The Sun.
London, England, 1826-05-10 00:00:00

1821, a new disembarkation of slaves took place. The mode of
procuring them was by bodies of armed negroes sent through the
country, who were to seize on every unprotected man, woman, or
child, whom they met. Among the unfortunate captives at that
time was one woman, the sister of an African King. When
the crew of the Voyageur landed at Mozambique, on the coast
of Africa, they acted in this manner, attacking a village during
the night. They killed several of the inhabitants, and carried
others away. Captain Moresley, who was reluctant to make
disclosures, from an apprehension of giving offence to
the traders, though be was assured that Government wished
him to give information, had no difficulty in speaking as to the
mode of capture. The Arab Slave takers, he said, were ac-
customed to provide quantities of strong beads, with which they
went into the country, where they doomed a village to destruction.
Aft;r setting fire to it, it was their practice on the following day
to assemble the inhabitants, out of whom they selected the adults,
and killed the old anal infirm, and those who were too young to

answer their purposes. The next stage of their sufferings was
the dreadful journey to the coast, a distance of perhaps 600 miles,
which sometimes occupied six months. but was seldom passed in
less than 80 days. The horrors of the journey were described in
an extract from Captain Gray's Travels in Africa, which stated
that on the 10th of February, 1821, the Kaartans went into
Bondoo on, a pludering excursion, and bud made 107 prisoners,
chiefly women. The men were tied in pairs by the uecks,their hands
secured behind their backs, the women by the necks only. Thus
tied they were hurried along at a pace little short 'of running, so
as to keep up with the horsemen who drove them along, as dro-
vers do fatigued bullocks. One woman, at least 60 years old, in
the most miserable state of emaciation and debility, almost entirely.
naked, was compelled to carry a heavy load of water. Whenever
she shelved the least inclination to stop, her drover beat her
in the most unmerciful manner with a stick. A young woman
(who had for the first time become a mother only two days he-
foreshe was taken, and whose child, being considered too young
to be worth saving, was thrown into a burning hut,) after endur-
ing much torture, implored that an end might be put to her ex-
istence ; but blows with a leathern horsewhip wpre immediately
inflicted on her, which soon made the wretched creature move
again. A man also lay down, and neither blows, entreaties, nor
threats of death, could induce him to move : he was throWn
across a horse, his face down, and with his hands and feet tied
under the animal's chest was carried along for some distance.-.-

When he continued obstinate, they had recourse to a mode of
compulsion, which, though'common among theta, was yet of
too disgusting a nature to be described. Bad us was the journey
by land, the sea voyage was still worse. According to the state-
ment of Captain Meresley, the Arab Dows, or vessels were large
unwieldy open boats, without a deck, in which . temporary
platforms of bamboos were erected, leaving a narrow passage in
the centre. The negroes were then stowed, in the literal sense
of the word, in, bulk, the first along the floor of the vessel, two
adults, side by side, with a boy or girl between, or on them,
until the tier was complete. Over them, the first platform was
laid, supported an inch or two clear of their bodies, when a
second tier was stowed, and so on until they reached above the
gunwale of the yesseL The voyage was expected not to ex-
ceed 24 or 48 hours; but it often happened that a calm or land
breeze delayed their progress, and in this ease, a few hours were
sufficient to decide the fate of the cargo. The lower portion that
died,' could not be removed, but remained till the upper portion
also were dead, and then thrown overboard. From a cargo of
from two to four hundred thus stowed, it has been known that
not a dozen at the end of ten days, have reached Zangibar. On
their arrival there, after inspection before the Iman's officer, those
who were weak or maimed by the voyage, were left for the coining
tide to relieve their miseries. An examination then took place,
which for brutality was never exceeded in Smithfield. But the mid-
dle passage exhibited a scene of wretchedness still more terrific—
averse indeed than the moat morbid fancy could conjure up in fic-
titious tales of horror. The hold for packing the sirs:, was from
two to four feet high. Here they were made to zit frith their hands
placed between their knees, while the packer :,truek down their legs
with a club shod with iron, till they became one mass of
living corruption, emitting a stench which would prove fatal
to any European, starving for want of food, and feinting for want
of a supply of water. He must dismiss the consideration of their
sufferings on the passage, and confine himself to a mere statement
of their murders ; and ha would contend, that foe every single
slave that was brought into the Mauritius, treo others were mur-
dered. It was a galling reflection to him that their conduct with
regard to the Mauritius afforded apology for the Slave Trade of
the world. France twice in her official documents, replying to
their remonstrances on the subject, bid theta look at home for
worse practices than they called on that country to relinquish.
In the French Court of Deputies the question was brought on,
under the most favourable auspices ; some slave vessels were seized
at Nanta ; and petitions were sent in from several towns, pray-
ing for the abolition of slavery; when, at this critical junc-
ture, a Deputy, who was himself a Bourbon planter, observed in
the House that it was true they dealt extensively in slaves ,
but then in so doing they acted merely in imitraion of the
English, es was evident front the trade of the Manritiug.—
The fact thus put forward could not be gainsayed there or here,'
and the :question was consequently lost. In what a state of
degradation, therefore were they placed, bound by every feeling
of honour, and religion, by 'their former srnfessions, to put down
the infamous traflie ; and yet they'here appeared not.only criminals
themstivess hot uputegisti for the crimes of ethers. It was'only
recently that he made ,those surprising discoveries,sand he now,
for the first thou, brought than before the Howse: ' If his states
ments were proved :also, he was content to be called the greatest
that ever ; but if they wire found true,, then ven-
geance ought to fall on the heads of those wretches who had
petruted the enormiti, he enumerated. (Hear.)—lf
entered into, an invegation for the redress Of the grievances of
which, he eolopleinci!, they thereby retrieved their character; but if
they put off the questien to the next year, anti'made their inquiries
through the agency of Others, they Might as well give up the
whole matter, and never. again ought they to repeat their former
professions of hostility to the principles of slavery. He would
therefiire conclude by moving—" That a Select Committee be ap-
pointed to inquire whether the Slave Trade has prevailed at the
Mauritius, and to what extent, and the causes thereof, and to re-
port thereon to the House."
Sir H, FARQUHAR said, that up to the present moment he
was kept in total ignorance of the scope and tendency of the
measure which the Hon. Gentleman intended to bring before
the. House—of which, howeVer, according to usual practice, he
ought to have given due notice. The Hon. Gentleman had
brought forward a motion, which took in the Space of sixteen
years ; and he took care to cite the last six years, as marked by
acts which bad only occurred in the early part of the whole pe-
riod. He hed explained his motion of last year as not at all affect-
ing the characters of
,the Colonists, who had for many years past
given up the infamous traffic; and he now said that he did not re-
fer his motion to the papers for which he had moved. But if,those
pa
oisxlv ;ere 004, ,the Jim). Gentleman would not have a leg to
stand
and it, was clear that he wished to take the Ilouse by ',U-
prise, and artfully to wind up their feelings, se as to excite a prejua
dice against men whoaecharactera were involved in the question.
The papers moved for were indeed as volauninons as Chninbers's
Dictionary, and he (Sir R. Farquhar) had no opportunity of
consulting them ; but he was not aware that any blame at-
tached itself to the Officers, who acted under his' government.
The question having been brought on last year, in, which it was
decided that the Slave Trade had ceased to exist at the Mau-
ritus, if the papers, to which he before alluded, had'been allowed
to be printed, they would have furnished the most satisfactory evi-
dence to that effect. From the Multiplicity or the details into
which the Hon. Gentleman had thought proper to enter, he hoped
the indulgence of the House would be extended to him, 'if, in the
absence of those documents, his memory did not serve hint to an-
swer with full refutation all the groundless attacks made upon hint.
(Hear, hear I and loud cheering.)—The lions Gentleman had
failed last year, and though supported by the West India interest,
he headed a trifling minority. His present motion he could com-
pare to nothing but a fishing bill in chancery : by no other name
could he designate such en attempt to take the House by surprise,
The Hon. Gentleman's attacks against himself he repelled with
scorn, as the telum inzbelle et sine ictu. But adverting to the
charge against Mr. Tellfair, he could 'say, that that Gentleman
was surrounded by numerous enemies, who were empowered to
search his plantation for slaves, and who yet dial not make the
search, nor carry that power into effect with which the law in-
vested them, shewing thereby their conviction that the chargewas
false. The Hon. Baronet then read a letter from the Chief Judge
to the Governor-General of the Mauritius in futherexculpation of
Tellfair. Though;he Hun. Merober opposite disclaimed a
reference to the papers,he yet appeared to have made '4 very 621-
Waive. use of them. It was indeed strange that Government
should supply papers for the inspectian of those who did not af-
ford the 'House the benefits of the information which they conL
htaliadnfUeLeess
iPttl!at he did not communicate
Floortiitmeshould be remembered thatattd
vas
v no
as
vGe;tileeneett
ituhseth contents.ofhi r esilipctetirsaefofiranctt facts :fit which lie referred he came up to
the period of 1819 or 1820 ; but he took no notice of the'subse-
quent time.
As to the observation which related to the conduct
of Captaip Lyn on the coast of Africa, the real case was this:—
The slaves were the propertY of the inhabitants, and when the
latter were about to leave the plaice, it was considered cruel
to leave the slaves behind, who were sure to be murdered by the
new occupants ; it was therefore deemed right that the slaves
should go with their proprietors to the Mauritius, where their