The British Transatlantic Slave Trade Vol 1

Kenneth Morgan, Robin Law, David Ryden, J R Oldfield

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2022
• ISBN:
  9781000559545
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Geschichte
• Subtopic: Weltgeschichte

Contains primary texts relating to the British slave trade in the 17th and 18th century. The first volume contains two 18th-century texts covering the slave trade in Africa. Volume two focuses on the work of the Royal African company, and volumes three and four focus on the abolitionists' struggle.

Sketches taken during Ten Voyages to Africa, Between the Years 1786 and 1800; including Observations on the Country between Cape Palmas and the River Congo; and Cursory Remarks on the Physical and Moral Character of the Inhabitants: with an Appendix, containing an Account of the European Trade with the West Coast of Africa (London, Hurst, Robinson and Co., 1822)

John Adams

DOI: 10.4324/9781003113393-3

John Adams's work was published in 1822 (by C. Hurst, Robinson and Co., London). An expanded version was published in the following year, under the title Remarks on the Country Extending from Cape Palmas to the River Congo (London, G. and W. B. Whittaker, 1823), and this has become better known, mainly through a modern reprinting (London, Frank Cass, 1966). Published excerpts have also generally been taken from the latter text: for example, in the anthology of sources relating to the history of Nigeria, Nigerian Perspectives, edited by Thomas Hodgkin (London, Oxford University Press, 1960). Adams had captained several slave-trading voyages between 1786-1800, and his account is mainly based upon this experience, although he also includes some material (especially relating to the growth of trade in palm oil) which reflects more recent developments. Despite his slave-trading background, Adams did not write as an apologist for the slave trade. Writing several years after the legal abolition of the British slave trade, his main focus was rather on the prospects for the development of alternative commercial opportunities, for which he offers detailed practical recommendations. He was also concerned to advocate the establishment of a settlement for slaves liberated from illegal slave ships by the British navy at Malemba (in modern Congo-Brazzaville), but his advice in this matter was ignored by the British government.

SKETCHES
TAKEN
DURING TEN VOYAGES
TO
AFRICA,

Between the Years 1786 and 1800;

INCLUDING
OBSERVATIONS ON THE COUNTRY

BETWEEN
CAPE PALMAS AND THE RIVER CONGO;

AND
Cursory Remarks

ON THE
PHYSICAL AND MORAL CHARACTER OF THE INHABITANTS:

WITH
AN APPENDIX,

CONTAINING AN ACCOUNT OF THE EUROPEAN TRADE WITH THE WEST COAST OF AFRICA.

By CAPTAIN JOHN ADAMS.

LONDON,
PUBLISHED BY HURST, ROBINSON, AND CO. CONSTABLE AND CO. EDINBURGH; BY T. MUNCASTER, LIVERPOOL;

And may be had of all other Booksellers.

James Smith, Printer, Liverpool.

CONTENTS.

1. CHAP. I. Cape Palmas—Coley's Rock, and opinion respecting it—Bereby—Drewin—St. Andrew's—Cape Lahoo—town and river—Bassams, Great and Little—Assinee—Appolonia—British sorts on the Gold Coast—Fantees—their customs—Chambas or Duncos, their character
2. CHAP. II. Dahomy—Grewhe, the trading town—country described—singular customs—Ardrah—the road to it—the lake—the country described—markets—manufactures—industry of the inhabitants—kingdom of Eyeo—its extent—protection afforded to Ardrah by its King—the Eyeo people described—natives of Houssa—Lagos—Cradoo Lake—trade of Lagos—customs—population—medium of exchange—Jaboos, their country and industry
3. CHAP. III. Benin—river—Gatto creek—the capital of Benin—interview with the king—dancing women—customs of the natives—population—affinity to the Heebos—their national mark—Warré—journey there—manufactures—population—audience with the king—his dress—reliques of Catholicism—Bonny—great market for slaves—Heebos, number exported—fairswhere they are sold—their character—Old Calabar.
4. CHAP. IV. The island of Fernandipo—Princes—St. Thomas—Annabona—Majumba—singular appearance of the natives—King Cole—Malemba—the town—salubrity of its climate—local advantages for colonizing—natives—their character.
5. CHAP. V. Seasons—Hanaattan—theory concerning it—currents—trade and productions of Africa—language—religion—climate—civilization of the inhabitants, opinion concerning it—Niger—remarks on the various opinions respecting its termination—geological observations—rivers—quadrupeds—birds—insects.
6. APPENDIX

INTRODUCTION.

I AM not aware that the western shores of Africa have yet been visited by any travellers, for the avowed purpose of making discoveries, at least in those parts situated between Cape Palmas and the River Congo; and the few works published relative to these countries, have been written by men (whatever their education or powers of discrimination may have been) who had duties of a higher personal interest to perform, and which left them but little time to make scientific researches. In this part of Africa, therefore, as well as in the interior, there is a wide field for the enlightened traveller to explore; and should these Sketches be found serviceable to him, in the pursuit of objects valuable to science, part of the Author's intention in laying them before the Public, will be answered.

In the selection of a place for colonization in Africa, the members composing the African Institution, it is too well known, have been peculiarly unfortunate. The insalubrity of the air of Sierra Leone is almost become proverbial, and those going there, are considered by many as embarking for the next world; it is therefore much to be apprehended, that one of the benevolent purposes for which that settlement was originally founded, will be frustrated. Hence, in the course of these brief Sketches, I have endeavoured to point out a place suitable for establishing a colony of the negroes captured on board of contraband slave-ships, with a view to the ultimate civilization of the Africans by their means. In fact, there is not along the whole line of coast, extending from Cape Palmas, where these Sketches commence, to the River Congo, embracing an extent of five hundred leagues, one place that has come under my observation, so peculiarly well adapted for that purpose, as the one to which I allude, and for the reasons adduced in the course of this work.

The trade in the productions of the soil of Africa, having of late greatly increased, more especially in consequence of the final abolition of the slave-trade on the western shores of Africa, north of the equator, I have given in the Appendix, a statement of such articles, both of Indian and European manufacture, as are suitable to barter for gold, ivory, and palm-oil; as also the current prices for which they are generally bought in Europe, and bartered in Africa.

SKETCHES, &c.

Chap. I

Cape Palmas—Coley's Rock, and opinion respecting it—Hereby—Drewin —St. Andrew's—Cape Lahoo—town and river—Bassams, Great and Little—Assinee—Appolonia—British forts on the Gold Coast—Fantees —their customs—Chambas or Duncos, their character.

CAPE PALMAS lies in latitude 4° 30' north, and longitude 7° 26' west of Greenwich. Off the Cape there is a reef, in the inside of which, and near the shore, small vessels may anchor.

To the westward of Cape Palmas, a rock was discovered by Captain Coley, of the ship Queen, of London, in the year 1794, and the account which he gave of it and its bearings, is as follows: " Two high trees above Garraway, bearing north " five leagues, pitch of Cape Palmas, E. E. six " and a half leagues. On the top of the rock I " found ten feet water, and it tapers down to " seven fathoms as close as you can chuck a " biscuit. The depth of water, after clearing the " rock, is thirteen fathoms."*

* The distance which Captain Coley has estimated this rock to be from the land, must certainly be erroneous, because neither Garraway nor Cape Palmas would be visible from the quarter-deck of his vessel, at the distances which he has given; and it is to be presumed that he took the bearings of the land from his boat, when sounding on the rock. From Garraway to Cape Palmas, including both these places, the land is so very low, that in approaching it from the sea, the trees growing on it are first visible above the horizon, and have the appearance of a Beet of ships. Therefore, if he took the bearings and distance of the rock from the boat, a line drawn from his eye, and terminating at the distance of five leagues, would require an object to be 160 feet high to be seen at that point; and at the distance of six and a half leagues, an object 180 feet high would be requisite for the same purpose, supposing the atmosphere to be unusually clear, which is by no means common on this part of the coast of Africa; and the highest trees here have not an apparent altitude exceeding fifty or sixty feet.

The natives of the Cape are poor and inoffensive, and live principally by fishing. They sometimes bring off to vessels a small quantity of ivory and Malagetta pepper.

Bereby is situated on the margin of a bay, in which boats can generally land, as there is a projecting point of land which breaks off the Sea. The natives sell a little ivory.

St. Andrew's and Drewin. The people here have a small quantity of ivory, for which they always wish an exorbitant price.

The town of Cape Lahoo is built on a narrow peninsula of sand formed by the sea and river, and may consist of 150 houses, containing a population of seven or eight hundred souls. The Dutch, at a former period, carried on here a considerable trade in slaves and ivory, particularly in the latter, in which article the Lahoo people have always dealt largely.

As the trade with Europeans is carried on on hoard their vessels, but few of them ever go on shore, and I was in consequence anxious to pay the town a visit. On making my intention known to the natives, they seemed much gratified, and placed me in one of their best canoes for that purpose, from which we landed without being much wet, the surf on the shore being moderate. I was taken to the Chief's house, who treated me with much attention, kindness, and hospitality; but the beautiful tropical picture which the river at this time presented, would have amply repaid me for my trouble, if I had had no other cause for being pleased with my journey. This little river, after bending its course from the north to the back of the town, runs to the eastward a few hundred yards, parallel to the sea-shore, and then joins the sea. Its mouth is narrow and choked with hard sand, on which the sea breaks with great violence, so as to render it very dangerous either for boats or canoes to approach its entrance. It was now the dry season, its stream almost pellucid, and its surface so tranquil, that the graceful palms which adorn its banks were reflected from its surface as from a mirror; and a few canoes, in which people were employed fishing, gave animation to the scene. The town formed the fore-ground, and a cluster of large Ceiba and other trees, the screen to this interesting tropical picture. A boundless expanse of ocean placed within a few hundred yards of it, on which I had toiled many years, and a foaming surf rolling in upon the shore, formed a striking contrast to the tranquillity and beauty of the landscape spread out before me, which gave it charms that in my eyes it might not otherwise have had.

Men, women, and children, accompanied me when I went to view the entrance of the river, and I was much surprised to see many of the females, approaching the adult age, in a state of nudity, as compared with those of their own sex and age living on the Gold Coast, and without seeming at all conscious of the indecency of their appearance.

The form of government is patriarchal, although a man named Antonia appeared to exercise the greatest authority; he was at this time labouring under a diseased stomach, hi consequence of having taken a dose of the tincture of cantharides, administered to him by the surgeon of a vessel, to whom he had complained of impotence.

After spe...