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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[ ¡ii ] REPORT. THE SELECT COMMITTEE appointed to inquire into the whole question of the Slave Trade on the East Coast of Africa, into the increased and increasing amount of that Traffic, the Particulars of existing Treaties and Agreements with the Sultan of Ztanzibar upon the subject, and the possibility of putting an end entirely to the Traffic in Slaves by Sea;- Have con sidered the matters to them referred, and have agreed to the following REPORT; That the slave trade in negroes on the East Coast of Africa is now almost entirely confined to a trade between the dominions of Zanzibar on the one hand, and the coast of Arabia and Persia and the Island of Madagascar on the other hand, the principal and by far the largest portion of the traffic being in the former direction. The dominions of Zanzibar extend along the Eastern Coast of Africa for about 350 miles, and lie between the Equator and 10 degrees south latitude, and include the islands of Zanzibar, Pemba, and Momfia, the head quarter of govern ment being the island of Zanzibar, which lies opposite the centre of the coast line, and about 25 miles from the mainland. The town of Zanzibar is rapidly growing in importance, as is evidenced by the progressive increase of imports at the custom house there, from 245,981 /. in 1861-62, to 433,693 /. in 1867-68, of which trade about one-half is in the hands of British Indian subjects. It was reported in 1867 by General Rigby to be the chief market of the world for the supply of ivory, gum, and copal, and to have a rapidly increasing trade in hides, oils, seeds, and dyes, while sugar and cotton promise to figure largely amongst its future exports. The country in the interior of that part of Africa, and of which Zanzibar is the outlet, is said, according to the recent accounts of Livingstone and others, to be equal in resources to any part of India, and to be, as a rule, more healthy. Iron abounds in all directions, coal is to be found, and cotton can be grown to any extent. The negro slave in general passes through three stages ere he reaches his final destination. These are, (1) the land journey from his home to the coast, (2) a short sea voyage to the island of Zanzibar, where is the open slave market, and (3) the final sea passage from Zanzibar to Arabia, Persia, or Madagascar. From the evidence laid before the Committee it appears that the large majority of the slaves are now brought from the western side of the Lake Nyassa (a distance of nearly 500 miles from the coast) to Kilwa, which is the principal port of shipment for Zanzibar, and is near the southern limit of the Zanzibar dominions. a 2 420. Your

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