Sierra Leone after a hundred years

Front matter

Sierm Leone

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Contents

CHAP. PAGE

I. AWAKENING OF PUBLIC OPINION, ... I

II. REPATRIATION, ...... 4

Chapter I

AWAKENING OF PUBLIC OPINION ‘ The Lord hath a controversy with His people.’

The very name of Sierra Leone must ever be associated with an interesting and thrilling period of British history.

No sooner had the termination of the American War set men's minds free to consider other matters, than we find Mr Wilberforce bringing before Parlia¬ ment the wrongs of the negro race, and the solemn re¬ sponsibility of the nation in the matter of slavery and the slave trade. An important incident in connection with that unfortunate war was, moreover, to link it for ever with the enterprise about to be described.

Whether we consider the times themselves, or the men who then so warmly espoused this cause, we are led to believe that the influence at work was that of

A

AWAKENING OF PUBLIC OPINION the great 6 Evangelical Revival,’ which had begun with John Wesley, and was now taking hold of the Church of England herself. It will be interesting to note some of the most important steps by which men’s minds were drawn to this subject

The Society of Friends were the first to lay a peti¬ tion on the evils of the slave trade on the table of the House of Commons. This was in 1783. And it was very possibly owing to the great attention drawn to the matter by that petition, that led the Vice-Chan¬ cellor of Cambridge, in 1785, to select as the subject for two Latin prize essays the thesis : ‘ Is it right to make slaves of others against their will ? ’

The competition was open to those who had obtained the B.A. degree. Thomas Clarkson had successfully competed in this direction on a former occasion, and he was now naturally desirous of sustaining his reputation. It was in collecting materials for this essay that he came to see the enormity of this traffic. The thought of a prize soon became quite a secondary consideration. He achieved a literary success indeed, but a far greater result was to follow. On his way up to London from Cambridge after that literary triumph, it was borne in upon his mind that (to use his own words) ‘ if the contents of this essay are true, it is time that some person should see these calamities to their end.’ He determined, as one means of attracting public attention, to publish his essay in English. The result was immediate. He

Thomas Clarkson.

From a Portrait by A. E. Chalon, R.A.

AWAKENING OF PUBLIC OPINION 3

was soon surrounded by a host of friends. We may mention amongst others, Dr Porteous, Bishop of London, Hannah More, Granville Sharp, and, not¬ ably, William Wilberforce, to whom, as a rising politician, he submitted his essay, and whose whole heart he was happily instrumental in enlisting in the cause.

The next date of importance in our chain is 1787; and it will be interesting presently to note, that the year which saw the creation of the Sierra Leone Company, witnessed also the formation of the first anti-slavery society, whose efforts were destined to produce the great Act of 1807, against the slave trade ; and the still more important Act of 1834, for the abolition of slavery throughout the British dominions. From 1787 to 1800, every session of Parliament wit¬ nessed Wilberforce’s desperate and devoted efforts to carry his motion. In 1800, however, it was resolved to suspend Parliamentary exertion until some favour¬ able event should occur to change the temper of both Houses. And it is most interesting, at a time like the present, to notice that the very first Parliament¬ ary result of the Union between Great Britain and Ireland was to secure a majority on this great question . There came, through the Union, an accession to Westminster of one hundred fresh members. Most of these men were known to be favourable to the anti - slavery cause. Wilberforce at once reintro¬ duced his motion. A majority of 69 to 36 was

4 AWAKENING OF PUBLIC OPINION

secured, and it was this happy and united vote in 1804 that ensured the great victory of 1807.

It will be seen by those who study that agitation, that the men who were its mainspring and inspira¬ tion, were the very men who were at the same time administering the scheme of practical benevolence that has now to be recorded.

Chapter II

‘ Then will I bring them up, and restore them to this place. ’

It was not necessary to visit either America or the West Indies at that time to ascertain something of the forlorn and helpless condition of the un¬ fortunate negroes, or the cruelty of the bondage in which they were too often held by the stronger races of mankind. For many were living a sort of Pariah life in London, some were actually sold in its streets, others were seen in the retinue of their West Indian owners during an English sojourn. It was at the beginning of the long and weary agitation that arose in the manner related in the last chapter, that the incident occurred which forever associated Sierra Leone with this movement. That incident was the rencontre between a Mr Granville Sharp ! and an ill-used negro slave, whose wounds were being dressed in a London Hospital, at which he happened to call. That meeting was fruitful in its consequences for Africa. It was the means of en-

0/2.

listing that good man’s whole soul in a struggle that was to cost him much labour and expense* He would not believe that any human being could remain a slave after touching British soil. As he acted on this presumption in the cases of those un¬ fortunates who took refuge with him from their masters, he was soon in the law courts. And it was not until after several discomfitures, and much ex¬ pense, and much personal study of law, that his indomitable perseverance was finally rewarded by the celebrated judgment of Lord Chief Justice Mansfield, given on the 22d June 1772. ‘The claim of slavery can never be supported. The power claimed never was in use here, or acknowledged by the law.’ And hence was established by law the glorious principle — ‘ As soon as any slave sets his foot on English ground he becomes free/

It has been well said, that ‘ they that watch Pro¬ vidences shall never want a Providence to watch.’ When the reader has patiently read through these pages, we think he will admit that there was a Providence in the conjunction of events that are now being narrated.

The first thought, after this memorable decision, was to discover some suitable spot, if possible, in Africa itself, that would be congenial and safe for these London outcasts. It so happened that a Mr Smeathman, a former resident in Western Africa, was in a position to give some firsthand information about that coast He warmly recommended a negro settlement in Sierra Leone, and this peninsula seems at once to have been selected. The scheme did not long wait for warm-hearted supporters. And the house at Battersea Rise, where his descendants still live, could tell of many a meeting of the newlyformed Sierra Leone Company, under the chair¬ manship of Henry Thornton, its owner, under whose guidance this benevolent and practical undertaking took shape, grew and developed, side by side with the gradual rise of the tide of public opinion in Parliament, and in the country, on the still larger questions. This company had soon raised a few thousand pounds to assist those Africans in London, who had, in consequence of Lord Mansfield’s judg¬ ment, been turned adrift by their masters, to settle at Sierra Leone, where they had procured, by pur¬ chase, from native chiefs, the cession of a considerable district. Government liberally aided this under¬ taking, by consenting to bear the expense of trans¬ port, and promising to supply rations for six or eight months after arrival in Africa. Whether it was owing to previous hardships in London, or overcrowding on ship board, out of 400 that left England 84 died on the voyage. Nearly 100 fell victims to their own intemperance or hardships during the first rainy season. The remainder, after having built a town in Sierra Leone, were dispersed in 1790 through a palaver with native chiefs, in which they became accidentally involved, but they were re-united in 1791 through the Sierra Leone Company, and finally settled at Granville Town, about two miles east of Freetown.

London, it soon appeared, was not the only place where negroes were to be found in an outcast and forlorn condition. And when the company had become incorporated by Act of Parliament, and considerable funds seemed likely to come in, the directors began to look further afield. At that moment a delegate (an African) named Peters was in England representing the case of certain Nova Scotians. These people were Africans, born in North America, who had run away from their masters, and had taken the British side in the War of Independence. They had cast in their lot com¬ pletely with that of the British army, whose fortunes they followed ; they had shown considerable courage in the course of the war, as their wounds would testify ; and they had consequently, by their loyalty to the British side, completely alienated and separ¬ ated themselves from their former masters. Re¬ duced in number by capture, death and dispersion, the remainder were brought, at the conclusion of the war, to Nova Scotia, where they were promised, in common with certain white loyalists, adequate provisions and grants of land. It was pretty clearly shown by this delegate that neither in provisions nor grants were these promises fairly fulfilled ; and a sense of injustice, added to the severity of the climate, rendered such a body of people peculiarly ready to welcome the idea of repatriation. The Sierra Leone Company decided that the present was a favourable moment for transplanting any of these people, who might be willing, to their own country once more. Government willingly promised its countenance and aid. For this difficult enter¬ prise Lieutenant Clarkson, R.N. was selected. His zeal and devotion were beyond all praise. His interesting diary reveals to us the discouragements he met with from the English residents ; the patience and tact displayed in announcing his mission to the negroes themselves ; his testimony as to the condition in which he found them ; and the success with which he conveyed the large party across the Atlantic to Sierra Leone.

In spite of most careful explanations and warn¬ ings, calculated to remove undue anticipations, 1 196 persons were found more than willing to embark under this officer. In order to prepare for repatria¬ tion, they sold their little properties, often at in¬ adequate values, and they even paid up each other’s debts. Whatever education these people possessed had been acquired since their transport to Nova Scotia. It is said that a few of them had, with part of their earnings, put themselves to school, and that these became the first preachers and school¬ masters of the new colony.

IO

In March 1792 this Nova Scotian fleet, consist¬ ing of sixteen vessels, arrived at Sierra Leone, and landed 1131 persons once more on their own coast. Sixty-five had died on the passage of a fever con¬ tracted while waiting in tents at Halifax ; and Lieutenant Clarkson, whose humanity had led him to embark in the hospital ship, narrowly escaped with his life, being extremely weak and ill on reaching Sierra Leone. When the company in England received news of this large approaching increase in their family, it was felt that prompt steps must be taken to meet the emergency. The first vessel sent out by the company reached Sierra Leone in February 1792. Two others rapidly fol¬ lowed. More than 100 white persons went out in these ships, of whom 40 were company’s servants or artificers, 10 were settlers, 16 soldiers, and between 30 and 40 women and children.

The land was cleared in a few weeks, and the town was named Freetown, in consequence of an instruction to that effect sent out from home.

It must regretfully be stated (and evidence of it will be seen in the diary), that misunderstandings between superintendent and council, the utter incompetency and neglect of some of its members, disobedience to orders sent out by the company as to the use to be made of the ships, confusion in the accounts, in the stores, and in the information sent home, were the main causes of the bad name which the colony imme-

II diately acquired through the mortality of the first rainy season. When we imagine this season setting in, as we know it does in this colony, and remember that there was no adequate shelter for these settlers, when we are told that no retail shop had been set up, no money medium established, that neither food nor physic were to be had, though cargoes of both lay in the harbour, and when, moreover, we read that 800 Africans were laid up at one time, and all the medical men but one were ill, we are not surprised that great depression of spirits prevailed. Nor are we unpre¬ pared to find that about one-half of the Europeans, and one-tenth of the Africans died in that first rainy season. One anxiety was followed closely by another. The colony was but just emerging from these dis¬ tresses, when a most unexpected influx of European settlers, who had been disappointed in the Bulam enterprise (referred to in the diary), arrived in Free¬ town harbour, and perplexed the governor by earnestly petitioning for leave to settle in Sierra Leone. They were in considerable distress and want. But peremptory orders had been sent out that this application, if made, was on no account to be enter¬ tained. It appears that many of these very people had applied to come out under the Sierra Leone Com¬ pany, but had fallen short of its high standard. It appears that no one who had debts in England was allowed to join. As far as possible, men and women of high moral and religious purpose, who would be likely to exercise a good influence on the African settlement, were sought for, and only a limited number, even of these, could be received. Nothing brings out more clearly than these facts, the high resolve and noble purpose of the company, and the right principles on which their actions were based.

The petition of these people was therefore courte¬ ously, but firmly, refused. All possible relief to suffering was afforded, and facilities for returning to England were tendered and ultimately accepted.

One other act of repatriation, under the auspices of the Sierra Leone Company, remains to be mentioned. Although of much later date, it is best recorded here. It was in September 1800, during a most unjustifiable outbreak and rebellion on the part of the Nova Scotians, that a contingent of Maroons arrived in the river, under the command of some English officers. It proved a timely accession. The number was 550. The history of this new contingent is as follows : —

‘ After the Maroon war in Jamaica, these people were removed by Government to Nova Scotia on account of the hostility said to exist between them and the natives of that island. It was intended to settle them permanently in Nova Scotia, but, as the reader will be prepared to hear, neither the country nor the climate proved suitable. Under these circumstances application was made by Government to the Sierra Leone Company. The directors were not willing to receive them in their colony, but promised all assistance in settling them in some other part of Africa, and also superintending and instructing them, if Government would leave to the directors the selection of the agents, and defray every expense. An under¬ standing was accordingly effected. The governor and council had hoped to secure the Banana Islands for these Maroons, but slave traders succeeded in frustrat¬ ing the project. Efforts were then made to settle them on the Bullom shore, but the natives had been made afraid of them. Thus it came to pass, that, at their own great wish, they were received into the colony, and settled at Granville town.

When it is remembered that this enterprise of the Sierra Leone Company — a body of Christian philan¬ thropists who had probably never been out of Europe — occurred more than a hundred years ago, long before the days of steam, and when the modern facilities for travel were unknown, its heroism and its pluck come more clearly into view.

The reader will notice, as he peruses Governor Clarkson’s diary, instances of miscalculation, mis¬ management, and mistake. It will be seen what unsuitable men and materials were frequently sent out from England at the all-important start of the colony. Utterly mistaken anticipations as to the rapid development of lawful commerce will be observed.

The wonder, however, wNill be, not that so many mistakes were made, but that Christian philani4 thropy was to be found in those days equal to so vast an expenditure on behalf of a down-trodden race, able to survive so many grievous disappoint¬ ments, and equal to the task of directing the affairs of this settlement, until it became a Crown colony in the year 1808. Here is a clear instance of the truth, that those who live nearest to the events in which they figure, are least able to form a true and accurate judgment of their full significance. The Sierra Leone Company had little to quicken its enthusiasm during the short term of its existence- Not to speak of the inevitable cold water plenti¬ fully poured on it at home, discouraging reports from their little colony, and constant demands for fresh ex¬ penditure, accounts of captured ships, and pillaged stores, were not exactly calculated to quicken zeal in this venture of faith and love. But the nineteenth century was a very few years old before it was seen that Sierra Leone had been indeed a happy thought , and that this excellent company had been instru¬ mental in forming a settlement that the British Government would now find most valuable in the interests of other members of this same oppressed race — rescued, not from London, nor from Nova Scotia, but from the slave trader on the high seas.

Although it does not come within the scope of this work to trace this much more extended repat¬ riation under the direction of the Crown, after the Act of 1807, yet it may be stated, as affording some indication of the extent, that, between the years 1819 and 1838, there were 48,359 repatriated and regis¬ tered in the colony. And this accounts for only twenty years of the century. Liberia was another indirect result of the movement of 1787, and still there are indications that the idea is in the air.

We cannot more suitably conclude this chapter, than by commending to all Africans in America , and the West Indies the principle of selection acted on by the Sierra Leone Company in 1787. Those who are impecunious, unthrifty, unsuccessful, and unsteady in the lands of their adoption, had better never return to A frica. Disappointment will certainly await them, and their advent will do more harm than good. But to the true-hearted son of Africa, who has pro¬ fited by his long exile, and learnt many things from those whom he once served, who has the fear of God in his heart, and also some love for his race and country, Africa offers a unique sphere for effort and successful enterprise, and a climate to which he can rapidly adapt himself once more. And many are thinking that such a limited repatriation on the part of those of her sons who have her true interests at heart, and who possess qualifications that her indigenous peoples cannot yet so well command, is just the very solution for which the knotty puzzle of the A frican problem is waiting.

Chapter III

GOVERNOR CLARKSON’S DIARY - 4 The words of the wise are as goads.5

The following pages contain the promised extracts from Governor Clarkson’s Sierra Leone Diary and Correspondence. They have been carefully selected from two thick volumes of manuscript.

The period covered by the extracts is from March 1792 to September 1793. It has been thought well not to insert any explanatory remarks between the various extracts, but to leave the reader to gather his own impressions from the various recorded facts and opinions. Where dates occur, it will be because they have come naturally into the extracts made. Where none are mentioned, the period referred to will be approximately apprehended. It will be found that a very fair impression of the first year’s history of Sierra Leone as a settlement will thus be left on the mind.

These brief records will, it is hoped, become the lasting and valued possession of the people of this

1 6 colony. They contain much information that we believe has never hitherto been forthcoming, about the circumstances that attended its first settlement. The mistakes, and faults, and sins of white and black are impartially laid bare. The character of a good man and capable leader is set forth to be a noble inspiration to others. And it is earnestly hoped that the earnest words culled from Governor Clarkson’s farewell sermon, with which these extracts conclude, may deeply impress many hearts, and that his con¬ cluding prayer may express the earnest aspiration of many of those who are privileged to be the direct successors of the first settlers. Let not the much larger number, who have become inhabitants of this colony since 1787 and 1792, put these records aside, as con¬ cerning only the Nova Scotians or the London settlers. For, on almost every page, it will be seen how the thought of Governor Clarkson, and of the great company that commissioned him, went far beyond that small handful of people, and dwelt upon those other tribes of the African race, whose condi¬ tion, it was hoped, this colony would hereafter be instrumental in ameliorating. Those great thoughts soared even beyond the masses centred here to-day, after a hundred years, and they embraced the whole of this dark continent as possibly partaking of sub¬ stantial benefit and blessing through this colony.

May these records, then, stir up many hearts, and create and stimulate true and lofty aims. And may

B many be led to resolve that there never shall be wanting a company of Sierra Leone people, who will realise on this spot the noble ambitions and high standards enunciated and acted upon by the old Sierra Leone Company and its first governor.

THE DIARY

‘The ground we are now clearing to build a town, to be named Free Town , is situated upon an eminence near the beach, and exposed to the sea breezes, which regularly take place about ten or eleven o’clock in the morning. This spot was formerly occupied by the few settlers sent out by Mr Granville Sharp in the year 1787, but who were driven away by King Jemmy, after he had been attacked by Captain Savage of H.M. ship Pomona in the latter end of 1788. The country about Free Town is very mountainous and rocky, the stratum a lava, containing a considerable portion of iron ; the highest hill, which appears to be about eight miles off, is in the shape of a cone, and it is probable it may be an extinguished volcano. The whole face of the country is covered with wood ; some of the trees are very large, and, I dare venture to say, will hereafter afford good timber. It abounds every¬ where with low shrubs and underwood, which renders it extremely difficult to penetrate into the country. The water is considered very good and well-tasted.

‘King Jemmy has been extremely shy since our

Free Town, Sierra Leone, March 16. i792- arrival, and does not appear disposed to visit us, or to place any confidence in us. Thinking it right to remove these feelings, I paid him a private visit this morning for the first time, by landing at a path leading directly to his town ; the king being apprised of my intention, received me with civility. It was thought best for me to go with only two or three attendants than to pay him a formal visit. The king speaks a little English, and said he was glad to see me ; but I evidently saw that he felt uncomfortable, though he endeavoured to appear otherwise. He has not yet forgotten the dispute he had with Captain Savage, and the loss sustained by both sides, for he has been extremely cautious of trusting himself with white men ever since. Mutual civilities took place ; he offered me some wine and water, and, putting his glass to his own mouth first, gave it to me afterwards. This is a custom of the country to show that you may take it with safety. I wished him his health, and prosperity and happiness to his country. We shook hands with each other, and I said I should be glad to see him, and be better acquainted. In the evening I sent him a small present of wine. The town he inhabits consists of about forty or fifty huts, irregularly placed, and interspersed with palm, banana, plantain, orange, lime, paw-paw, and cola trees, which in a great measure supply the natives with food. The houses are built in a circular form, and have a pyramidal roof; the outer stakes which form them are matted together with small twigs, and afterwards plastered inside with mud ; the roof or eave of the house projects about two or three feet beyond the sides, forming a pleasant shade, under which the natives sit without being exposed to the scorching heat of the sun. To each of these houses are two doors, which are placed exactly opposite to each other. The space inside is rarely, if ever, divided into compartments. The usual dress of the natives is a small piece of cotton cloth, fastened round the waist and brought between the legs. Sometimes the men will wear a loose kind of shirt over this, but the women are almost naked. The king was dressed in an old naval captain’s uniform.

The workmen are making great progress in cutting down the woods, separating what will be useful, and burning the rest. Almost every day since we landed, we have been visited by an old queen called Yamacopra, who does not appear to have much power, though some of the natives show her attention. She took tea with us this evening, and contrived to steal a teaspoon. We missed it, and she assisted us in looking for it. A lady present, who suspected her majesty, was determined to observe her motions, and perceiving the spoon under the queen’s wrapping cloth, she pulled it out, which gave her majesty much uneasiness, and she took great pains to convince us it must have got there by mistake. If the same thing had occurred in a slave factory, the proprietors would have in¬ sisted upon her paying one or two slaves, or their value, to settle the palaver.

‘ The people are now busily employed in cutting materials to build a temporary store house. Many of them have made some progress in building huts for themselves, which form an extensive encamp¬ ment open to the sea. The erecting a building to hold stores is of the very first importance, and cannot be dispensed with. Captain Cocks is en¬ gaged in cutting out a road to wind up the hill at the watering place, instead of the present steep and inconvenient one. King Jemmy begins to lay aside his fears, and disbelieves the insinuations of the slave factors and other people inimical to us. At¬ tended divine service, received the sacrament, several children baptized. After the services of the day? had a long and important conversation with the Rev. N. Gilbert on the situation of the affairs in the colony ; suggested the idea of his going to England, to state in person to the directors the

real situation we are in. Mr G - highly approved

of my plan of giving the court of directors the earliest and best information, but did not feel com¬ fortable at the idea of leaving his religious duties until another clergyman arrived in the colony. I stated to him the utter impossibility of my enter¬ ing into the details necessary for the directors’ in¬ formation, from the weak state of my health, and my almost total loss of memory, and as he could relate to them many transactions which occurred under his own observation on board the Harpy (which he knew led to the principal confusion in the colony), and also the conduct pursued on board their shipping generally, with his’ opinion of the characters of the people I had brought with me, and other important matters relative to the natives, climate, soil, etc., I thought, when he reflected upon these circumstances, he would feel that it would be more for the benefit of the cause he had embarked in, than his continuing in the colony ; and, although I really regretted losing his society, which had been a great comfort to me, yet I would willingly submit to that deprivation, and do my best towards fulfilling his ministerial duties during his absence, or till another clergy¬ man arrived, if he would endeavour to remove his scruples and comply with my request. . . .

£ I am informed the natives have much faith in witchcraft, and are very superstitious. The devil is commonly worshipped, though they have some imperfect idea of a God, whom they believe to be so merciful and benevolent, that he could not hurt them, or keep the devil in awe ; and as they suppose the latter to be always disposed to do them mischief, they endeavour to pacify him by means of charms and trumpery sacrifices — they say the devil is often seen amongst them, and their sorcerers often perform feats in which they pretend to his assistance. If a person is accused of a crime, besides the trial by drinking the Red Water, they have another equally just . An iron, steeped in the juice of certain herbs, is made red hot, and passed quickly over the hands of the person sus¬ pected. If the iron burns, he is pronounced guilty, and sold for a slave. The land now cleared is five hundred and sixty yards in length along the shores, and two hundred yards in breadth. . . .