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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5 ON SLATE TRADE (EAST COAST OF AFRICA). Rnd in a flagrant case take her to the nearest French authority, but we cannot seize her, or take her off; we had representations made to us, that a <^nsiderable slave trade was carried on under the French flag, and we wrote to the French Govern ment and protested. I hardly think that such is ^he case. There was a differential duty of about per cent, between goods carried under our flag and goods carried under the French flag, in favour of the French, and I think that had a great deal to do with so many dhows adopting the French ; that is all at an end now. . ^5. It ig the fact, is it not, that under the Em pire ^ the strongest regulations were in force for putting down slavery ?—No doubt. 56. Sir John Hay.'] Have the French any ''^essels on that coast?—Yes, and they have an “Admiral on the station, who I believe is on the hest terms with the English Admiral. 57. Have they captured any slaves ?—I never heard of their capturing any. 58. Chairman.] What naval force is employed on the East coast of Africa in suppressing the slave trade ?—It is difficult to tell exactly ; I sent to the Admiralty for a return of the number of ships on the coast, and I could not get it in time ; you would be able to get that information from the Admiralty. 59. What is the system pursued by the squa dron, and do they act under special instructions ? 1 They act under special instructions ; their duty IS, no doubt, a very difficult one. It fell to us to com ment, as the Commodore thought rather harshly, upon the conduct of some of the officers of the fleet. There is no doubt that very great injustice hp been done in a great many cases ; that many dhows have been taken which ought not to have been taken, and I daresay a great deal of ill- meling and ill-will has been caused thereby. ■Recently' the Admiralty have issued instructions Yarning officers to be very' careful how they destroy dhows, and directing them never to do so if by any' chance they' could bring them into a port of adjudication. In former times there were uuly two ports of adjudication at long distances ^ai'Y one at Aden, and the other at the Cape of jjood Hope (there was another at Madagascar, ut that was on the wrong side, and the dhows seldom taken there). Now there is an Admiralty^ Court at Zanzibar, and that has Worked extremely' well, and our Commanders have uot the same reason that they formerly had for destroying vessels. 60. Are the officers interested in obtaining the condemnation of slavers ?—Yes ; they receive on their condemnation. .6 ' • In the event of their destroying the dhows Without bringing them before the Prize Court, do ey get the bounty' in the same way ?—They establish that the dhow was a slaver, in le Prize Court ; they have to bring in such papéis as they- flnd on board, and such witnesses as aie necessary to prove the character of the in which the dhow was engaged, and e 10T IS coiidenuied, but on an ex narte state ment, in some cases. 62, So that the officers of our cruisers are pe- niarily inteiested in obtaining the condemnation N (^hows as possible ?—No doubt that is linue^*^ long as the system of bounties con- - Wiiat means have the officers of ascertain ing whether the dhow is a slaver or not ? They nd out that she is engaged in the slave " ' d"IIG. e trade by the slave fittings on board the vessel, and also from the absence of the proper papers; then there are alway^s indications of the dhow having had slaves on board from the filthy state in wliicii she is ; but upon that point Sir Leopold Heath could give better information than I can, 64. How do the officers deal with their prizes after capturing them ?—If they can, they take them into a court of adjudication \ and if they cannot, they take their dimensions for the purpose of claiming bounty, and then destroy them. 65. Why do they ever burn their prizes, in stead of taking them into a port ?—Very often there is a very' strong monsoon, and those vessels would be unseaworthy in other hands than those of their owners. It is very often the case that they could not take them to a port of adjudica tion. 66. V hat becomes of the captured slaves and the master and crew of the slave dhow ?—Such witnesses as are necessary to secure the condem nation of the slaver are taken to the court of ad judication, and the rest of the crew are either landed on the coast or transferred to another dhow that may' be passing, as they may wish. The slaves are generally taken to the port of adjudi cation. 67. How are the liberated slaves finally dis posed of ?—They go in most cases to Aden, where there is very bad accommodation for them ; they are imprisoned on a small island there till they can be sent on to Bombay ; some of them are taken to the Mauritius ; some of them are taken to Seychelles, another of our colonies. In those places the same regulations which apply to free labourers apply to them, and they are appren ticed for a certain number of years, and after that time if they can get employment, or show that they are capable of taking care of them selves, they are let go. 68. Is it considered to be out of the question their being sent to their own homes?—Yes, quite. You could not send them back hundreds of miles into the interior ; even if you could, they would be certain to be recaptured by some of the Arabs. 69. Sir 11. Anstruther.] The hardships they would encounter in going back that great dis tance into the interior would be as great as the hardships they had encountered in going down ? —Tes; it would be out of the question their going to the country from which they had been taken. I think, however, it is very doubtful whether we are justified in taking those slaves into our colonies ourselves. I think it justly lays us open to the charge of making use of our crusade against the slave trade for our own pur pose. 70c Mr. Hinncàrd.] They are perfectly free in our colonies ?—At the end of their period of ap prenticeship they are free to do what they like ; on their apprenticeship, I think a premium is paid by the planters who take them. 71. Sir A. Anstruther.] You must do something with them ; you cannot send them home, and you cannot leave them where they are ?—No. 72. Chairman.] What provision is made for their maintenance before they are transferred to our colonies, and at what cost? —In the case of those who are sent to Bombay they remain at Aden till a notification comes from Bombay that they can be employed there, and they are then sent to Bombay as they are wanted. The chil dren go to the Nassick school there. We got A 3 from Hon, C. Vivian. 10 July 1871.

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