the political officers during my tours through the Protectorate, and 
at headquarters with Captain Stanley, C.M.G., M.B.E., Acting 
Colonial Secretary. 
My first impression was one of surprise that in Sierra Leone, 
of all Colonies, having regard to the history of its first settlers, 
there should still exist, even in its hinterland, an admitted form 
of slavery, certain release from which could only be obtained by 
the payment of redemption money. The almost total absence of 
any records on the subject up to the time of my immediate pre- 
decessor made it difficult to study the question in the light of 
recorded arguments for or against the local system, but 1 soon 
discerned three facts :— 
(1) That the system is still firmly established in the life of 
the people : at many of my first meetings with the chiefs in 
the various districts the burden of such few appeals as they 
had to make to me was the need for assistance in the matter 
of runaway domestics ; 
(ii) That the existing compromise is much disliked by most 
political officers who are obviously frequently embarrassed by 
the difficulty of reconciling the traditional British attitude 
towards slavery with the ambiguous nature of the local law, 
whereunder they feel bound, in fairness to the chiefs, to 
inquire into the numberless ‘‘ palavers *’ arising directly or 
indirectly out of the domestic slavery system ; and 
(iii) That on the other hand there is a total absence of any 
“ public opinion ’’ in Sierra Leone adverse to the system. 
Churches and missions abound in Sierra Leone, but I have 
received no word from them on the subject, nor can I find any 
record of any representation from them to any of my pre- 
decessors. The only reference in the Freetown Press since 
my arrival has been a severe criticism of a district commis- 
sioner who had had the hardihood to advocate reforms in 
connection with what the Editor called a ‘‘ really delicate 
matter.” (See Enclosure 2.%) 
In my first address to the Legislative Council (November, 1922) 
[ made a guarded reference to the status of *‘ those natives who 
are euphemistically called domestics,” expressing my conviction 
that the present system needed ‘‘ investigation as to whether it 
is not one of the local conditions which hinder rather than help 
Sierra Leone on its road to prosperity.” I added that I had 
grave doubts whether any enduring progress could be made while 
the system remains in force. I hoped that this hint would elicit 
some expressions of opinion from unofficial persons in Sierra Leone 
or elsewhere who are competent to appreciate the situation. but 
no such opinion has been vouchsafed. 
The only direct action that I took therefore during my first tour 
was (a) to call for returns from the Provineial Commissioners 
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