showing the number of persons redeemed from servitude yearly in 
each district since the division of the Protectorate into Provinces 3 
and (b) to write privately to my predecessor, Mr. Wilkinson, 
asking him for his opinion as to the extent to which slavery 
sxisted in Sierra T.eone. 
As regards (a), I enclose a schedule* of the ‘* Redemption 
returns *’ furnished by the Provincial Commissioners, showing that 
in some thirty months approximately 2,000 slaves had been 
redeemed, or say 800 a year. 
Mr. Wilkinson wrote : ‘I think you will find that there are 
not 100,000 domestics in Sierra Leone, perhaps not 50,000.” 
Captain Stanley, however, considers these figures (for reasons 
which appear later) to be materially underestimated, while as to 
registration he points out that there are some 25,000 villages in 
the Protectorate, extending over 27,000 square miles, and that 
even if the entire political staff devoted their undivided attention 
fo the matter registration would be a terribly lengthy business. 
When in April, 1923, I went on leave I asked Captain Stanley 
to let me have, on my return, his considered views and recom- 
mendations, and I now enclose a copy + of a most lucid and valuable 
minute by him dated 9th October. 1993 
Captain Stanley's Minute. 
The chief points in Captain Stanley’s minute, apart from a 
review of the law in other West African Colonies (which I have 
already dealt with) are as follows :— 
(i) Both master and slave see nothing wrong in domestic 
servitude, 
(ii) The number of persons redeemed under section 38 of 
Ordinance 33 of 1901} has averaged about S00 per annum 
since 1920, but this number affords little indication of the 
number of persons in servitude. 
(iii) The number of * redemptions ©’ could be largely 
increased if Government allowed any one to redeem the slaves, 
but the practical result of such a policy would merely be the 
resumption of slave trading. 
(iv) We cannot therefore look to redemption alone for a 
solution of the problem. 
(v) Even if Government redeemed all those now in servi- 
tude probably many of those redeemed would find their way 
back to a condition very similar to their present one. 
(vi) A general proclamation that all slaves are free would 
have ** a similar chaotic effect ’ and would give rise to grave 
discontent and. probably, much emigration into French 
territory. 
* See page 38. + See page 38. 
t Now section 7 of Cap. 167,