Report from the Select Committee on Slave Trade (East Coast of Africa); together with the proceedings of the Committee, minutes of evidence, appendix and index

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Monograph

Identifikator:: 832922498

URN:: urn:nbn:de:zbw-retromon-79587

Document type:: Monograph

Title:: Report from the Select Committee on Slave Trade (East Coast of Africa); together with the proceedings of the Committee, minutes of evidence, appendix and index

Place of publication:: [London]

Publisher:: [The House of Commons]

Year of publication:: 1871

Scope:: 1 Online-Ressource (XXIV, 242 S.)

Collection:: Economics Books

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38 MINLTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE SELECT COMMITTEE K.C,B, 17 July 1871. Sir B.Frere, ment Avho is cognizant of those facts ?—They arc G.C.S.I., matters of historical certainty. 471. At Bombay you were not required to give to the Foreign Office or the Post Office any information, were you ?—The facts were no doubt embodied in a report, but they are buried, like many other things, in the official reports. The case in which India received a very important supply of food from Persia, was an instance in point ; there was a sudden failure of the monsoon, and of the periodical rains in Guzerat; and all the local officers and the grain dealers were con vinced that famine was impending. This was telegraphed in all directions, and, among other places, it was telegraphed to Persia and Bassora : and the result was that a steamer which was then due from the Persian Gulf brought down a large importation of wheat, which immediately re duced the prices, the grain dealers saw that there were means of supplying it; and in that par ticular instance the grain was reduced in price at once by the combined operation of the tele graphic and steam communication in a way that would have been quite impossible 10 years ago. 4/2. You think that, under those circum stances, subsidies wisely given are of incalculable benefit in developing the trade of a country ?— Yes, givers with what I will call frugal liberality. That would be quite ihe best way of developing that commerce which would bring slavery to a natural end. I might mention that when the ZaU' zibar envoys were in Fngland two or three years ago, one of them said in terms (I forget the exact words), that they found, on the main land now, it was more profitable to employ natives in^ growing sesaniom seed for export to Mar seilles, than to hunt them down as slaves. That is the kind of operation which, I think, would piomote the due development of a legitimate commerce. 473. It would materially help the American, German, and French trades, if they had a regu lar mail ; would they not, then, very much use our telegraphic and postal communication ?— Enormously, no doubt ; as much as we should. 474. So that there is almost a certainty of a very great trade developing itself?—It seems so to me. 475. And that would most effectually stop the slave trade, would it not ?—It seems to me the only thing. You can stop it «by force, but you cannot keep it stojiped by anything but the growth of such a commerce as would grow up on the East, as it has done on the West Coast. 476. Did you say that Dr. Livingstone was very strongly of that opinion? — Entirely so. That was after seeing more than most casual travellers have seen of Western India. 477. You spoke of the want of additional consuls; would there be any difficulty in obtain ing the services of very efficient men there ?— Isot the least; if you required commissioned officers, such as our military and political officers in India, and those of the regular civil service of the Government there, they could be spared. But you might have a great deal of agency which has only grown up of late years, that is to say, educated native agency. I have met young Mahomedan and young Hindoo men of those particular castes, who go out to that coast, and wffio engage in trade there ; I have met them able to speak and write as good English as we do ourselves, and quite able to pick up any lan guages of the people they are among. 478. M ould there not be an indirect advantao-e in finding occupation for our own Indian subjects in that way ? Of course there would be, thouo-h that would be only in a few cases, but I woidd leave the matter as much as possible in the hands of our head consular authority : and if he said, “ I have a place for which I can only ask you to g^\ e pO /. 01 100 /., and that is not enough for an Englishman, but I think it would be eimugh for a Mahomedan or Hindoo, and there is siich a person there ; ” I would leave it to him very much to select his own agents and give every weight to his recommendations with regard to payment. 479. Had the consul applied to you when you were Governor of Bombay you would have had no difficulty, I suppose ?—I could have found the agents but not the money. 480. I suppose the same remark applies with regard to interpreters ; there is no difficulty in finding competent interpreters, is there ? Ÿone whatever, only they should be regularly paid, and be, as far as possible, in regular service. 481. Do you know instances in which the admiral had alleged, or had reason to believe, that an efficient force was not sent in response to his application ?—I think, whenever he applied in India, we were able to give him some one who was efficient. We did all that he required ; but I have known that, from want of opportunity of applying, the captains have been very badly served in the matter of interpreters ; they have been obliged to take up men with a mere smat tering of Ilindoostanee, and who were not fitted, from their imperfect understanding of the lan guage, to interpret between the captain and the chiefs. 482. It must be an immense detriment to the service having no direct or constant mail com munication with Zanzibar, must it not ? It is a most serious detriment. 483. Sir B.Anstruther.] With regard to the com pensation for the expenditure of 8,000/., which you have recommended that the English Govern ment, conjointly with the Indian Government should undertake: how would the Exchequer be compensated for the outlay ?—In the first place, I should rather demur to their requirino" direct compensation. I should regard it rather as a portion of the sum which England has been paying ^ for the last two generations, to carry out this great national object of sup pressing slave trade ; but I have not the least doubt that, like a subsidy to the line of steamers, ample compensation would be found in the very large commerce, which must follow anything like settled Government, and the sup pression of the slave trade. Such commerce, as does exist at Zanzibar, has grown up, or has revived rather, since it was conquered by the late Imaum of Muscat. He was a man of very o-reat ability; bereigned fora very long time, and in his early days he had the conduct of negotia tions with Lord Wellesley, and had helped to keep the r lench out of those seas in the revolu tionary war; and he ended by conductino- the anti-slaveiy negotiations of the Governments in our own time. Nobody can watch his career without feeling certain that if his descendant would go on in the same course, building up a considerable marine, as he did, and givino- pro tection to all the people that he obtained^nfiu- ence over or conquered, we should be having our work

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