ON SLAVE TRADE (EAST COAST OF AFRICA). 
11 
Thursday, ISM July 1871. 
MEMBERS PRESENT: 
Sir Robert Anstruther. 
Lord Frederick Cavendish. 
Mr. Crum-Ewing. 
Viscount Enfield. 
Mr. Gilpin. 
Sir Jolin Hay. 
Mr. Kennavay. 
Mr. Kinnaird. 
Mr. O’Conor. 
Mr. John Talbot, 
Sir Frederick Williams. 
CHARLES GILPIN, Esq., in the Chair. 
The Hon. Crespigny Vivian, called in; and further Examined. 
173. Chairman.^ You wish to make some ad 
ditions to your former evidence ?—In describ 
ing the slave trade that is carried on on the 
African coast, I said nothing about the slave 
trade with Madagascar. There is a constant 
slave trade with that island from the southern 
ports of Zanzibar, and though it goes on in drib 
lets it is still permanent. That slave trade is 
nlso forbidden by our treaty with Madagascar of 
^ 27th of June 1865, which is to the following 
. ect : «« Her Britannic Majesty and her Ma 
jesty the Queen of Madagascar, being greatly 
desirous of effecting the total abolition of the 
trade in slaves, her Majesty the Queen of Mada 
gascar engages to do all in her power to prevent 
^11 such traffic on the part of her subjects, and to 
prohibit all persons residing -within her dominions 
<^r subject to her from countenancing or taking 
share in such trade. No persons from be 
yond sea shall be landed, purchased or sold as 
? ^’res, in any part of Madagascar ; and her Ma- 
jesty the Queen of Madagascar consents that 
ritish cruisers shall have the right of searching 
^^y Malagash or Arab vessels suspected of being 
engaged in the slave trade, whether under sail 
^ anchor in the waters of Madagascar. Her 
"I^jesty the Queen of Madagascar further con- 
sents that if any such vessels shall prove to be 
engaged in the slave trade, such vessels and their 
erews shall be dealt with by the cruisers of Her 
Lritannic Majesty as if such persons and their 
vessels had been engaged in a piratical under 
taking.” that there is a complete paper 
blockade of the whole of the slave trade on the 
east coast of Africa, and if the treaties were pro 
perly observed, the seas of Africa would be 
just as free from the foreign slave trade as the 
seas of England. 
174. Mr. Kinnairdr\ What do you consider to 
be the waters of Madagascar ; how far do they 
extend beyond the island ?—To a limit of three 
nailes, I should suppose. 
175. Have we made any remonstrance to the 
Madagascar Government ?—Constantly. 
176. V hat answer have you received?—They 
have always said that they mean to act up to their 
t^aty, and lately they handed over to a naval 
officer a large cargo of slaves, which they had 
Seized themselves. 
177. You believe that there is every wish, on 
their part, to observe the treaty ?—Yes; on'the 
0.116, 
part of the Hova Government, but it is so close 
to Kilwa and the southern ports, that the trade 
is easily carried on. I think, if you sealed up 
Kilwa and the southern ports of Zanzibar, you 
would probably at once put a stop to that slave 
trade. 
178. By blocking those ¡Dorts ?—Yes. 
179. C/iau-maa.] What does Madagascar want 
with slaves?—For labour, the same "as at Zan 
zibar. 
180. Mr. Kinnaird^ Is not slavery abolished 
in Madagascar ?—No, it is legal there. 
181. The imported slaves are not covered 
by the treaty ? — It is the foreign slave trade 
that the Queen of Madagascar is compelled to 
suppress. With respect to slavery in Mada 
gascar, a strong memorial was drawn up by the 
Anti-Slavery Society, urging its abolition, which 
memorial was forwarded, through the Foreign 
Office, to the Government of Madagascar, and 
the Prime Minister wrote to the society to say 
he was sure that it was their ignorance made 
them propose such a thing, because it would in 
evitably bring about a revolution in the country. 
I was also asked on Monday whether the offi 
cers on the coast acted under special instruc 
tions. I said they did, and I now put in the 
instructions under which they are acting. Those 
special instructions were issued in November 
1869, in consequence of the serious irregu 
larities and mistakes committed by officers com 
manding Her Majesty’s ships employed in the 
suppression of the slave trade on the East Coast 
of Africa.” (Z7¿e same were handed in, vide 
A})pendix.) 
182. Is there any other addition which you 
wish to make to your former evidence ?—I said 
on Monday, that chiefly owing to the circum 
stance of the duties under the French flag being 
lighter than those levied upon British vessels a 
great many dhows had adopted the French flag. 
I think this fact may be attributed also, in a great 
measure, to the immunity from seizure which 
the French flag gave them, that is to say, that 
dhows carrying on an honest traffic, would adopt 
the French flag, in order not to run the chance 
of seizure by the English cruisers. Then I 
wish to correct my evidence, as to the non 
existence of an American Consulate at Zanzibar ; 
there is one, but I have never heard that the 
B 2 Americans 
Hon. 
C. Vivian. 
13 July 
1871.