XI. SIERRA LE ONA. CHA P. feizure of each other, is the very leffon daily taught the Africans by the Europeans, who difcourage no violence or atrocity, that promifes to extend their traffick; and who, as far as the Directors are informed, are not accustomed to decline buying any man, on the ground of his having been unjustly feized. Indeed more than one instance might be pointed out, in which this fame flave-factory has knowingly purchased freemen, from perfons who they knew had no fhadow of right to fell them. But the Directors wish not to reflect on any one flave-factory; for they believe the custom is general; each factor perhaps pleading that, if he should scruple to make such purchases, others would not; or, if they did, the captains, without the intervention of a factory, would buy the people fo rejected. And indeed the slave-factors can scarcely be insensible of the great diminution which their trade might fuffer, from admitting the principle of inquiring, how the flaves offered for sale were procured. But, whatever be the sophisms by which the flave-dealers juftify the encouragement of mutual outrages among the natives, it cannot be surprising if they themselves, or whites vifiting the coast, or any neighbouring European colony, should occafionally feel the effects of diffusing these principles of injustice.-The Court having heard the causes of the dispersion of the first colony, will not wonder at the anxiety of the Directors to provide against the fame danger, nor at the eagerness they have already expreffed to enlarge the number of colonists, and to form at once a refpectable establishment. (§ 354.) 475. Another proof of the danger, with which the flavefeized & fold. trade threatens any neighbouring colony, is afforded by the Some of the first colonists annexed relation. Some ONA. Some time before the establishment of the prefent Company, a British flave-fac- CHA P. XI. tor, then in S. Leona river, but lately removed, feized five of the first colonifts, on the ground of his having been wronged by one of their body, fomewhere at a dif- SIERRA LE tance on the coast, where he was navigating a veffel belonging to this slave-fa&or, who faid the country law warranted this mode of redrefs. But he afterwards was induced to release three of them, thinking the other two, on confideration, afforded that recompenfe for his lofs which was proper, on the principles of African justice. These two men, it was admitted, had no connection with the defaulter, nor any means of catching him (for he had run from the fhip, when she was fome hundred miles from the colony) and whofe only crime was that they had formerly lived in the fame town with him. Yet they were kept in chains, by this British flavetrader, and then fold to a flave-captain, who was on the point of failing; when a Mahometan chief, who happened to come from the interior country, took com- Exemplary paffion on them, advanced about £50 fter. for their redemption, and fent them humanity of home. The fame chief having lately fent a favourite free boy, with a message to a factor to whom he was in debt, the boy was feized by way of payment. The chief, half diftracted, came to S. Leona, and endeavoured to trace the child from factory to factory. At length he called at Freetown, mentioned his present pover ty, and the affliction which had brought him to the coaft, and modeftly asked for the £50 which he had formerly paid for the redemption of the two freemen of Granville town. The governor and council very carefully inveftigated the cafe, and found the main facts were precifely as has been flated. The £50 were repaid to the chief, by the Company, in confequence of this invefligation. a chief. first colonists napper. 476. The Directors have reason to think that feveral One of the others of this first unprotected colony, were fold and carried off. One is believed to have been kidnapped by a neighbouring black trader; and another turned kidnapper himself. But the natives, whom he had feized and fold, were recovered by the Company's intervention, and the kidnapper was corporally punished. Some are also faid to have been fold, for crimes charged against them. But all these incidents (except the detection and punishment of the kidnapper) happened before the formation of the prefent colony. 477. The infecurity of travellers, by preventing a free communication with the interior country, is another hin SIERRA LE ONA. travellers, from flavetrade, prevents inland intercourse, &c. CHAP. drance to the views of the Company. This opens a wide XI. field for reflection. It appears, from many recent investigations, that the people of the coast, are far more barbarous than those of the interior; that, while the population toInfecurity of wards the fea, is very thin, and the intercourse dangerous, there are found farther inland, many confiderable towns, fome of which, in the very heart of Africa, are supposed to carry on much internal trade, and to have made no small progrefs in civilization. The interests of the Company, therefore, and the benefit both of Africa and Europe, render fome connection with the interior of this vaft continent, a desirable object. But here again, the flave-trade banefully interpofes. The general infecurity, anarchy and drunkennefs which it hath introduced; but, above all, perhaps, a dread of the machinations of the flave-traders, who, by a chain of factories, have much influence in the interior, and, by their almoft entire empire of the coast, may be confidered as holding the key of Africa-these circumftances formidably obstruct every liberal attempt to dif cover and introduce, a mutually advantageous intercourse with the interior of Africa. exemplified in Mr. Nordenskiold's 478. The proprietors are already informed (§ 400) that, in the very infancy of the colony, the Company's mineralunhappy cafe ogift attempted to penetrate into the country round S. Leona. He was a man who to fome impatience, joined a very ardent mind, a love of knowledge, and great perfonal refpectability, and profeffional experience. He went out to extend his discoveries, having voluntarily offered his fervices to the Company, taking no falary, but fimply ftipulating, that, if any profits should arise from his researches, he should have the share which mineralogists are commonly allowed, and that the Company should pay the the ex penfes XI. SIERRA LE ON A penfes of his paffage, and living, at S. Leona.This firft CHAP adventurer from S. Leona, on a journey of difcovery, was, as before stated, attacked and plundered by a native chief, and returned in fo deplorable a condition, that he appears to have died from vexation and hardship. It would not have been unreasonable to suspect, that the flave-trade had imparted ferocity to this chief, even if his pofitive connection with flave traders had not been proved. But the fame chief has fince attacked another fervant of the Company, at the instigation of a French flave-trader, who told him that a ship of the S. Leona Company had been equipped, to make war on all the French flave-factories in his territories. On the veffel's arrival, the natives were alarmed; but the peaceable conduct of the captain, who merely went up to buy rice, foon allayed their fears. The chief, however, being very drunk, met with the captain and affaulted him. The people then tore off his clothes, dragged him to another town about two miles off, and there kept him prifoner. When the chief grew fober, he ordered the captain to be set free, and made him some prefents, by way of compenfation-The Directors will not add here, any more obfervations on the hindrances of the flave-trade to the Company's views; as the subject will neceffarily recur, in fpeaking of the steps taken to promote civilization. But the importance of the fubject seems to deferve recapitulation. flave-trade recapitulated. 479. It appears then, that the chief fources of the flave- Sourcesofthe trade are debts, wars, crimes and kidnapping. Debts, in this cafe, may not, on the first view, appear very dreadful; Debts, but the preceding facts put together, exhibit such a scene of wickedness and misery, as a flight investigation would not have suggested.—If an African contract a debt, an other XI. SIERRA LE- CHAP. other perfon commonly pays the penalty, and the flavetrader carries off a wife or a child of the debtor, or perhaps an inhabitant of the fame town, or some stranger who had fought protection there. In one cafe, as has been shown, a child is torn from it's father by a debtor, and the flavecaptain fails, before the parent can bring a substitute, (§ 459.) A wife is fold by her husband, for a debt, and is feen weeping in a flave-ship, for her infant left behind, (§ 467.) A free boy, sent with a message, is feized for his principal's debt, and is carried off, before he can be redeemed, (§ 475.) Among other colonists who were captured, two are fold for the debt of a townfman, who runs away from his captain, on another part of the coast, (§ 475.) -In other views, the custom of felling men for debt, appears ftill more dreadful. The flave-traders appear to encourage the chiefs to contract debts, for the fake of the confequent right of feizure. The very large credits, which, being incompatible with ordinary commerce, seem peculiar to the flave-trade, form, perhaps, one of it's main pillars; for fome facts that have appeared at S. Leona, unequivocally fhew, that liberal credit legalizes all kinds of enormities. It ferves equally to fubject a country to a slavefactor, or to secure dispatch to a flave-fhip. By these credits, the mulatto trader acquired his power over the chiefs, and depopulated the whole country around him, without violating the customs of Africa, or forfeiting his character, as a "good man and man of humanity," (§ 468.) It is plain, that flave-captains, coming to trade on the coast, may make the fame use of this fyftem of credit. By diftributing part of their goods among the chiefs, they establish a claim to seize both them and their people: and, if their crews be frong enough (§ 469) they need not wait long for their car go; |