National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1873-08-13
The East African slave Truse.

reporting the particulars Of his Intercourse with
the sultans Of Zsusibar and Muscat, Sir Bartle
frere confirms the general correctness Of the
account.gfven In the report Of the committee OF
the House OF Commons a. TO the extent and
character Of the East African slave trade az far
as the dominions Of the sultan Of Zanzibar 10
concerned. but adds that there are other branches
Of the East African slave trade (which appear TO
be extensive, increasing and quite a. fatal to
human life as tie slave trade through Zsnslbar."
Sir Bartle Frcre proceeds; L
There lisa general concurrence In the testl.
mony Of all wellinformed and unbiased wit
nesses that there Is SUI an active and extensive
trade In slaves by various land routes from the
lake regions and the northwest frontiers Of
inc Mediterranean and Red seas tho trade Is
well organized, well supplied with capital, and
well managed by Intelligent men, who vary the
to Information collected In Egypt, where, BY Sc
curing tbs support Of the inferior ofi,cias, they
are able TO dispose OF ,helr slaves with lmpunity
Tor domestic service In Egypt itself, where the
demand has largely Increased with the increase
IN small numbers al time 10 Turkey, syia and
Arabia and the North African coast.
similar trade appears always 10 have existed,
between the interior and the northern parts OF |
| runis, Tripoli, &C. the Egyptian demand Ia |
supplied by slaye-huntng on the upper waters |
OF the Nile and It's tributaries, In districts which
are changed from time TO tune to suit the conye-
| ntence OF route, or as the abundance OF avail |
able and defenceless population NAY invite az. |
the supply. The process Of collecting catlila
o. slaves and converting them northward Ia.
Ssn YIN ~ M h n ,se
| mony OF credible, disinterested and competent
| witnesses no reason TO doubt the general ndelliJ
Of the published accounts Of its oharaceristics.
A few slaves are occasionally recruited by pur-
| chase from parents, guardians or petty loo Al
rulcrs; q still smaller proportion are taken III
got In razziss specially instigated and organized
| with view TO slave hunting. Sometimes the
trader ayails himself OF lntertriosl qn.rrcls and
by supplying one side with arms and ammuni-
ton enables Il to defeat Its rivals and enslave
the survivors, and receive payment In the slaves
ters not much visited BY travellers or troublesome
| officials makes razzias on his own Account; but
the comparative ease and security Of the other
| process makes II generally preferred.
The immediate agents are men Of various ns-
tionalites, and often Of broken or desperate for
tunes, who are III able to live IN any Aw-abidine
means OF carrying on the trade from merchants
l with high claims To responsibility. Indeed,
have. been assured that all the trading between
the foreign merchants who Import and export
goods At Alexandria and the local retail dealers
IN Central Africa are more or less directly impll-
ca,ea IN saye dealing and taxing slaves In pay
they send up country. Besides the slaves thus
brought TO Egypt, there 10 a large aud increasing
| brought TO Massowah occasionally from the up
,sr sil,nants q the Nile, and sometimes by sea
r.oa aassowah and It's nelghborhood they
are sent as opportunity Offers, northwards 70
Sea to Tie iledjaz and Yemen. the southern
ports, including those Just outside the straits on
Babel Mandeh, the SONAR ports OF leila, Ia
tura, &c, which were formerly comparatively
Tree from the slave trade, and with the ruler. o.
l engage In the trade, have OF late years become
regular and considerable slave mar!s, % DO.
snee Of tfavelcss whom ,hSy believe 70 BE- likely
thorities at Alden.
IL is said that the facilities Afforded TO slave
trading by the Ottoman dag were among the In
+ iucements held out TO the sheiks Of those places
when the Turkish nag was lately holsted there.
chief Of zeila, has OF late become infamous
throughout the regions In the nelghborhood Of
the Red Sea for having reduced the slave trade
l from Zela and Tajura TO q systematic monop.
1 oily. Not one, II Ia said, can move along any Of
, | the routes leading TO shoa and Southern Abys-
= slnla without the leave OF Abn Bekr.
All the trade IL kept IN the hands Of himself OF
=, his connections, and the slaves, who form tue
IL most valuable portion Of the exports are mono.
si nsu aay kpysslnIaes, Of m,sed Christian and
Moslem race, and generally far superior, intel
m ! ectually as well as physically, TO the ordinary
y negro slave. They are sold as Christians To Mos
y y lem purchasers, and as Moslelus to Christians
q from this coast also come, II Is said most Of IN,
y | eunochs employed In the harens Of the higher
l
:, the market Is much enhanced by the necessar,
III. cause of civilization and the suppression
\, Of the slave trade have undoubtedly greatly sui
"a fered In Northeastern Africa by our neglect o
A. Abyssinia- We have had i IN our power to ad
wise aud assist, # not to direct, both Egypt AM
- the various kingdoms OF Abysslnia In thelr In
n tercourse with each other, to tho great mutua
Denent Of all parties, because, whilst we hav,
~ cf Soa W. are free
y. Of desiring territorial ACCOMPLISHMENT. Tn
i, fate Of Aby ssinia can never be matter Of In
npfed passage to India s Sy he Red Sea-.
T. It is torn BY intestine divisions, parceled gu
y, seaport. But the case will be far otherwise
should ever be united under one ruler, or pas
Il. under the influence Of maritime Medlterraneal
~ Power, already commanding such ports as Mas
sowah, Zella and Tajura; aud this Is an even
\ which might any day happen without the khe
dive being Involved n attempts "a TO D s%Gd NJ, n
unnecessary as 1t Is dlnicult.
ri Besides the weishty political consideration
wn ~ y Sa Su a,e1
IN to attract European sympathy, owing to III
", ra nominal Christianity OF the people; and Il
~ more than probable that an influence whic
Egypt might have exerted for good In man
Cd ways may be checked by an unreasoning drea
a lest the most ancient OF Christian kingdom
y. should be absorbed into Islam. Yet with q
nc these motives for constant aud Intelligent In
terest In Abyssinla, for the last twenty years
IL have systematically neglected the country an
all its resources. Systematically nerved by som
hi | ecclesiastical dispute or by the energy OF tom
OF outlying Engshman, we have interfered, bu
as never IN manner TO render our designs o
n wishes Ineligible up to the time OF war.
re The war was mainly due, not as IL often a
ut serted to our meddling and interference, but
In our neglect and inattention. After our innuenc
AT had been at great cost replaced on the footln
I'd It ought never to have lost we left the country
TO prey TO anarchy and confusion. Egypt and TUT
~ key have since then been the only Powers whic
1t affected the slightest practical interest In th
" country, and they are not In position to be n
IN cognized rs impartial arDiters OF the fate 0
or Ethiopia. The position OF Abyssinia bears 1
many ways on the Kast African slave trade.
ID Al present Q great portion OF her border
n. slave hunting n Ound, or ground for EgyptiaI
Il Gala and other neighbors, and the welEfavore
err | AbyssiniAn Christian slave Is to be bought 1
m Cairo, Constantinople, Mecca, Zanzibar, or an
m other slave mart In the East. Abysana retaiiAte,
AZ and In spite OF the protested Chrlstianty OF u
As rulers aud people, slavery Is everywhere the L
nv of a large proportion OF the population, and III
H. slavcs are obtained by Abysslnian razzlas o
e. Gala and other Moseni tribes, even more cru
TO than those Of the Arab slave hunter AL th
ed might be greatly mitigated, II not prevented,
n exercising the legitimate, the inevitable inn'
ence of the English aud Indian governments.
No costly expeditions or establishments are n
quired, but simply the occasional visits Of wei
chosen and competent consular oflcer, who, upo
en- the slavetrade and other questions affecting u
country, could speak with authority and weigh
T. and offer the good onnoes OF q powerful and NJ
unconcerned, but diainterested, ally both I