1822. ] 
form, one of the boards resting on his 
body, jammed between two water- 
casks, appeared the above wretched in- 
dividual, whom it was a matter of as- 
tonishment to find alive.’ 
“It was recollected with horror by the 
officers of the Tartar, that, when they 
first began the chase of La Jeune 
Estelle, ‘they had seen several casks 
Hoating past them, in which they now 
suspected that these wretched beings 
might have been enclosed, having been 
thrown overboard to elude the detec- 
tion of his proceedings. 
Since the British establishment of 
Bathurst was formed on the island of 
St. Mary’s, near the mouth of the 
Gambia, no French vessel has been al- 
lowed to enter or leave the river with- 
out undergoing an examination. Not- 
withstanding ihis restriction, however, 
a very considerable slave-trade is car- 
ried on by the French factors of Al- 
breda throughout the whole length of 
the river Gambia. Yor, although the 
authorities at Bathurst do not permit 
any vessel with slaves on-board to pass 
that settlement, yet they are carried in 
canoes to the left bank of the river, and 
thence conveyed by land to Cacho or 
Cazamens, whence they are shipped for 
the West Indies. By these means the 
whole of that noble river, which would 
otherwise be entirely free from this 
traffic, is from one end to the other of 
its navigable course, exceeding 1000 
miles, made the scene of the atrocities 
of the slave-trade ; and thus not only is 
the progress of civilization and improve 
ment in that fertile region retarded, and 
the natives prevented from pursuing a 
course of peaceful industry, and bene- 
ficial intercourse, but wars are excited 
amongst them, and the surrounding 
districts are involved in depredation 
and blood. 
Enough has been said to shew the 
enormous extent to which the slave- 
trade is carried on under the French 
flag, not only from Senegal and Goree, 
but along the whole extent of the Afri- 
can coast, for the supply of the colonies 
both of Vrance and of other powers. 
If it were necessary, this point might be 
further proved by almost daily occur- 
rences in different ports of France it- 
self, where associations are formed 
with little or uo disguise, and vessels 
fitted out for the prosecution of this ne- 
farious traffic. ~These ships are known 
to have’ several times completed and 
tenewed their atrocious enterprizes, 
African Institution. 339 
without the smallest molestation or 
difficulty. 
The directors have ‘not failed to 
communicate these painful facts to 
his majesty’s government; and they 
know that strong representations have 
been made on the subject to the go- 
vernment of France; with what effect 
remains to be seen. In the month of 
June last, the minister of the marine 
announced, in the Chamber of Deputies, 
his intention of proposing a further 
enactment to render the Abolition ef- 
fectual; and the directors have learnt 
that a promise to the same effect was 
actually made to our government. 
The vast extent to which the slave- 
trade on the west coast of Africa con- 
tinues to be carricd on, is further 
proved, by accounts received from the 
river Bonny. During the above period 
of five or six months, 120 sail of French, 
Spanish, and Portuguese vessels had 
visited the river for the purpose of pro- 
curing slaves. The French flag is also 
prostituted to the protection of the Spa- 
nish slave-trade, which has now ceased 
to have any legal existence. This fact 
is confirmed by recent intelligence from 
the Havannah, which represents the 
slave-trade there as ina very flourishing 
state, and as chiefly carried on under 
the flag of France. 
A flagrant instance of the barbarities 
which a familiarity with the slave-trade 
has a tendency to produce, recently oc- 
curred in the case of a Portuguese 
vessel called the Volcano do Sul. She 
was captured by his majesty’s ship 
Pheasant, with 260 slaves on-board ; 
and, in the Passage to Sierra Leone, 
her captain and crew rose upon the 
British officer and sailors, murdered 
them all, and then carried the vessel 
into Bahia, where the slaves were 
landed and sold. 
The directors derive great satisfac- 
tion from being enabled to state to the 
meeting, that the colony of Sierra 
Leone continues ina state of progres- 
sive improvement. The total amount 
of the population of the colony, on the 
8th of July 1820, was 12,521, giving an 
inerease, since a former census in De- 
cember 1818, of 2956 persons, including 
943 liberated Africans landed at Sierra 
Leone from slave-vessels, eighty-five 
persons sent thither from’ Barbadoes, 
and the discharged soldiers of two 
West-India regiments, and of the Royal 
African ‘corps, amounting with their 
families to 1030 individuals. 
’ Accounts 
