"If their Lordships should require a more particular account of the settlement, I will do myself the honour to transmit to you copies of two letters, ⚫ which I wrote for the information of some gentlemen at Philadelphia and New York, who were desirous of finding a settlement for about two thousand free Negroes now in America.

"With great respect, Sir," &c. &c.

Two other letters, likewise addressed to Mr. Steele, show that Granville was now beginning to extend his views to the formation of a Company of Merchants, for the purposes of a free trade with the new colony. In the first letter, he gives an account, for the information of the Lords of the Treasury, of a dispute that had arisen at Sierra Leone between the settlers and Captain N, the master of a Liverpool slave-ship, which, he says, occasioned "a cruel plot, in revenge, between the slave-traders and some Native savages, the partners of their iniquitous traffic, to cut off and destroy the settlement." After partly exculpating the settlers, he continues,—

"Though the apprehended event would be an outrage so enormously wicked and daring, that we should scarcely conceive that a body of European traders (British and French) could be so utterly abandoned and profligate as to promote it; yet it is not entirely incredible, if we consider that the Slave Trade has initiated, and gradually produced, the most consummate iniquity and hardness of heart, in many known instances."

"I must further beg leave to remark, that the whole proceeding of the settlers, on this occasion, proves that they really maintained some reasonable form of government among them, as well as an efficient civil power to support it*. "It is probable that the Martha of Liverpool, Captain N--n, and several other slave-ships, which were then at Sierra Leone, are by this time returned to Liverpool, and therefore I humbly submit whether it may not be right that Captain N-n should be summoned to give an account of the transaction.

"I am aware that the settlers will be roundly charged with being a set of

▾ The dispute arose from Captain N-—-—--'s refusal to pay a demand made for the burial of a sailor, and for three days' previous attendance on him. Captain N-- had afterwards seized a free man, and confined him in irons for three days; and the settlers, in return, seized the Captain, and detained him until he consented to pay a fine agreeably to their estimation of the injury committed by him.

mere robbers and banditti, dangerous to the existence of the neighbouring slave-factories ;—for such was the language of a letter which I saw about twelve months ago, from an agent at one of the slave-factories to his employers; though the occasion itself, on which he wrote, proved that the settlers, as a body, had behaved with the utmost propriety, in detecting and delivering up to the factors five individuals of their settlement, who had been guilty of robbing a storehouse at the said factory: but the factors, on their part, showed neither mercy nor prudence, for they sold the poor culprits to the French traders into slavery for life, whereby they have rendered themselves liable to all the severe penalties above mentioned.”

“I am, with great respect, Sir," &c. &c.

G. S. to the same.-[EXTRACT.]

"23d July, 1789.

"Sir,

Yesterday I received letters from the new settlement at Sierra Leone, copies of which I have enclosed. Though I have great pleasure to find that the combination of the slave-traders to cut off the settlement, as mentioned in my last, has not yet had any bad effect, yet my satisfaction is much allayed by further accounts of the settlers having arrested and fined another slave-trader, who had plundered a vessel not belonging to their settlement, but coming from Rohanna: but as this restitution of property was undertaken publicly and openly, on a formal requisition of the owner of the vessel to the Governor for justice, I hope their manifest intention to render the justice required will be considered as a reason for excusing the excess they have ignorantly been guilty of, in pursuing the slave-captain, and arresting him at the Isles des Los, far beyond the bounds of their authority. They, however, have lost six men, by the stratagem of this slave-captain, and he will probably attempt to sell them into slavery; so that the interference of Government may be necessary, to compel the slave-dealers to restore them. The messenger who brought the letters from Sierra Leone, is himself one of the settlers, a White man, who wishes to return again to the settlement, and is tolerably intelligent; so that, if you should desire to make any inquiries of him respecting the state of the country and climate, I will order him to attend you.

"The people are earnestly desirous to obtain a sloop, to trade up the rivers and on the coast, for rice, and other productions of the country that are fair articles of lawful commerce, having plenty of seamen to man more vessels than one; and a small vessel is equally wanted, to keep up a communication with

for ever, of all the land before granted by King Tom, whose successor, since his death, has also signed the deed, with some other chiefs: so that my sending the Myro has really saved the settlement. But King Nambanna has reserved to himself a duty of fifteen bars, to be paid by all ships which water in the Bay: each bar is worth about 3s. 4d.

Captain Thompson likewise informs me, that the distance from St. George's Bay (formerly called Frenchman's Bay), where the new settlement commences on the west side, to Gambia Island, the eastern boundary of it, is above twenty miles so that the new territory is really much larger than the whole island of Barbadoes, being twenty miles each way, or full four hundred square miles of land, covered with noble forests of timber and perpetual verdure.

"When Captain Taylor left the settlement last September, the number of people was still about one hundred and thirty in all; and I have no doubt they will gladly receive any free Negroes that the States of America shall be pleased to assist with passage, provisions, and necessaries for defence and establishment; provided that such new settlers will promise to observe and maintain the present laws and regulations of the settlement, which are founded on the Common Law of England.

"I have not yet been able to hear of any other part of the African coast that is equally fit for a free settlement; and I am well aware that your States may probably be unwilling to incur any considerable expense in supplying a territory with inhabitants, who must be required to acknowledge the sovereignty of the Crown of England; the first purchase of the lands, as well as the second, having been made in the King's name. But as the Government of England permits the settlers to make their own laws (i. e. such as are not inconsistent with the Common Law of England), to hold their own courts, assemblies, folkmotes, &c. to choose their own chiefs and officers, and to keep up a free militia amongst themselves,—the settlement, on such conditions, must of necessity be perfectly free.

"For your further information, I send you the printed Regulations.

"Having incurred a very large expense already in the new settlement, I cannot afford it any further pecuniary assistance at present; but I shall be very happy to use my best endeavours to promote the kind reception of all such free Negroes, or other persons, as the States of America, or your Society, shall think proper to send thither; provided they have no objections to the Regulations.

"I am, with great respect, Sir," &c. &c.

CHAP. IX.

IN the Spring of 1789, Mr. Sharp appears to have been called on by the Lords of the Treasury to give an account of the state of his colony. In a letter (dated 4th May 1789) to Thomas Steele, Esq. one of the principal secretaries, he apologises for "not having returned a more speedy answer respecting the information required by the Lords Commissioners." He then gives a general statement of the circumstances (before related) of the colony, and adds—

"The number of persons whom I sent out at, my own expense, last year, on board the Myro brig, amounted only to thirty-nine (chiefly White people), though I made provisions for fifty, in order to assist in supporting the settlement. Of these, twelve died of fevers and one by a wound, four were left at the Cape de Verd Islands, and two returned; so that only twenty remain there. But though I have failed in doing so much good as I wished and intended, yet I have the satisfaction to find that the settlement has been saved by this exertion.

"I have received no regular return of the people remaining at the settlement, for they have been so much dispersed into the neighbourhood, that sometimes there were not above forty persons left; but when the Myro arrived, they returned, to the amount of about one hundred and thirty.

"The master of the Myro was persuaded by the settlers to re-purchase the whole settlement, with some expense in presents to Naimbanna, king of Rohanna, who did not sign the former agreement, and would have taken possession of the ceded land on the death of King Tom, an inferior chief: but the King has now signed an agreement for himself and his heirs for ever; and King Tom's successors, and other chiefs, have also signed the same agreement so that I hope it is now amply secured, and may prove hereafter a very useful settlement to the trade and manufactures of this kingdom, if some further timely expense and attention be bestowed upon it; for I believe it to be the most eligible spot for an European settlement on the whole coast of Africa.

"If their Lordships should require a more particular account of the settlement, I will do myself the honour to transmit to you copies of two letters, ⚫ which I wrote for the information of some gentlemen at Philadelphia and New York, who were desirous of finding a settlement for about two thousand free Negroes now in America.

"With great respect, Sir," &c. &c.

Two other letters, likewise addressed to Mr. Steele, show that Granville was now beginning to extend his views to the formation of a Company of Merchants, for the purposes of a free trade with the new colony. In the first letter, he gives an account, for the information of the Lords of the Treasury, of a dispute that had arisen at Sierra Leone between the settlers and Captain N- the master of a Liverpool slave-ship, which, he says, occasioned "a cruel plot, in revenge, between the slave-traders and some Native savages, the partners of their iniquitous traffic, to cut off and destroy the settlement." After partly exculpating the settlers, he continues,–

"Though the apprehended event would be an outrage so enormously wicked and daring, that we should scarcely conceive that a body of European traders (British and French) could be so utterly abandoned and profligate as to promote it; yet it is not entirely incredible, if we consider that the Slave Trade has initiated, and gradually produced, the most consummate iniquity and hardness of heart, in many known instances."

"I must further beg leave to remark, that the whole proceeding of the settlers, on this occasion, proves that they really maintained some reasonable form of government among them, as well as an efficient civil power to support it*. "It is probable that the Martha of Liverpool, Captain N――n, and several other slave-ships, which were then at Sierra Leone, are by this time returned to Liverpool, and therefore I humbly submit whether it may not be right that Captain N-n should be summoned to give an account of the transaction. "I am aware that the settlers will be roundly charged with being a set of

The dispute arose from Captain N-- -'s refusal to pay a demand made for the burial of a sailor, and for three days' previous attendance on him. Captain Nhad afterwards seized a free man, and confined him in irons for three days; and the settlers, in return, seized the Captain, and detained him until he consented to pay a fine agreeably to their estimation of the injury committed by him.

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