The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1873-01-11
The African Slave Trade.

don Telegraph some valuable informa
ton respecting the traffic in slaves
still carried on between the interior
of Africa and the Turkish Empire. He
says:
The Abyssinian Envoy estimates the
number of slaves annually carried off
from Africa to the Arab and Turkish
markets at $4,000 to $4,000. These
unhappy beings are taken away at
ages ranging from seven or eight to
sixteen years, older men and women
being found to be more troublesome
than valuable to the dealer. They are
| brought down from the centre Of the
continent and the region of the White
| Nile to Kassala, and are hurried on
to the slave market at Ketemmeh, to
be resold for shipment to Jedda. For
eign COnsuls at Khartoum check, so
far as they possibly can, the passage
of slaves down the Nile, while Sir
Samuel Bakers expedition has done
much also to increase the difficulties
which beset the transit of slaves across
that route. The Shankelto country
and that Of Wolah Gallas are favorite
grounds for the nefarious and infa-
nous practice of the traffickers in hui
man beings, these provinces being
close to Rogos, through which, since
the annexation by the khetlive, slaves
can be safely passed to Massowah,
thence to be shipped for the Arabian
coast. Shankelto is q district border
ing on Abyssinia proper, and is in
habited by wandering tribe resem-
bling Gypsies, who are regarded as
the Bedonins of Abyssinia. Shankelto,
according to General Kirkham, be-
longs of right to Abyssinia, and about
eighteen months ago Prince Kassai
had occasion to send down thither
one Of his generals with a large force,
completely to devastate the country
for the murders that were frequently
done there on his merchants and
priests-there being churches there
for the baptism of the people.
The following is the fashion in
which the slave dealers capture their
victims They go into a village, take
viii. them silks, or beads, OF bits Of
tin, and ornaments. They exchange
these things for slaves, or whatever
they can get. The merchants send
the slaves quietly away without much
trouble, and eventually they are
trained as Mussulmen. They are ta-
ken through Bogos to Massowah, aud
they are sent thence to Jedda, whence
they are conveyed to Turkey by land.
As for price, if female he of copper
color and good features, she will bring
as much as 9J40, Or about f28-that
is at the market in Metemmell, whicl,
is wholesale market. The retail
price is according to the state of the
market to which they are first taken.
When sold in the second market they
vary in price. If man took q fancy
to a female slave, he would perhaps
give 800 more than another man.
The Shankcltos and Gallas are much
sought after for their beauty, and for
their superiority to the other tribes.
A strong boy viii sell for 800 Or $10O.
The girls fetch more because they are
wanted for the harem. Traders will
take away girls when they can get
them. When a chief makes war on
another, he makes it an object to
carry off as many girls as he can. He
'plunders the villages and carries of
the younger natives and sells them,
retaining the older ones to work as
his slaves. These people are subject
to the Abyssinian King, when he finds
it necessary to cllastise them for mis-
deeds; but, of course, when his troops
leave, they are their own masters
again. These things occur in a part
Of Abyssinia which the King claims,
but not among his Christian subjects
When asked if he believed that all
the $4,000 or 10000 annual captives
were in the war and sold by the chief.
who captured them to the traders
General Kirkham, in substance, an
swered: "You must understand that
after Mr.. Stanley returned from the
discovery of Livingstone he brought
much to light concerning the slave
, trade of East Africa. DIR. Livingstone
had also Informed the Foreign Office
, as to the slave trade going on in the
interior. Her Majesty's gunboats KEEP
SO close a watch that it was impossi
ble to get slaves down to the coas
; direct; so they took them through Il
, BOgos. At the interview between th'
f Sultan and Isnlail Pasha, when th'
| latter was made khedive, an under
, standing was, believe, come to re
, specting the slave trade. The Mus
sulmen of Turkey and Egypt mus
have supply of slaves to do thei
work-for the real Turks will not d
any menial service. These $1,000 0
t 90, 600 slaves are imported and brough
, up to the Mohammedan faith, an
| employed i'll doing the dirty work
i The slaves that are not taken in wa
: are bartered for with peasants, VIII
0 will steal and sell them. Suppose yo
$ are a slave merchant, and l kno,
t where there are three or four good
It looking girls-I steal them and Sc
Il to you. One man, who may hav
: children of his own, will go and stea
t the children of another person, a
s many as he may get. The trader ha