Captain Canot; Or, Twenty Years of an African Slaver
"I address you in consequence of having received a note from you a few
evenings since; but I wish it to be understood that this
communication is intended for all or any persons who are now in New
Sestros, engaged in the slave-trade.
"I have received information that you now have, in your establishments
on shore, several hundred negroes confined in barracoons, waiting for
an opportunity to ship them. Whether you are Americans, English,
French, Spaniards, or Portuguese, you are acting in violation of the
established laws of your respective countries, and, therefore, are not
entitled to any protection from your governments. You have placed
yourselves beyond the protection of any civilized nation, as you are
engaged in a traffic which has been made _piracy_ by most of the
Christian nations of the world.
"As I have been sent by my government to root out, if possible, this
traffic on and near our settlements on the coast, I must now give you
notice, that you must break up your establishment at this point, in
two weeks from this date; failing to do so, I shall take such measures
as I conceive necessary to attain this object. I will thank you to
send a reply to this communication immediately, stating your
intentions, and also sending an account of the number of slaves you
have on hand.
"I am, &c., &c., &c.,
"CHARLES R. BELL,
"_Lieut. Com. U. S. Naval Forces, Coast of Africa_.
"To Mr. A. DEMER and others,
"NEW SESTROS, _Coast of Africa_."
I do not know what reply was made to this communication, as a copy was
not retained; but when my clerk handed me the original letter from
Lieutenant Bell, on my arrival from Cuba I lost no time in forwarding
the following answer to Col. Hicks, at Monrovia, to be despatched by
him to the American officer:
"TO CHARLES R. BELL, ESQ.,
"_Lieut. Com. of the U. S. Forces, Coast of Africa, Monrovia_.
"NEW SESTROS, _April 2, 1840_.
"SIR:
"Your letter of the 6th March, directed to the white residents of New
Sestros, was handed me on my return to this country, and I am sorry I
can make but the following short answer.
"First, sir, you seem to assume a supremacy over the most civilized
nations of the world, and, under the doubtful pretext of your nation's
authority, threaten to land and destroy our property on these neutral
shores. Next, you are pleased to inform us that all Christian nations
have declared the slave-trade _piracy_, and that we are not entitled
to any protection from our government. Why, then, do the Southern
States of your great confederacy allow slavery, public auctions,
transportation from one State to another,--not only of civilized black
native subjects,--but of nearly white, American, Christian citizens?
Such is the case in your free and independent country; and, though the
slave-trade is carried on in the United States of America with more
brutality than in any other colony, I still hope you are a Christian!
"To your third article, wherein you observe, having 'been sent by your
government to root out this traffic, if possible, near your own
settlements on the coast,'--allow me to have my doubts of such orders.
Your government could not have issued them without previously making
them publicly known;--and, permit me to say, those Christian nations
you are pleased to mention, are not aware that your nation had set up
colonies on the coast of Africa. They were always led to believe that
these Liberian settlements were nothing but Christian beneficial
societies, humanely formed by private philanthropists, to found a
refuge for the poor blacks born in America, who cannot be protected in
their native country by the free and independent laws and institutions
of the United States.
"If my argument cannot convince you that you are not justified in
molesting a harmless people on these desolate shores, allow me to
inform you that, should you put your threats in execution and have the
advantage over us, many factories would suffer by your unjust attack,
which would give them an indisputable right to claim high damages from
your government.
"Most of the white residents here, are, and have been, friendly to
Americans at large; some have been educated in your country, and it
would be the saddest day of their lives, if obliged to oppose by force
of arms the people of a nation they love as much as their own
countrymen. The undersigned, in particular, would wish to observe that
the same spirit that led him to avenge Governor Findley's murder, will
support him in defence of his property, though much against his
inclination.
"I remain, very respectfully,
"Your obedient servant,
"THEODORE CANOT."
This diplomatic encounter terminated the onslaught. Buchanan, who was
over hasty with military display on most occasions, made a requisition
for volunteers to march against New Sestros. But the troops were never
set in motion. In the many years of my residence in the colonial
neighborhood, this was the only occasion that menaced our friendship
or verged upon hostilities.
* * * * *
Whilst I was abroad in England and Cuba, my _charge d'affaires_ at New
Sestros sent off a cargo of three hundred negroes, nearly all of whom
were safely landed in the West Indies, bringing us a profit of nine
thousand dollars. There were, however, still one hundred and fifty in
our _barracoons_ to be shipped; and, as the cargo from the Crawford
was quickly exchanged with the natives for more slaves, in two months'
time, I found my pens surcharged with six hundred human beings. Two
other neighboring factories were also crammed; while, unfortunately,
directly in front of us, a strong reinforcement of British men-of-war
kept watch and ward to prevent our depletion.
No slaver dared show its topsails above the horizon. The season did
not afford us supplies from the interior. Very few coasters looked in
at New Sestros; and, as our stock of grain and provisions began to
fail, the horrors of famine became the sole topic of conversation
among our alarmed factors.
It will readily be supposed that every effort was made, not only to
economize our scanty stores, but to increase them through the
intervention of boats that were sent far and wide to scour the coast
for rice and cassava. Double and triple prices were offered for these
articles, yet our agents returned without the required supplies. In
fact, the free natives themselves were in danger of starvation, and
while they refused to part with their remnants, even under the
temptation of luxuries, they sometimes sent deputations to my
settlement in search of food.
By degrees I yielded to the conviction that I must diminish my mouths.
First of all, I released the old and feeble from the _barracoon_.
This, for a few days, afforded ample relief; but, as I retained only
the staunchest, the remaining appetites speedily reduced our rations
to a single meal _per diem_. At last, the steward reported, that even
this allowance could be continued for little more than a week. In
twelve days, at farthest, my resources would be utterly exhausted.
In this extremity I summoned a council of neighboring chiefs, and
exposing my situation, demanded their opinion as to a fitting course
on the dreaded day. I had resolved to retain my blacks till the last
measure was distributed, and then to liberate them to shift for
themselves.
But the idea of releasing six hundred famishing foemen struck the
beach people with horror. It would, they said, be a certain source of
war and murder; and they implored me not to take such a step till they
made every effort to ease my burden. As a beginning, they proposed at
once relieving the _barracoon_ of a large portion of females and of
all the male youths, who were to be fed and guarded by them, on my
account, till better times.
By this system of colonizing I got rid of the support of two hundred
and twenty-five negroes; and, as good luck would have it, a visit from
a friendly coaster enabled me, within ten days, to exchange my
beautiful cutter "Ruth" for a cargo of rice from the colony at Cape
Palmas.
It was fortunate that in a week after this happy relief the British
cruisers left our anchorage for a few days. No sooner were they off,
than a telegraph of smoke, which, in those days, was quite as useful
on the African coast, as the electric is on ours, gave notice to the
notorious "Volador." There was joy in the teeming factories when her
signal was descried in the offing; and, before the following dawn,
seven hundred and forty-nine human beings, packed within her one
hundred and sixty-five tons, were on their way to Cuba.
_This was the last cargo of slaves I ever shipped!_
CHAPTER LXVI.
When the thought struck me of abandoning the slave-trade, and I had
resolved to follow out the good impulse, I established a store in the
neighborhood of my old _barracoons_ with the design of trafficking in
the produce of industry alone. This concern was intrusted to the
management of a clever young colonist.
It was about this time that the British brig of war Termagant held New
Sestros in permanent blockade, forbidding even a friendly boat to
communicate with my factory. Early one morning I was called to witness
a sturdy chase between my scolding foe and a small sail which was
evidently running for the shore in order to save her crew by beaching.
The British bull-dog, however, was not to be deterred by the perils of
the surf; and, holding on with the tenacity of fate, pursued the
stranger, till he discovered that a large reinforcement of armed
natives was arrayed on the strand ready to protect the fugitives.
Accordingly, the Englishmen refrained from assailing the mariners, and
confined their revenge to the destruction of the craft.
As this affray occurred within gun-shot of my lawful factory, I
hastened to the beach under the belief that some of my _employes_ had
unluckily fallen into a difficulty with the natives. But on my arrival
I was greeted by a well-known emissary from our headquarters at
Gallinas, who bore a missive imparting the Volador's arrival in Cuba
with six hundred and eleven of her people. The letter furthermore
apprised me that Don Pedro, who persisted in sending merchandise to
my slave factory, still declined my resignation as his agent, but
acknowledged a credit in his chest of thirteen thousand dollars for my
commissions on the Volador's slaves. Here, then, were Confidence and
Temptation, both resolutely proffered to lure me back to my ancient
habits!
I was busily engaged on the sands, enforcing from the negroes a
restitution of clothes to the plundered postman, when the crack of a
cannon, higher up the beach, made me fear that an aggression was being
committed against my homestead. Before I could depart, however, two
more shots in the same quarter, left me no room to doubt that the
Termagant was talking most shrewishly with my factory at New Sestros.
I reached the establishment with all convenient speed, only to find it
full of natives, who had been brought to the spot from the interior by
the sound of a cannonade. The following letter from the captain of the
man-of-war, it seems, had been landed in a fishing canoe very soon
after my departure in the morning, and the shots, I suppose, were
discharged to awake my attention to its contents.
"HER BRITANNIC MAJESTY'S SHIP TERMAGANT,
"_Off_ NEW SESTROS, _Nov. 5, 1840_.
"SIR:
"The natives or Kroomen of your settlement having this day fired on
the boats of Her B. M. ship under my command, while in chase of a
Spanish boat with seven men going to New Sestros, I therefore demand
the persons who fired on the boats, to answer for the same; and,
should this demand not be complied with, I shall take such steps as I
deem proper to secure satisfaction.