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). 55 . 719. Is your Rejiort published ?—My letter on is in the Blue Book for 1871, at page 64. The i^Gport, as laid before Parliament, is not the same ■^Gport as was submitted to me. The 3rd, 4th, and 6th paragraphs have been altered in ac- ^'^rdance with my suggestions. 720. Taking it as it stands now, how far do you agree with the recommendations of the Re port ?—As it now stands I agree with the recom- ^ondations of the Report in a general way. 721. Do you think if those wei e carried out, a ^ory material effect might be produced even ^'ilhout the British Government becoming pos- ^ossed of Zanzibar?—The proposals made by ■L'Ord Clarendon for a new treaty, which I have deferred to before, practically embody the greater P^i't of the recommendations of the Committee, ^Hcl I agree with them in a general way. 722. And you think they might produce a ^^aterial effect ?—I think so, provided also, that transport of domestic slaves by sea is for- ^^dden. 723. And the squadron increased?—And the ®9Radron increased. 724. I hardly know how to reconcile that with ^ke statement you made before, that you thought hardly any guilty dhows escaped ?—I quite admit difficulty ; it is as much present to myself as you. I know that during the three months of of the slaving season we boarded 400 dhows, and only captured 11 of them with 958 slaves ; I cannot account for it. It is supposed, apparently with good reason, that 20,000 ^^Q-Ves are exported for sale, and I do not know dow they go. If any large number of guilty dhows passed my ships during that season, they d^^st have gone by an outside route, and with d^ore ships that route could be watched. 725. Sir J. Æ/y.] Do you think that the slave ^^aders ever send out vessels as decoys to mislead he squadron ?—No, I think not. 726. Chairman.'] Were you succeeded by ■Admiral Coburn ?—Yes. 1 727. Have you seen the proposals which he made ? — No, I have seen none of his corres- hORclence. , ^28. Do you agree with General Rigby as to he Uselessness of treaties with Arab chiefs?—I hardly able to give an opinion upon that phich would be of any use to the Committee ; general Rigby has great local experience ; the .^Gaties must at any rate be of value as justify- jdg us in taking aggressive measures when the ^eaty has been broken. 729. Lord F. Cavendish.] You said you were for ^^Uie time on the west coast of Africa?—I com- ^^uded a ship for some time on the west coast of ■d^lrica. Q 730. That fleet was very much larger than any ®et which it has ever been proposed to establish d the east coast ?—Very much larger. '^1. Was not it the case that all the efforts of ® fleet on the west coast of Africa were really g^^tess, and that the trade went on till we were to station our fleet off Cuba?—No, I think j ® Suppression of the trade was not due to that. diuk the eflbrts of the squadron by themselves çj^dld, perhaps, never have put down the west j,^^st slave trade, though they had a very strong tj^^*’®ssive influence, and considerably diminished ti-^^^Ports ; the ultimate putting down of that g^de was due, I think, partly to political pres- and partly to the growth of humane feelings _de Spaniards and Brazilians. Public opinion in those countries eventually stopped the demand for slaves, and then the supply ceased. 732. Was not it the case that the stationing of her fleet off Cuba, after the agreement which we came to with the United States, had a very great effect?—I was not on that station ; I never knew that it had. 733. At the same time we obtained possession of the port of Lagos, did we not?—Yes; I was there at that time. 734. Had that a great effect?—I think that it has had a very great effect indeed ; it has been a great encouragement to legitimate trade, and I should anticipate the same sort of result from taking possession of the government of Zan zibar. 735. You think no efforts of our cruisers are likely to be productive of great success till the transport of domestic slaves is prohibited ?—That is my opinion. 736'. What probability is there of the Sultan agreeing to such a prohibition?—The Sultan has never, that I know of, objected to it ; but if he has, his objections have been overruled. It is the interpretation of the treaties by either our Foreign Office or our Admiralty, of which I speak. 737. Do you think the Sultan would consent to the entire prohibition of all movement of slaves between the coast and the island of Zan zibar ?—He certainly would not do so willingly. 738. You think pressure might be applied to him that might oblige him to consent?—I think you have only got to say what you want and you will have it done. I think it would be very hard upon him to make the trade cease immediately. I think the proposal to make it cease b) degrees a much wiser one. I think the annual importa tion should be limited, and that the number allowed to be imported should be decreased for a certain number of years till it was finally stopped. 739. Sir J. Hay.] Do you contemplate the application of force to obtain that concession from the Sultan ?—Moral force, I think, would be quite enough. 740. Lord F. Cavendish.] Would moral force also enable us to obtain possession of the Island of Zanzibar ?—With a certain amount of money ; I think that amount would probably be less than what you are now paying in abortive and inef fectual efforts. 741. Mr. J. Talhot.] As to the number of slaves exported in the year, did you say that about 20,000 were exported annually ?—I know that the custom-house importation returns at Zanzibar show, generally speaking, an importa tion into Zanzibar of 20,000. I know that a large number are exported from the main land who do not pass through the custom-house, and since the wants of Zanzibar itself cannot exceed 3,000 or 4,000 a year for making up the defi ciencies of its population, I assume that there must be an export of something like 20,000 a year. 742. The number captured by your cruisers was about 1,000 a year ?—About 1,000 a year is the maximum number captured by the cruisers. 743. Nineteen thousand, in round numbers, escape ?—Nineteen thousand are unaccounted for. 744. You regard that as an unsatisfactory result of all our national efforts for the suppression of the slave trade ?—Very unsatisfactory. 745. Passing from that to the question of the G 4 healthiness Sir L. G. Heath, 20 July 1871.

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