Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1860-04-03
Tho French "Froe Emigration" Scheme
and it's Horrors.

"McLeod'S Travels gives this horrible ac-'
count; ...
soon discovered that the French free
labor emigration and the Spanish and Ameri-
can slave trade were carried on by the Gov
ernor-General and nearly all the officials in
the Portuguese settlements on the east coast
of Africa, and that the residents Of those
places with the exception of the most in
tuential, who could assist in the traffic, were
not allowed TO interfere in It; and, If found
doing so, were punished. Some ofthe French
vessels engaged in this traffic proceed to
Nossibe, the French settlement off the north
west end of Madagascar and put themselves
in communication with the Arab merchants
or Antealoats, on Majunga Bay. An Arab
belonging to Zanzibar, named Killifan, is
generally employed. The vessels remain
anchored at Nossbe while the Arabs send
their dhows to the coast of Africa to obtain
the slaves, who are landed on given point
on the coast of Madagascar.
These dhows are from twenty to fifty tuns
burden, generally without decks, and as the
Arabs know well that they are liable to be
seized, evenwhen empty, by the British ships
ot-war engaged in the suppression of the
slave trade, if they have mats, provisions,
or any extra cooking apparatus on board,
they take nothing more than what is abso-
lutely necessary for their own crews. No
provision is made for the comfort of the ex-
pected living cargo. The slaves forming the
cargoes Of these dhows are obtained by pur-
| chase or by theft to the Arab it is matter OF
indifference how he obtains them-by pur-
chase, by fraud, or by force. When the cargo
is complete, the slaves are tied hand and foot,
and then placed on board the dhow. During
the voyage to the rendezvous they receive
| just sufficient uncooked rice or beans, with O
little water to keep them alive, and are left,
day and night, without any covering what
ever, bound hand and foot, not being even
released to attend to the calls of nature. The
1 interior of the dhow therefore becomes q
putrid mass Of living corruption; numbers Of
the slaves dying from fever dysentery, and
smallpox, engendered by the pestilential
atmosphere within the hold of the slave dhow
Their destination is generally some pert not
likely to be visited by her Majestys cruisers
and, arrived there, the only Improvement in
their condition is full allowance of water
Should it happen that by stress of weather
or any other cause, the French ship that is tC
take them is retarded in her arrival, theil
sufferings are much increased; and when
these poor creatures do at last get on board
the French ship, the sudden change to al
ample diet produces sickness and sometime:
death. The captain of French trading YES
sci stated that, on one occasion, when hC
landed at Europa Island, at the Southern END
Of the Mozambique Channel, to obtain some
turtle, he found upward of a hundred ne.
groes lying on the beach, without any pro.
lection against the sum- wind or rain; they
were guarded be some armed Arabs, and
were waiting for vessel to take them to Re
unior. Their provisions were nearly ex
haustcd; and if by any accident the vesse
/ :-hc7e cargo they were intended to form
should be retarded in her arrival at Europi
Island, it is easy to conceive what their fate
would be. .atar er-n ."1FT'