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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ox SLAVE TRADE (EAST COAST OF AFRICA). 69 y 968. Sir J. Hay.'] That was in the island of ^^Qzibar ?—Yes. 1 969. Mr. Crum-Ewing.] Does Wiseman’s trade witli the interior of Africa?—I am aware, but I know that a ship has just come T^^Oie direct from Zanzibar for them ; the chief ^fade between Zanzibar and Europe comes arougli a Hamburg house. 1 970. Sir R. AustrutUer.] independently of ^•ïiane considerations, are not you of opinion ^^at commercially it would be well worth our ^^ile to make an outlay for the purpose of sup- Dessing the slave trade, and putting a stop to depopulation of large tracts of country which How going on ?—I cannot speak too strongly that [loint ; a great part of the East Coast Africa is useless for any purposes of commerce ^.Present. Of export you may say there is no- except a few hides from the northern part, ''Vhere the Somalis are in power, slaves, ivory, and ? little gold dust ; nothing else comes from the ^^lerior. I have no doubt were the slave trade ^^"^pped a very large trade with Europe might ®Mng up at Zanzibar, because the produce from eastern part of Africa must inevitably come ^'H'ougb Zanzibar. Zanzibar would become a ^Gcond Singapore or Kurrachee for that part of World, more especially now the Suez Canal opened ; and, I think, it should be our policy ^11 considerations to try and get a stop put to horrible loss of life ; commercially it would A of the greatest importance to us. According 7 the accounts of the recent discoveries of Dr. hivingstone and others, we have in the interior of ^^t part of Africa a country equal in resources to part of India, and I believe more healthy as ? ^Hle ; the sea-board and the rivers are unhealthy, .^t when you get some distance from the coast you to a lovely table land, and it is a country ^hich, from what I saw, and from what I know other men who have travelled there, is Acourf in beauty to hardly any in the world, and , is also a most productive country. Iron ^^Ounds in all directions ; in fact the Portuguese all their iron from there. Coal is to be found ; ^ad f have seen myself in large quantities, and ^^tton can be grown to any extent. I have Very large quantities of cotton there. 971. In fact, apart from all humane considera- ^•^Hs, you think it would be for our interest to an outlay for the suppression of this trade? ^les; but independently of our interest I think Englishmen, as a people so blessed as we are, M as a people who profess to put down the trade in different parts of the world, our ^^Gpiost duty is to stop this frightful loss of life, ^^ficularly when we consider that there are only Q ®W treaties which have never been abided by in Way. The plainer we make things for the the better; hitherto there has been a vast ^Hnt of confusion ; they do not know* what we and I candidly confess that such transac- as those I spoke of, in which Englishmen had to do with the slave trade, give them q to complain of us, and give rise to compli - j I ^Hs. I have seen a French ship lying at the of Johanna, crammed with slaves, with Qf 9 of our men-of-wmr within a cable’s length an 1 the poor creatures jumping overboard swimming to us to protect them ; and the would say to us, there is a Frenchman full of slaves, if it was one of our ships you burn her directly ; why do not you go and ^•116. take her? All these things lead to complications. Rev. and the sooner they are simplified by action pur II. Waller, et simple the better. ” TT 972. Mr. Gilpin.] Have you yourself seen the dhows going dow n the river laden with slaves ?— ^ D * Not dhows, but canoes. I have seen 20 or more in a day, laden w ith slaves, going down the River Shire into the Portuguese dominions. 973. Sir R. Avstruther.] When wms that ?— In 1864. 974. As to the healthiness of the coast, does not it depend principally upon the habits of the European settlers there ; would not a man who was tolerably sober and correct in his habits have a better chance of keeping himself in health than a man of Intemperate habits ?—It used to be said on the West Coast that a stock of tombstones should be kept at Sierra Leone for the use of those that died there, and that one sentence w ould describe all their deaths,‘‘brandy and water.” That really has a good deal to do with it, but I must state this, that a man who lives in an un healthy place very soon becomes demoralised in mind and body, and he is very likely to take to an unwholesome way of living. I think it would not be safe for a man to stay there long ; but, in connection with your question, I should like to state from information I have received from Dr. Kirk recently, that he is decidedly of opinion that a station might be found on the mainland near to Zanzibar, wdiere Europeans could live in perfect health, and where, if it were necessary, liberated slaves could be sent to be kept under safe supervision. 975. Chairman.] What place is that?—Near to Dar Seelam ; Dr. Steere will be before you to-morrow, and he will be able to give you more information upon that subject than I can. 976. Mr. Gilpin.] To what extent were British subjects and British protected subjects in the habit of holding slaves when you were in Zanzibar ?—I was not in Zanzibar, and I am not able to answer that question. 977. You have probably not seen that paper with reference to British protected subjects (handing to the Witness the Draft Report of the Foreign Office Committee, vide Appendix)!:—I know that the question of the status of British protected subjects at Zanzibar is a very vital question ; they are now, owing to our very lax treatment of the question, throwing off their allegiance to the British Government in order that they may claim that of the Arabs, and so engage in the slave trade and be slaveholders. 978. Mr. J. Talhot.] With regard to the de populated country between the coast and Lake Nyassa, which you say is like a desert, you think it could be again made very productive ?—Of course it must take some time for the remnants of those tribes which have been driven north, south, east, and west to come back to their old country. 979. Do you think that there is still pojnila- tion sufficient in that part of Africa to re-inhabit that country and to re-cultivate it?—Without doubt there is population sufficient in the neigh bourhood of the lakes ; I may state this, as a peculiar feature of the depopulation going on in that part of the country, that when destruction and disturbance come, the natives are obliged t:o make for either a lake or a river, because, as I have stated, no corn can be sown except during the wet season in the highlands ; but I 3 there

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