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). 49 Wt it appears that Seychelles does not want V .^17. Would not there be a danger of their being idnapped by the northern Arabs^ if they were glided at Zanzibar ?—Our squadron must stop all ; I found no difficulty with the 6,0001 emanci pated ; each slave had his own certifícate of emanci- Pation; I watched them pretty well ; I used to send g^^iard about the island to find if they had been kidnapped, and no complaints ever reached me. fil8. In fact you think precautions might be Y Gn to prevent any danger of kidnapping ?— when the northern Arabs came down, and prowling about, the slaves whom I had ^berated, without any hint from me, formed i^iongst themselves a vigilance committee, who J^cd to patrol the town all night to protect the I^Y^cipated slaves; and they very often used to. 'ake me up in the night if the Arabs had at-' ^^^pted to take any of their children. Whose subjects are the northern Arabs, ',ko chiefly carry on this trade ?- clu< - - •" - They are kefly the piratical tribes ; the tribes who in years gave us a great deal of trouble. ^2o. Are they subject to any power?—That is kG difficulty in dealing with the slave trade; a niany of them are nominally under the ■J^krisdiction of the Imaum of Muscat, but in ^ality the Imaum of Muscat has no power at all ^ Gr them ; he can do nothing effective. fl2l. q'o what ports do those northern Arabs Giefly take the slaves ?—A great many now go ^•^cullali and Has al Had, and other ports in ^kia, and a great many go to ports in Persia. o22. You think that the chiefs having control Gr those ports, would not have sufficient power ^ stop the import of slaves, if they wished it ?—In paling with them I should send an English man- Pt'War round with proclamations in Arabic, which ^vould have read out by the sheikhs and elders „ the tribes, giving them distinct notice that w k certain date the provisions of our treaties n', ^ kk those chiefs, declaring the slave trade Hiacy^ would be rigidly enforced, and that the yander of every dhow found with slaves on Card would be hanged. o23. The slave trade to Cuba was first effica- ^ ciigiy stopped when we were able to station a j^.k^dron round Cuba ; do you think this trade gZSkt be more easily stopped if our ships cruised ^he jDorts of entry instead of cruising off ports of export?—We should do both, and cculd be more easily done in this case on ac- .^^,kkt of the prevailing winds. The Committee ^^ch sat at the Foreign Office suggests that one ^.c®sel could easily watch the entrance of the Per- Gulf ; one stationed at Aden could easily ^jkfeh the entrance of the Red Sea. It is during kionths when the southern monsoon prevails ^ the slaves are carried north, and one vessel addition cruising off Socotra would intercept of those. Of course, the northern Arabs the it kiost SQ^kld persist for some time, but they would very k find that it was a losinj off the ^ ijijcnj XU ,1 CIO cc trade. Do you know whether cruising the is unhealthy for the men?—ÎSot at all ; 'VYg khinate is nothing like so bad as that on the kten kc^'-t, but it is an enervating climate ; the ßgkught not to be kept too long on the coast, kfte t ' ^kra short period the climate does not 1 the men?—2io ; at the time when they a k not be required on service they have got to go to which has one of the finest cli- 0 the world, viz, the Seychelles Islands, where they can get fruits and vegetables and fresh meat in the greatest abundance. 626. Mr. Crum-EwincjYou mentioned that, at one time, a considerable trade in slaves was carried on with the French Islands ; is that en tirely given up now ?—We have no recent in formation, I believe, about that. Two or three years ago Lord Campbell carried a motion in the House of Lords for an Address to Her Majesty, to appoint a consul at Mozambique. I think it is a most unfortunate circumstance that that has never been acted on. J^ot only have we no consul at Mozambiqe, but the consulate at the Comoro Islands has been abolished, so that from Zanzibar to our own territories in Port Natal, there is nobody to watch British interests, or to interfere with the slave trade. In consequence of the ports in jMadagascar having been thrown open to foreign trade since the death of the old queen, there is such an immensely increasing trade in the products of Madagascar, that they have begun to import slaves into Madagascar very largely, in order to cultivate their rich land; and, although the Portuguese Government have abolished the slave trade in Mozambique, I must say I do not believe it is abolished, or will be abolished without a British squadron to watch it. Up to recently there was no trade whatever in the Mozambique dominions except the slave trade ; the whole business of the Portuguese population was men-stealing and men-selling. At the five chief ports, Ibo, Mozambique, In- hambane, and the mouths of the Zambesi, the only trade was in men. Large parties of half- caste Portuguese, led very often by Portuguese, scoured all the interior, and brought those slaves down to be sold. 627. Do you think that slaves are still taken to Reunion ?—I have no reeent information about it. We have now a consul at Reunion, and I should think he would be able to state whether they are still importing slaves under the name of free engagées. 628. IVhat are the products of the interior of the country about Lake Nyassa?—All sorts of grains and vegetables. In the valleys of those large rivers opposite Zanzibar, within the Sultan’s dominions, they are now cultivating sim-sim, from which most of our fine olive oil is made, which goes very largely to IMarseilles. In the last few years a great trade has sprung up in orchil la, which is a purple dye, and sugar is grown to a great extent. I believe very few people know what a fertile country that is. Baron Van der Decken, whose very interesting work has lately been pub lished, speaks in the very highest terms of the fer tility of the country, and of the opening there is for trade there. H e describes a good deal of the country, a little to the north, as being a moun- tainons country, very much resembling Switzer land, and he says the chiefs are very anxious to have Europeans come and settle amongst them. 629. Chab'man.'\ You mentioned that Dr. Livingstone had found one district near Lake Nyassa where cotton was being cultivated ?—- Yes, the Manganga country towards Lake Nyassa. He describes the whole country as being a field of cotton, all the people of both sexes being busily engaged in spinning and weaving. 630. Mr. O’CWoî-.] You think it useless to make treaties with the Sultan ?—From my knowledge of the Arabs treaties are utterly use less. I understand that some of the witnesses who have been examined have suggested that the G Sultan Maj. Gen. C. P. Rigby, 20 July 1871.

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