The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African
attempt were countenanced by the legislature.
Shortly after this I left the Governor, and served a nobleman in the
Devonshire militia, with whom I was encamped at Coxheath for some
time; but the operations there were too minute and uninteresting to
make a detail of.
In the year 1783 I visited eight counties in Wales, from motives of
curiosity. While I was in that part of the country I was led to go
down into a coal-pit in Shropshire, but my curiosity nearly cost me my
life; for while I was in the pit the coals fell in, and buried one
poor man, who was not far from me: upon this I got out as fast as I
could, thinking the surface of the earth the safest part of it.
In the spring 1784 I thought of visiting old ocean again. In
consequence of this I embarked as steward on board a fine new ship
called the London, commanded by Martin Hopkin, and sailed for
New-York. I admired this city very much; it is large and well-built,
and abounds with provisions of all kinds. While we lay here a
circumstance happened which I thought extremely singular:--One day a
malefactor was to be executed on a gallows; but with a condition that
if any woman, having nothing on but her shift, married the man under
the gallows, his life was to be saved. This extraordinary privilege
was claimed; a woman presented herself; and the marriage ceremony was
performed. Our ship having got laden we returned to London in January
1785. When she was ready again for another voyage, the captain being
an agreeable man, I sailed with him from hence in the spring, March
1785, for Philadelphia. On the fifth of April we took our departure
from the Land's-end, with a pleasant gale; and about nine o'clock that
night the moon shone bright, and the sea was smooth, while our ship
was going free by the wind, at the rate of about four or five miles an
hour. At this time another ship was going nearly as fast as we on the
opposite point, meeting us right in the teeth, yet none on board
observed either ship until we struck each other forcibly head and
head, to the astonishment and consternation of both crews. She did us
much damage, but I believe we did her more; for when we passed by each
other, which we did very quickly, they called to us to bring to, and
hoist out our boat, but we had enough to do to mind ourselves; and in
about eight minutes we saw no more of her. We refitted as well as we
could the next day, and proceeded on our voyage, and in May arrived at
Philadelphia. I was very glad to see this favourite old town once
more; and my pleasure was much increased in seeing the worthy quakers
freeing and easing the burthens of many of my oppressed African
brethren. It rejoiced my heart when one of these friendly people took
me to see a free-school they had erected for every denomination of
black people, whose minds are cultivated here and forwarded to virtue;
and thus they are made useful members of the community. Does not the
success of this practice say loudly to the planters in the language of
scripture--"Go ye and do likewise?"
In October 1785 I was accompanied by some of the Africans, and
presented this address of thanks to the gentlemen called Friends or
Quakers, in Gracechurch-Court Lombard-Street:
Gentlemen,
By reading your book, entitled a Caution to Great Britain
and her Colonies, concerning the Calamitous State of the
enslaved Negroes: We the poor, oppressed, needy, and
much-degraded negroes, desire to approach you with this
address of thanks, with our inmost love and warmest
acknowledgment; and with the deepest sense of your
benevolence, unwearied labour, and kind interposition,
towards breaking the yoke of slavery, and to administer a
little comfort and ease to thousands and tens of thousands
of very grievously afflicted, and too heavy burthened
negroes.
Gentlemen, could you, by perseverance, at last be enabled,
under God, to lighten in any degree the heavy burthen of the
afflicted, no doubt it would, in some measure, be the
possible means, under God, of saving the souls of many of
the oppressors; and, if so, sure we are that the God, whose
eyes are ever upon all his creatures, and always rewards
every true act of virtue, and regards the prayers of the
oppressed, will give to you and yours those blessings which
it is not in our power to express or conceive, but which we,
as a part of those captived, oppressed, and afflicted
people, most earnestly wish and pray for.
These gentlemen received us very kindly, with a promise to exert
themselves on behalf of the oppressed Africans, and we parted.
While in town I chanced once to be invited to a quaker's wedding. The
simple and yet expressive mode used at their solemnizations is worthy
of note. The following is the true form of it:
After the company have met they have seasonable exhortations by
several of the members; the bride and bridegroom stand up, and, taking
each other by the hand in a solemn manner, the man audily declares to
this purpose:
"Friends, in the fear of the Lord, and in the presence of this
assembly, whom I desire to be my witnesses, I take this my friend,
M.N. to be my wife; promising, through divine assistance, to be unto
her a loving and faithful husband till death separate us:" and the
woman makes the like declaration. Then the two first sign their names
to the record, and as many more witnesses as have a mind. I had the
honour to subscribe mine to a register in Gracechurch-Court,
Lombard-Street.
We returned to London in August; and our ship not going immediately to
sea, I shipped as a steward in an American ship called the Harmony,
Captain John Willet, and left London in March 1786, bound to
Philadelphia. Eleven days after sailing we carried our foremast away.
We had a nine weeks passage, which caused our trip not to succeed
well, the market for our goods proving bad; and, to make it worse, my
commander began to play me the like tricks as others too often
practise on free negroes in the West Indies. But I thank God I found
many friends here, who in some measure prevented him. On my return to
London in August I was very agreeably surprised to find that the
benevolence of government had adopted the plan of some philanthropic
individuals to send the Africans from hence to their native quarter;
and that some vessels were then engaged to carry them to Sierra Leone;
an act which redounded to the honour of all concerned in its
promotion, and filled me with prayers and much rejoicing. There was
then in the city a select committee of gentlemen for the black poor,
to some of whom I had the honour of being known; and, as soon as they
heard of my arrival they sent for me to the committee. When I came
there they informed me of the intention of government; and as they
seemed to think me qualified to superintend part of the undertaking,
they asked me to go with the black poor to Africa. I pointed out to
them many objections to my going; and particularly I expressed some
difficulties on the account of the slave dealers, as I would certainly
oppose their traffic in the human species by every means in my power.
However these objections were over-ruled by the gentlemen of the
committee, who prevailed on me to go, and recommended me to the
honourable Commissioners of his Majesty's Navy as a proper person to
act as commissary for government in the intended expedition; and they
accordingly appointed me in November 1786 to that office, and gave me
sufficient power to act for the government in the capacity of
commissary, having received my warrant and the following order.
_By the principal Officers and Commissioners of
his Majesty's Navy_.
Whereas you were directed, by our warrant of the 4th of last
month, to receive into your charge from Mr. Irving the
surplus provisions remaining of what was provided for the
voyage, as well as the provisions for the support of the
black poor, after the landing at Sierra Leone, with the
cloathing, tools, and all other articles provided at
government's expense; and as the provisions were laid in at
the rate of two months for the voyage, and for four months
after the landing, but the number embarked being so much
less than was expected, whereby there may be a considerable
surplus of provisions, cloathing, &c. These are, in addition
to former orders, to direct and require you to appropriate
or dispose of such surplus to the best advantage you can for
the benefit of government, keeping and rendering to us a
faithful account of what you do herein. And for your
guidance in preventing any white persons going, who are not
intended to have the indulgences of being carried thither,
we send you herewith a list of those recommended by the
Committee for the black poor as proper persons to be
permitted to embark, and acquaint you that you are not to
suffer any others to go who do not produce a certificate
from the committee for the black poor, of their having their
permission for it. For which this shall be your warrant.
Dated at the Navy Office, January 16, 1787.
J. HINSLOW,
GEO. MARSH,
W. PALMER.
To Mr. Gustavus Vassa,
Commissary of Provisions and
Stores for the Black Poor
going to Sierra Leone.
I proceeded immediately to the execution of my duty on board the
vessels destined for the voyage, where I continued till the March
following.
During my continuance in the employment of government, I was struck
with the flagrant abuses committed by the agent, and endeavoured to
remedy them, but without effect. One instance, among many which I
could produce, may serve as a specimen. Government had ordered to be
provided all necessaries (slops, as they are called, included) for 750
persons; however, not being able to muster more than 426, I was
ordered to send the superfluous slops, &c. to the king's stores at
Portsmouth; but, when I demanded them for that purpose from the agent,
it appeared they had never been bought, though paid for by government.
But that was not all, government were not the only objects of
peculation; these poor people suffered infinitely more; their
accommodations were most wretched; many of them wanted beds, and many
more cloathing and other necessaries. For the truth of this, and much
more, I do not seek credit from my own assertion. I appeal to the
testimony of Capt. Thompson, of the Nautilus, who convoyed us, to whom
I applied in February 1787 for a remedy, when I had remonstrated to
the agent in vain, and even brought him to be a witness of the
injustice and oppression I complained of. I appeal also to a letter
written by these wretched people, so early as the beginning of the
preceding January, and published in the Morning Herald of the 4th of
that month, signed by twenty of their chiefs.
I could not silently suffer government to be thus cheated, and my
countrymen plundered and oppressed, and even left destitute of the
necessaries for almost their existence. I therefore informed the
Commissioners of the Navy of the agent's proceeding; but my dismission
was soon after procured, by means of a gentleman in the city, whom the
agent, conscious of his peculation, had deceived by letter, and whom,
moreover, empowered the same agent to receive on board, at the
government expense, a number of persons as passengers, contrary to the
orders I received. By this I suffered a considerable loss in my
property: however, the commissioners were satisfied with my conduct,