African Immigrants After Freedom. 77 



had been decided to include Sierra Leone in the list of places from which 

 immigrants might be sought. 



Two weeks later, a Proclamation — issued under Ordinance 4 of 1841 

 — appeared. A Bounty of $35 would be paid on each immigrant brought 

 from Sierra Leone and $30 for an immigrant from Brazil. Later 

 St. Helena was added. * 



During 1841-2 private vessels brought such of the liberated Africans 

 as came to British Guiana, but this was abandoned in January, 1843. 

 The Imperial Government then chartered its own transports or issued 

 licences to approved ships, under a naval officer. 



The majority of the Liberated Africans — habitues of the " Liberated 

 African Yard " (or " Queen's Yard ") at Sierra Leone, St. Helena or Rio 

 de Janeiro — were of the Aku (or Yoruba) Nation. These were made up 

 of several tribes : the Ijesa, Abunu, Egba, Yagba, Ondo (or Doko) and 

 the Effa. A few facts about these people in their new environment may 

 be found in a paper, "Among the Aku" (" Timehri," 1917). A large 

 number of Kongo were also found in the captured slavers. 



Immigration Records — the laconic Registers — give a peep of the 

 African immigrant (the " New African " as he was called in Census 

 Returns in contradistinction to the " Old African " of the Slave Trade) as 

 he landed in Demerara long ago. 



Three typical arrivals may be given. 



(a) The " Hamilla Mitchell " arrived August 26, 1856, with 57 men 

 and 8 boys. She brought no women. The names are Kongo, — Chaba, 

 Malenfoo, Bambia, Mavoongoo, &c. 



(b) The barque " David Malcolm, " arrived August 5, 1862. She 

 brought 124 men, 51 women, 70 boys, 9 girls and 3 infants, — 257 in all. 

 255 of her cargo had brands on the right breast, arm or shoulder, — pro- 

 bably the work of the Brazilian slaver who had purchased them from 

 the black trader. 



* A singular case of involuntary immigration is recorded in February, 1812. An estate's 

 sloop, nearing Pin. Richmond on the Aroabisce Coast, Essequibo, saw a strange vessel at 

 anchor. The captain was struck by the novel sight of an immense iron pot on deck, and by 

 two or three negro boys' heads peeping from beneath a sail. He hastened ashore and told the 

 manager, Mr. Pearson, who collected forty volunteers, armed them as well as he could and 

 went off. On boarding the vessel (a schooner about 1 7 tons) he found only two men. — a 

 Spaniard and an Italian. Tfce Italian, who spoke a little English, said the schooner was a slaver 

 from Cabenda on the West Coast of Africa, bound for Havanna - The captain had died on the 

 passage, forty-three days out. and the crew were unable to keep the reckoning or steer the ves- 

 sel in its proper course. They had been carried by currents to where they were found. 



The cargo — 77 slaves — were all, with the exception of a lad, children from about 9 to 13 

 years of age. Three had died on the passage. There were 78 boys and 4 girls. The schooner 

 had no deck and they could only rest on the water-casks. The remaining provisions 

 were three bags of meal. They were all in a most melancholy state of debility and exhaus- 

 tion. 



Upon being taken ashore, they were received with delight, mixed with pity, by the Creole 

 labourers. Everybody was eager to do what he could. 



The little waifs were located on different estates on the Coast, and were soon happy in their 

 new homes. Sir Henry Light visited Essequibo two months later and saw twenty of them on 

 Pin. Mainstay. An old Kongo woman, a slave of former days, interpreted his questions. 

 They had been sold by relatives, two or three of them said, and did not much regret their 

 native land. Here they got plenty yam. 



