77
ON SLAVE TRADE (EAST COAST OF AFRICA).
1 ^12. With regard to the freed slaves, you
DO difficulty in finding labour for them ?—I
^^Dld think not in moderation. I should think
I hundreds could be very well accommodated
die town of Zanzibar itself.
^^^113. There would be no danger of what is
.^^^^times alleged as one of the difficulties in
j ding down the slave trade, that if you free a
I ß many slaves you merely liberate them from
I to something worse in reality, namely,
I Jj'^^^iition ?—No ; when a man had time to turn
! ^‘Diself round at Zanzibar he would find abun-
^^nt employment ; as the slaves set free by their
dve masters do now.
^ Ul4. You would recommend that those that
ere freed should be, first of all, put under the
Í etection of the British flag, so that they might
time to turn themselves round and find em-
1 eyineut for themselves?—So that they might
^ an opportunity of seeing what they could
^Dd so that they might come under the eyes
^ ^De people belonging to the British consulate,
who might recognise them.
• ^15. You think they would have no difficulty
^ finding occupation for themselves after so re-
lining for a short time under the protection of
^^ British fiag?—I think not; when I was in
^^^Dzibar there were almost always more labourers
^nted than could be got.
^^^Il6. With regard to the upper classes in the
j.) ^n of Zanzibar, they are very well to do, are
not?—Yes, there are verv rich people
fi^ed in Zanzibar.
^17. And their needs are easily satisfied, are
they ?—Yes.
^,118. A very small income goes a long way?
fiwo dollars a month used to be said to be the
§nlar pay for a slave to his master, and the
fv^ter out of that is supposed to furnish him with
and lodging, and to get a profit.
Il9. And even the master himself lives at a
®^all
cost ?—Yes, except as to luxuries.
j^tl2o. Provisions are cheap?—Generally, a
^ has a piece of land in the country on which
g] S^ows his own provisions, and which his own
2l - His living costs him very little ?—Very
^dr. Kennaxoayi\ Would not you say
Dr. Livingstone was likely to be correctly
informed on this slave traffic?—Yes, Dr. Living
stone ought to be an authority.
1123. Would not you say that the certainty
of obtaining a market for the prisoners made in
war tends generally to encourage wars between
various tribes ?—That would be the case if wars
produced slaves, but I do not think that ordinary
wars do produce slaves; 1 think they produce
desolation.
1124. How do you think that the slaves that
are brought to the coast are obtained ?—I think
most of them are born slaves ; they are sold by
their masters, and in some cases by their relations.
1125. Sir R. Anstruther.'] How would you
account for the depopulation that is admitted to
have taken place between Lake Nyassa and the
coast. Is it entirely owing to war ?—War and
plundering; the Maviti have come down and
carried oif everything eatable from the country,
and the inhabitants have either fled or starved.
1126. Chairman.~\ You spoke of the ease with
which some few hundreds of liberated slaves
might be provided for in Zanzibar, but suppose
the slave trade were to be entirely put down, the
liberated slaves for the first year or two would
amount to a great many thousands ?—Yes ; in
that case it would be necessary to give them the
means of cultivating land and getting a living
from the land directly in that way.
1127. In Zanzibar could that be done?— Be
yond all doubt. Dar Seelam would probably be
the best spot.
1128. Could they be put under the pro
tection of the British Consul there ?—As much
there as in Zanzibar, the intercourse is easy
between the two places; it is about 40 miles
from Zanzibar.
1129. It would be necessary to have some
resident officer there for their protection, would
it not ?—There should be a superintendent : it
would not be necessary to make a regular British
settlement ; it would be sufficient to have a super
intendent with authority from the Arab Sultan.
1130. Mr. Kennmvajjr\ If you look at page 53
of the Correspondence for 1870, Class B,, you
will see several statements made by slaves cap
tured by a particular ship, from which it appears
that the greater number of those slaves state that
they were captured in war?—I should like to
know more about those cases, perhaps an unusual
proportion happened to have been taken in war
Rev.
E. Steere,
XiL.D«
25 July
1871.
Rear Admiral Charles F. Hillyar, c.b., called in ; and Examined.
L ^^1. Sir J. Hay7\ You were for some time
^lUander-in-Chief of the Squadron on the
J I* Indian Station ?—I was.
w ^2. Between what dates ?—From the early
. nf 1866 to July 1867 ; about 18 months.
(ijj, ^^3. During that time your attention was
to the su¡)pression of the slave trade on
far Coast of Africa ?—Almost entirely, so
the duties of the station were concerned.
^'^4- You had had previous experience in the
sort of duty on the West Coast of Africa?
large experience having been in two
Oij ,^®sive flagships for a period of four years
jj^_West Coast.
^9.1’i were at the capture of Lagos, were
strong measures were taken for the sup-
of the slave trade ?—Yes.
thß _ Looking at the experience you had in
Q^^rvice on the West Coast of Africa, which
was eventually successful in suppressing the Rear Adm.
slave trade there, can you make any suggestions C.F.Hillyar^
to the Committee as to the best mode of sup- c.b. " ^
pressing the trade on the East Coast, supposing
the country were determined to put it down, and
the duty were imposed upon you of suppressing
it ?—Firstly, I should largely increase the naval
force on the coast, which was, during the period
I commanded the station, quite inadequate for
the duties it had to perform.
1137. What number of vessels had you for
that special service?—Nominally five or six,
besides the flagship ; but two of them were under
repair part of the time in 1867, so that really
there were only from three to four on the coast.
1138. That was for blockading a coast of nearly
4,000 miles?—Yes.
1139. Did you conduct your operations in the
neighbourhood of Zanzibar principally, or at the
K 3 ports
