СИА Р. SIERRALE ΟΝΑ. HENRY THORNTON, Chairman PHIL. SANSOM, D. Chairman JOSEPH HARDCASTLE 1196 Nova Scotia blacks willing to to be raised JOHN KINGSTON SAMUEL PARKER GEORGE WOLFF "N. B. For the convenience of those who are poffeffed of property which they cannot dispose of before their departure, the Company will authorize an agent, who, on receiving from any proprietor a fufficient power for that purpose, shall fell the fame for his benefit, and remit the purchafe money, through the hands of the Company, to such proprietor at Sierra Leona." 379. The Nova Scotians willing to embark for Sierra Leona, proved, to the furprize of the Directors, to be no embark. Cap fewer than 1196. So large an acceffion of people could to£235,280. not but have important confequences, and give a new turn to the whole undertaking.-The directors first attended to their immediate wants; at the fame time propofing to raise the capital to £235,280, a confiderable part of it having been subscribed, after the intelligence from Nova Scotia was received. Whites from 1131 Nova rive at S. Le 380. The first vessel sent by the Company from England, reached S. Leona, Feb. 1792, and she was soon followed by two others. By these ships, there went out 40 Company's fervants and artificers, upon falaries, 10 colonists, 16 soldiers, and above 30 women and children—all whites. 381. In March 1792, 16 veffels arrived at S. Leona from Scotians ar- N. Scotia, with 1131 blacks, many of them labouring under ona. Mortal- the effects of a fever, contracted in Halifax, of which 65 ity on board. had died on the paffage. Mr. Clarkson, whofe humanity had .XI. had led him to embark on board the hospital ship, had also CHA P. narrowly escaped with his life, from a violent attack of the fame disorder. He was extremely weak and ill, when he landed at S. Leona, and he recovered very slowly. 382. After a delay of two or three weeks, arifing from a palaver (or council) of the natives, which ended favourably, the spot where the blacks, first sent from London, had fettled, was thought the best for the intended colony. In a few weeks more, the scite of the town was cleared by the N. Scotians, and the surveyor having marked out the streets, each began to build for himself a temporary hut, of the country materials; but fome were floored with deals from hence (see § 83 et feq.) To this work they applied most eagerly, fearing that they should be overtaken by the rains, which might be expected, in less than two months. The town, agreeable to inftruction, was named FREE TOWN. SIERRA LE ONA. N. Scotians clear land, &c. &c. fent out. 383. The Directors, anxious to shelter the colonifts from House frames. the first rains, thought it their duty to buy and send out the ship York, of 850 tons, which, being fitted up for their accommodation, was loaded with frames of houses, building materials and various ftores. They confidered, that, befides carrying out a large cargo, fhe might accommodate the sick, and those whose houses were unfinished, and might afterwards ferve as a ftore. Having been driven back by a storm, fhe arrived too late to be of much use in the fickly season: but she was very useful afterwards, as a flore and floating factory, in loading and unloading other vessels, and by accommodating many fervants of the Company. 384. The precautions of the Directors, and the early and Mortality. liberal fupplies they sent out, unhappily did not prevent modation. a con Bad accom XI. SIERRALE- CHAP. a confiderable mortality, in the first rains. They began in the third week of May; many houses, including the ftorehouse, were unfinished; the Company's fervants, especially the lower ones, and the foldiers were accommodated extremely ill; and the English colonists were least of all prepared for the rainy season. Perhaps the high health which generally prevailed before the rains, by creating too much confidence in the climate, efpecially among the Europeans, might cause some flackness in the preparations. Land could not be allotted. 385. From this general view of the flow progress of the colony, it is obvious that no attempt could yet have been made to mark out the promised lots of land, building having engroffed nearly the whole attention both of the Nova Scotians, and of the Company's fervants; nor had any trade worth notice been yet begun; though, by the advice of the Company's commercial agent, fome goods for trade had been sent out by the very first ships.. 386. Antecedent to this period, and during the first three or four important months, a misunderstanding had prevailed between the governor and council; and the fubfequent calamity was partly owing to their inefficiency. Eight of the principal fervants had been nominated a council, and the inferior officers had been enjoined to pay the same obedience to their orders, which they owed to the Court of Directors. The office of governor having become vacant, Mr. Clarkson, who had given great fatisfaction by his conduct in N. Scotia, was requested to fill the fituation, till a fucceffor fhould be appointed, and he had the cafting vote in the council. 387. Alarmed by the want of order and energy, betrayed even by the first accounts, the Directors adopted the temporary expedient of throwing the whole responsibility on Mr. Clark fon, Mr. Clarkson, permitting him to affume the whole power. Whether they erred, in dividing the authority among so many as eight perfons, or, whether the blame lay with the governor and council, it is not perhaps material now to canvas. The Directors acquit the acting counsellors of wilful negle&t, except one, not originally appointed by them, but retained, on account of his knowledge of the country. His intoxication, idleness and irregularity, with the inaccuracy of his information, were among the causes of the first colonial and commercial difficulties. To the neglect of this perfon (whom indeed, it was the duty of the governor and council to control) it was chiefly owing, that the colony was not supplied with fresh provisions, before the fickly season. The ships were not employed for this purpose, as was directed; and the original inftructions to the governor and council, drawn up by the Directors and read to the Proprietors, received little or no confideration, till long after this period. Confufion in the accounts, in the ftores, in the government, in the information fent home, and in every operation, aggravated the diftrefs of the fickly feason, and the confequent mortality. 388. The Directors, without perfonal views, think it their duty to declare their impartial opinion of the causes of the distresses and difficulties of the colony, which having been at their height in the first rainy season, they think it proper to defcribe particularly, both the antecedent ftate of things and this calamitous period itself. The contraft between the firft and second rainy season, will by no means difcredit the undertaking. CHAP. XI. SIERRA LE ON A. concomitant - 389. The sickness was the most severe at the beginning of Sicknefs, and the rains. About 800 blacks were laid up at one time, and diftrefs, and very few paffed through the season without indifpofition. confufion. The F XI. SIERRA LE ONA. CHA P. The disorder was the fever common to hot climates. It affected, in different degrees, the whites and blacks, almost indifcriminately; but proved much the most fatal to the former, especially to those on shore, whofe mortality was once fuch as might have excited fears, about the practicability of the whole undertaking, in perfons unacquainted with the circumstances. In the height of the fickness, all the medical men, but one, were laid up; so that a few chief fervants only could be properly attended. The ftore-keepers, living in a damp ware-house, were the first victims; and hence, confufion in delivering the ftores. No retail-fhop had yet been fet up, nor any money-medium established. The doors of the store-house were continually crowded; but neither food nor phyfic, though the Directors had sent a sufficiency of both, were properly distributed. The huts were very small, many damp, and a few unfinishedt. Depression of fpirits generally prevailed, produced a total helplessness, in some cases, and greatly aggravated the disorder in all. (See 91.)-Without anticipating the subject of health, it may be observed here, that almost half the whites living on shore, and nearly one tenth of the N. Scotian blacks, were carried off, in this dreadful feafon. The diftreffed Bulama colonifts but not per 390. While the colony was just emerging from this dif tress, a ship arrived from Bulama, with a great number of hofpitably, paffengers, many of them extremely sick, who defired to be manently, re- received into the colony. The Directors had declined proLeona-the pofals made to them, in England, by many persons who went to Bulama. For they conceived, that success materially de ceived, at S. seafons. * See in the Append. Notes, &c. refpecting S. Leona and Bulama, NOTE N. tand, I apprehend, fituated on the ground, without any elevation. See § 84. C. B. W. pended |