XI. SIERRA LE ONA. this beaten topic, they conceive they shall do more exact CHA P. and ample justice to it, by fimply relating what has passed under the view of their fervants abroad, and by enumerating a few strong, but authentic facts.-As a proof of the infecurity of the natives, it has been already stated that even the king of S. Leona, though peaceable and uncommonly respected, had, in three separate instances, been bereft of his .own relations by the flave-trade. Some other specific cafes of kidnapping were also stated in the last report, particularly one inftance which fell under the immediate obfervation of the Company's agent and another person, then both in England. (See § 348, 351.)-The truth and accuracy of the following extracts have been established by the united testimony of some of the Company's chief fervants; and all the quotations were written by one of them, always about the time, generally on the day, and often at the very hour, when the converfations passed, or the observations were made *. 454. Of the mulatto trader who depopulated the towns Recent facts fouth of S. Leona, (see § 347.) and whose death has been refpecting it, brought about, as is supposed, by the natives, the following information has been received; and it is prefaced by intelligence, nearly to the fame purport, from another quarter. The Directors, for obvious reafons, do not think proper to print the names of all the perfons or places fpoken of in the journal, and other documents, whence they make the quotations; and they shall therefore generally describe them by some circumlocution: they shall use a few other trifling liberties with the language, taking care however, in no inftance, to alter any material word. This Report is so much longer than I could have expected, that I am reluctantly obliged fomewhat to abridge the interefting communications here mentioned, by the Directors; but I shall confcientiously endeavour to preserve their sense and spirit, and even the words, as far as I am able. C. B. W. CHA P. XI. (1.) A flave trader named March 1793. has alfo mentioned, from his own knowledge, the late mulatto trader's devastations. He fays he lent goods SIERRALE to every inferior chief who requested them, and if the chief was flow in payment, he would arm 2 or 300 of his grumettas who, being officered by white deferters from the fhips, were fent to surprize his debtor's towns. In this In this way he depopulated all the country from Cape S. Leona to the Sherbro. To fave himself from the general indignation, he formed a purrah (or confederacy) by which he united the kings and principal chiefs, engaged in the flave-trade, to defend each other. ΟΝΑ. Devastations of a flavetrader. Iniquity of a judge fet up by him. Kidnapping (2.) A chief told me, that his town was attacked by this mulatto, fome other chiefs, and an American vessel then waiting for flaves, that, after a ftout refiftance, his town was taken and destroyed; but that he and most of his people escaped to a neighbouring ifland, whence they occafionally attacked their enemy, on the main land: he faid he once took 40 of them, whom he fold as flaves. 455. A principal servant of the Company, when on a visit to these parts, adds the following information. A flave of this mulatto chief, fet up by him as the judge in his own diftrict, is now become too powerful to be thwarted; much court is paid him by the slave-traders. It is faid, he practises terrible cruelties, and that accufations are multiplied. A neighbouring chief, who was with us on board the cutter, declined going with us on fhore, with strong indignation against this man, apprehending that, if he came within reach, he should scarcely escape him.-We faw a number of creeks, along the river, too narrow to admit above a canoe at once. At the heads of moft of thefe creeks are towns, which were placed there in the time of this mulatto chief, becaufe fuch fituations favoured an escape, before an attack could be made. A fubordinate chief, at whofe town we landed, confeffed that such had been his motive for chufing fo difficult a fpot. 456. The two countries nearest to the S. Leona (or Timmany) district on the north, are the Mandingo and the Sufee countries: the Foulah country is farther off. Some information will be given from each. (1.) -Nov. Two chiefs from the nearest towns to Freetown dined with me. They both allowed the frequency of kidnapping, among the Sufees and Mandingoes: one of them had been an eye-witness of it. As to the Foulahs, he says, it is univerfally allowed, that they make war for the fole purpose of procuring flaves; and that in bringing flaves to market, the Foulahs are often attacked by free-booters who infeft the country, between the coaft and their country, and who rob people and make flaves of them; fo that it is not unusual for the fame man who fold others as slaves, to be fold in a few weeks to the same factory. (2.) Nov. XI. (2.)Nov. A trader, from the Sufee country, related the following anecdote, CHAP of which he had been an eye-witnefs. The chief of Quiaport river attacked the chief of Bowrah, and taking fome prisoners, fold them to the British factory north SIERRA LEof Sierra Leona. The chief of Bowrah, in his turn, defeated the other chief, and .ONA. made many prifoners: with thefe he redeemed his own people from the factory, and War. who obliged him, however, to pay two for one. terror.' (3.) Feb. 1794. An intelligent mulatto lady, miftress of a large Mandingo Confequent town, called at the colony. She has been in England, and her English name is infecurity & Mifs B. Heard. She faid the disliked the flave-trade, for it kept her in conftant terror, and she never knew, when the lay down at night, but fhe might be affaffinated before morning. She faid there had been no wars in the interior country to her's for fome time, and that wars do not happen, when flaves are not wanted. (4.) In the Mandingo and Sufee countries, kidnapping is very frequent. Child- Children fta ren are often kidnapped, by people of a neighbouring, or even of the fame village.— len, &c. A perfon who has lived feveral years in the Mandingo country, told me that mothers there always fhut up or watch their children at night.-Slave-traders and kidnappers there, bargain for and convey away the flaves in the night, and none of the natives around are permitted to see them. Many natives and traders confirm this the Manaccount. A chief factor attributed the frequency of kidnapping among dingoes to their head men getting in debt to the Europeans, and being then confined by them; in which cafe, their people were obliged to kidnap fome perfon to redeem them. (5.) A chief, on an upper branch of this river, who is confidered as respectable, Whites enhas given us this information respecting the S. Leona trade. The people inland, courage depredations. he fays, go to war to make slaves; there being no great demand now, they do not make war. Whites often encourage palavers, promising dashes (prefents of liquor) if the convicts are fold to them; and they give ammunition to both parties at war. Formerly this happened very often. He told me he was at war five years, and a British flave-trader furnished both him and his enemies with powder; and, that he often waylaid and fold ftrangers, to buy arms. But he fays this was "a bad thing," and juftified only by felf-defence: and had there been no flave-factories, he would not have done fo. But lately, the inhabitants being much diminished, and their wars interrupting remoter trade, the factors have endeavoured to preserve peace, to fecure the people inland a free paffage down. For fome years there have been no wars in his part, but almost all the flaves have been brought from inland.-He faid it was not uncommon for head men, who wanted goods, to hint to their wives to enfnare men in adultery, who were fold to the factories, on the accufation of these women. (6.) Two intelligent native flave-traders inform us that kidnapping is general Inland peoamong the bush men," (the inland people) that the coaft people not unufually ple taken by travel forceorfraud. CHA P. SIERRA LE ONA. Black from N. Scotia re mother at S. Leona. travel into the interior, and lie in wait for ftragglers; and that almost all the flaves brought from a diftance were taken by force or fraud. 457. It hath been obferved, that fome of the blacks from N. Scotia were originally Africans, and that many of these were, as they fay, kidnapped when young. It hath been ftored to his found that three were almost from the vicinity of S. Leona; one of them from S. Leona itself, as he used to mention at fea. When landed, he found himself nearly on the fpot whence he had been carried off, and where, he fays, a woman feized him and fold him to an American flaveship, about 15 years before. He recollected the way to his native town, which was only two or three miles off; but, for a time, he dreaded the parting from his companions, to vifit it. Not long after, ftanding with them among the tents, a party of natives paid them a visit of curiofity. An elderly native woman feemed much affected at the fight of this N. Scotian, and spoke to her companions with much agitation. At length fhe ran up to him and embraced him: fhe proved to be his own mother. His father was now dead: the parents had never discovered any trace of their child. The female thief remains unknown, and the impunity of the captain, even if difcovered, is but too obvious: nor is it probable that, if the kidnapper had been known by the boy kidnapped, his redemption and the punishment of the criminal would have followed. Having once committed her prey to the hold of a flaveship, discovery seems to have been impoffible.-The Directors cannot but obferve, that this incident affords an illuftration of the flave-trade equally applicable to flaves kidnapped on the coast and farther inland. 458. S. Leona has indeed had her towns laid waste, and her inhabitants carried off by the flave-trade. But by the fame XI. SIERRA LE ONA. Slave-trade drives the na tives to the mountains. fame traffic her mountains have gained a few forlorn CHA P. 459. The preceding facts happened before the formation More recent of the colony: the following, which are more recent, will fhew facts. 1 |