85
ON SLAVE TRADE (EAST COAST OF AFRICA).
for certain that slaves from that part of
Coast have been imported quite recently into
^dagascar.
hß Then, in suggesting that 12 ships should
^o,^.^P^cyed in suppressing the slave trade on the
. Uth East Coast of Africa, you did not take
t\v^ consideration the slave trade carried on be-^^cn
the Portuguese territory and Madagascar?
5 ^^16. You would contemplate an additional
gl^dron for that?—That would require to be
t}j^^^‘^tely dealt with ; but I should say I think
trade is clearly on the decrease.
What number of ships would you think
Cssary to perform the service there ?—I should
PPose not more than two or three.
Two or three, with steam launches, you
a ''vould be sufficient to suppress any trade
Afp exist between the South East Coast of
and Madagascar?—Yes, stationing those
Ps on the Madagascar coast.
^ees the importation of free labour into
Ck] , rench colony of Reunion add to j our diffig^cs
at all?—I do not think it does. One
tf.^î^ers that it gives a great impetus to the slave
oql^c 5 that a certain number of men who are
Vç^^^ally brought down as slaves, become con-1
into free negroes, by some process, find-<1
ffieir way into the French colonies.
Have you had any diplomatic diffi-^cs
with the officers of other nations ?—
Sg^cr ; our difficulties, I think, might be in
c degree removed if encourao-ement was
given to legal traders in the Mozambique
Channel, to fly English ensigns, and to carry
English papers ; at present the great majority of
them carry French ¡lapers, and French ensigns,
and, of course, there is more or less difficulty in
dealing with any vessel carrying French colours ;
I believe the Arabs would gladly change their
French colours for English if they could.
132L Why do they bear the French National
h'lag ?—They obtain French papers from the
French Government at Nos Beli, and other settlements.
1322. Do you think their nationality might
easily be converted from French into English ?—
I believe the great mass of those flying colours
have nothing to say to the French nation.
1323. Mr. Shaw LeftvreJ] By sailing under the
French flag, they obtain immunity from search
on the part of our cruisers ?—Yes, it has always
been said, and no doubt it is true, that the search
after the illegal trade does embarrass the legal
traders considerably, so that the legal trader protects
himself by flying the French colours, and
the illegal trader, of course, follows suit.
1324. Chairman.'] Do you think we could induce
them to carry English colours instead of
French, seeing that they would then be liable to
search?—Yes, they would rather have English
colours than French. No illegal trader would
dare to fly English colours, and there would consequently
be even more immunity from search
irom the legal traders flying English colours. A
primâfade suspicion attaches to all others.
Captain
P. Colomb,
R.N.
25 July
1871.
Mr. Charles Allington, called in; and Examined.
^25. Mr. Kennaway.] AYere you in the vici-Lake
Nyassa, in company with Bishop
»Sk f5^y~We were living on the banks of the
river.
Lan you, from your own experience,
thg Evidence to the forays made by slavers upon
P^^ceful villages in that district?—Yes, I
going into a native village near
Mollumbala. The slavers were there
^Gfore we got there, and on our approach
fli’cd some shots and took to their heels,
VIjj Hug away with them some men out of the
ol^ M^hen I got to the village there Avas an
^çv^Pief in hiding in the bush, afraid to come
village on account of those slavers ;
after a little time he came back, and I
yillg^^friends Avith him, and we Avalked about the
and he told me the loss Avhich had been
upon him by the slavers. That is one
^ce in my mind at the present time.
Chairman.] Have you any doubt that
^iuie you were in the country there Avere
slavers Avho attacked villages Avith the
obtaining slaves?—I have not the slightest
All the accounts you have received conyou
in that vicAV ?—Quite so.
oh ' Kinnaird.] You have no doubt that
of those raids Avas for the purpose of
®Lves?—Simply for the purpose of getting
nothing else.
^30. •
Crnm-EwingS] Some of the Avitnesses
have stated that the slave dealers go up Mr.
the country and encourage war between two C. AUin^ton.
tribes, and then buy the captNes as slaves ; do -
you agree Avith that?—It is a common notion .
that that is done ; I haA^e no doubt that it is done
they want slaves at any price, and if they can
get them by exciting Avar between tAVO tribes
they, no doubt, adopt that course.
1331. You do not knoAv that of your OAvn
knoAvIedge ?—No, I have heard that it is done.
1332. Mr. J. Talbot.] You do not say that it
is a common thing for slavers to go and stir up
Avar for the purpose of getting slaves ?—It is
merely a thing I have heard; I have no knoAvledge
of it myself.
1333. You have heard that it takes place, but
you are not prepared to say that it often takes
place?—No, 1 am not.
1334. Chairman.] But from the information
you have received you come to the conclusion
that it is not an uncommon thing for the slave
traders to stir up Avar between tAvo tribes for the
purpose of obtaining slaves?—That is a statement
I have heard made more frequently in England
than anyAvhero else; but I could not speak
to it from my OAvn knowledge.
1335. Is the case you have mentioned the only
case of the sort Avhich came under your OAvn observation
?—That case is the one strongest in my
mind at this moment. I do not think I could tell
you any other ; that is a case Avhich I am perfectly
^ clear about. I have no doubt the same
thing is going on day after day.
•He.
L 3
Mr.
