New Orleans Republican., 1873-06-22
JOHN BULL AT HIS OLD TRICKS
Sir Battle Frere on the Slave Trade.

JOHN BULL AT HIS OLD TRICKS.
Sir Battle Frere on the Slave Trade.
From the Bombay Gazette, April 25
Yesterday evening a conrersa-ione, at
which Sir Battle Frere, Colonel Pelly and the
chief European and native gentlemen were
present, was held in this city IN the bunga-
low, at Girgaum, of the Hon. Mr.. Nun
guldass Nathoobhoy. The compound was
decorated to a certain extent, and IN cor
ner we noticed transparency, which was
doubtless intended to represent the hero OF
the hour The drawing room was COM
pletely filed with people. His excellency
took a chair at one end of1the room, and the
principal visitors we're accommodated near
him in a position convenient for hearing.
Among the native gentlemen present were
kursondass Nensee, NarroDjee Damodhur,
Jeyram Sewjee, Ebramjee Sewjee, GOpall
Novice, Ray ywagur Rowjee, Anundjee Wis
Tarrya Topnn, Jairazbhoy Peerbhoy, Cur,
rimbhoy Soorjee, Luckmidass Khimjee,
Dwarkadass Vussepjee, Khutao MukhoOnd,
Mathematics Khetsey, MoOlje Thackersee,
etc. 1t is probable that Mr.. Mungaldass
purposely invited the principal members of
the Bhattia, Khoja and Bania community,
as it is people belonging to these classes
who are chiefly interested in the slave
trade.
Shortly before six his Excellency Sir
Bartle Frere rose and said: Mr.. Mungul-
dass Nathoobhoy and gentlemen-I have
been asked to say few words on the pres
ent occasion, and l very gladly avail my
self of the opportunity. l believe l was
sent with this expedition mainly because l
was for many years connected with Bonn
bay. In telling you anything about what
we have been doing during the last few
he nf Unf nvn ma
to enter into particulars about the instruc-
tons which / received from the home gov
ernment or even into particulars about the
negotiations which the expedition have car
ried out. All this will be made public in
due time, and trust it will be found to be
satisfactory. ] shall merely mention few
Of the matters which struck me most as
of some of the natives in this part
of India. In the first place, was
mot prepared to find the whole coast of
iAfrlca entirely occupied, so far as trade is
concerned. by Indian merchants. l believe
What If yOn wished to get information on
the former state of commercial affairs on
he east coast, as compared with the pres
Int, you could not do better than read some
1Pf the accounts of what the old Portuguese
Wound when they were there. They tell US
fthat they found the whole of the trade and
the greater part of the administration of
the country in the hands Of MoOrs, al
though from the description of their num-
,bers and the way in which they managed
their own commercial affairs and the affairs
Nf the States into which the country was
divided, they appear to be precisely what
we all know as the great Mahommedan
trading classes of this country.
These Portuguese describe all the different
classes which we now find on the east
coast, and it may be as much news to you
as it was to me, that of all the trading
classes there the principal part of the
trade was in the hands of three or four of
the castes which now see represented be-
fore me. First of all in influence, if not in
numbers, there was large community of
Bhattias, and next q few Banians and Lo
hannas, who may be said to represent the
Hindoo trading classes of this great city.
Some classes OF natives of India are con-
spicuous by their total absence-Brahmins,
for instance, Chutryas, Bengalee BabOOs,
the Shettias of Madras and Marwarees. /
found these three great MahOmmedan
classes to be the most numerous in the
trade-Khojas, Borahs and Memous-but
of these the most numerous we're
me that from almost opposite Soco-
ira down nearly to the Cape Colony.
and along the Madagascar coast, the whole
trade seemed, within the last forty or fifty
years, to have passed into the hands of ma.
tives Of India. You will recollect that the
Portuguese almost entirely extinguished
the Indian trade on the east coast. where
Indians had almost ceased to be represented
excepting by a few who went from kur.
rachee. Mandvie, and some of the kattywar
ports. Yet now. and as have said for the
last half century. the natives of India have
mOnopoliZed the east African trade to such
an extent that l do not think it would be
possible now 10 distribute or collect cargo
upon the African coast, excepting through
the agency of some of your countrymen. l
found that wherever l went, not only in
the larger ports but also in the smaller vii
lagos. where there were only one or
two ships. the shipper was almost certain
to be an Indian. These merchants might
have been khojas or Borahs. and
there l used TO find them exactly
as you might see them in shops in
some of the outlying villages on the Guzerat
frontier, where they sit dispensing their
wares among the Bheels or the coolies sur.
rounding them. l have mixed among these
merchants. and SO far as / did SO found
that they all talked either Guzerati or Hin
dostani. All this to me was quite novelty.
I knew that there was large and increas-
ing commerce. but l repeat that TO me the
extent 70 which India had monObolized the
East African traffic was quite novelty.
I found that concurrent with this growth OF
Indian interests on the African coast this
slave trade grew up which was the immedi.
ate object of my missiOn-a slave trade
which is now 80 extensively carried on that
thirty or more thousand of human beings
are, believe. exported every year from
Africa. thought at first that this great
trade must necessarily be an old evil; but
we were told that it was an evil which had
always existed. and no doubt a small
trade did exist there some time ago.
The reason may be this. Before
indian merchants went back TO the
East African coast to resume trade which
they had lost for the last 200 years, proba-
bly, since the Mogul Empire began to de-
gay, great piraticl field bad sprung M,