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

Bibliographic data

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

Usage license:: Get license information via the feedback formular.

ON SLAVE TRADE (EAST COAST OF AFRICA). 75 ^kemgelves, and that, therefore, it is inexpedient that account to export them ?—I think the dumber of slaves that have come into Zanzibar to within the last few years has been so large, |Kat any considerable want of labour has not oeen felt; but during the time I was in Zan zibar, the price of labour was constantly rising, ^ûd I have been told since I came away that it bas increased very much. There has been an ^%mense quantity of building going on in Zan zibar. The town was computed, some 10 years %o, to have 100,000 inhabitants in it, and every thing that goes into and out of that ])art of Africa goes through it, so that the trade is enormous, ^nd the number of men wanted for every kind occupation is very great. 1068. Mr. Crum-Ewing.^ T olio wing up the Suggestion with regard to the establishment of ^ice-consuls along the coast, do you think that ^Uother good plan would be to purchase the Sovereignty of Zanzibar ; do you suppose that the Sultan would be disposed to sell the sovereignty ? —No, I think not. I think it is possible that the the late Seyyid Majid might have been so dis posed, but Í am certain that Syed Burghash would Uever entertain the idea for a moment. 1069. You do not think the cruisers do much good on the coast at present ?—They certainly oheck the slave trade to a certain extent. 1070. You do not think they do as much good they might do?—PSo; it does not appear to Uie that the navy has ever seriously given its Uiind to the suppression of the trade as a great object. I mean to include the authorities at home as well as the officers on the station. 1071. You mentioned that the young officers follow their own devices when they are sent out With the boats ; do you mean that they amuse themselves ?—I hey go on shore, and they cer tainly leave behind them the impression of having insulted the natives. They were accused in one Case of carrying off slaves from the plantations, and bringing them down as having been taken out of ^ dhow ; such things as these one does not believe at all ; but I have very little doubt that when they iand they sometimes get intoxicated, and that they then behave in a very rough and irregular way. 1072. Sir R. Anstruther.'] Do you state that cu hearsay or do you state it from your own knowledge ?—I state it as what I was told by the Natives ; I do not state it as being within my own knowledge. 1073. Is it a statement in which you place »ny confidence yourself ?—Yes, I thoroughly believe it. 1074. Sir J. Hay.'] That does not apply to the officers ?—Not to the officers generally. 1075. Mr. Crum-Ewing.] But to some of the young men ?—Midshipmen or young lieutenants ; the whole thing is sometimes treated as a lark, h believe that wrong and irregular things are ^oue, partly because I know that leave to go cn shore in Zanzibar at one time was forbidden cn account of what men had done when on ®hore on leave. 1076. You lived in the town of Zanzibar?— 4es. 1077. Are there many factories in the island? ■^No. 1078. Is not there a sugar factory ?—There ^us a large sugar establishment projected by Captain Fraser, who had a very fine plantation ^nd very fine machinery, but up to the time f left they had produced a very small quantity 0.116. of sugar, if any at all ; then in the town itself there was a cocoa-nut oil factory with a steam mill, also started by Captain Fraser. 1079. That was a more profitable concern than the other, was it not?—Yes, much more profitable, I think ; I think it had every element of success about it, and the natives were found quite equal to working the machinery. 1080. A great many people were employed in those factories, I believe ?■—Yes, he employed a very large number. 1081. hat was the status of those persons ? — They were hired, I think ; you cannot always tell in Zanzibar whether the labourers that you see in any particular employment are slaves or free men, because it is common for a man to pay his master two dollars a month, and to shift for himself, hiring himself out for whatever employ ment he can get ; there are men every day sitting in the market to let themselves as labourers, a large number being free, and a large number being slaves ; but the workmen on the sugar planta tion were almost all slaves newly arrived, and there was a considerable question as to the ])ro- priety of their being so employed. 1082. Did not some orders go out from this country to manumit them ?—I know that a great deal was done and said about them ; what exact orders went out, I do not know ; I know it was said, that Captain Fraser being in want of labour met some natives in the town, with whom he made a contract for labour, and paid them in advance, whereupon they went to the slave market, and bought slaves, which slaves were ‘ sent out to the plantation ; I do not myself vouch for the accuracy of that statement. 1083. It is some time since you left Zanzibar ? —Two and a half, or three years ; I have had letters lately from Bishop Tozer, and also from Dr. Christie, a physician, practising in Zanzibar, in which they say, that they are very anxious that some provision should be made for sick slaves and children after they are liberated, and landed in the town ; they think that something more than a certificate of freedom should be given to them. The certificate is a good security if the person is well known, but it is no security for a stranger. 1084. Have not liberated slaves been taken to the Mauritius ?—Yes, a large number have been taken to the Mauritius ; I know nothing of that myself, but it was commonly reported that they would not have any more there, that they could not employ them ; they get much better labourers from India ; an untaught savage is use less for years. 1085. Lord F. Cavendish.] What security could you give to a freed slave besides his cer tificate ?—His certificate is a very good security if he is a known person. 1086. These freed slaves not being known persons, what security would you suggest in their case ?—They might be protected if a kind of barracks or home were established where they could be lodged for a time, so that they might come under the eyes of the people belonging to the consulate, and be recognised. 1087. M ould you recommend their being placed under the protection of the British Go vernment?—Yes; they should certainly be under the protection of the British Government. 1088. You think precautions might be taken to' provide for the safety of freed slaves in Zan zibar ?—Yes ; certainly. K 2 Rev. E. Steere, LL.D. 2.5 July 1871. 1089. Do

Access restriction

Copyright

fullscreen: 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

Monograph

Table of contents

Download

Monograph

This page

Image fragment

Citation links

Citation recommendation