ON SLAVE TEADE (EAST COAST OE AFRICA). 
51 
the Indian navy. No doubt there is now a 
^Gry considerable traffic in slaves from Zanzibar 
ÿ the Ked Sea to Turkish ports, and also to 
^‘ez. In 1867 I brought home three African 
®lfives that I had emancipated at Zanzibar, and 
stopped at Suez, and in walking through the 
own we found it was full of negroes who, no 
Jioubt, were quite recent importations, because 
hev pniilrl anything but 
, ^ey could not 
^S^US’narrp X 
railway 
speak anything but their own 
iguage I visited the Consul and spoke to him 
^bout it, and he said he was perfectly aware of it; 
he said that the way they were sent to Cairo 
''"as in the empty ivater tanks on the 
^I'Ucks. 
646. Do you think that still goes on ?—I do 
bot know; I have not much faith in anything the 
■Egyptian Government would do to stop it. 
647. Mr. Shaw Lefevre.'] You spoke of the 
gfeat increase in trade between Zanzibar and 
I’ance and the United States ; do those countries 
^^ep any cruisers off the coast?—Till recently 
be French Government kept a squadron under 
admiral, and they made much more naval dis- 
i^^y than we did. 
648. Was that ostensibly for the purpose of 
^bppi'essing the slave trade?—Quite the con- 
^^I'y ; the French naval officers supported it in 
^Very -^yay. 
649. Were they instructed by their Govern- 
^Gnt to take measures to put a stop to the slave 
lade?—I do not think the French Government 
„^led anything about putting a stop to it, except 
a short time when Prince ¡Napoleon was at the 
lead of the Foreign Office ; they certainly were 
^ len in earnest in stopping it ; the last year I 
there I got the chief Arab agent who sup- 
1 led the French ships to give me information 
'hen the French slavers were coming, and in 
^eusequence of that, five of the vessels belonging 
e the principal French house carrying on the 
l'ado were taken, and the last ship they had was 
ashore by the captain. 
1 h50. Latterly the French Government have 
no cruisers there, have they ?—I do not 
j^How ^ whether they have withdrawn them ; I 
stated that they intended withdraw- 
% their squadron altogether. 
Q Do the United States keep any cruisers 
çj, the coast?—No, our cruisers are the only 
iiisers engaged in suppressing the slave trade 
h that coast. 
^. 652. Is the cultivation of the Island of Zan- 
j bar mainly carried on by slaves ?—It was when 
^ yent there ; but, as ï have stated, so far as 
Indian subjects were concerned, they 
aîn^^ not allowed after that to have slaves; 
go ^g®t those 6,000 slaves that I emancipated, a 
Qf ^n^inany were agricultural labourers, and many 
^^0 said we do not know what to do when 
■yy* .^I’o emancipated ; and I made an agreement 
W1 Indian planter to give up a part of the 
lor 1 .sufficient for the slave to grow provisions 
''"orL and his family on condition that he 
tor the master four days in the week, 
g had the remaining three days to himself. 
proportion does free labour bear to 
the f. labour in the Island of Zanzibar?—Up to 
g.^o I left I emancipated, 6,000 slaves, 
are ' many slaves do you suppose there 
g^the Island ?—It is almost impossible to tell, 
from+1 spoke of there being an exportation 
anr, 1, mainland to the island of about 4,000 
• That would indicate that there must be 
0.116. 
a very large number of slaves in the Island of 
Zanzibar ?- -But a very small proportion of slaves 
brought to Zanzibar remain there ; they are ex 
ported away. 
657. Are slaves largely employed in cultiva 
tion on the mainland ?—They are employed 
there to a very large extent, and as cultivation 
increases there is increased demand for slave 
labour. 
658. You said that the Arabs are now begin 
ning to discover that it is more profitable to 
employ their slaves in cultivation in the Island 
of Zanzibar and on the mainland than by export 
ing them to Muscat ?—Yes ; the present minis 
ter of the Sultan spoke to me very strongly upon 
that point; he said the Arabs were now begin 
ning to see the wisdom of abolishing the slave 
trade. 
659. That is to say, the export trade in slaves ? 
—Yes. 
660. Not the employment of slaves on the 
island or the mainland ?—No. 
661. Supposing we were able to prevent the 
export of slaves altogether, there would still be 
a supply of slaves from the interior for the pur 
pose of cultivation in the Island of Zanzibar and 
on the mainland ?—You cannot stop that ; and 
there is not so much cruelty in that trade as there 
is in the other. 
662. We should not stop the man-stealing in 
the interior?—A great deal of it would be 
stopped ; it would not be carried on on the or 
ganised scale that it is now. 
663. There would still be a considerable de 
mand for slaves in the island and on the main 
land, and that supply would have to be provided 
out of the interior ?—Yes. 
664. Sir Hay.~\ I understand you to say 
that many persons in the Island of Zanzibar, who 
were formerly British Indian subjects, have 
changed their allegiance for the purpose of hold 
ing slaves ; why do those persons prefer slave 
labour to free labour for the cultivation of their 
estates ?—I account for it in this way. Our 
British Indian subjects were very savage at 
having their slaves emancipated, and it has 
always been a thorn in their side that their 
former slaves should have a certain amount of 
liberty ; that they should be able to leave their 
employment when they were not well treated, 
and that they should only be required to work 
four days in the week instead of five, .as they 
were obliged to do before they were freed. 
665. Mr. Shaw Lefevre.~\ From the commu 
nications which you have had with the consuls 
of other Powers at Zanzibar, do you think they 
would be prepared to co-operate with us with a 
view to stopping the export of slaves ?—I think 
the Consul of the Germanic Emjiire would cor 
dially co-operate with us. The gentleman who 
was the French Consul when I was there, sup 
ported the slave trade. 
666. Is not it the case that, in the Mauritius, 
coolie labour has successfully competed with 
negro labour, and, in fact, almost driven it out ? 
~I have no doubt of it. 
667. Do you think that that is likely to occur 
in Zanzibar icself ?—I think coolie labour, or 
labour of any description from India would suc 
cessfully compete with negro labour in Zanzibar, 
coolies would not work in company with slaves, 
because they would consider that they would be 
degrading themselves by doing so. 
668. Lord hnjield.'^ In what length of time do 
Maj. Gen. 
7. P. Pighy. 
20 July 
1871.