REVOÏ.UTIONARY FANATICISM- 
85 
pisndered, and the sacred books consumed ; nor did the invaders 
spare the drugs and medicines for the use of the colony. The 
loss to the company on this occasion was estimated at 40,0001, 
sterhng. 
' I his expedition was condemned by all rational Frenchmen, and 
was disowned by the government^ who caused the commander of the 
sq>uadron to be thrown into prison. His punishment would have 
been exemplary, if it had not clearly appeared that he was ignorant 
of the injury he had committed. It was proved from his journal, 
that he had been led into the error by two American Negroes, 
and that he thought he was doing a patriotic action by destroying 
an establishment of Pitt, fo?^ furnishing siavàs. It was evident 
that he had no other motives for his conduct ; but this did not 
diminish the evil, and the company immediately employed them- 
selves in repairing the injuries which the colony had sustained^ 
with the resources that remained amongst them. It is remarkable 
that the turbulent colonists were the very Negroes who had been 
tjansported from Nova Scotia to Africa, and whom no indiice- 
Hient could attach to the establishment. Although they were 
free, they complained that they were oppressed ; and it is pro- 
bable that if these refractory beings had found the planters and 
the remainder of the inhabitants inclined to take part in their pro- 
ject, they would have infallibly attained their object, which was 
that of a revolution : for the chief officers of the society bad nei- 
ther power nor other means sufficient to keep them in subjection. 
To obviate this inconvenience, the directors of the company ob- 
tained in 1799 from the British government a letter of licence, ou 
the plan of those which had been granted to the India company iat 
the time of its institution ; to which was added a corps of hfiy 
men taken from the garrison of Goree ; and the sum of 7^0001. 
which parliament allowed for the construction or a fort. 
In the month of February, 1800, a quarrel broke out between 
Icing Tom^ who lived in the vicinity of Free-town, and the captain 
of a slave-ship belonging to Liverpool, relative to certain rights 
of anchorage which this kinghad received, from vessels that cnten d 
St. George's bay, and which the English captain refused to psy. 
Ihe affair was laid before the governor and council; but the dis- 
contented persons, and such of the colonists as were in the in- 
terest of Tom, would not abide by the decision of the tribunal; 
but demanded, on the contrary, that the captain should be deliv- 
ered up to them, or pay a heavy sum as a ransom. The governor 
and council endeavouring to oppose the violence of the discon- 
tented, who appeared determined to support tîieir pret^n i i% 
condemned the captain to pay the sum required; proiUiSUL hiiîi, 
however, a reimbursement from the company. 
The affair was thus determined : but the condescension of 
the council seemed to pave the way for the ruin of the colony ; 
