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No. 5.-Messrs. Gregory and Fitzgerald to the Marquess of Londonderry. (Rec. Feb. 14, 1823.)

MY LORD,
Sierra Leone, September 20, 1822.
IN obedience to the Instructions conveyed in your Lordship's
Letter, dated March the 10th, that we should continue to transmit to
Your Lordship, from time to time, Reports of the state of the Slave
Trade, founded upon the most authentick intelligence that our situa-
tion enables us to collect; we have the honour to submit the substance
of the information obtained by us on that subject, subsequent to our
Despatch of the 30th of April.

Considering the Coast in three divisions, as before, we have no information of any Slave Trade in the division to the northward of this Colony, further than that we understand that Lieutenant Hagan, in a visit to Bissao and Cacheo, about the middle of September, was informed that the Apollo, already noticed in our Communications, and especially in our Report of the 30th of April, carried off a full cargo of Slaves as then mentioned; and that another Vessel carried off a full cargo since that.

From the Rio Pongos our information is positive and certain. No Slave Ship has been in that River since the capture of the Rosalia, on the 11th of January last, by His Majesty's Brig Thistle, Lieutenant Hagan. Francisco Freire, the Pilot of that Vessel, to whom the command of the Vessel and the management of the Trade, devolved on the death of the original Master, is still in the River, residing at the Factory of John Ormond, of Bangalan, not having yet found an opportunity to depart. If the opportunity of a Slave-trading Vessel should present itself, there cannot be a doubt that the Slaves retained of those collected for the Rosalia would be shipped off on board of her, for only a certain number of these Slaves (60), and these of inferior class, were delivered up to Lieutenant Hagan. There is as little doubt that Ormond would readily supply as many others as might be wanted to complete a cargo; for he avows his present abstinence from the Trade to be the consequence merely of want of opportunity to dispose of Slaves.

The other chief Traders on the River, more particularly William Lawrence and Lightburn, are strong in professions of having altogether abandoned the Trade, with a determination not to return to it under any circumstances, but to pursue the fair course of legitimate industry and commerce as planters and general merchants. They declare further, that they find their profits in this course satisfactory and encouraging; and they speak in high terms of the tranquillity that they enjoy in being released from apprehension of the Cruizers, and in the consideration of being assured of the protection of the British Arms.

These Converts from the Slave Trade are, however, but newly entered on this virtuous course, and no secure reliance can be placed on their professions, unless they are guarded from relapse, and from the

temptations of opportunity for Slave Trade, by frequent returns of British Cruizers to the River.

William Lawrence, who resides at Dominge, at the entrance of the River, has been recently at Sierra Leone.

The objects of William Lawrence's visit to Sierra Leone were to recommend himself to British protection, and to make arrangements for a regular commercial intercourse with the Colony. He succeeded in both objects, which necessarily implies a full assurance of his abandonment of the Slave Trade.

William Lawrence left Sierra Leone to return to his residence at Dominge towards the end of August; he carried with him a large stock of coffee plants supplied from the Chief Justice's farm, near Free Town, at the request of Mr. Macaulay. These plants were intended, not for the use of Lawrence alone, but also for distribution to Lightburn and others, among whom Irving and Sterne, of the Kissing Branch of the River, were particularly named.

We have been induced to be minute and particular in our account of the circumstances connected with the Trade of the Rio Pongos, because the vicinity of that River to the Colony of Sierra Leone, and the commercial intercourse already established, give fair hopes of the speedy and complete eradication of the Slave Trade from its Banks.

A commencement would thus be made in the abolition of the Slave Trade in the Countries of the native Africans, which we regard as the only perfect Abolition.

We have been favoured with some Notes concerning the Rio Pongos, by......., who, being recently stationed on medical duty at the Isles de Los, availed himself of an opportunity to visit the River, and passed some days among the principal Traders. These Notes are worthy of attention as being collected from personal ob

servation.

The Rio Pongos is in reality an estuary from which many Creeks branch out, some of them communicating with the Sea, others uniting with other Creeks, others penetrating further into the Country, not, however, beyond sixty miles, at the utmost, when they terminate, receiving small Streams or Rivers. Upon these Creeks the Traders have their Factories; and as these Traders are already numerous, and the Places suitable for other Trading Establishments almost innumerable, the opportunities for good and for evil commerce cannot easily be equalled.

In the Country between Sierra Leone and the Rio Pongos, dissentions and disturbances have arisen from opposite pretensions to the succession to the late King Mungo Demba. The Chief of Foricaria has extended the confusion, by insisting that all Trade from the Foulah Country shall pass through that Place. The People of this Chief hold one of the principal towns on the path of Port Logo, by which a direct

intercourse between the Foulah country and Sierra Leone was lately established. That path is now stopped.

In the middle division of the Coast, between Sierra Leone and Cape Coast Castle, much Slave Trade has been carried on. The principal resort of these Traders is the Rio Gallinas. The Vessels employed in this Trade have been chiefly French; but some of all the Countries concerned in the Trade have been occasionally seen there. We have been informed that Krause, the Master and part Owner of the Schooner Joseph, lately condemned in the British and Spanish Court of Mixed Commission, has a Factory at the Gallinas, and has been for some years a constant Slave Trader there.

According to the information which we have received at various times from Individuals who had opportunities of personal observation, or of communicating with those who had such opportunities, the Station of the Gallinas has scarcely at any time been free from Slave Traders, and generally from three to five Vessels may be found there in search of Slaves.

In the range of Coast southward from Cape Coast Castle to the Equator, which is the third division in the apportionment made in our former Reports, a remarkable change has taken place, by the transfer of the Portuguese Slave Trade from its recent favourite haunts in the Bight of Biafra to the Bight of Benin.

After the Capture of the French and Spanish Slave Ships in the River Bonny, on the 7th of April, by the Boats of His Majesty's Ships Iphigenia and Myrmidon, under the command of Lieutenant Mildmay, Captain Leeke proceeded in the Myrmidon to examine the Calabar.

The Calabar was examined on the 27th and 28th of April by the Boats of the Myrmidon and Iphigenia, under the command of Lieutenant Elliot. The Portuguese Schooner Defensora da Patria, having 100 Slaves on board, bound to Princes Island and Bahia, was taken by Lieutenant Elliot. The Vessel being found not seaworthy was destroyed: the Slaves were brought to Sierra Leone, and emancipated by the British and Portuguese Mixed Court. A French Vessel called La Tamise, of Marseilles, belonging to Rougemont and Co. was in the River at the time, and had come for a cargo of 400 Slaves. She was boarded by Lieutenant Elliot, who ascertained these facts from her Papers.

No other Slave Ships had been in the Calabar during the four months preceding. This information Lieutenant Elliot received from the Masters of the English Vessels trading for palm oil. A Tender belonging to one of those Vessels arrived from the Cameroons a short time before Lieutenant Elliot visited the Calabar: the information derived from the Crew of the Tender was, that no Slave-trading Vessel had been in the Cameroons during the last five or six months. In consequence of this information, Lieutenant Elliot did not proceed to the

Cameroons. That River was formerly a Station of great resort for the Slave Trade.

Lieutenant Hagan visited the Calabar in the end of the month of June, and learned that no Slave Trade had taken place in the interval since the visit of the Boats of the Iphigenia and Myrmidon, with the exception of a shipment of 30 Slaves on board of a very small Vessel called the San José Xalaça. This Vessel put to Sea with a short supply of provisions and water, in the expectation of arriving speedily at Princes Island. The number of Slaves was, in the same expectation, greatly overproportioned to her means of accommodation. Contrary winds drove her unfortunately out of her course, and, after extreme suffering, she returned to Duke Ephraim's Town at Calabar. Ten of the Negroes died of their sufferings, either on board or after the return to the Calabar. The others were delivered up to Lieutenant Hagan and brought to Sierra Leone, with the exception of three, whose exhausted state surpassed the humane efforts of Lieutenant Hagan for their recovery. For the further details of this shocking case, we refer to the particular Despatch respecting it.

In the River Bonny, no Slave-trading Vessel had arrived since the Capture of the Vecua and Icanam by the Boats of the Iphigenia and Myrmidon. The Captain of the Vecua, and her Crew, as well as the Crews of the French Vessels taken at the same time, were still at King Peppel's Town at Bonny, no opportunity for their departure thence having occurred.

Lieutenant Hagan noticed, as a happy result of the check given to the Slave Trade in the Rivers Bonny, Calabar, and Cameroons, the improved state of the legitimate commerce. The George Canning, a Ship of 700 tons, from Liverpool, come for palm oil, had completed her cargo in four months. While the Slave Trade was in full vigour, this would have been a business of nearly twelve months.

In the Bight of Benin, Lieutenant Hagan took the Portuguese Brig Estrella, having on board a cargo of Slaves. For the details of that Case, we beg leave to refer to the particular statement respecting it. We have only to add here, that the letter of instructions from the Owner, indicates an intention of taking a number of Slaves beyond the regular proportion to the tonnage of the Vessel, for each of which extraordinary Slaves, an additional freight was to be charged.

Lieutenant Hagan could have taken another Vessel with a cargo of Slaves, if the strength of his Crew had been sufficient to allow him to man two Prizes, with due regard to their security and that of the Thistle. He saw no less than nine Vessels, under the Portuguese Flag, all come for Slaves. He considered the Portuguese Slave-traders to have transferred themselves entirely to the Bight of Benin from their former haunts in the Bight of Biafra. Lieutenant Hagan conceived that the motives of this change were, the depth of water along the shore in the

Bight of Benin and the vicinity of the Slave-trading Stations to the Sea, by means of which the Slave-trading Vessels are enabled to get away rapidly on the approach of a Ship of War, and to attain a safe distance in a short time, after they have taken advantage of a favourable opportunity to embark their Slaves.

In the Rivers of the Bight of Biafra, they had hoped that they would be inaccessible to attack, or capable of resisting with success the attacks of boats. But events have proved that they are accessible, and that the attacks by boats are not to be successfully resisted by them, while they are disabled from escape by flight, being so completely land-locked.

We have had occasion to notice, particularly in our Reports of many of the Cases brought before the British and Portuguese Courts of Mixed Commission, the undue facilities given to the illegal Traffick by those in authority at Prince's Island, and the perversion of the liberty to call at that Island, and at St. Thomas's, in voyages from Brazil, to the purposes of Slave Trade in the Stations North of the Line. In the Cases of the Defensora da Patria, of the Nymfa del Mar, and some others, the collusion to this illegal purpose was most foul and glaring, as the particular Reports of those Cases, and the parts of the evidence especially noticed in those Reports, will shew in a more decisive manner.

The Papers of all Vessels cleared out from the Ports of Brazil for the Coast of Africa, are perfectly regular. If the destination be avowedly for the Coast, North of the Equator, the objects of the voyage are distinctly limited to legal commerce, with an express prohibition against meddling in any way with the Slave Trade. In the Case of the Des de Fevreiro, these Documents were coupled with private Letters of the same tenor, so numerous, so uniform, and so strong, that nothing short of the positive proofs found, of her being actually engaged in obtaining a cargo of Slaves, could efface the impression of innocent and laudable commerce, made by the contents of these Papers. sequent Cases of the same description, although without the same combination of private as well as publick Papers, have shewn that Papers of that description are used as common means of deception.

Sub

The Vessels that clear out avowedly for the Slave Trade have Papers of express destination to Molembo or Cabinda, South of the Line, sometimes with liberty adjoined to call at Prince's Island, or at the Island of St. Thomas, the uniform abuse of which permission, for the purpose of inlet to the Slave-trading Stations North of the Line, has already been noticed.

The general practice of keeping the Slaves on shore until the whole cargo is collected in readiness for embarkation, causes many Vessels so engaged to be left unmolested; and in the cases in which Vessels found in such circumstances have been detained, on the ground

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