Object: 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

ON SLAVE TRADE (EAST COAST OE AFRICA). 
65 
port on both skies of the Gulf of Aden, and I 
^oink I failed only in one ; that was at Tajura ; I 
'' as politely received, but the governor intimated 
me that the Sultan of Constantinople was his 
master. 
920. Did those treaties give us authority to 
seize ships having slaves on board ?—Yes; those 
treaties are all printed (see pp. 184-186 in 
No. XLIX,, New Series, Bombay Government 
Records, 1859). 
Rev. HORACE Waller, called in ; and Examined. 
921. C/mirman.] I believe 
'^^Orgyman in England ?—I am_ 
you are now a 
922. Have you been on the East Coast of 
p^h'ica ?—I joined the Universities’ Mission to 
^Gntral Africa at the end of the year 1860, and I 
there till the year 1864, when I returned to 
‘'is country and took Holy orders. 
923. In what })art of Africa tvere you ?—On 
i'e River Zambezi and in the neighbourhood of 
^^ke Shirwa. 
I 924. You remained there for four years ?— 
“ that part very nearly three years. 
925. What distance were you from Zanzibar ? 
A verv considerable distance to the southward 
ofk. ^ 
. 926. Towards Nyassa?—To the south of Lake 
^yassa, within 100 miles of Lake Nyassa, in the 
part of the country from which slaves were prin 
cipally collected to be sent down to the coast, and 
also down the River Zambezi into the Portuguese 
^minions. 
927. Were there very large exports of slaves 
‘oin that part of the country?—At that time the 
Imports were very large, perhaps they had never 
^Gn so large before in that part of Africa. The 
'''Pole of the country to the north of the Zambezi 
''as for the first time invaded by sla^e traders, 
)mo took advantage of Dr. Livingstone’s pre- 
'.‘Ous explorations, using his good name and fair 
^atne amongst the natives, and saying that they were 
'Pe same sort of white people that they had pre- 
Uously seen ; and in that way the natives allowed 
.^oin to come into their country. Before that 
‘me no Portuguese had ever been into that part 
the country. I may state that the slave trade 
I'^t Was opened out there was of two descriptions, 
the first place, the Kaffir tribes to the south 
the) River Zambezi had been fighting for a 
^y^at number of years amongst themselves. No 
.“'es are taken from the Kaffir tribes for the 
I “Vc trade which we ha's e under consideration, 
‘tit owing to the hardships of warfare nearly all the 
'pmen and children had disappeared from those 
l^tPes, and the Kaffirs were most anxious to replen- 
.?P “nd strengthen the tribes, and therefore they told 
jke Portuguese that they no longer wanted mus- 
^cts which burst, and with which they were very 
'tteP cheated, but they would prefer to have 
^^men and children sent to them. The Portu- 
^“ese thereupon collected all the women and 
^ ‘Idren they could in the highlands bordering 
.^P® River Shire, and sent them down to Tette, 
p.“ch is the principal Portuguese port on the 
iVer Zambezi, whence they were sent to the 
J^“fiir tribes in the interior of the country, and 
^j'Ped away for ivory and gold dust. Then 
Smn there was at that time another very large 
of slaves to the mouth of the River Zam- 
^ Quillimane, another of the Portuguese 
^l^'^leuients. The French engagées system was 
C“ ill full force, and a large export of slaves 
going on from Quillimane. Besides those 
Was also a trade carried on to the north by 
the slaves for which trade were taken 
P-116. 
from this jiart of (he country to Kilwa to be ex 
ported to Zanzibar, and they were also taken in 
very large numbers to Mozambique, w hence they 
were exported to the Comoro Islands and to 
Madagascar, and some of them to Réunion. 
928. Sir J. Hay.l Slaves of all sexes ?—Of all 
sexes. 
929. ièir li. Aiisti'utherr\ And of all ages ?—In 
a gang of 84 slaves that Dr. Livingstone and two 
or three of us liberated, there may have been 
seven women of 21 years of age ; there may have 
been 10 men of 19 years of age, and the rest 
were boys and girls of from 17 dnwn to six or 
seven. I must explain that for those Kaffirs the 
Portuguese collected women and children only; 
it w as useless sending them young men of 18 or 
20 ; the Kaffirs wished for women and children 
only. The slaves collected for the French én- 
gagées system would be principally of the age of 
18 to 25, because they could be put on the plan 
tations at once, but in all slave gangs by far the 
largest proportion consists of children. The slave 
dealers prefer children because they are not so 
troublesome to drive, they are much easier caught 
if they attempt to escape, and they very soon 
settle down in their occupations, and they do not 
pine as slaves of greater age would. 
930. Cltairman.^ When you say children wdiat 
age do you mean?—From seven years of age 
upwards; you will find in every slave gang a 
great many children of seven to 10 years of age ; 
they are, perhaps, the most valuable slaves that 
can be captured. 
931. Sir R. Anstrutherr\ Can you form any 
idea of the proportion of children that have been 
exported lately ?—I know from letters which I 
have received from Dr. Livingstone, and which 
I would have brought had I known I was 
going to be examined to-day, that the same de 
vastation is going on up to the latest dates ; he 
has been through an immense tract of country 
w hich is now entirely depopulated ; on all sides 
there are signs of this slave trade having swept 
aw ay the whole of the population. 
932. Chairmaji.'] Where is that?—The country 
between the East of Lake Nyassa and the coast. 
933. How far is Nyassa from the coast?—I 
should say 300 or 350 miles. 
934. Do you mean that all the country, from 
the coast to Lake Nyassa, is depopulated ?—It 
is depopulated to within a short distance of Lake 
Nyassa. 
935. You referred just now to slaves collected 
for the purpose of being employed on the French 
engagées system ; that has entirely ceased now, 
has not it?—The French engagées system has 
entirely ceased, but it was so profitable a trade 
that the Portuguese on the River Zambezi sold oft 
nearly all the slaves they had on their farms to 
supply it, and therefore during the latter part of 
the time that I was in the country they were 
getting fresh slaves down for the cultivation of 
their farms ; and the whole of the country in 
w hich w e were was depopulated for their trade. 
I 936. That 
Sir 
W, Coghlan. 
24 July 
1871. 
Rev. 
H. Waller.
	        
Waiting...

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