ness, so that if my proceedings have exceeded his wishes, I may have the same made known to me previous to my departure on the 15th instant. I have, &c. Lieutenant-Colonel Rigby. R. B. OLDFIELD. (Inclosure 6.)-Lieutenant-Colonel Rigby to Commander Oldfield. SIR, Zanzibar, April 15, 1861. I HAVE the honour to inform you that, in reporting this day your approaching departure from this port to His Highness the Sultan, I communicated to him the wish expressed in the last paragraph of your letter to my address, dated the 13th instant. I have just received a reply from His Highness, in which he states that he has already in the conversations I have held with him on the subject, conveyed to me his sanction and approval of all that you have done in the harbour of Zanzibar, in its vicinity, and to the northward. I have, &c. Commander Oldfield. C. P. RIGBY. No. 131. Rear-Admiral Sir B. Walker to the Sec". to the Admiralty. SIR, Narcissus, at Johanna, July 5, 1862. REFERRING to your letter of the 8th November, 1861, and to the inclosure therein, viz., a communication from Sir George Grey, late Governor at the Cape of Good Hope, to the Duke of Newcastle, dated the 18th June, 1861, upon the subject of Mr. Sunley, Her Majesty's Consul at the Comoro Islands, employing upon his sugar plantations at Johanna slaves hired from Arab slaveholders, I beg to acquaint you, for the information of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, that it is true that Mr. Sunley does so obtain labourers; but it is right that I should mention that he informed me he paid wages both to the slave and the owner at the same time, and whilst they are in his employment they are treated as free labourers would be. I inclose a copy of a letter from Captain Alan Gardner, of Her Majesty's ship Orestes, on this subject. The Secretary to the Admiralty. I have, &c. B. W. WALKER. (Inclosure.)-Captain Gardner to Rear-Admiral Sir B. Walker. Orestes, Johanna, July 3, 1852. (Extract.) I BEG to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated 22nd April, directing me to report on certain allegations made by Mr. Sunley, Her Majesty's Consul for these Islands, that the French import slaves from the Comoro Islands to Mayotte and Nos Beh under the designation of free labourers. Also on the alleged use of the French flag by British cruizers engaged in watching Arab dhows. I would observe that the assertion in M. Thouvenel's letter that in the Islands of Comoro, and Johanna, and Mohilla, slavery does not exist is very incorrect, for in these islands a considerable number of the population are slaves, and although owing to the continued presence of Her Majesty's Consul, and the occasional visit of British cruizers, the Slave Trade has been almost entirely stopped at Johanna, I believe that a considerable number of slaves are brought from the mainland to Comoro and Mohilla in dhows (some of which carry the French flag) to Mayotte and Nos Beb, under the name of "engagés." With regard to the use of the French flag, I have ascertained that it has been used by two or, perhaps, more of the cruizers as a disguise for the purpose of approaching vessels suspected of being slavers, but that they have never opened fire with that flag flying, which would be illegal. It is a fact that Mr. Sunley employs indiscriminately free men and slaves on his plantation, but they come to him for hire, and I understand are treated with kindness. He probably would find a difficulty in carrying on the sugar estate with free labour alone in the present state of the population; and without this, or some other occupation, could not maintain himself on the island, where he acts as a very useful English Agent, without which the Native Government would probably fall to pieces. Rear-Admiral Sir B. Walker. ALAN GARDNER. No. 132.-Rear-Admiral Sir B. Walker to the Sec. to the Admiralty. SIR, Narcissus, at Johanna, July 5, 1862. REFERRING to your letter dated the 8th of November, 1861, containing several inclosures relative to the allegations made by Mr. Sunley, Her Majesty's Consul at the Comoro Island, "that French agents introduce slaves into those Islands from the African coast to be eventually transferred as free labourers to the French Colony of Nos Bé," on which subject I am to make inquiries, and particularly as to the use of the French flag by British cruizers employed in watching Arab vessels suspected of being engaged in Slave Trade, I request you will be pleased to inform my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty that, on my visit to this Island, I have ascertained that the circumstances related in Mr. Sunley's letter, dated May 2, 1861, to Earl Russell, are substantially correct. I further learnt, from the highest authority at Johanna, that two months ago 5 dhows had embarked full cargoes of slaves a few miles to the northward of Mozambique, at Conducia, and conveyed them under the French flag to Mohilla, where they were landed and after remaining a short time on that island they were to be removed to the French settlements at Mayotte and Nos Bé as free labourers. This scheme has revived the Slave Trade between the East Coast of Africa and the Comoro Islands to a very serious extent; and the official authorities of the French settlements cannot but be fully aware of it. With regard to M. Thouvenel's statement, "that the recruitment system is allowed and maintained between the Comoro Islands and the French settlements at Mayotte and Nos Bé, because slavery does not exist in those islands," I am informed that twothirds of the labouring population of these islands are slaves, the majority of whom have been surreptitiously conveyed thither from the East Coast of Africa by native vessels and Arab dhows, some of which have carried the French flag. The great demand of the above-named French Colonies for free labourers from the Comoro Islands could not be met unless this subterfuge was resorted to; and the inducement offered by the French agents is so remunerative that the cupidity of the Chiefs, who are poor, is stimulated to prefer this contraband to legitimate trade. It will be seen by reference to the chart that M. Thouvenel's assertion, "that Nos Bé belongs to the same Archipelago as the Comoro Islands," is quite a mistake, as the island lies close to Madagascar, of which its inhabitants were a part and parcel. Referring to the use of the French flag by Her Majesty's cruizers to watch Arab dhows suspected of being engaged in Slave Trade, I find that the signal-flag No. 2 has been occasionally hoisted for the purpose of approaching such vessels, but only when cruizing between Comoro and the East Coast of Africa, where there is reason to suspect that the French ensign may be fraudulently used by them. M. Thouvenel observes that the Arabs do not mistrust the sight of the French flag that is quite true, because their pursuits, whether lawful or not, are not questioned by it, and this is a reason for their using it, without a right, sometimes, which makes it necessary for our cruizers to visit them for the purpose of verifying their nationality; but none of Her Majesty's ships have fired under such circumstances. Where the pursuits of both nations are so well known as they are on the East Coast of Africa, I cannot see that the French merchant-vessels are likely to suffer from pillage, especially by the Arabs, who have such confidence in the flag of that nation. In conclusion, I would remark that whilst such encouragement is given to the Slave Trade by the so-called recruitment system, it gives little hope for the advancement of legal commerce, or of Christianity and civilization, in the Comoro 1slands; and I should be glad to receive their Lordships' instructions as to whether the few Chiefs of these Islands are to be permitted to continue their unlawful practices with impunity. I have, &c. The Secretary to the Admiralty. B. W. WALKER, No. 133.-Rear-Admiral Sir B. Walker to the Sec. to the Admiralty. I REQUEST you will inform my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty that on my visit to Zanzibar I took occasion to make inquiries as to the nature and extent of the Northern Slave Trade, which has become so notorious in that neighbourhood, and to which my attention was called by Lieutenant-Colonel Rigby, in a letter I submitted to their Lordships on the 19th of August last year, and I now inclose another copy thereof. I am sorry to say that I find that the Treaty with the Sultan of Zanzibar for the abolition of the export of slaves from his dominions is a dead letter. I have learnt that several foreign ships have obtained cargoes of slaves thence; and there is, besides, an enormous traffic in human flesh openly and shamelessly carried on in Zanzibar. Arabs from Muscat and other parts of Arabia were purchasing slaves of both sexes in the great market of that town for exportation, even whilst I was there, and there appeared to be no check whatever to such proceedings, although positively prohibited by the Treaty. As an instance of the boldness with which this trade is con ducted, I received information in Zanzibar, that 4 Muscat dhows, which had lately shipped full cargoes of slaves under the windows of the Sultan's palace in that port, were then lying at Melinda refitting, and waiting for moderate weather to prosecute their voyage to Arabia. I caused the Sultan to be informed of these circumstances, but His Highness expressed ignorance of them, and only promised investigation. I therefore determined to ascertain the truth, and ran down to Melinda in my flag-ship, accompanied by the tender; there we found one of the vessels, measuring 175 tons, undergoing repairs; the other 3 had sailed the day previously, taking the cargo of the fourth dhow with them. The chief man of the place readily admitted that these dhows had arrived from Zanzibar with their human freights, and stated that he could not prevent their remaining, as he had no means of driving them away. He pointed out the above-mentioned vessel as one of them, and as she had all her slave-fittings in, without papers or colours, the boats burnt her. The Penguin then proceeded in chase of the others. Under these glaring circumstances, I submit whether the time has not come for Her Majesty's Government to take some measures to enforce the Sultan to adhere to the Treaties made with his father, the late Imaum of Muscat, for the entire prohibition of the export of slaves; and, furthermore, to abolish the Slave Trade in his territories, as I feel confident that, until this is done, no other means will stop it, and civilization and Christianity cannot progress in that quarter. The utmost exertions have been made with the united force at my command during the last 18 months to arrest this great northern illicit traffic; and a severe blow has been inflicted on it by the Lyra and Gorgon, and their boats, which have captured no less than 60 dhows employed therein. I have, &c. The Secretary to the Admiralty. B. W. WALKER. No. 134.-Rear-Admiral Sir B. Walker to the Sec". to the Admiralty. (Extract.) Narcissus, at Simon's Bay, September 15, 1862. I HASTEN to call the attention of my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to the 4th Rule of Article I prescribing the reciprocal right of search to be exercised within 200 miles from the coast of Africa. Advantageous as this privilege is to the cruizers on the West Coast of this Continent, it is of little avail on the East side, because the American slave-vessels are now in the practice of proceeding to some of the west ports of Madagascar for their cargoes, which places are beyond the limits laid down in the Treaty, and therefore it can be evaded by them with impunity. The ports alluded to are independent of the King of that island, and the slaves are conveyed thither in native vessels from the East Coast of Africa, to be shipped off as opportunities offer. The Secretary to the Admiralty. B. W. WALKER. No. 135.-Lieutenant-Commander McHardy to the Secretary to the SIR, Admiralty. Penguin, Alloola, North-East Coast of Africa, I HAVE the honour to forward to you a copy of a Report addresssed to my Commander-in-Chief, together with its inclosures, relating to the massacre of Sub-Lieutenant Fountaine and 14 men, who had been detached from Her Majesty's gun-vessel Penguin. The Secretary to the Admiralty. I have, &c. J. G. G. McHARDY. |