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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ON SLAVE TRADE (EAST COAST OF AFRICA). 71 Tuesday^ 2bth July 1871. MEMBERS PRESENT: Sir Robert Anstruther. Lord Frederick Cavendish. Mr. Crum-Ewing. Mr. Robert Fowler. Mr. Gilpin. Mr. Russell Gurney. Sir John Hay. Mr. Kennaway. Mr. Kinnaird. Mr. Shaw Lefevre. Mr. O’Conor. Mr. John Talbot. Right Honourable RUSSELL GURNEY, in the Chair. Rev. Edward Steere, ll.d., called in ; and Examined. ^85. Mr. J. Talbot.'] I THINK you were resident Zanzibar for some time ?—For four years. . 986. You went out with the Universities Mis- did you not?—Yes; immediately after ^shop Mackenzie’s death. 987. In what position were you in whilst you resident in Zanzibar ?—I was a missionary r^plain to Bishop Tozer; I was one of the mis- ^^^îiaries, in fact. . 988. Bishop Tozer succeeded Bishop Macken- p 989. And he changed the field of the mission the Zambezi River to the town of Zanzi- • 990. Before you went to Zanzibar, you had been to L Portuguese territory ?—Yes ; we first went Zambezi, and then finding that the original th ^ mission was desolate, we looked out for t^^^^atural centre of the country, and we moved ^anzibar with the remnant of the mission, i 991. How are the slaves obtained which are to Zanzibar?—I know very little of }vay in which slaves are obtained in the but my impression is, that they are ¡11 always bought, and that the desolation ^oe interior does not arise directly from the trade, nor is it occasioned with the view Ci:j^®^Pply slaves ; but it is not an uncommon oc- ^ ®ï^ce in Africa to have a marauding tribe dç^^P^ûg over a large district, and practically slg^^^ying the district for the time being. The ^ have talked to in Zanzibar have almost sold by their relations, or by their mas hy the interior. The great hardships caused trade seem to lie first of all in the march ^ud then in the passage at sea. I have Oj. ^ told several times of whole caravans of 200 ^ having died between the place where ^^6re bought in the interior and the coast ; ^ilw ^ regards the passage by sea, even between loet ^ Zanzibar, there was a dhow very lately 80 ^hird of the slaves on board ; there were /o^vn overboard, either dead or dying, be- Kilwa and Zanzibar. ' Sir i?. Anstruther.'] How many days 0.1^®j® it from Kilwa to Zanzibar?—Between one and three. If a dhow is kept out three days a very large proportion of the slaves invariably die ; it is not customary to give any food on the voyage except a little uncooked rice. 993. Mr. J. Talbot.^ lYe have heard some very dreadful descriptions of the sufferings which the slaves undergo in their land journey from the place where they are captured to the port where they are exported ; do you confirm those state ments ?—Yes, entirely. The great difficulty is to get them to the coast at all. 994. I understand that you do not agree en tirely with what has been stated by former wit nesses, that the country has been depopulated in order to obtain those slaves ?—No. 995. But you think that the country has been depopulated by wars, and that the result of those wars has been the capture of slaves?—Sometimes, but not always. Very often the effect of wars has been, that no slaves have come from the country. Till lately more than half the slaves in Zanzibar came from the neighbourhood of Lake Nyassa; and since the country has been desolated, no slaves have come from it. When the country was at peace there was a large exportation of slaves, but when the war and deso lation began the exportation of slaves ceased. 996. Do you confirm the statement that was made yesterday, that the country between Lake Nyassa and the sea is almost entirely depopu lated ?—Yes, I have heard that stated over and over again. Marauders, whom Dr. Livingstone calls Mazitu, and the people of Zanzibar call Maviti, have spread over the whole country, one chief only having stood against them. Those marauders came even to Kilwa, upon which the Sultan of Zanzibar sent an armed force to defend Kilwa ; a part of the Sultan of Zanzibar’s force went out against them, and many were killed, a few only escaping back to Kilwa. Some of the town’s people were then sent out to treat with them, and they were sent back without an answer, and with their hands cut off. 997. Are you able to confirm the statements which have been made to us as to the great fer- 1 4 tility Rev. E. 8 teere y i'5 July 1871.

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