belonging to and commanded by a white flave-trader, who had agreed to perform the voyage for 100 bars. They proceeded up the Scaffos, to the place where it was agreed they should land, and convey the goods across the ifthmus, which separates that river from the river of Port Logo, and 12 miles diftant from the town of this name. A part of the goods were landed from the floop; but whether they were fent along with Mr. N. and the white man and the negio, who conftantly atended him, or preceded, or followed them, does not diftin&tly appear. It is only certain, that in walking this short distance, most of them were stolen. Circumftances His goods ftoso adverse, added to the fatigue and bad accommodation, must have operated on his ardent mind with a poignancy deftructive of the little health he then poffeffed.

len.

717. At the town of Porto Logo, which is between 70 and 80 English miles He is taken ill. above S. Leona*, he was taken ill; and being deprived of the means of profecuting the journey, he was under the neceffity of returning to the colony, which he did in a canoe belonging to King Naimbanna's people, who brought him very carefully to Freetown. They arrived, in a very unwholesome, foggy night, and carried Mr. N. who was entirely wet and in a delirious ftate, to his friend Mr. Strand's hut, where he was accommodated and attended, as well as circumftances would permit, but was afterwards removed to that of Mr. Afzelius which it seems was larger. But his cafe was by that time beyond the reach of human aid. In feveral fhort intervals of recollection, his mind seemed intirely occupied with the awful concerns of futurity, and he was too weak to speak much; fo that his friends could not think of troubling him with minute enquiries respecting the expedition. But he repeatedly complain

The reader will fee by the map, that the river of Port Logo is a branch of the river S. Leona, fo called from the town of Port Logo, fituated on it.

ed

APPENDIX. cd of the conduct of the mafter of the floop; adding, that if he could hope to live to make a second attempt, he would carry no goods, but would depend for fupport on the hofpitality of the natives, in whom he placed much confidence. A little before his death, he requested Mr. Afzelius and Mr. Strand to fend all his papers to his Brother Adolph, in Sweden, and to none elfe. These were fome of the laft words he fpoke; and he expired, in a very peaceful state of mind, about 14 days after his return to the colony.

and dies.

Who it was that probably tole his goods.

Mr. N. re

ceived no fala

ry, and his family no pro

vilion.

718. The white attendant and the black fervant came back with Mr. N. but neither of them could give any account of the theft; which makes me think that the goods landed from the floop were sent on before them and Mr. N., or were to follow them. That they were not privy to the theft, would appear from the bare circumftance of their adhering to Mr. N. to the laft. Indeed the white man never quitted his bed fide till he expired. Yet, for aught they knew, he might recover and give a diftinct account of the whole affair. Befides both of them always had, and fill preferve, very good characters, in the colony *. It is true, that the captain of the floop alfo returned to the colony, with the fmall part of the goods that were not landed with Mr. N. and was paid the 100 bars, for which he had agreed to perform the voyage. Whether or not he was concerned in the theft, it is impoffible. pofitively to ascertain. But I have very good authority to say, that he was a flavetrader, and not one of the best character; and that, from Mr. N's repeated complaints of his conduct, he was suspected in the colony of being privy to the whole of this dark business.

719. I am not infenfible that this is but a lame and imperfect account of this unfortunate expedition, and the myflerious circumstances attending it, which will probably never be fully explained. But it is the beft account I have to offer, and imperfect as it is, has coft me no fmall trouble to collect.

720. I need not mention the disappointment which the company have sustained by the death of a man fo zealous in their caufe, and fo able to promote it; and indeed the Directors feem not to be infenfible of his worth. It is no doubt generous to acknowledge a man's merit after he is dead: but I cannot help thinking it is ftill more generous, as well as more juft, to pay him for his labour, while he is alive. At least it might have been expected that the Directors would not have permitted a man of Mr. N's merit, especially a foreigner, and one who had a wife and family, to undertake a hazardous enterprize without a regular falary. Indeed, confidering the circumstances, and the manner in which the Directors mention their engagements with Mr. Afzeliusand Mr. Nordenskiold,(§ 369) I never could have dreamt that they had undertaken their laborious refearches without any emoluments. I lived

The white man came from N. Scotia with Mr. Clark fon. The black man, whofe name is London, came alfo from N. Scotia.

at

at Manchester, when they failed for S. Leona, and I confefs I never gave them APPENDIX. credit for any fuch romantic excess of difinterestedness, till Mr. Afzelius aftonished me, by mentioning it the last time he was in England. Suppofing then, as I did, that Mr. N. received a regular falary, I still thought that, as he might be said to have fallen a victim to his too forward zeal in the Company's caufe, it was but reafonable to expect, that some provision would be made for his widow and orphans, as had been done in at least one lefs urgent cafe*. Full of this reasonable expectation, as I then thought it, and ftill think it, I who had, what I may well call the miffortune to introduce Mr. N. to the Directors, addreffed to them the following letter, which, of course, would have contained an additional and forcible argument, had I known, at the time, that Mr. N. received no falary. To the many mortifications I have endured in this bufinefs, I have to add, that the Directors never deigned to return any answer whatever to this lettert.

"GENTLEMEN,

letter to the

Directors on

that subject,

Having lately received the unfortunate news, of the The author's unexpected death, of your mineralogift and my most intimate friend, Mr. Auguftus Nordenfkiold, whose abilities and knowledge, I am convinced (had his life been fpared,) would have proved of the highest utility to the Company, in the department to which he was appointed; permit me, Gentlemen, from the fame attachment I always entertained to the general profperity of the new colony, and it's ultimate object, the abolition of flavery, in which I have been ever ready to dedicate my life, property and fervices, to recommend to your notice another Swedish gentleman, Mr. Ekholm, of great experience and capacity in mineralogy and chemistry, to fucceed Mr. Nordenskiold. This gentleman is at prefent in Stockholm, but would, on due notice from the Company, come over to England to prepare for his post, and attend your further orders.

The cafe alluded to, was that of the late Dr. B. who died from drunkennefs about a fortmight after his arrival at S. Leona. Dr. B. was a man of merit in his profeffion, before he contracted this fatal habit, which he had so successfully concealed, that it did not come to the knowledge of the Directors, till he had been appointed. When informed of it, they took immediate steps to prevent his failing for S. Leona: but he had failed, before their refolution to that effect could overtake him. The Directors, however, not only allowed his widow one year's falary, (£250) but also made up a fum, out of their private purfes, fufficient to purchafe her an annuity of £50, during her life.

+ If the reader fhould think me a little warm on this fingle occafion, I hope he will excufe me when I remind him, that Mr. Nordenskiold was my countryman and my intimate friend, whom, with a view to gratify all the parties concerned, I became inftrumental in introducing to the Directors: and the fituation in which I ftand with respect to his difconfolate family, is too delicate to allow me to be filent.

"As

APPENDIX.

"As an additional motive for this appointment, I have authority to fa, that Mr. Ekholm, out of friendship and attachment to the memory of the deceafed Mr. Nordenfkiold, his brother in law, is willing to appropriate a part of the falary that may be allowed him, towards the fupport of his unfortunate widow and four children, who are left deftitute by his death; and I trust this humane confideration, in addition to his real qualifications, will have weight in his appointment, especially when I can affert for fact, that the deceased Mr. Nordenskiold, exclufive of the facrifice of all his own property in the expedition, and that of his friends to the amount of £300 and upward, also loft by his death, a considerable and lucrative poft in his own country, amounting to no lefs annually than 1500 Rix dollars*, which his widow is, of course, now deprived of.

"Should this recommendation, Gentlemen, meet your wishes, in acquiring a useful member to your community at Sierra Leona, I trust the confideration of Mr. Ekholm's humane and liberal acceptance of the arduous fervice, will also induce you in the appointment, to make him an allowance of salary equal to your excellent and learned botanist Mr. Afzelius; as his services, exclusive of the superior danger in his line of purfuit, cannot be less.—Suffer me also, Gentlemen, so far to plead for the deftitute widow and children of the deceased, as to suggest, that, in cafe of the death of Mr. Ekholm, a part of the salary you may intend for that gentleman, may be continued for the support of the late Mr. Nordenskiold's wife and children. "In the discharge of this duty to the Company, and to the merit and misfortunes o my friend, I have the honour to remain,

"GENTLEMEN, Your devoted friend and fervant,

"C. B. WADSTROM."

Mr. S's death

NOTE S. See § 415.

721. Mr. Strand, the late Secretary to the Council at Sierra Leona, was probably and character. as anxious about his health, as Mr. Nordenskiold was careless. At least fomething of this kind feems to have appeared, from his very free ufe of opium, of which he had always a quantity by him, and which could not but affect his health. As he has not, like his friend Mr. Nordenskiold, left a widow and orphans to deplore his death, it seems unnece Tary to add any thing more concerning him, than the following extract; especially as it contains an account of his character, which cannot but afford his refpectable friends in Sweden as much fatisfaction as it did to me, who recommended him to the Directors.

* A Swedish rix-dollar bears the proportion to an English crown, in pure filver, as 534 to 57913 See Jöranffon's Tabeller, 4to. 1777.

Extract

Extract of a Letter from the Governor and Council at S. Leona, to the Chairman of APPENDIX. the Court of Directors of the S. Leona Company, dated Freetown, 6th Nov. 1794. 732. "It is with real grief we inform you that the Company have fuftained an irretrievable lofs, by the death of Mr. Strand, on the 30th ult. after an illness of four days continuance. We dare not flatter ourselves that the Court of Directors will find one fo eminently qualified as Strand was, for the confidential station he held. "Examined, London 24th Jan. 1795.

"J. R. WILLIAMS, Solr, & Secr."

NOTE T. See § 415.

flave-trade.

723. The mortality, of about 21 per cent. here noticed, by the Directors, is an- Mortality of nual; for the voyages of flave-ships average exactly 12 months, and 12 days. The feamen in the 88 flave-ships returned to Liverpool and Bristol, in 1786, and up to Sep. 1787, when an abstract of their muster-rolls, lodged in the custom-houses of those towns, was given in to the Privy Council, by Mr. Thomas Clarkson, M. A. In 1790, thofe documents were brought to London, by order of the House of Commons, and 4 perfons, (2 for, and 2 against, the abolition) were appointed to examine them; the 2 delegates of the abolitionists, of whom Lieut. J. Clarkson was one, having been enjoined not to debate with the 2 others, but merely to fee that they took no unfair advantages. The refult was, that, of 12,263 seamen, in 350 flave-ships, which failed from Liverpool and Bristol, from Sep. 1784, to Jan. 1790, there died 2643, or 21 per cent. in every voyage, (i. e. in about a year,) were upon the dead lift, exclufive of very great numbers who die on fhore, in the W. Indies. For, when the slaves are fold there, from to of the surviving feamen, fuffice to bring the ships home. By way of leffening expenfe, therefore, the flave-captains barbarously treat those whom they wish to get rid of, to make them forfeit their wages, by desertion; or if too fick to defert, they land them, in the night, before they fail. The deferters wander about, friendless and forlorn, till moft of them perish with hunger, and diftrefs in various shapes. The fick, worn out with fevers and fluxes, or entirely dif abled with tumours, ulcers and Guinea worms, (fee § 52.) languish on the wharfs and beaches, till welcome death feals up their eye-lids.-Such are the effects of a trade, to which certain men, who would be thought adepts in what are called the fciences (as they certainly are in all the arts) of political economy, finance and commerce, have not fhuddered to lend their fecret favour, or their avowed support. If fuch be, as they pretend, the foundation of the commerce of Europe, "My foul come not thou into it's fecrets!"

724. Having given this fample of the policy and humanity of the slave-trade, Mufter-rolls and of its shameless and infidious abettors, I must add, that the mufter-rolls are do- teftify the cuments of the moft unquestionable kind, being lodged in the custom-houses, by the statement. Fi flave.

truth of this