These Cargoes Were Composed Entirely Of Women And Children.
For Three Months This Traffic Was Incessant, And At Last, So
Completely was the mask thrown off, that one of the officials came to
pay a visit to Bishop Tozer on
Another part of the same mountain,
and, combining business with pleasure, collected payment for some
canoe work done for the Missionary party, and with this purchased
slaves from the rebels, who had only to be hailed from the bank of
the river. When he had concluded the bargain he trotted the slaves
out for inspection in Mr. Waller's presence. This official, Senhor
Mesquita, was the only officer who could be forced to live at the
Kongone. From certain circumstances in his life, he had fallen under
the power of the local Government; all the other Custom-house
officers refused to go to Kongone, so here poor Mesquita must live on
a miserable pittance - must live, and perhaps slave, sorely against
his will. His name is not brought forward with a view of throwing
any odium on his character. The disinterested kindness which he
showed to Dr. Meller, and others, forbids that he should be mentioned
by us with anything like unkindness.
Under all these considerations, with the fact that we had not found
the Rovuma so favourable for navigation at the time of our visit as
we expected, it was impossible not to coincide in the wisdom of our
withdrawal; but we deeply regretted that we had ever given credit to
the Portuguese Government for any desire to ameliorate the condition
of the African race; for, with half the labour and expense anywhere
else, we should have made an indelible mark of improvement on a
section of the Continent. Viewing Portuguese statesmen in the light
of the laws they have passed for the suppression of slavery and the
slave-trade, and by the standard of the high character of our own
public men, it cannot be considered weakness to have believed in the
sincerity of the anxiety to aid our enterprise, professed by the
Lisbon Ministry. We hoped to benefit both Portuguese and Africans by
introducing free-trade and Christianity. Our allies, unfortunately,
cannot see the slightest benefit in any measure that does not imply
raising themselves up by thrusting others down. The official paper
of the Lisbon Government has since let us know "that their policy was
directed to frustrating the grasping designs of the British
Government to the dominion of Eastern Africa." We, who were on the
spot, and behind the scenes, knew that feelings of private
benevolence had the chief share in the operations undertaken for
introducing the reign of peace and good will on the Lakes and central
regions, which for ages have been the abodes of violence and
bloodshed. But that great change was not to be accomplished. The
narrow-minded would ascribe all that was attempted to the grasping
propensity of the English. But the motives that actuate many in
England, both in public and private life, are much more noble than
the world gives them credit for.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 214 of 263
Words from 111194 to 111707
of 136856
