Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1890-10-02
RESCUED FROM SLAVERY.
Congo and Angola Blacks Who Live Far
From Their Old Home.

From Their Old Home.
Scattered along the coast of West
Africa in Sierra Leone and Liberia are
number of settlements known as
Angola town and Congo town. The an
cestors of the people who live in these
little hamlets, were born hundreds OF
miles south of the places where their
children are found to-day They were
natives of Angola and the Congo re-
gion. Many of them belong to the
great Bantee family, and they know
very different languages from those OF
the negro tribes among W HON they now
live.
These handfuls of Southern African
people scattered among the inhabitants
of Liberia and Sierra Leone are more
fortunate than many thousands of thoir
friends who toiled away their lives as
slaves on the plantations of the West
Indies and Brazil. For these set
Elements were made by rescued slaves
who were taken by the cruisers of the
civilized nations from the holds of slave
vessels. They were bound for the West
Indies or Brazil, for very few of tho
Congo or Angola blacks were brought to
this country. Probably ninety-nine in
hundred of the black residents of this
country came originally from the west
coast between Scnegambia and Came
rooms, while Brazil received most of her
hundreds Of thousands of slaves from
Congoland and Angola
So these more fortunate captives, who
were rescued before they had been
taken far from their native land, were
settled far north of the Congo at points
where they could be protected against
slavers. There they have lived ever
since, and not a few of the children born
in their new homes still talk the Ian
guages of the southern tribes. Many of
them have been Christianized are toll
erably industrious, and their lot has
been quite fortunate, considering the
terrible fate they so narrowly escaped.
Awhile ago Mr. II. Chatelain visited
the Angola settlement at Sierra Leone.
He says in the African News that the
style Of the houses, the methods Of the
field cultivation and the features of tho
people carried him at once back to An
COLA, whore he had long resided. In
one house he found an old man, to whom
he spoke in Kimbunder, one of the Ian
guages of Angola. The old man was
surprised and overjoyed, and, opening
his shutters, called out to his neighbor
to come and see the man who had been
in Angola and spoke Kimbunder. They
crowded around, and were greatly sur
prised to see a white man who could talk
with them in language they had not
heard from others since they were ship
! ped from Loanda as slaves
Chatelain found that they had en-
| tirely discarded their old belief in
charms and fetiches, and have espoused
the faith the missionaries taught them.
Some Of these people wished to return
with their white friend to the old home
! of their fathers, but he could not take
them. There are thousands of these
people in the West Indies and Brazil
who have vivid recollections OF Angola
and Congoland, but never expect to see
their native shores again.
The people of Paynesville, Liberia,
are nearly all released slaves of Congo
origin. About two years ago many of
them were seized with craze to return
to the Congo. The Congo State was glad
to encourage this immigration, for the
Libcrian Congoese are industrious, and
have made considerable progress
About fifty of them went back and set.
tied near the mouth of the river The
Congo Government gave them ten acres
of land each and rations for year
They arc not pleased, however, with
the change they have made, and have
written discouraging letters to Liberia
that have stopped further immigration
Bishop Taylor reports the PaynesvillG
Congoesc as saying, after they had
heard from their friends: 1--WE no go tC
Congo no more. Liberia is the home
dat God give us, and we stop here til
Tie calls us. IN. Y. Sun.