Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1817-11-14
IMPORTANT PAPERS RELATING TO TIE
SLAVE TRADE


Ordered by the House OF Commons to be priptedl
ADVANTAGEOUS, July 7, 1917.
Copy Of a Letter from Captain Sir James Lp,as
feo, to John ~ iisOR CrOch'r, Esq dated Lon
don, the 7th NOrember, 1916.
have the honor to lay before YOU, for
the information OF their Lord ships, such obser.
E9tious and remarks as | have considered il
fly ddty to make on the present state of AZ
rica.
10 his Majesty's Government, and those hu-
maze aDd benevolent pcrSoHs who for wears
past nave been eXertinS their interest and
wealth ia tie caEse of Africa, Il must he pain
tni 10 hear that all their efforts towards obtain
iu% the real abolition Of slavery, have been of
htue or no avail for though fewer neproes
may have been enslaved since the Abolition
Act took place with respect TO this country.
yet the cruelty to those now taken awav bv the
SpanIards aud Portuguese, has increased
Juadruple; and those Acts appear to have had
no other effect than that OF transferring the
slave Trade TO Spain aud Portugal, whose in
human traffic has since wonderfully increased
AMI there is every reason 10 suppose that If
will still further increase as the fear of ter
mInation to the trade in few years, will i'm
drce them to pursue il with mich greater ac.
tiyity. They now fill their ships Beyond any
former precedent; as q proof of which, his
Majesty'sS ship Bann, commanded by Captain
EiSl Ter, captured the Portuguese brig San An.
tonic, only l20 tons, with GO slaves. la pas
sage ofSO leagues, more than 80 died, aud as
many more appeared irrecOverably gone i'm
Tie midst OF the sick lay putrid corpse and
such a horsid stencil, that Captain Fisher WIS
apprehcnsive OF d plague, anu was obliged to
take not only tia crew, bur $50 slaves on board
the Barn, and make the best fais wdyto Ser
ia Leone. And these Powers consider them.
selves so safe III the trade, and are in such per-
feet good understanding with the native
chiefs, that on the Bann's capturing fae Por-
tnsueSe brig TemeTdire, oil Whydah, which
vessel had purchased 600 slaves, but had not
time TO load them, the chief assured the Portu-
guese master, who is on shore there, that he
would feed the slaves until another vessel
eonid arrive for them, OH his bringing him
some tobacco as remuneration /; the master
Is now at Whydah, III daily expectation of a
vessel, when there is little doubt but he will
succeed ~ taking off bis cargo
Que OF the Portuguese masters captured
had made - trips TO the coast Tor slaves, and
only once been captured. The profits they
make are enormous. One of the schooner r.
captured by the IncoDstant, of the river Lo.
gas, having arrived but few days OH the
coast, had only purchased ten slaves, Tor which
HTe master gave ~ rolls OF tobacco, each roll
worth IN the Br1Zils 2O00 mill-re about lbs
sterlng-makiHg tie cost Of each slave to the
Portuguese merchant 81. los. (; Cor which he
would receive 100 dollars. These facts will
shew, that neither mountains, rivers, or de.
serts. will prove barriers 10 the Slave Trade
as the Black Chiefs will bring their slaves from
every extremity Of Africa, as long az there is a
nation that will afford them slave mark 1T ;
aud these circumstances will, l presume, clear
iy slew, that the partial abolition OF the slave
trade is of little or 10 benefit bnt that on the
contrary, lite Indebtedness OF the natives is
frequently increased by IL aud am cOnvinc-
ed, that The only mcaps of promoting the hap
piuess and civilization Of Africa will he TO an
9uhlate tie slave trade iR tOtO-tOT whilst there
IS such facility in selling slaves, there viii be
no incentive to industry IN that quarter VI tie
world.
now beg leave TO describe our settlement.
IN this country, as saw them. As Sierra Le-
one IS undeg the immediate control OF tie Go.
lOnial Department. I shall only remark, that
AFTER all the SONS Of money which have been
expended on it's improvement, tits still in a
most dcplofablt State great abuses and mis-.
managemcnls are said TO have existed and
certainly, 10 judge from its present wretchcd
condition, the reports appear TO be TOO well
founded.
The preseu, Governor Col Mccarthy, ap-
pears mid, benevolent, good man but from
The small proportion which, the European bear,
10 ihe black popmauOu, his efforts towards CT
NiIzatiou can make but a slow progress, part
cularly wien NC consider the great enOu
Inent which the merchants derive from trade
which induces them 20 oppose, by every mean'
m their power, any efforts towards cultivation