308 Ancient and Modern Systems of Slavery. Q 



urinated."* These wretched people (the slaves), both from necessity and 

 inclination, eat lizards, rats, and the most abominable offal. Aged and 

 infirm people are exposed with indifference in the country, to die or be 

 devoured by wild beasts, as it may happen. Slaves are called by all 

 manner of names of beasts, birds or reptiles, such as " woman vulture," 

 " snake," &c. 



Leaving the filthy feeders of Katunga, Lander arrived at Engwa on 

 the 8th of November. On the 21st he reached Badagry, having every- 

 where been well treated on his way back to the coast. 



The shocking brutality and pitiless conduct of the savage and blood- 

 thirsty Badagrians, is painted in the most horrid colours by Lander. It 

 is one of the principal marts for selling slaves to the Portuguese. " It 

 not unfrequently happens that the market is either overstocked with 

 human beings, or no buyers are to be found ; in which case the mainte- 

 nance of the unhappy slaves devolves solely on the government. The 

 expense incurred by this means is oftentimes murmured against by the 

 king, who shortly afterwards causes an examination to be made, when the 

 sickly, as well as the old and infirm, are carefully selected, and chained 

 by themselves in one of the factories, (five of which, containing upwards 

 of one thousand slaves of both sexes, were at Badagry, during my 

 residence, there) ; and next day the majority of these poor wretches are 

 pinioned, and conveyed to the banks of the river, where having arrived, 

 a weight of some sort is appended to their necks, and, being rowed in 

 canoes to the middle of the stream, they are flung into the water, and 

 left to perish by the pitiless Badagrians. Slaves who, for other reasons, 

 are rejected by the merchants, undergo the. same punishment, or are left 

 to endure more lively torture at ' the sacrifices :' by which means, hun- 

 dreds of human beings are annually destroyed." t The account Lander 

 gives of the Fetish-hut and Fetish-tree, are truly horrid. Thieves, and 

 other offenders, together with the remnant of the unpurchased slaves, 

 who are not drowned along with their companions in misfortune and 

 misery, are reserved by the Badagrians, to sacrifice to their gods ; which 

 horrid ceremony takes place once a month. Prisoners taken in war are 

 also immolated to appease the manes of the soldiers of Adolee slain in 

 battle." The atrocious manner of their murder is too horrid for 

 description, and yet all this takes place within reach of British influence. 

 But the Anti-slavery Society, who are, in some measure, to blame for 

 a part of these atrocities,:]; prefer urging upon our government measures, 

 which, if adopted, would destroy that degree of comfort and civilization 

 which the expatriated Africans and their descendants now enjoy in our 

 colonies, and cause great loss to their countrymen, instead of turning 

 their attention to this legitimate object of humanity the mitigation of 

 horrid barbarities in Africa itself. The Portuguese, or Brazilian slave- 

 trade, is no longer legal either north or south of the line ; and if the 

 African Society were to turn their attention to the means of utterly 

 abolishing it, they would deserve the thanks and support of the true 

 friends of humanity, instead of sinking into that contempt and insig- 

 nificancy which is the certain result of their present pursuits ! 



To return to Lander, after being placed in great danger by the jealousy 

 of the Portuguese slave agents, and obliged, by the fanatical natives, 

 to undergo the trial by poison, he at last succeeded in getting away from 



* Records, &c. p. 207. f !' P- 250. 



% Our reasons for this assertion are stated in the Magazine for last month; pp. 289, 209. 



