1806.] 
from Freetown by other caufes. The in- 
ternal oeace of the fe:tlement is therefore 
no longer endangered by the number of 
difaffetted Nova Scotians. The charac- 
ter of the Maroons is naw become a fub- 
ject of more importance; for the male 
adults among the Maroonsare full as nu. 
merous as the remaining male adults of 
the other clats of fetilers. 
A third obftacle to the progrefs of the 
colony has been the inlufficiency of its 
force to check the incroachments, or dif- 
courage the aggreflion, of the neighbour- 
ing natives, The only natives who come 
into immediate conta with the colony, 
are thofe of the Timmaney nation, from 
whom the lands occupied by the Compa- 
ny were originally purchafed ; and whofe 
country is of {mall extent, and thinly 
peopled. The Timmaneys have the ge- 
neral charaéter of being remarkably indo- 
lent, faithlefs, and ferocious ; and their 
chiefs, who were alfo the principals in 
the late attack on the fettlement, have 
proved to be rapacious, drunken, and de- 
ceitful; eafily impofed upon by artifice 
and mifieprefentation, and ready to pro- 
mote any defign, however flagitious, which 
promifed to gratify their avarice or their 
paffions, 
Under thefe circumftances the want of 
a force adequate to the proteétion of the 
colony led to many injurious effets, It 
produced a fenfe of infecurity, which was 
every way unfavourable to the promotion 
of induftry. It foftered a difpofition in 
the Timmaney chiefs to harra(fs the colony 
with perpetual though groundlefs difputes, 
and to prefer unreafonable demands, 
which it was not aiways fafe to refufe, 
It encouraged them likewile to encroach 
on the Company’s territory, and to inter- 
rupt the progre!s of cultivation, by affum- 
ing aright (which nothing but the weak 
fiate of the colony would have induced an 
acquieicence in for a moment,) of com- 
manding the free-labourers belongisg to 
other nations, who were employed on the 
farms of Sierra Leone, to quit the colony, 
on pain of being feized and foldas flaves ; 
and it at length tempted them, when a 
large accefiion of force had left no hdpe 
of a compliance with their extravagant 
claims, to attempt jeizing by furprize the 
yet unfinifhed tort, aud extirpating the 
colony. 
It may be proper to obferve in this 
place, that the late attack on the fetrle. 
ment is the only aét of hoftility on the 
part of the natives which the colony has 
Of the Colony of Sierra Leone. 
_ was expected. 
395 
yet experienced. No fubject of difpute 
previoufly exifted, fo that it is not eafy to 
itute the reai caufe of this aggreffion 5 but 
it is not improbable that the meafures 
taken for the defence and fecurity of the 
colony were reprefented by the Company's 
enemics to be indications of a defign to 
deprive the natives of their territory ; and 
that the fears and jealoufies thus inftilied 
had united, with the hope of plunder, to 
produce the attempt toveroy the colony.. 
Since the fame caules will continue to ope- 
rate, and fince a party has been excited to 
make war upon the fettlement, it is to he 
apprehended that the feeds of future hoai- 
lity may have been fown, and that atem- 
porary combination may be formed againit 
the company. If, however, a (ufficient 
fort were ereéted, fuch a combination 
would be of {mall moment, and probably 
of fhort duration. 
The chiefs of all the other neighbour. 
ing nations have hitherto maniielted a 
fricndly difpofition to the Company, and . 
feveral are much attached to it, as appears 
from the circumf{tance of fume.of them 
having fenta number of men to its affift- 
ance, foon after the ramour of the war 
had reached them, and of others having 
promifed aid, fiiould it be dcemed necel- 
fary. 
Fourthly. The climate of Sierra Leone 
has prefenced another dithcuity with which- 
the Company has had to contend. It 
has, however, proved quite 2s healthy as 
Ji js true that the firit Bri. 
tith adventurers fuftered greatly by fick- 
nefs, and that a Jarge proportion of them 
died ; but the chiet jutferers were men of 
the lower clats. 
Of the principal fervants of the Compae 
‘ny who firit went out, very few loft their 
lives. It may be inferred from this faét, 
that, fuppofing any great mortality to 
take place at Sierra Leone, it may almoft 
invanably be referred to want of accom. 
modations, to a general inattention to 
health, or to exceifive exertions, rather 
than to any infurrmountabdie obftacie ro the 
prelervation of life whicn is created hy the 
climate. The European deaths at Sierra 
Leone will be tound to haye been very 
few, af thofe which happened a few months 
after the firft fetilement of the place, and 
thoie woich followea the capture of the 
colony by the French, and thole allo 
which were occaiioned by the late attack 
of the natives, are excluded from the ac- 
count. It may be affirmed, that, gene- 
rally {peaking, not more than about one 
5 ae white 
