SIERRA LEONE. 
September l6th, the colony was reduced by death 
and desertion to 276 persons. As the excesses 
of the most incorrigible had accelerated their dis- 
solution, the survivors perceiving, at the depar- 
ture of the vessels, that, without industry, their 
destruction was inevitable, began to plant rice 
and Indian corn. The sickness, soon after, en- 
tirely ceased, but the habits of many of the colo- 
nists still continued ; addicted to intoxication, 
many sold their arms and musquets for rum, and 
afterwards emigrated to the adjacent slave-facto- 
ries. By a slight species of agriculture, and a 
great increase of poultry, the remainder subsist- 
ed for some time ; but as the most industrious 
were unable to purchase live-stock, and were dis- 
appointed of intended supplies by the knavery of 
an unprincipled shipmaster, this partial emigra- 
tion still continued till November 1789 ; when 
the infant colony was dispersed, and their town 
burnt, by an African chief, in revenge of some de- 
predations committed by a slave-factor, to whose 
party two of the colonists had been compelled to 
serve as guides. The colonists who escaped 
found a temporary asylum at Bance Island fac- 
tory, and at the town of a native chief, who, com- 
passionating their distress, received them under 
his protection. These were collected by Mr 
Falconbridge, who was employed in the beginning 
of 1791, by a number of gentlemen, anxious for 
