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APPENDIX.

889. (11.) As I have not heard from you, Gentlemen, fince we left England, it is impoffible for me to guess what measures you propofe pursuing, for the future The long fi colonizing this ifland." See 570.

lence of the Trustees.

gaine.

890. (12.) "As a proof of the quantity of game on the ifland, take the following lift—Killed or wounded by an individual, a stranger, and the only 9 days that he Abundance of was on the island. Feb. 24th, 2 guinea hens, 1 deer. I prevented his fhooting an elephant, by approaching to within 30 yards of it, which frightened it away, before he could load with iron.-25th, 4 guinea hens, 1 deer.—26th, 2 guinea hens.— 27th, 1 elephant wounded in the head.-28th, 1 deer.-March 1ft, 5 guinea hens. 2d, 10 ditto, 1 mountain goat.-3d, 1 deer, 1 elephant wounded in the head.-4th, 2 guinea fowls."-In fhort, to live here, a man has nothing to do but to plant yams, and be a good markfman."

Colony wants but inen.

Difinterefted

Mr. Beaver.

Extract from Mr. Beaver's Letter from Bulama, of the 24th July, 1793.

891. (13.) “In answering that part which requires a lift of our wants, I have only to say that we have none, and if I do not fee the face of another European for 10 years, and my men live, I will hold the place for that period. The island indeed wants but fettlers; let them come out, and fuccefs is certain.

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892. Notwithftanding it was my intention to have returned to Europe, on the declaration of profpect of a war, not only that I might be within the reach of promotion, but bebecause there is fomething difgraceful in being out of actual service at such time; yet, gentlemen, as the colony has not been ftrengthened, I will not quit it. I will never leave thofe men who put themselves under my direction. I will not abandon the interests of this colony, and I will never confider my own, if it tends to leffen the probability of it's fuccefs, on which probably depends the happiness of millions. Therefore, gentlemen, while the exertions of an individual are of confequence, here will I remain; when those exertions will not be miffed, I will return. At the fame time, I hope you will exert yourselves as much as poflible, to render my being here of no confequence, and appoint fome person to whom I may give up the charge of the colony.

Vicinity of Bulama abounds with eligible fituations.

893. "The Biafaras often request me to build a house, at or near Ghinala. I have also been requested to fettle at Bulola. In short there are so many places where I could build towns, protect them, and infure fuccefs to cultivators, that if the good people of England knew but one half of the advantages, to be derived from colonizing this part of Africa, on an extenfive fcale, you might command half the money in the kingdom.

894. "The short stay of the Felicity, in this harbour, prevents my writing more at large. I fhall therefore conclude, by repeating to you, that we want nothing, that we are in good fpirits, and that we are determined to hold the island, till send out other fettlers.

I am, Gentleman, &c."

you can

APPENDIX.

That the colony wants nothing, repeated,

*

Extract from Beaver's Letter from Bulama, of the 10th Oct. 1793.

vants wanted.

895. (14.)" Should such a number come out, as I have hinted above, fuppofe 20, Public ferit is my firm opinion, that it would be for the interest of the colony, for them all to be public servants, and no private settlers. Among these, there should be 2 furgeons, a furveyor and his affiftant, a ftore-keeper and governor, the other 14 labourers; and the half of these, if possible, failors, or perfons who could be of ufe either in the floop, or in a boat. These I should confider as a party relieving guard, merely to keep poffeffion of the island till after the rains; for you can do nothing on a large scale before. That these persons may be of some use, during that season, they fhould have 2 furgeons to attend them when ill; the furveyor and his affiftant, to be employed during this time, in furveying a certain portion of land for town-lots, for we will fuppofe 100 fubfcribers, which will be a fufficient number to go in the firft embarkation after the rains; and fuch a number I think will readily offer.

896. "By this arrangement, every fubfcriber, immediately on his arrival, will have a piece of ground of his own, to cultivate. I dare fay at least 50 times the produce will be raised the first year, by this means, more than if the ground had been cultivated in common. We have ftrong examples of this in the first settlement of New Plymouth and Virginia, and people then were neither fo idle nor fo interested as they are now. Besides, people will build strong and permanent houses on their own grounds: but were the ground on which they build, liable to be allotted to another perfon, the year after, nothing but temporary huts would be erected. The fettlers would be uncomfortable and fickly, and the colony thrown back another year, or till fuch time as a man could build upon his own property. Be careful that the affiftant furveyor knows more of his bufinefs than they generally do, and that he be capable of acting as principal, in cafe of the death of the furveyor. In this country, it is well to have duplicates of ufeful men. Any man, of common fenfe, may acquire fufficient information in half a dozen hours, to act as an additional affiftant furveyor, in cafe of the death of either.

Colonists will build good houses and vigoroufly culti

vate their own

land only.

897. "As people, when cultivating for others, or cultivating in common, work Number that not with that fpirit which they would do, if cultivating their own ground, it ap- ought to empears to me impoffible ever to fend out people on the public account. In this in- when.

ftance

APPENDIX. flance it is neceffary, merely to keep poffeffion and furvey, during the next rains; but more ought not to be engaged than are abfolutely neceffary, and 20 I think ought to be the outfide. The firft embarkation ought to arrive by the laft day in Oft. or the beginning of Nov. The rains will then have ceased for about a fortnight or three weeks, (the foggy or fimoky months, as they are called, which follow are not to be dreaded, as moft people believe,) and they will then have certainly 7 months dry to erect their houses, clear their little plots of ground ready for fowing, and make their fences, this will bring them to the laft day of May, which is quite early enough to commit their feeds to the earth.

No women or female children should

out, &c.

Grumettas

go

tected. Their

898. "I before fupposed that 100 subscribers should come in the firft embarkation; but now we will fuppofe 50 only, neither women, nor female children, nor male un. der the of age 12, should be suffered on any account to come out. We will fuppofe that, at the least, each fubfcriber will bring one fervant, which will make 100 Europeans; and, on their arrival in this country, we will fuppofe that each fubfcriber would engage at least one grumetta. Thefe grumettas, by living in the different families, would in a fhort time become fo attached to good masters, that I question whether they would ever after leave them.

899. "N. B. At first it appears to me abfolutely neceffary, that there fhould be fhould be pro- fome power to take cognizance of the treatment which grumettas may receive from disponition, &c their maffers; and to hear and determine all their complaints, or it will be in the power of any diffatisfied, ill-natured, or inhuman fubfcriber, to ruin the undertaking by ill treatment of them (fee § 35, 145, 161, 2.) for they are very fufceptible of ill ufage, and the leaft word from any one of them, to your difadvantage, is fufficient to deter any native from coming near you: this I know from experience. If these gru mettas are married, fo much the better: their wives will be found useful in washing, cooking, and beating of rice, and their children alfo in many ways. They will much more than repay their fuftenance, which in this country is very cheap. These gru mettas, when once attached, will be always able to procure their masters as many more as they may want. The children that you grow up on the island, to whom your modes and habits only will be known, having no connexions in the neighbourhood, &c. will never leave you. Whither are they to go? Or suppose they have connexions, foliciting them to leave you, can they at they at once overcome thofe prejudices fo naturally in favour of the culloms in which they were brought up? Can they fhake off at once their European manners, which in fome degree they must have acquired here, and enter at once into a favage life? If they can, they will do what no people hitherto have done.

Church and ichool, &c.

900. "Befides, foon after the arrival of 50 fubfcribers, I fhould hope that the foundation of a church and a public school for native children, would be laid, which would unite the natives more intimately, with the intereft of the colony, and what

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ever rigid moralifts may think of me, I would encourage as much as poffible a con- APPENDIX. nection between the colonists and native women *.

901. "On the arrival of fuch a force as I have been fuppofing, we fhould be too Security and formidable to fear an attack from the Bijugas, who are the only people who would profperity at little expenfe. interfere with us; people would then go to work with fpirits, on their own ground. The woods would infenfibly vanish, and fair plantations rife to our view, in less time. than we have been talking about it, which is ever fince the 9th of Nov. 1791, and this would be done at little expence.

902." In our first embarkation I conceive, nay I am confident, that we threw away at least £3000. I have not the knack of explaining myself clearly on paper; therefore I think I could be of much more fervice to the public good, were I in England, than by remaining here. Any body with men can keep poffeffion of the island, but every one cannot lay before a General Meeting, those observations which I have been able to make on this coaft; or make the neceffary arrangements and alterations in any future embarkation, which the experience of the first has taught me are abfolutely neceffary.

903. (15.)" The Governor of Biffao is exceffively civil, attentive, and polite; but I have certain proofs, that many in that place, are endeavouring to prepoffefs the natives against us, and wish to have us cut off."

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The two following Letters, from Mr. Beaver and Mr. Hood, were laid before a
General Meeting of the Subscribers of the Bulama Affociation, held at the Manfion
Houfe, London, 25th of June, 1794.

SIR,

LONDON, 24th JUNE, 1794.

£3000 thrown

which in future may be

away at first

avoided.

late failure and

future fuccefs

at Bulama.

904. "AS a wifh was expreffed at our laft General Meeting, that, previous to Mr. Beaver's any new steps being taken, I should give my opinion to thofe concerned in the late opinion of the attempt to colonize the Ifle of Bulama, on the coaft of Africa, of the probability there might be of future fuccefs, if fuch fubfcriptions were raised for that purpose, and, at the fame time, point out the causes of the failure of the first, I here send you in as concise a manner I can, my opinion of both. To answer, as fully and fatisfactorily as may be, the above queftions would from the number of others which they involve, take up much more of my time, than I can at present spare; therefore, though many, nay most of them, admit a degree of proof, amounting almost to mathematical demonftration, I fhall confine myself at prefent, merely to affertions, the truth or fallacy of the grounds of which, will be left to the opinion of each individual; referving to fome future period, when I may have more leisure, a more minute detail of the various caufes which have hitherto baffled our endeavours, as alfo of thofe which produce a well grounded hope of future fuccefs.

* I have no doubt but that Mr. B. means here an orderly or focial connection.

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APPENDIX.

Caules of failure.

Vices of the colonists.

Arriving in the rains.

Want of fhel

ter.

Caufes of er

the failure was

owing.

Firft. Of the Caufes of the Failure of the late Expedition, 905." Many might be enumerated; but as I mean to be as brief as poffible, I fhall confine my felf to three, which appear to me to have been the principal ones.

ft. The carrying out men of the most infamous character and vicious habits. 2d. The arriving on the coast of Africa at the most improper season of the year. 3d. The omitting to carry out the frame and materials of a house, or houses, fufficient to fecure the whole of the colony, immediately on their arrival, from the rains, and from the fun.

906. "On the firft of these I need not fay much. It cannot be expected, that in a fituation, where authority, however necessary, could not be legally enforced, those men could be kept in any kind of order, who, in an old established and well regulated Government, had been in the habit of living in open violation of it. Among the virtues peculiarly requifite in those who undertake to settle, or as it were, to create a colony, I fhould reckon fobriety, industry, honefly, patience, and fortitude. The major part of our people, were drunken, lazy, dishonest, impatient, cowards.

907. "On the fecond of these causes, I fhall only observe, that the rainy season at Bulama, begins the latter end of May or the beginning of June. We arrived on the 5th of the last mentioned month, and had confequently the whole rains before us.

908." With refpe&t to the third. Had we carried out the frame and materials, neceffary for the erection of a large house, it might have been finished in, at most, one month: but as all the timber which I built with, was growing at the time of our arrival, it was Feb. in the following year, before I had a room to put my head in. The being expofed during the whole of that time, to either the rains or the fun, muft certainly have been a great cause of our mortality.

909." The three errors above noted, namely, those of carrying out bad subjects, at rors, to which the worst feason, without means of shelter, are in themselves fufficient to prove, that we did not act on a well digefted plan. The first of thefe can never be entirely avoided; the fecond arofe from the danger which it was thought there was, of others purchasing the island, if we delayed failing; and the third from the ignorance of those who directed the undertaking: as one of them, for these three errors, I beg leave to take to myself, a great portion of the blame. But, though these were difficulties, that might and ought to have been avoided, they would not have entirely ruined the colony, if there had been a fufficient firmness and decifion in the conduct and characters of the members of the council. Among other causes of the failure, may be reckoned, the failing without a charter; the having too many members in the council; the two fhips not keeping together; and theunfortunate circumflance of lofing fome men, by an attack from the natives. The very injudicious mode of the expenditure of the money, might be reckoned another, as from the fum fubfcribed, a fufficient portion might have been retained in the hands of the trustees, to fit out a small veffel, both with refreshments and men, at the end of the first rains.

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