I Have
Already Related Another Instance Which I Saw At Wonda; And I Was Informed
That In Fooladoo, At That Time, It Was A Very Common Practice.
The third cause of slavery is _insolvency_.
Of all the offences (if
insolvency may be so called) to which the laws of Africa have affixed the
punishment of slavery, this is the most common. A Negro trader commonly
contracts debts on some mercantile speculation, either from his
neighbours, to purchase such articles as will sell to advantage in a
distant market, or from the European traders on the Coast; payment to be
made in a given time. In both cases, the situation of the adventurer is
exactly the same. If he succeeds, he may secure an independency. If he is
unsuccessful, his person and services are at the disposal of another; for
in Africa, not only the effects of the insolvent, but even the insolvent
himself, are sold to satisfy the lawful demands of his creditors.[22]
[22] When a Negro takes up goods on credit from any of the
Europeans on the Coast, and does not make payment at the time
appointed, the European is authorized, by the laws of the country, to
seize upon the debtor himself, if he can find him; or if he cannot be
found, on any person of his family; or in the last resort, on any
native of the same kingdom. The person thus seized on is detained
while his friends are sent in quest of the debtor.
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