Arrival at Sierra Leone--Mr. Lewis--Black Washerwomen--Visitors on
board--Capture of Leopards--Mortality--Funeral of Mr. Lewis--Education
of Native Children--Regimental Mess--Curious Trials at a Quarter
Sessions--Depredations of the Kroo-men--Causes of Unhealthiness--The
Boollam Territory--Lieut. George Maclean's Mission--Election of a
King--Regent's Speech--Macaulay Wilson--Ceremonies of the Coronation--
Character of the Boollams--Christian and Mahommedan Missionaries--Aspect
of the Country--Cession of Boollam to Great Britain--Extraordinary Trial
for Crim. Con.--News of the Death of Mr. Canning
_Saturday, September 1st, 1827_.--There was a moderate breeze from the
S.W. and fine weather to-day. At noon, lat. 9° 20' N. lon. 16° 6' W.
Cape Sierra Leone S. 73° E. 173 miles. Imagining that I was avoiding a
lady who was intentionally advancing to address me on the quarter deck
to-day, I stepped back and measured my length across the gunroom
skylight, which, fortunately for me, had a piece of wood lengthways in
the middle of it, to rest the sashes on, or I must have paid the
officers a visit in their mess-room in a very unceremonious manner; I
had however the good luck to escape with a slight bruise.
_Sunday, 2d_.--At six in the morning we got soundings in 50 fathoms of
water, and at eight in 29 fathoms. Lat. 8° 29' N. lon. 13° 56' W. Cape
Sierra Leone S. 81° E. distant thirty-six miles. At three in the
afternoon we saw the land, and at the same time a schooner, (which we
afterwards learned was the Joseph and Mary from Sierra Leone bound to
England.) Soon after this we saw the brig Ark coming out of the harbour
of Sierra Leone, which returned into port on the 7th, and sailed again
on the 14th of the same month. This brig had the Aid-de-camp of the
late Sir Neil Campbell on board, who died nearly three weeks before our
arrival, and this officer was the bearer of despatches relating to Sir
Neil Campbell's death, &c. Shortly before midnight we anchored off the
town of Sierra Leone in 14-1/2 fathoms water, and found that our
consort the Diadem transport had arrived only a few hours, although she
left St. Jago three days before we started. We had not any visitors
from the shore that night, in consequence of the lateness of the hour
at which we came to anchor; but we had a great number on the following
day to make up for it.
_Monday, September 3rd_.--At 7 in the morning Mr. Lewis, the agent;
victualler, came on board to see Captain Owen, and some of his old
friends, whom he had previously known on board H.M. ship Leven. This
gentleman, however, had another motive for coming on board at so early
an hour; he had felt unwell for several days, and having boasted a good
deal about his infallible method of keeping off the fever, namely, by
the use of brandy and water and cigars, he did not choose to apply to
any medical man on shore, knowing that the circumstance would be
immediately spread among his acquaintances; he therefore applied to the
surgeon of the Eden for some medicines, which of course he obtained;
but mark the result--on that day week the officers of the ship were
invited to attend his funeral.
About 8 o'clock the ship was crowded with black women, who came on
board to procure clothes for washing. Some brought a little fruit, and
all brought a very long tongue, for there was such a clatter that it
was almost impossible to catch one word that was said, and they
clustered round our breakfast table without any ceremony, which was not
very pleasant, in consequence of the variety of odours they carried
with them, from the delightful one of fruits and flowers, to the
broadly contrasted smells which I suppose were peculiar to their
colour.
In the course of the forenoon Colonel Denham, Mr. Kenneth Macauley, and
many other gentlemen, came on board to wait on Captain Owen, and the
officers. We found that Colonel Lumley, the Commandant of the troops,
had assumed the reins of government on the decease of Sir Neil
Campbell, (August 14th) with the title of Lieutenant Governor. We
learnt that the place was still very sickly, but the rainy season was
drawing to a close, and sickness diminishing.
_Tuesday, 4th_.--The two previous days had for a wonder been fine, but
the usual weather for the season returned to-day, namely, frequent and
heavy showers, with a bright sun at intervals. Took a ride on horseback
with Mr. Campbell before dinner, and afterwards dined with that
gentleman, in company with Dr. Burn.
Mr. Campbell had two leopards, which he purchased with the intention of
sending to England, secured in one of the out-buildings in his yard.
They were brought from the Rio Pongas, about 80 miles to the northward
of Sierra Leone, and were taken, near that river in the following
manner:--Some black fellows having discovered a leopard's den, about a
dozen of them, armed with muskets, placed themselves to watch the
departure of the dam in quest of prey. When they went to examine it
they found two young ones, not larger than good sized cats, which they
immediately bagged, and conveyed to the town. They were soon followed
by the dam, but she would not venture to attack so great a number of
persons; she continued, however, to hover about the town for several
weeks, before she despaired of recovering her young.
_Wednesday, 5th_.--Continued heavy rain in the morning, and showery
throughout the day. We hired 30 Africans, called Kroomen,[10] who are
always ready to serve as seamen on board of a man of war, or any other
vessel, so long as they continue on that coast. They are usually
entered as supernumeraries on the ship's books for provisions and
wages, in the same manner as British seamen. They are employed on any
service which would expose Europeans too much to the climate, such as
wooding, watering, pulling in boats, &c. I shall hereafter give further
particulars of these people, and their country.
_Saturday, 8th_.--I accompanied Mr. Macaulry, to wait on his honour,
the Lieutenant Governor, Colonel Lumley, who continued in his
Commandant's quarters at the barracks, situated on a hill, which at
first rises gradually from the town, but becomes much steeper as you
ascend. We then accompanied Captain Perry and Mr. Green to the
regimental mess, where we lunched. It is worthy of remark, perhaps,
that three out of four of these gentlemen, namely, the Lieutenant
Governor, Mr. Macauley, and Mr. Green, whom I was in company with at
the barracks this morning, died long before my return to England. Dined
at Mr. Reffells, the acting Chief Justice, where there was a large
party, consisting of the Lieutenant Governor, and all the principal
official characters of the place, Captain Owen, &c.
_Monday, 10th_.--Notwithstanding the heavy rain to-day, a large party
of the friends of the late Mr. Lewis, (agent victualler, who died last
night at 11 o'clock,) assembled at his residence near King Tom's point,
to witness his interment, under a large tree not far from the house. It
was distressing to observe a favourite dog of the deceased gentleman
howling about the grave of his late master. He offered so much
resistance to those who attempted to remove him, that it was with great
difficulty he could be prevented from throwing himself into the grave
after it had received the coffin.
Mr. Miller, who was a volunteer serving for a commission in the Royal
African Corps, died to-day from the effects of fever.
_Tuesday 11th_.--Some slight showers in the forepart of this day, and
fine in the afternoon, when the Rev. Mr. Davy took me to visit a school
for free black children under the charge of Mrs. Taylor, widow of a
late missionary in this colony. Although this is but a day-school,
there is a probability of its doing some good with all who attend it,
and a great deal of service to a few. But it is in vain to attempt to
civilize savage nations through the medium of book instruction alone.
Previous habits exercise so powerful an influence over the mind, that
the value of precept is hardly felt. The good impressions which arc
made by the teacher in the morning, are obliterated by the example of
ignorant parents in the evening; so that the result of an education
imparted in this way, is merely to sharpen the natural cunning of
youth, and give them an increased power of evil, by the fragments of
information they thus acquire. If we would have our efforts to improve
their condition, really effective, we should deal with them as with
foundlings. They should be removed from the contagion of their former
intercourse, and apprenticed out to persons who would look after their
morals, and whore they would have no bad examples set them, so soon as
they were capable of applying their faculties to objects of utility.
The instances are very rare where these African children have fulfilled
the expectations of their benevolent benefactors; I am persuaded that
an establishment for a limited number, in which the end proposed should
be the completion of the work of civilization, would be incalculably
superior to the attempts to accomplish that desirable purpose with
great numbers in so imperfect a manner.
_Wednesday, Sept. 12th_.--Heavy and frequent showers, from last evening
till near noon to-day, when it cleared up, and continued fine all the
afternoon. This forenoon, I accompanied Mr. Kenneth Macauley to the
Court House, and attended the opening of the general quarter
sessions.[11]
_Friday, 14th_.--Attended the Court to-day with Mr. Macauley, where I
heard various cases of petty larceny. The morning was fine, but it
became cloudy in the evening, and very dark with much lightning. The
latter is a strong intimation of the expected tornadoes, with which the
rainy season terminates, as well as commences. Captains Owen and
Harrison, Lieutenant Woodman (agent for transports), and myself, dined
with the Governor at his regimental mess. There were also present, all
the principal officers of the civil establishment. Could our friends in
England have witnessed the hilarity that prevailed at that banquet, in
such a country, and at that melancholy season of the year, they would
have scarcely credited what they saw and heard. Many who were seated
there on that day, are now no more! The assistant surgeon of the North
Star, who was serving on hoard a schooner, that was tender to that
ship, died to-day. His death was supposed to have been much accelerated
by the gloomy apprehensions that entered his mind from the moment he
was seized with the fever.
_Saturday, 15th_.--Attended the Court, and heard some amusing trials
for house-breaking, and stealing therefrom; in one case there were
Kroomen against Kroomen:--Tom Coffee and Bottle of Beer--against
another Bottle of Beer.
_Sunday, 16th_.--Very fine day. Accompanied the Rev. Mr. Davy on board
the Eden, whore he performed divine service: after which we dined with
Captain Owen, and returned on shore in the evening, when I accompanied
him to a chapel in the parish of St. George's, Freetown, where he
performed the evening service. There are a great number of Independent
chapels in the town, supported by the free black population, and with
black preachers. I unfortunately witnessed a trial in the Court, that
did not redound much to the credit of one of these preachers. As it is
very novel, and not a little amusing in its way, I think I cannot do
better than to give, in its proper place, the opening speech on the day
it occurred, as delivered in the Court by the plaintiff's counsel, who
was a black gentleman. It was the first cause of the kind that ever was
tried in this colony, where morality does not appear to be so highly
appreciated as in some countries of Europe.
_Monday, 17th_.--Very fine warm day. I attended the Court as usual
to-day; and heard two trials of the same nature as most of the others;
distinguished also by the same difficulty of obtaining the truth from
most of the witnesses, who are quite indifferent to the responsibility
of an oath, because they have no qualms of conscience; but if their
priests were to fetish them, it is probable they might be induced to
give their testimony more honestly. Sentence was this day awarded to
all the prisoners that had been tried, as follows:--
John Rhode, a native of the Rio Pongas, for petty larceny.
Grando, a Krooman, for assault.
Yellow Will, a Krooman, for receiving stolen goods.[12]
Peter, a Krooman, for stealing from a dwelling-house.
John Testing, a discharged soldier, for ditto.
Jim Johnson, a liberated African, for grand larceny.
Ben Kroo, a Krooman, for ditto.
Jack Freeman, a Krooman, for receiving stolen goods.[12]
John Freeman, a Krooman, for ditto.
Several other prisoners found "not guilty," were discharged by
proclamation, and the sentence on Patrick Riley, a private soldier in
the Royal African Colonial Corps, for maliciously stabbing with intent
to murder, was respited on the motion of counsel, until a reference
should be made as to the application to this colony, of the statute
under which he was indicted;--the 43rd Geo. III. cap. 58th, commonly
called Lord Ellenborough's Act.
It is some gratification to know, that, notwithstanding these sessions
have been unusually heavy, still, that out of 19 prisoners in the
calendar, only two were liberated Africans, although this class of
persons forms nine-tenths of the community of the colony, and that but
one of them was found guilty; whereas, the time of the Court was taken
up with the crimes committed by Kroomen, 13 of whom were tried for
various offences. The evidence disclosed in these cases, afforded the
strongest grounds for the measure now in progress for reducing the
number of such strangers, by sending all above 600 from the colony; and
more particularly what are termed headmen. These fellows, who perform
no kind of work, it would seem, from what transpired in two or three of
the robberies brought to light before the public on this occasion, live
on the labour, and proceeds of plunder, obtained by the younger hands,
who first leave their country under the protection of these headmen,
and who are the mere instruments of this privileged class, contenting
themselves with planning the felonies committed by their dependants,
and thus generally escaping the consequences of detection; while, at
the same time, they _alone_ benefit in the pecuniary advantages of this
criminal course of life. The organization of professional criminals,
and the presence of the principle of co-operation amongst rogues, who
live by the commission of a variety of depredations on society, are not
confined to such places as London and Paris. The schemes and resources
of the headmen, considering the limits and differently constituted
sphere of their operations, are quite as admirable as those of the more
practised thieves of the modern Babylon.
_Tuesday, September 18th_.--About one o'clock this morning, we had a
violent tornado, which we had expected, from the frequent lightning of
the last four or five days; also, from the near approach of the
termination of the rainy season. The morning was very fresh and clear
after it; but, in the afternoon, it became cloudy and close. Burglaries
are frequently committed by the Kroomen in Sierra Leone, under cover of
the storm, it being a favourable time, from the difficulty of hearing
their operations, as well as from the disinclination the inhabitants
feel to go out in such heavy rain and wind, to examine their stores and
out-houses.
_Wednesday, 19th_.--Heavy rain from last evening till nine this
morning. Attended the Court, where I heard the trial of an action
brought by a house-carpenter against the executors of an estate, for
work, forming part of a contract that he had made with the late Tascoe
Williams, Esq.; the executors objecting to pay any part, because the
whole of the contract had not been performed, although it appeared,
that he was ready, but they were not willing, that he should complete
it: a verdict was, of course, given for the carpenter.
At three in the afternoon, I accompanied Capt. Owen to dine with Capt.
Arabin, on board the North Star, which was to sail for the Gambia on
the following day, taking a detachment of the Royal African Corps
thither, under the command of Lieutenant Nott. There was, at one
period, so much sickness at Sierra Leone, that this young man (then an
ensign) was the COMMANDING OFFICER IN BARRACKS!
_Thursday, September 20th_.--Very fine weather. Accompanied Mr.
Macauley in a ride on horseback, through the grass-field, to a village
called Portuguese Town, and round Barrack Hill, passing the new, and
afterwards the old burying-ground, &c. The grass-field is said to be
that part of Sierra Leone, which is the principal cause of the
unhealthiness of the town, it being, in heavy rains, partly covered
with water; however, there are other causes in addition to this, that
are said to contribute to the unhealthiness of the place. One of these
is a belt of wood on the hill above the town; which must considerably
impede the current of air, and, if this was cleared and cultivated, it
would greatly improve the salubrity of the place; but, I fear, the
greatest evil of all is insurmountable, under existing circumstances,
as it is not within the control of the colonists. This is the low
marshy land that lies on the other side of the bay, and directly
opposite the town, called the Boollam shore, where a friend of mine
(Lieutenant George Maclean, Royal African Corps, who is, at present, at
the head of the Council at Cape Coast) went a few months before my
arrival, on an important mission from the Governor of Sierra Leone, to
be present at, and thereby countenance and confirm their choice in, the
election of a king.
The origin of the connection between our colony at Sierra Leone, and
the natives of the Boollam territory is very interesting, and will form
an appropriate introduction to a sketch of Lieutenant Maclean's visit
during the election of a King.
In the year 1804, the colony of Sierra Leone was attacked by the Native
Powers, and a body of blacks to the northward of the Boollam
territories was put in motion for the purpose of assisting the other
native tribes in overwhelming the white population at Freetown. The
King, or Chief of the North, (or, as they call themselves, the Sherbro
Boollams,) who has since been known by the name of King George, and
through whose territories the hostile tribes must needs pass, being a
firm ally of the King of Great Britain, declared that on no account
whatever would he permit them to pass through his country to attack a
British settlement: and he carried his point so effectually as to
render the expedition fruitless. In consequence of the determined and
friendly conduct of this Prince, a deputation of whites from Freetown
was despatched to him, with an invitation to visit Sierra Leone, which
invitation he accepted. While at Freetown, he was crowned with all
solemnity by the name of King George. He continued on the most amicable
terms with the Government of Sierra Leone until his death, which took
place the 19th of May, 1826, at the advanced age, it is said, of
upwards of one hundred years, a point which it would be difficult to
ascertain accurately, as these people are entirely ignorant of their
own ages. Since this period the throne of the Boollams has been vacant;
it being now, however, the intention of the people to proceed to the
choice of a King, according to their custom; and it being deemed of
considerable importance from the vicinity of Boollam to Sierra Leone,
that a person should be elected who was known to be friendly to the
English settlement, it was determined by his Excellency the Governor
that a person should be sent as a commissioner to be present at the
election and coronation; whose duty it should be to support the claims
and secure the election of a person known to the English by the name of
Macaulay Wilson, who, being a near relation of the late King George,
and having been educated in England, being also a man of considerable
abilities, was deemed in every way worthy of the throne.
The election of Macaulay Wilson having been accomplished, it would then
become the duty of the Commissioner, on the part of the English
Government to use every means in his power to induce the new King, with
the numerous chiefs and head men, to accede to, and sign, a convention,
whereby the sovereignty of Boollam was to be ceded to the King of Great
Britain, under certain limitations and restrictions specified in the
treaty. The attainment of this point, would, of course, be attended
with great difficulty; but it had become of the utmost importance for
the suppression of the slave trade that the attempt should be made; for
slave dealers who were actually carrying on their traffic in Freetown,
upon the least alarm, removed to Boollam with their unfortunate
victims, and being then out of British territory were in perfect
security. The following is Lieutenant Maclean's personal narrative of
his mission.
"_Yougroo, Boollam, March 3rd, 1827_.
"I left Freetown tins morning in the Government barge, with Mr. S. (a
person appointed to accompany me as interpreter) and arrived in the
course of the evening at the Boollam shore. On landing I proceeded to
Yougroo, called by the late King, George Town, where I was received by
the King _(esse)_, by Dalmahoumedii, a powerful Mandingo chief, with a
number of other chiefs, and headmen.
"There was a very good house (constructed after the country fashion)
assigned us as a place of residence. After taking possession, I was
visited by the different chiefs and head men, who came to pay their
respects, or, as they phrase it, to do service to me, as representing
the Governor of Sierra Leone. These consisted principally of Boollam
chiefs, who had seldom left their own country; and a few,
notwithstanding their vicinity to a white colony, who had scarce ever
seen a white man before. There were, also, not a few Mandingo chiefs,
who had acquired property and influence in Boollam, and which was
daily increasing. These Mandingoes are possessed of considerable
intelligence and great cunning, by which means, and by the genius of
their religion (Mahommedan), they invariably, though gradually,
acquire the superiority over the native rulers of those countries in
which they choose to settle. In Boollam this was becoming very
apparent; and as the Mandingo chiefs are all either covertly or
openly, supposed to be engaged in the slave trade, and consequently
opposed to the English Government, I was instructed particularly to
guard against, and to oppose their interest in the election of the
King. Dalmahoumedii, whom I mentioned above, is the principal Mandingo
chief in Boollam, and is by far the best informed man that I had seen
here. He is even well conversant in European politics. He is a man of
large property, and has a town of his own, called Madina, inhabited
entirely by Mandingoes.
"For the ground-rent of this town and neighbourhood, he pays a nominal
duty to the king of the Boollams, as his superior, although, in fact,
his power and influence in the country is nearly equal to the king's
own. On the day of my arrival, he sent me, ready cooked, in the
European style, an excellent dinner, of which I, of course, could not
do less than ask him to partake. Although a Mahommedan, he drank wine
freely, in compliment, as he said, to me, although I could perceive
that he enjoyed it exceedingly. He told me, in the course of
conversation (carried on principally through an interpreter) that he
had, at that time, no fewer than 85 wives. His brother, who had died
some time previously, left 75 wives, all of whom he was entitled, by
the custom of his country, to have married; he told me, however, that
he only chose 45 of them, all of whom he wedded in one day. In the
evening a number of these ladies favoured us with their company, some
of whom were very fine women. They also seemed to drink their wine
with great relish.
"Rejoicings commenced at sunset, and continued during the whole night.
I had a guard of honour placed over my residence, to prevent intrusion
during the night; which, however, I found it impossible to prevent
altogether, as during the election and coronation of a king, the laws
'sleep,' nor can any crime, short of murder or an attempt to murder,
be punished during that space of time, which generally extends to 14
or 16 days. The natural consequence of this is, that all the most idle
and worthless of the neighbouring nations, or tribes, flock to a place
where they can practise all manner of crimes with impunity. Many
persons, particularly minstrels, or bards, had walked upwards of 400
miles from the interior, to be present at the election about to take
place at Yougroo.
"The town of Yougroo, I was told, generally contained but about 500 or
600 inhabitants, although, during the election, &c. there must have
been, at least, 5000 or 6000 persons present.
"The mourners for the deceased king, of whom there are 16 in number,
are the most extraordinary figures that can possibly be conceived. One
half of their faces (the upper half) is painted white, forming a
hideous contrast with their black countenances. The mourners
(literally 'makers of the cry,' i.e. lament) are appointed immediately
on the death of the king,[13] and continue their functions until the
election of a new king takes place, however long it may be before that
event may happen. They are generally girls of from ten to fourteen
years of age, and are, while mourners, held sacred and inviolate.
"_Sunday, March 4th_.--This day was appointed for the formal election
of a successor to the throne of King George. By noon, the whole of the
chiefs and headmen were assembled in the Palaver House, when the
Regent, or person appointed to administer the government during the
_interregnum_, proposed, in a speech of some length, John Macaulay
Wilson to be the future King of the Boollams. Previous to this, a
deputation had been sent requesting my presence. I accordingly
attended in full dress, along with Mr. S----. The Regent's speech, as
literally translated by my interpreter, and immediately after noted
down by me, was as follows:--
"'We have now met, headmen and brethren, to perform a great duty, and
to exercise a great privilege. It becomes our duty to elect a
successor to our vacant throne, "the cry" (i.e. the mourning) being
about to close. We have now no king; if we look to his hearth, there
is no one there; if we call upon our king, no one answers; thus are
we, as children without a father; as a family without a head; whom
then shall we choose to sit in the seat of our late venerable king?
Who shall walk in the footsteps of him, whose sayings were the sayings
of wisdom, and out of whose mouth proceeded justice: whom, I say,
shall we elect, but his own son[14], who listened to him when alive,
and who will not forget him now that he is dead?
"'You have long known this person; and you know that he will not bring
disgrace upon your choice; but that he will do those things which a
King of the Boollams ought to do; that he will discourage wickedness,
encourage the righteous, and do justice to all men; I therefore
propose that John Macaulay Wilson be elected King of the
Boollams.'[15] The speaker of the above was an old man, highly
respected by all classes, named, 'Nain Banna.' It becomes his duty,
immediately on the king's death, to assume the government as Regent;
he is, however, on that account ineligible for the throne.
"After some conversation among the chiefs, consisting principally of
tributes of praise to the late king, it was formerly announced to me,
'that John Macaulay Wilson was elected King of the Boollams:--that he
held the Boollam Country in the palm of his hand:--and that the scales
of justice hung upon his finger,' I was also entreated to report to
his Excellency the Governor of Sierra Leone, the choice they had made,
and their hopes that it would meet with his approbation. The people
expecting that I should address them, I rose, and by my interpreter,
said, 'that I should not fail to report to my master, His Excellency
the Governor of Sierra Leone, the good order and unanimity which had
prevailed in the assembly; that I had no doubt but His Excellency
would approve of the object of their choice that day; that from what I
had heard of their new king, I had no doubt, but that he would justify
the confidence they had placed in him; and I trusted that the same
good sense and attention to the true interests of their country, which
they had shewn that day, would guide all their future deliberations.
In conclusion, I begged leave to congratulate them, on having chosen
such a ruler; and to congratulate their king, on the distinction that
day conferred upon him.'
"The day closed as usual with every manner of licentiousness.
"_Monday, March 5th_.--This being the day appointed for the
inauguration of the new king, it was ushered in with the firing of
musketry and other demonstrations of joy. At 10 A.M. the chiefs and
headmen assembled, and immediately proceeded to the performance of
certain mysteries, which take place in the depths of the bush; and to
which the initiated only are admitted.
"At noon they emerged from the bush, having the new king with them;
whom they now regarded as a complete stranger, providentially sent
them from heaven to be their ruler.
"A deputation now requested my presence at the Palaver House, to which
they were then conducting the king; the headmen and people dancing
around him, as he passed through the streets, in the most fantastic
manner. On my arrival the late Regent pronounced a very long harangue
in the Boollam language, which was repeated sentence by sentence in
the Mandingo and English by the respective interpreters. In this
speech, which however I did not note down, Nain Banna rehearsed what
had from time immemorial been the practice of the Boollams, in cases
such as the present, and declared that all the rites and mysteries
proper for the occasion, had been duly performed. He then pronounced a
long encomium on the virtues of their late king, and concluded by
paying his respects to the new king, and myself, respectively, which
he ended with the highest term of respect which the Boollams
know:--'May you live for ever.'
"He then requested permission to introduce to the assembly, a stranger
whom they were in future to revere, 'King Bey Sherbro;'[16] after
which, Bey Sherbro received the homage of his subjects. During this
time a number of minstrels played upon their several instruments, some
of which were very ingenious and musical. Those in particular, who had
come a long distance from the interior, executed with spirit and taste
some very beautiful airs; much finer, indeed, than any native music I
had yet heard. They accompanied their instruments with extempore
recitatives in praise of those chiefs whom they knew. I was, of
course, included, as they expected that I would be inclined to reward
them handsomely. Each minstrel of any repute had a person attached to
him by way of fool or jester, several of whom acted their parts very
well, and strongly reminded me of Shakspeare's clowns.
"Dalmahoumedii was in the assembly, surrounded by a number of
followers, but he appeared to feel that he had lost ground. He took
no part in the proceedings.
"If it were fair to estimate the character of a people, by their
conduct during a period of unbounded license, I should say that they
were generally, almost universally, a nation of thieves, idlers, and
drunkards. It was with difficulty, indeed, I could preserve my own
private stock of wines, &c. I was assured, however, that such is not
their general character, although they are, no doubt, like all
Africans, extremely indolent and attached to the old customs of their
country. To even the most absurd and superstitious of these, they
cling with such tenacity, that it would be a work of incalculable
labour, and of many years, to induce them to abandon them altogether,
even after they should be made conscious of their absurdity and
barbarity. The European Missionaries of the present day would never
do it. It was attempted some years ago with much zeal, but there is
not at this moment, I believe, a single convert to Christianity in
Boollam, to reward the labour, or repay the expense, which was
lavished on that object. But a very different success has attended
the efforts of the disciples of Mahommed in propagating the doctrines
of the crescent. Not only in Boollam, but in all the neighbouring
districts; even in the Peninsula of Sierra Leone itself, there are
twenty converts to the crescent, for one to the cross; and the reason
is obvious; the Christian Missionaries begin at the wrong end; they
insist upon first making people Christians, and then morality and
civilization, they say, follow as matters of course: and they present
Christianity in its most inattractive form, to men accustomed to the
uncontrollable indulgence of their passions. The Mahommedans know the
genius of the people better, and without altering the spirit of their
religion, they exhibit it in a manner exactly suited to that genius,
as far as regards externals; and in such a form, that the adoption of
it even flatters the vanity of the convert. Thus, in the article of
dress, the Mahommedans have a peculiar or distinguishing cap; to be
entitled to wear which, is, in itself, a matter very flattering to
the vanity of the young worshipper of the crescent; and I am
convinced, that were it incumbent upon Christians to wear in public a
red cross on the shoulder or hat, that it would be the means of
drawing many to listen to the doctrines of Christianity: and really I
can see no sin in the means thus adopted.
"This evening I despatched the barge to Sierra Leone, with an account
of our progress, and requesting the Convention to be immediately
transmitted, together with the usual presents to be given to the new
King and chiefs. In the mean time every measure was taken, and
argument used (with occasional presents), to induce the chiefs and
headmen to consent to the cession of the sovereignty of the country
to Great Britain.
"_Tuesday, March 6th_.--This morning I walked out to make a few
observations, and to form some idea of the capabilities of the
Boollam country. What struck me, in the first instance, was the great
fertility, and natural beauty of the surrounding country, which it
was really painful to contrast with the extreme ignorance and
indolence of its inhabitants. There is not, perhaps, a country under
Heaven more calculated to repay the exertions of industry, from the
richness and fertility of the soil; as also from the flatness of the
country, which would prevent the soil from being carried away by the
rains when cleared of the bush. It is in my opinion far more adapted
for agricultural purposes than the Sierra Leone side of the bay.
Spices of almost every description grow naturally and in abundance;
and it would require but little capital, with industry, to make the
soil produce sugar, coffee, tobacco, and indigo in great plenty. In
short, the produce of the Boollam country might, without very great
labour be made to rival that of either our East or West India
possessions, in fact almost every article imported into Great Britain
from either is indigenous to this soil. The indolent and lazy
natives, however, cultivate little excepting rice. The articles
procured from the British settlement at Sierra Leone, such as
fire-arms, gunpowder, tobacco, rum, &c. are got in exchange for
timber, and occasionally labour.
"During my residence in Boollam, it frequently struck me, that a
British Settlement on the Boollam coast would be highly desirable,
say at Madina. For the reasons stated above, I am almost certain that
practical agriculture would soon become prevalent, inasmuch as it
would soon become profitable. Another, and a very strong inducement
to settlers would be, that Madina, and indeed the whole range of the
Boollam coast, is very healthy. What is called the _country fever_ in
Sierra Leone, is scarcely known in Boollam.
"To-day five or six of the mourners came to do service to me, which
they performed by bending their heads to the earth, and, in that
position, moaning in a low tone the praises of the deceased King,
mixed with compliments to myself.
"At midnight I received letters from Sierra Leone, by which I had the
satisfaction of learning that His Excellency approved of my measures.
"_Wednesday, March 7th_.--This day I succeeded in removing the
numberless evasions and objections urged by the chiefs against the
treaty.
"In effecting this measure Mr. S----'s exertions were of the greatest
service.
"In the evening we were a good deal amused by the natives fishing on
the beach. They caught a great number of fish, such as snappers,
cat-fish, soles, sharks, &c.
"_Thursday 8th_.--This day the convention arrived, and the blanks
being filled up, and the treaty solemnly signed and ratified, I had
the satisfaction on _Friday, March 9th, 1827_, of hoisting the
British flag, and of taking possession of Boollam in the name of His
Britannic Majesty."
Such is the narrative of Lieutenant Maclean, respecting a people whose
habits are as peculiar as his account of them must be interesting to
Englishmen.
_September 21st, 1827_.--On this day I attended the Court, to
hear the trial to which I have already alluded. It was a case of
adultery, and the parties were all free blacks. The action was brought
by a carpenter against the Rev. Samuel Thorpe, a preacher at one of
the Independent chapels, for criminal conversation with his wife; and,
as I have a copy from the records of the Court, I think it will be
much more satisfactory to insert the document in full, than to
supersede it by any desultory remarks of my own. It will give a clear
and characteristic idea of the state of society amongst these people.
The occurrence was so unusual, that it created no small astonishment,
that such a case should be brought into Court. The following is the
address of the plaintiff's counsel, and the verdict.
BERNARD _v_. THORPE.
"Gentlemen of the Jury,
"I bespeak your attention and indulgence. I am not only this day the
advocate of my client, but I am lending my humble efforts to defend,
perhaps I ought to say, assert, the divine right and sacredness of the
social compact of marriage, the palladium of every married man's
family, happiness and comfort. I will remind you, gentlemen of the
jury, that this is the first action of the kind that has been tried on
these boards since the colony has been ceded to the British
crown.--Among you, gentlemen of the jury, I see fathers, brothers, and
husbands, to all I appeal this day on behalf of my client, and of this
colony. Shew the world this day, by your verdict, that you will not
suffer with impunity the foul crime of adultery to be committed in the
face of a rising family; shew the value in which you hold the solemn
engagements of your female relatives; let your verdict warn the
seducer that he dare not trespass on any man's honour, or blight with
apathy, for one moment, any pleasure or gratification of his conjugal
tenderness.
"It has been too common in actions of this kind, for the defendant to
treat with contumely the humble situation of the injured prosecutor. I
do not apprehend much from any such attempt in this cause. I
acknowledge, gentlemen, that my client is a very humble individual,
but he is a respectable and an honest man, by trade a carpenter. I
see, gentlemen, on your countenances, that his humble lot shall not
deprive him from having his happiness considered as dear to him as to
any man, and equally inviolate; for you need not be told, that the
comforts and happiness of the rich and the poor originate from one
source: as it is not necessary to be rich to feel with acuteness the
pain to which our weak frames are subject, or to enjoy with zest the
most pleasurable sensations, so the poor possess the same advantages;
indeed, it is the poor to whom family happiness must be the greatest
solace! the rich have various resources to derive comfort from; the
poor seldom more than centres in their family. But before I attempt to
describe to you the sufferings of my client, I shall enter rather
minutely into the actual situation in life in which the plaintiff and
defendant in this action are placed: if unnecessary to some of you,
yet there may be others who naturally demand this explanation should
be given; I trust this will be admitted as my apology.
"I will begin with the defendant; because, indeed, gentlemen, he is
the more highly favoured man; I mean, gentlemen, that Providence has
blessed him with a much greater share of this world's goods; he is
known to man by the solemn designation of the Rev. Samuel Thorpe; yes,
gentlemen, the defendant in this action, for criminal conversation
with the wife of my client, is, or very lately was, a preacher of
morality; an expounder of that divine doctrine which inculcates the
precept, 'Do unto others, as you would have others do unto you;' he is
a gentleman, who, beholding with horror the degeneracy of the times,
and believing, no doubt, it required some extraordinary exertions to
recall us unto virtue, has voluntarily, for no idea of gain, or means
of livelihood, publicly devoted his talents to the pulpit. Such
conduct, if we had not other most opposite circumstances to disclose,
would have called forth our admiration and applause; for, gentlemen,
the pulpit, in the sober use of its legitimate peculiar powers, must
stand acknowledged, while the world shall stand,
"The most important and effectual guard,
Support and ornament of virtue's cause.
"The defendant, gentlemen, is also a rich man; he is, to say the
least, in very easy circumstances; we see, in this colony, several
valuable possessions of his; and we behold, at one of his houses, a
store from which is retailed valuable merchandise. The defendant,
gentlemen, I am instructed to say, is verging towards the decline of
life; to have arrived at those years, when the hey-day of the blood
might well be expected to have gone by, and that, while he preached
morality, he would find no constitutional impediment to prevent his
practising it. I am persuaded, gentlemen, that, if a cause of the
present nature had been brought before you, in which the defendant had
been a young unmarried man, you would have made some allowance for the
infatuation of his youthful passions; but when, as in the present
instance, we find experienced age; the well-informed man; the
promulger of that divine law, which denounces everlasting punishment
to the adulterer, is brought before you, charged, although a married
man, with this offence, I feel I must, indeed, commit an act of
injustice to you all, if I did not declare, that, in such a case, I am
convinced your feeling's cannot be otherwise than aroused to visit
such a criminal with your vengeance.
"My instructions suggest to me more than I will utter; yet, I must
confess, that I have been struck with the sacred profession of the
defendant, and the pertinacity with which it appears he committed the
offence against my client, for which you are now called upon to award
him the only remuneration the law allows; I cannot refrain from
asserting my belief, that the defendant's feelings must have been
strangely perverted; he, doubtless, made his full calculation upon his
outward profession, and his inward inclinations, and, I believe, I do
him no more than justice, when I put into his mouth, and suppose by
him uttered in his private moments, the expression used by an arch
hypocrite of former days:
"I sigh, and with a piece of scripture,
Tell them God bids us do good for evil:
And thus I clothe my naked villany
With odds and ends stol'n forth of Holy Writ;
And seem a saint, when most I play the devil.
"I regret, very much regret, gentlemen of the jury, I am thus obliged
as a faithful advocate before you; but I have still another feature
to disclose, and here I must declare, that it has astonished me more
than I shall attempt to describe. I alluded before, gentlemen, to
the circumstance of the defendant's being a married man. Yes! he
has a wife living in Freetown, whom (from fear she should take a
right from his substance) he has turned out upon the world! to the
generosity--the kindness--of the stranger! surely we may infer that he
may be left at home with more ample means to gratify his passions. He
has also no children; this I am sorry for on his account; surely he
would have paused before he would have offered them such an example;
before he would systematically set about the seduction of a woman,
surrounded even by her grand-children.
"I turn now to my client; but, indeed, I have little more to add
respecting him. He is poor, because he has many claims on his
industry; his wife has born him several children; and some of these
children are grown up, and married, and in their turn have children;
the connexion between the plaintiff and his wife has therefore been of
long standing, in fact on their entrance into life they became
attached to each other. The connexion was not for several years
sanctioned by the rites of our religion, but it was not less a
marriage; the assent of the heart was complete, and it has been
sanctioned by what the parties thought binding; further ceremony could
only add more publicity to the engagement. Yet after many years mutual
intercourse, they resolved to give that intercourse every tie, and
were consequently legally married according to the rites of the Church
of England. I mention these particulars because I apprehend my learned
friend will set about pulling their family history to pieces, and
endeavour to shew that my client and his wife might have had some
little family jars; be it so, gentlemen, let him make the endeavour: I
will tell him that their jars are the pleasures of the married life;
they are the tornadoes of the marriage state, which clear away the
mists and fogs, that, alas, will at times intrude themselves, to make
the succeeding calm more susceptible of enjoyments; I warn you I speak
by experience; and my learned friend Samo, on this sacred subject, can
offer nothing but theory; think, gentlemen, how dearly they must have
valued each other, when after a lapse of many years--after all their
little storms of life--they yet resolve to make their union
indissoluble, by adding thereto the celebration of those rites of our
church, which has for its maxim 'that those whom God has thus joined
together no man shall put asunder.'
"Contrast this with the conduct of the defendant, his own wife an
exile from his bed and board, for no cause, except the lordly will of
the defendant. A woman, against whom scandal has not yet dared to
whisper; still, (although she has suffered much from the violent
conduct of her husband) still, I say, striking for personal
attractions and accomplishments; and is avowedly of an unspotted
character. Let the defendant, therefore, but attempt to pry further
than he has done into the private habits of my client, as regards his
wife, and I shall not hesitate still further to tear down the
beautiful appearance of adopted sanctity, simplicity, and innocence
of deportment, with which he has hedged himself round.
"My client had been often led to believe that all was not right
between his wife and the defendant, even before the time of the
criminal conversation now prosecuted for. I am aware that my learned
friend may allege that:--
"Trifles light as air,
Are to the jealous confirmation strong
As proof of holy writ;
"But, gentlemen, can you for a moment believe that there was no art,
no perseverance, no continued attention, no working on the passions
before the criminal moment; but that the victim fell at once into the
commission of the adulterous intercourse alleged? Human nature forbids
such an idea. The female mind, always timid, would think of her
ties--her husband--her children--her grand-children; and prevent her,
before, at least, all her fears. I challenge the defendant to name,
even in one slight instance, any thing in the conduct of my client's
wife, that such a ready compliance could be expected.
"On Thursday night, the 17th of May last, between nine and ten o'clock
at night, the defendant sent his lad to call Mrs. Polly Bernard to his
house. You must know, gentlemen, that Mr. Samuel Thorpe then lived
(and for aught I know does now) in the same street, and within a short
distance of the dwelling of my client, but which was then exclusively
occupied by his wife. The object of thus sending for Mrs. Bernard by
the defendant, is alleged, I am informed, for the simple purpose of
making his bed. It is really astonishing that this gentleman could not
be content to have his bed made by some of his men servants; that he
did not hire a female, considering his ample means. Now the real
object for which Mrs. Bernard was thus called to the house of the
defendant became soon apparent. After her ingress the light ceased to
throw its shade through the casement--the windows and doors were
closed upon the guilty pair. Too much cunning generally defeats its
own intention: not far distant from this scene of unhallowed pleasure
stood the keen eye of jealousy, watching the progress of the night in
order to preserve what custom had made her consider as her own. Yes,
gentlemen, Mrs. Samuel (another intimate acquaintance of the Rev.
Samuel Thorpe,) some time after Mrs. Bernard had entered the house of
the defendant, rushed to the house--knocked at the door and got
admittance. On getting inside, the only object she sought was Mrs.
Bernard. Although in the dark she called her by name--what eye so keen
as that of a jealous woman: she attacked Mrs. Bernard, as Mrs. B. sat
on the bed of Mr. Samuel Thorpe. Both females exerted themselves to
the utmost; one to the assault, the other to repel such violence. Only
conceive, gentlemen, what a fine figure for the painter and the
moralist was here exhibited; at the dark hour of night, two married
women fighting most lustily in the bed-chamber of the pious defendant;
while he (taken by surprise) kept pacing his piazza, unable to
recollect what he had best do, and trembling with fear that the
indiscreet uproar would lead to his exposure. I will pass over the
effects of excited passion, and merely inform you, that to identify
the person so as to leave no subterfuge, Mrs. Samuel carried away as
trophies of her resentment, some handkerchiefs and an ear-ring, she
had taken from Mrs. Bernard.
"Well then, gentlemen of the jury, you see the defendant, detected in
connection with the wife of one man, by the wife of another, whose
passions he had raised to jealousy by prior intercourse--whether
criminal, or not, I leave to your judgment--that is not, to-day, my
duty to decide.
"Mrs. Samuel, in the excited feelings of the moment, smarting under
the seeming neglect and vacillating conduct of the defendant, as
regarded herself, flies from house to house, spreading the dishonour
of the plaintiff; the news soon reaches the injured husband; his wife
has absconded from consciousness of guilt--he seeks her out, charges
her with her crime--she confesses it--and now, gentlemen, he is forced
to fly to you, to redress his wounded sensibility and affection."
The Jury, having heard counsel on the other side returned a verdict
for the plaintiff, damages Fifty Pounds.
The schooner Thomas arrived from England this morning after a passage
of 35 days. By her we heard of the death of Mr. Canning, which caused
an extraordinary sensation. A warm discussion sprang up among the
Freetown politicians, as to who should form the next Ministry, each
person, of course, electing a Prime Minister for himself, and making a
Cabinet after his own taste.
----------
[10] Although these men are hired under the denomination of Kroo men,
they are generally Kroo, and Fish men, who inhabit the country between
Sierra Leone and our settlement of Cape Coast Castle.
[11] There were only nineteen prisoners in the calendar, one of whom
was a soldier, Patrick Riley, for a desperate attempt to murder a
serjeant with his bayonet. The rest of the prisoners were principally
Kroomcn, and other black fellows, for house-breaking, stealing, &c.
&c.
[12] In these cases the principal felons remained unknown.
[13] King George was the first king of Boollam, that had been allowed
to die a natural death, through fear of getting 'a palaver,' as they
term it, with Sierra Leone. Previous to this, they always despatched
their kings when they considered them about to expire, sacrificing two
human victims, whom they buried in the same grave.
[14] Meaning that the late king loved him as a son.
[15] It is but right to state, that the above speech was read over
sentence by sentence, to the person who spoke it, and that he deemed
it to be almost literally reported, and seemed much astonished that it
could have been taken down.
[16] The new appellation of John Macaulay Wilson.