Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-06-11

Augustus Hemenway was by no
means the only citizen in the Uniteds
States to hold slaves as late as 1879.
Indeed, a former surgeon in the
United States navy was an extensive
STAKEHOLDER and the administrator OF
vast slave-worked plantation some
years after Mr. Hemenway's death.
The story of the fashion in which
United States man-of- war visited the
former officers tropical retreat on
strange errand is one of the most
picturesque told by older officers in
the Wardrooms today.
News reached the Navy Depart
ment something more than thirty
years ago that an American schooner,
seized by mutineers, had been pur-
chased by one Wilson, of the Comoro
Islands, and was employed in the
African slave trade. The Comoros,
group of four considerable and many
small islands, lie in Mozambique
Channel. midway between the east
coast of Africa and the island of
Madagascar, between ATTITUDES ii
degrees and Is degrees south, and lon
gitude 43 degrees and 40 degrees 56
minutes east. They have perpetual
summer climate, rich soil and
reputation partly Arab, partly negro
and partly mixed, with an autocratic
Sultan as ruler. Their total area is
about 760 square miles and their
population something like 10000 A
range of mountains, rising at one
point to a peak $500 feet high, gives
relief from the extreme heat of the
region for those who can leave the
lowlands, though life in the latter
| is far from intolerable for the wealthy
planters. In 1912 France acquired
one of the group, and in 1886, shortly
after our expedition to the Comoros,
all came under her control, though
the native Sultan continued to exer-
else local jurisdiction.
Having reason to suppose that the
| contraband vessel was at one of the
smaller of the Comoro group, where
Wilson had a plantation. the navy
department gave orders that a man
of-war should call at the island, seize
the vessel, her tackle and apparel and
| bring all away, using force if need
be. There must have been an in
timation that Wilson would resist
and that he could make a good show
in a fight for the man-of-war pro
ceeded with great caution. Having
reached the island she landed a party
TO reconnoiter.
The party of reconnaissance saw
naught of the missing vessel, but
easily discovered Wilson'S plantation
and Wilson himself. So far from be
ing varlike he was most amiable anc
hospitable. AS to the vessel, he de-
clared that it had not been engaged
in the slave trade and that it was nc
longer i'm his possession.
What the naval officers found al the
Wilson plantation was a sort OF
tropical paradise. Wilson had some
thousands of acres. many slaves, {
spacious and comfortable house anC
the Injuries of all chimes. He wa!
an extensive grower of sugar can'
and his other crops of various kind.
were large and valuable. Under tn,
| protection of his friend. the darl
Sultan of Comoro, he exercised pretty
near absolute sway in his owl
domain. On his table were American
and English magazines and newspa
pers. He sent a steam launch man!
miles across - bit of sea once
month to fetch his mail. He ha'
baths and pleasure grounds ant
horses and dogs. Scores of slave
worked the plantation, while Others
in scant costume, served the maste