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policy of stamping it out. Such trading as may go on is carried on secretly in remote parts, and is punished when discovered. Other missionaries state that freedom is granted to slaves who claim it.

Two of the reports are in contrast with the rest, and give a distinctly unfavourable account, charging the Government with apathy, and neglect. to take proper measures.

Here are extracts from three letters relating to Kavungu, which is far inland, near the frontiers of Northern Rhodesia and the Belgian Congo :

"I am very glad to say that I do not know of a single case of white men dealing in or possessing slaves at the present day. Domestic slavery among the natives themselves does undoubtedly still exist."

"I can also add my testimony to the untiring efforts of the present official at Kavungu in putting down any suggestion of slavery and his desire to stamp it out once and for all."

"During my stay here of some three years and three months, I have seen nothing which would lead me to suppose that the officials in the service of the Portuguese Government connive at the traffic in slaves. I know that the present Capitão has publicly told the people that any slave presenting himself at the Fort will be immediately freed, and I believe several have availed themselves of their freedom in this manner.

"One is thankful to be able to say that the dark days of slavery seem to be over in this part. The stories of slave gangs passing our station belong to a day that is past. Domestic slavery exists, of course, and, beyond the reach of the Forts, will exist for a long time to come."

The next statement comes from a missionary at Nana Candundo, who has previously given valuable assistance to our Society in its campaign against Portuguese slavery:

"In reply to your letter of inquiry of September 8, as to the present condition of things in this district as regards slavery and the slave trade, I have much pleasure in informing you that from personal observation I know that the Portuguese authorities are actively engaged in stamping out the slave trade. If there still should be some occasional dealing in slaves, I feel convinced that it is unknown to the Portuguese officials and can only be on an infinitesimally small scale; otherwise, they or the missionaries would know of it. Not quite a year ago some Bihean traders, professedly engaged in the rubber trade, bought a woman and a child from a local native. As their camp was close to the Fort and the Mission Station it was arranged between buyer and seller that they should travel separately for a couple of days' marches, and that the woman and child should be handed over to the Biheans in some camp about 30 miles west. I got to know of it and informed the Captain Mor. He was naturally vexed that such proceedings should be carried on right close to the Fort. Soldiers were sent after the caravan and the whole crowd were turned back and both seller and buyer were punished.

HOOVER WAR
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ANTI-SLAVERY REPORTER AND ABORIGINES' FRIEND.

"And not only do the authorities take active measures to stamp out the trade in slaves, but many slaves kept either by Europeans or by fellow Africans who have claimed their freedom have received letters of freedom from the Portuguese Captain. You will bear in mind that these remarks refer only to the district administered by the Capitão Mor of Nana Candundo.

"Reports reached me frequently about a year ago, and even less, that owing to famine in the Cokweland many children were sold in the Moxico districts for small quantities of food. Some natives here who are known to me went with meal, etc., to buy children, and probably some were also taken to the trading stations in that district to be sold to the European traders, but of that I cannot speak positively.

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Here in the Nana Candundo district the Captain not only does his best to abolish slavery, but also seeks to check the cruelty with which his soldiers not infrequently treat the natives, especially when on errands some distances from some Fort. Quite recently I came unexpectedly on a couple of soldiers in a village near the Zambezi, where they had been sent to collect carriers. Their treatment of the helpless natives was almost as bad as an incident from the Congo atrocities' of olden days. return to my station I informed the Captain of what I had seen and the two culprits were immediately punished. Hearing of this the oppressed natives took heart and from several districts they brought complaints against the soldiers to the Captain. In each case the offenders were punished. Only this week I saw seven soldiers tied to the veranda posts of the prison as part punishment. This public exhibition gives good proof to the natives that whatever cruelties native soldiers commit is not by order of their officers and will not be permitted by him."

Another missionary writes from Bihé :

"My conviction is that the Government officials have sought to put a stop to slave traffic. Since my return to Africa nearly eighteen months ago, I have made frequent and close inquiries of the natives as to whether they know of any case of buying or selling of slaves by the Portuguese traders; the reply has been invariably in the negative. Biheans are still bringing out slaves from the interior, but these they seem to be retaining for their own services. I have been told that some have been sold for oxen. The Chefe of Gamba (this district) told me he would immediately take steps to bring to justice any one I might report to him as having had dealings in slaves, and I think he meant it.”

Another missionary, an American, writing from Bailundo, reminds us that while the Government can make and has made laws prohibiting slavery in any form, the execution of the laws lies with the officials, who are not always of the same mind.

"Much, however, has been done. Looking back ten years, one can see a decided improvement. The catching and selling of natives, if it goes on at all, is done in secret instead of open day, as it was years ago. I, personally, see nothing of it, though I hear reports. I also hear of many instances in which the authorities have liberated slaves. To put the matter briefly, from all I can learn, I should say that, although the old trade is

carried on in places remote from observation, the Government and the better class of public opinion is opposed to it, and, given a fair chance and proper encouragement, will, in time, correct the evil."

In the same sense another of the writers declares that the only way to stamp out the traffic is by" continued rigid investigation by disinterested men who can give their time to this work," and he reminds us that "the cases of slave trading reported by missionaries must of course be a very small percentage of the whole."

This means that continuous pressure must be exercised upon the officials from outside if the improvement which has been attained is to be kept up. The case is tersely put in another instructive letter, from Chisamba. The Government desires to do well by the natives and to abolish slavery. Many traders, however, desire slaves and of course circumvent the law. The hands of the Government should therefore be strengthened and officials exhorted to maintain a careful vigilance on the matter."

one.

It is clear that the scarcity of labour makes their task a very difficult

In contrast with the above are two letters written by members of the English Mission in Bihé, who say that the traffic in slaves is worse than in previous years. They refer no doubt largely to dealings amongst natives themselves (as to which all the writers agree), but the missionaries charge the Portuguese, both officials and traders, with cognizance of, and connivance in them. It might be wrong, one writes, to charge the Government with connivance, but he feels that they have not done what they might to stamp out slave trading east of the Quanza river, at all events :

"For instance, I broke up a large camp of Biheans1 early this year who were trading food stuffs in this district only about 1 hours from the station, receiving practically nothing but slaves. I caught three of the ellows (one of them being the headman travelling under a guia from the Bulundo fort) and went to the trouble of myself taking them down to Mories and giving them in charge at the Fort, receiving a written acknowledgment from the Capitão Mor for their delivery.

"These men were all released shortly afterwards in Bie, without any punishment apparently, and I understand that the headman returned straight away into the interior on the same errand. Surely it was the duty of the Government to have taken some action, if they really are trying to stamp out the traffic."

THE POSITION IN SAN THOME.

The Lisbon newspaper, O Seculo, recently published an interview with Colonel Gomes da Costa, an officer who had just arrived from San Thomé, which contains some interesting remarks on the present position in the island.

1i.e. Bihean native traders.

After a reference to the neglect of the interests of the province, which owes anything that has been done to the initiative of the roceiros, men of whom so much evil has been said, "merely because they have worked and made money," he added that if the Government does not try to settle this question in time San Thomé will be ruined. He expressed his opinion that the "campaign" against the labour conditions was far from being ended; it was "merely suspended owing to the European War." As soon as that was over it would begin again with redoubled heat, with consequences which were easy to foresee.

The truth is that repatriation is not made with the regularity that is to be desired, and until the recruiting of labourers is established in a regular way the former can never be regulated, because the plantations cannot be left without hands. And what is the remedy? I think that what ought to be done is something analogous to what the Chamber of the Transvaal mines did for the recruiting of hands required for their work; all this depends, it is clear, on an agreement between the Government and the planters, and above all on a Ministry who will resolve seriously to study this problem. . . . What I can say is that in San Thome the Governments have done nothing of any value, and therefore everything is yet to be done.

"As if the regulation of the labour question should not be enough to prove our administrative negligence it would be sufficient to tell you that San Thome has no proper quays, no roads, no hygienic measures, no police, and not even a properly organized register of property."

The Matives of South Africa.

WE quoted in our last issue a weighty speech by Lord Gladstone on the importance of the native question. More recently the High Commissioner in this country for the Union, Mr. W. P. Schreiner, K.C., has given a striking testimony to the steadfastness of the native people of South Africa at this time of stress. Speaking at the dinner given in his honour by the African Society, Mr. Schreiner said :

In regard to the kindly reference to my interest, and something more than interest, in the native problem of South Africa. This is not an occasion to say anything that might be deemed controversial on that subject, but I would like to add a word of testimony to the splendid stand of the great majority of the people of South Africa. The great majority of the people of South Africa are not of the white race. We have 5,000,000 people who are not of European birth and nationality, and we have one and a quarter million who are; and those 5,000,000 people are persons who have stood and are standing splendidly by us at this critical juncture in the affairs of our common Empire. They are now standing behind the power which they know from one end of South

Africa to the other is founded on justice, and on the principle that, no matter what his race or colour, a man should be given, as far as possible, an equality of opportunity to progress to the greatest extent of his capability. We have in Africa no fear on the subject of our native population at the present time. The natives have their grievances, of course, and I do not wish to discuss them here. But they know where their friends are, and they know that they are on our side. They know right well by experience what was to be expected if the enemy we are now fighting were to become the dominant power in South Africa. The natives of South Africa deserve the very greatest credit, and I am saying nothing which is indiscreet when I say that we owe to them a debt of gratitude."

Mr. Schreiner went on to refer to the position which he had held as one of the representatives of the native races in the Senate of the Union. To hold it, he said, had been a proud privilege, and to resign it had been a very great wrench.

We are glad to see that this speech and the spirit which underlay it is warmly acknowledged by coloured opinion in West Africa; the Weekly News of Sierra Leone, commenting on his words, claims Mr. Schreiner as a true friend of the native races of Africa, and a brave champion of their interests.

We learn from the South African Press that native problems and policy formed the subject of discussion at the recent Synod of the Anglican Church in Cape Town, in January. The Archbishop urged that the race question should be looked at from an altogether different point of view, and said that it was the spirit in which these difficult questions were approached which was important, and in a changed spirit their ultimate solution lay. Native people should at least be given a voice in the management of their own affairs, as was the case in part of the Cape Province and in Basutoland, and native matters should be referred to a Native Council. The Bishop of Pretoria moved for a more uniform and sympathetic native policy, and went so far as to say that the white man was there, not principally for his own benefit, but for the good of the native. He suggested that native affairs should be in the hands of a permanent body of three men of judgment, well versed in native affairs, who would be independent of party. Much of the bad feeling which had arisen in connexion with the Natives' Land Act would have been avoided if coloured people had been consulted before the passing of the Act. Another speaker said that every native disturbance which had occurred across the Kei river had taken place in consequence of natives not having been consulted.

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