5 
ON SLATE TRADE (EAST COAST OF AFRICA). 
Rnd in a flagrant case take her to the nearest French 
authority, but we cannot seize her, or take her 
off; we had representations made to us, that a 
<^nsiderable slave trade was carried on under the 
French flag, and we wrote to the French Govern 
ment and protested. I hardly think that such is 
^he case. There was a differential duty of about 
per cent, between goods carried under our flag 
and goods carried under the French flag, in favour 
of the French, and I think that had a great deal 
to do with so many dhows adopting the French 
; that is all at an end now. 
. ^5. It ig the fact, is it not, that under the Em 
pire ^ the strongest regulations were in force for 
putting down slavery ?—No doubt. 
56. Sir John Hay.'] Have the French any 
''^essels on that coast?—Yes, and they have an 
“Admiral on the station, who I believe is on the 
hest terms with the English Admiral. 
57. Have they captured any slaves ?—I never 
heard of their capturing any. 
58. Chairman.] What naval force is employed 
on the East coast of Africa in suppressing the 
slave trade ?—It is difficult to tell exactly ; I 
sent to the Admiralty for a return of the number 
of ships on the coast, and I could not get it in 
time ; you would be able to get that information 
from the Admiralty. 
59. What is the system pursued by the squa 
dron, and do they act under special instructions ? 
1 They act under special instructions ; their duty 
IS, no doubt, a very difficult one. It fell to us to com 
ment, as the Commodore thought rather harshly, 
upon the conduct of some of the officers of the 
fleet. There is no doubt that very great injustice 
hp been done in a great many cases ; that many 
dhows have been taken which ought not to have 
been taken, and I daresay a great deal of ill- 
meling and ill-will has been caused thereby. 
■Recently' the Admiralty have issued instructions 
Yarning officers to be very' careful how they 
destroy dhows, and directing them never to do 
so if by any' chance they' could bring them into a 
port of adjudication. In former times there were 
uuly two ports of adjudication at long distances 
^ai'Y one at Aden, and the other at the Cape of 
jjood Hope (there was another at Madagascar, 
ut that was on the wrong side, and the dhows 
seldom taken there). Now there is an 
Admiralty^ Court at Zanzibar, and that has 
Worked extremely' well, and our Commanders have 
uot the same reason that they formerly had for 
destroying vessels. 
60. Are the officers interested in obtaining the 
condemnation of slavers ?—Yes ; they receive 
on their condemnation. 
.6 ' • In the event of their destroying the dhows 
Without bringing them before the Prize Court, do 
ey get the bounty' in the same way ?—They 
establish that the dhow was a slaver, in 
le Prize Court ; they have to bring in such 
papéis as they- flnd on board, and such witnesses 
as aie necessary to prove the character of the 
in which the dhow was engaged, and 
e 10T IS coiidenuied, but on an ex narte state 
ment, in some cases. 
62, So that the officers of our cruisers are pe- 
niarily inteiested in obtaining the condemnation 
N (^hows as possible ?—No doubt that is 
linue^*^ long as the system of bounties con- 
- Wiiat means have the officers of ascertain 
ing whether the dhow is a slaver or not ? They 
nd out that she is engaged in the slave " ' 
d"IIG. 
e trade by 
the slave fittings on board the vessel, and also 
from the absence of the proper papers; then 
there are alway^s indications of the dhow having 
had slaves on board from the filthy state in wliicii 
she is ; but upon that point Sir Leopold Heath 
could give better information than I can, 
64. How do the officers deal with their prizes 
after capturing them ?—If they can, they take 
them into a court of adjudication \ and if they 
cannot, they take their dimensions for the purpose 
of claiming bounty, and then destroy them. 
65. Why do they ever burn their prizes, in 
stead of taking them into a port ?—Very often 
there is a very' strong monsoon, and those vessels 
would be unseaworthy in other hands than those 
of their owners. It is very often the case that 
they could not take them to a port of adjudica 
tion. 
66. V hat becomes of the captured slaves and 
the master and crew of the slave dhow ?—Such 
witnesses as are necessary to secure the condem 
nation of the slaver are taken to the court of ad 
judication, and the rest of the crew are either 
landed on the coast or transferred to another dhow 
that may' be passing, as they may wish. The 
slaves are generally taken to the port of adjudi 
cation. 
67. How are the liberated slaves finally dis 
posed of ?—They go in most cases to Aden, 
where there is very bad accommodation for them ; 
they are imprisoned on a small island there till 
they can be sent on to Bombay ; some of them 
are taken to the Mauritius ; some of them are 
taken to Seychelles, another of our colonies. In 
those places the same regulations which apply to 
free labourers apply to them, and they are appren 
ticed for a certain number of years, and after 
that time if they can get employment, or show 
that they are capable of taking care of them 
selves, they are let go. 
68. Is it considered to be out of the question 
their being sent to their own homes?—Yes, 
quite. You could not send them back hundreds 
of miles into the interior ; even if you could, they 
would be certain to be recaptured by some of the 
Arabs. 
69. Sir 11. Anstruther.] The hardships they 
would encounter in going back that great dis 
tance into the interior would be as great as the 
hardships they had encountered in going down ? 
—Tes; it would be out of the question their 
going to the country from which they had been 
taken. I think, however, it is very doubtful 
whether we are justified in taking those slaves 
into our colonies ourselves. I think it justly lays 
us open to the charge of making use of our 
crusade against the slave trade for our own pur 
pose. 
70c Mr. Hinncàrd.] They are perfectly free in 
our colonies ?—At the end of their period of ap 
prenticeship they are free to do what they like ; 
on their apprenticeship, I think a premium is paid 
by the planters who take them. 
71. Sir A. Anstruther.] You must do something 
with them ; you cannot send them home, and you 
cannot leave them where they are ?—No. 
72. Chairman.] What provision is made for 
their maintenance before they are transferred to 
our colonies, and at what cost? —In the case of 
those who are sent to Bombay they remain at 
Aden till a notification comes from Bombay that 
they can be employed there, and they are then 
sent to Bombay as they are wanted. The chil 
dren go to the Nassick school there. We got 
A 3 from 
Hon, 
C. Vivian. 
10 July 
1871.