In one of his admirable papers, “At the Sign of the Ship,” published in
the _Cornhill Magazine_, Mr. Andrew Lang, in discussing Sea Songs, wrote
the following:—
“In an unpublished play by Mr. Henley and Mr. R. L. Stevenson, a play
called _Admiral Guinea_, that veteran ruffian, Mr. Pew of Treasure
Island, makes his appearance. He has been a sailor of Admiral Guinea’s
in the slave trade, and he haunts the evangelical and remorseful Admiral
like an evil conscience, singing snatches of the following ‘Slaver’s
Song.’ Mr. Henley has kindly copied out the whole piece, which was
published in Mr. Leland’s ‘Captain Jonas Fisher’ in _Temple Bar_ about
fourteen years ago. Whether the ballad is traditional and collected by
Mr. Leland, or whether to himself is due the great credit of the
authorship, I am not aware.”
Truly I am not the author of the song which I picked up in Philadelphia
before the War, nor do I know who wrote it. I am tolerably certain,
however, that I, having slightly retouched it, republished it in _Temple
Bar_ as quoted. There are, however, others besides Mr. Lang who think I
wrote it, so I give it here in order to make truth known, but chiefly
because it is in keeping with other specimens of sailors’ lyrical
folk-lore in these pages, and will be acceptable to all who like such
ballads.