FOUNDATION OF THE AMERICAN COLONY—EARLY AGENTS—MILLS, BURGESS, BACON, AND OTHERS—U. S. SLOOP-OF-WAR “CYANE”—ARRIVAL AT THE ISLAND OF SHERBORO—DISPOSAL OF RECAPTURED SLAVES BY THE U. S. GOVERNMENT—FEVER—SLAVES CAPTURED—U. S. SCHOONER “SHARK”—SHERBORO PARTIALLY ABANDONED—U. S. SCHOONER “ALLIGATOR”—SELECTION AND SETTLEMENT OF CAPE MESURADO—CAPTAIN STOCKTON—DR. AYRES—KING PETER—ARGUMENTS WITH THE NATIVES—CONFLICTS—DR. AYRES MADE PRISONER—KING BOATSWAIN—COMPLETION OF THE PURCHASE.
In November, 1819, the Colonization Society appointed the Rev. Messrs. Samuel J. Mills and Ebenezer Burgess as its agents; with directions to proceed, by the way of England, to the west coast of Africa, for the purpose of making inquiries and explorations as to a suitable location for a settlement. They arrived in Sierra Leone in the month of March following, and visited all the ports from thence to the island of Sherboro.
At Sherboro, about sixty miles S. S. E. from Sierra Leone, the agents found a small colony of colored people, settled by John Kizel, a South Carolina slave, who had joined the English in the Revolutionary War, and at its close was taken to Nova Scotia, from whence he sailed, with a number of his countrymen, to the coast of Africa. Here he became prosperous in trade, built a church, and was preaching to his countrymen. By Kizel and his people the agents were kindly received. He expressed the opinion, that the greater part of the people of color in the United States would ultimately return to Africa. “Africa,” said Kizel, “is the land of black men, and to Africa they must and will come.”
After the agents had fulfilled their duties, they sailed for the United States. Mr. Mills died on the passage. In a public discourse, by the Rev. Dr. Leonard Bacon, of New Haven, Mr. Mills is thus alluded to: “He wandered on his errands of mercy from city to city; pleading now with the patriot, for a country growing up to an immensity of power; and now with the Christian, for a world lying in wickedness. He explored in person the devastations of the West, and in person he stirred up to enterprise and to effort the churches of the East. He lived for India and Hawaii, and died in the service of Africa.” Mr. Burgess gave so satisfactory a report of his mission, that the society was encouraged to proceed in its enterprise.
The political friends of colonization, being desirous of affording aid to the incipient efforts of the society, accomplished their object through Wm. H. Crawford, one of the vice-presidents, who proposed to the government, that recaptured slaves should be sent in charge of an agent to the colonies in Africa. He called the attention of the government to a number of slaves who had been received in the state of Georgia, subsequently to the law of Congress, in 1807, prohibiting the slave-trade. These slaves were to have been sold in payment of expenses incurred in consequence of their seizure and detention by the state authorities. The Colonization Society proposed to take them in charge, and restore them to Africa, provided the government would furnish an agent for the purpose.
Agreeably to the views of the Colonization Society, and to guard against an occurrence of a character similar to that in Georgia, Congress passed an act, on the 3d of March, 1819, by which the President of the United States was authorized to restore to their own country, any Africans captured from American or foreign vessels attempting to introduce them into the United States in violation of law; and to provide, by the establishment of a suitable agency on the African coast, for their reception, subsistence and comfort, until they could return to their relatives, or derive support from their own exertions. Thus the government became indirectly connected with the society.
It was determined to make the site of the government agency on the coast of Africa, that of the colonial agency also; and to incorporate into the settlement all the blacks delivered by our men-of-war to the government agent, as soon as the requisite arrangements should be completed.
The Rev. Samuel Bacon received the appointment of both government and colonial agent, having associated with him John P. Bankson and Dr. Samuel A. Crozer, the society’s agents; and with eighty emigrants, sailed on the 6th of February, 1820, for the coast of Africa. The U. S. sloop-of-war Cyane, also bound to the coast, under orders from the government, accompanied the emigrant vessel, but parted company after being a few days at sea. The vessels met at Sierra Leone, whence they proceeded to the island of Sherboro.
The confidence of the new agents in Kizel was greatly impaired by finding that he had given impressions of the place where he resided, which were much too favorable. The fever made its appearance among the people, who were loud in their complaints of every thing, and their conduct was any thing but commendable. Many were detected in petty thefts, falsehoods and mischiefs of a disgraceful nature. About twenty or twenty-five of the emigrants died. The remainder survived the acclimating fever, and in a few weeks regained their health. Mr. Bacon himself fell a victim to it; but to the last his confidence in the ultimate success of African colonization was unabated. He remarked that he had seen ninety-five native Africans landed together in America, who, the first year, were as sickly as these. And regarding himself, he said: “I came here to die; and any thing better than death, is better than I expected.” Lieutenant Townsend, one of the officers of the Cyane, also died of the fever. After this disastrous attempt at forming a settlement, Sherboro was partially abandoned, and several of the emigrants were removed to Sierra Leone.
Had timid counsels prevailed, the cause of colonization would have been no longer prosecuted. But the society determined to persevere, trusting that experience and the choice of a more salubrious situation would guard against a repetition of these disasters.
The U. S. sloops-of-war Cyane and John Adams in cruising off the coast captured five slavers, which were sent to the United States for adjudication.
In the year following Messrs. Winn and Bacon (brother of the deceased agent) on the part of the government, and Messrs. Andrews and Wiltberger by the society, were appointed agents, and proceeded to Sierra Leone, with forty effective emigrants to recruit the party sent out the preceding year. In a personal interview with Mr. Wiltberger, and from some notes communicated by him, the author has derived much interesting and reliable information relating to the colony during his agency, extending to the purchase and settlement of Liberia.
The island of Sherboro was wholly abandoned, and the remaining emigrants removed to Sierra Leone.
In 1822, Dr. Ayres was appointed colonial physician and agent, and proceeded in the U. S. schooner Shark to Sierra Leone. Soon afterwards the U. S. schooner Alligator arrived with orders from the government to co-operate with the agents of the society at Sierra Leone. Captain Stockton, her commander, with Dr. Ayres and seven of the emigrants, proceeded on a cruise of exploration down the coast, and on the 12th of December anchored off Cape Mesurado, in lat. 6° 19´ N., and long. 10° 48´ W.
“That is the spot we ought to have,” said Captain Stockton, pointing to the high bluff of the cape; “that should be the site of our colony. No finer spot on the coast.” “And we must have it,” added Dr. Ayres.
They landed without arms, to prove their peaceful intentions, and sent an express to King Peter for negotiations. The natives collected in large bodies, until the captain and agent were surrounded without the means of defence, except a demijohn of whiskey and some tobacco, which convinced the natives that no hostility was then intended.
King Peter at length appeared, and a long palaver took place, when the agent informed him that their object was to purchase the cape and islands at the mouth of the river. He strongly objected to parting with the cape, saying, “If any white man settle there, King Peter would die, and his woman cry a plenty.” The agents represented to him the great advantages in trade, which the proposed settlement would afford to his people. After receiving a vague promise from the king that he would let them have the land, the palaver broke up.
On the 14th instant the palaver was renewed at the residence of the king, whither, as a measure of the last resort, Captain Stockton and the agent had determined to proceed. The first word the king said was, “What you want that land for?” This was again explained to him. One of the men present accused them of taking away the King of Bassa’s son and killing him; another of being those who had quarrelled with the Sherboro people. A mulatto fellow also presented himself to Captain Stockton, and charged him with the capture of a slave-vessel in which he had served as a seaman. The prospects now looked very gloomy, as here were two men in the midst of a nation exasperated against them. But by mixing a little flattery with threatening, Captain Stockton regained his advantage in the discussion. He explained his connection with the circumstances, and complained of their constant vacillation of purpose in reference to the lands. The old king was at length pacified, and promised to call some more kings, and have a meeting the following day for the purpose of ceding the lands.
Several palavers of a more amicable nature were afterwards held, and the kings at last consented to cede a tract of land, receiving as a compensation goods to the value of about three hundred dollars. The deed bears on it the marks for signatures of King Peter, King George, King Zoda, King Long Peter, King Governor, King Jimmy, and the signatures of Captain Robert F. Stockton and Eli Ayres, M. D.
The tract ceded included Cape Mesurado and the lands forming nearly a peninsula between the Mesurado and Junk rivers—about thirty-six miles along the sea-shore, with an average breadth of about two miles.
Captain Stockton then left the coast with the Alligator, placing Lieutenant Hunter in command of a schooner, who, with Dr. Ayres and the men, proceeded to Sierra Leone, and brought from thence all the working men to Cape Mesurado. They disembarked on the smaller of the two islands amidst the menaces of the natives.
It was ascertained on their arrival that King Peter had been denounced by many of the kings for having sold the land to a people who would interfere with the slave-trade, and were hostile to their old customs. The king was threatened with the loss of his head; and it was decreed that the new people should be expelled from the country. Dr. Ayres at length succeeded in checking the opposition of the kings, and restored apparent tranquillity.
The island on which the colonists first established themselves, was named Perseverance. It was destitute of wood and water, affording no shelter except the decayed thatch of a few small huts. Thus exposed in an insalubrious situation, several of the people were attacked with intermittent fever. By an arrangement with King George, who claimed authority over a part of the northern district of the peninsula of Mesurado, the colonists, on their recovery, were permitted to cross the river, where they cleared the land, and erected a number of comparatively comfortable buildings; when, in the temporary absence of Dr. Ayres, a circumstance occurred which threatened the extinction of the colony.
A small slaver, prize to an English cruiser, bound to Sierra Leone, ran into the port for water. During the night she parted her cable, and drifted on shore, near King George’s Town, not far from Perseverance Island. Under a prescriptive right, when a vessel was wrecked, the natives claimed her, and accordingly proceeded to take possession. The English prize-officer resisted, and after one or two shots the assailants hastily retreated. The officer learning that another attack was meditated, sent to the colony for aid. One of the colonists—temporarily in charge during the absence of the agents to bring the women and children from Sierra Leone—regardless of the admonition to avoid “entangling alliances,” and approving “the doctrine of intervention,” promptly afforded assistance. The second attack was made, but the colonists and prize-crew, with the help of one or two rounds of grape and cannister from a brass field-piece on the island, which was brought to bear on the assailants, soon scattered them, with the loss of two killed and several wounded. On the following day, they renewed their assualt with a greater force, and were again repulsed, but an English sailor and one colonist were killed.
This interference on the part of the colonists, in behalf of the slave-prize, greatly exasperated the natives; not merely from the loss of their men and the vessel, but from the apprehension that their most valued privileges were about being invaded; and especially that the slave-trade, on which they depended for their gains and supplies, would be destroyed. The natives, therefore, determined forthwith to extirpate the colony while in its feeble and defenceless state.
In the mean time, Dr. Ayres, having returned, found the colonists confined to the island; and as the stores had become nearly exhausted, and the rainy season was about setting in—superadded to the vindictive feelings of the natives towards the people—the agents proposed to re-embark for Sierra Leone, and abandon the new settlement. Mr. Wiltberger strenuously opposed the agents’ proposal, and, after ascertaining that the colonists were disposed to remain at Mesurado, Dr. Ayres cheerfully assented.
The kings then adopted the deceitful policy of pretending to be conciliated, and inveigled Dr. Ayres into their power. He became their prisoner, and in that condition appeared to consent to take back the portion of goods which had been received towards the payment of the land, but evaded their peremptory order for the immediate removal of the people, by showing its impossibility, on account of the want of a vessel for the purpose. They finally gave permission that they might remain, until he should have made arrangements to leave the country. In this dilemma, Bă Caiă, a friendly king, at the suggestion of Dr. Ayres, appealed to King Boatswain,[3] whose power the maritime tribes well understood, and with whom he was in alliance. King Boatswain came down to the coast, and by a direct exertion of his authority, convoked the hostile kings. He also sent for the agents and principal settlers to appear before him, and explain the nature of their claims, and present their grievances. The respective allegations of the parties were heard. King Boatswain decided in favor of the colonists. He said that the bargain had been fair on both sides, and that he saw no grounds for rescinding the contract. Turning then to King Peter, he laconically remarked: “Having sold your country, and accepted payment, you must take the consequences.... Let the Americans have their lands immediately. Whoever is not satisfied with my decision, let him tell me so.” Then turning to the agents: “I promise you protection. If these people give you further disturbance, send for me; and I swear, if they oblige me to come again to quiet them, I will do it by taking their heads from their shoulders, as I did old King George’s, on my last visit to the coast to settle disputes.”
In this decision both parties acquiesced, whatever their opinion might have been as to its equity. The settlers immediately resumed their labors on the grounds near the Cape.
The Dey tribe (King Peter’s) saw that a dangerous enemy had been introduced among them. King Peter, with whom we must have sympathy, was impeached, and brought to trial on a charge of having betrayed the interests of his people, and sold part of the country to strangers. The accusation was proven; and, for a time, there was reason to believe that he would be executed for treason.
Soon after King Boatswain had returned to his country, the colony was again threatened. The agent called another council of kings; and after some opposition to his claim for the disputed territory, the whole assembly—amounting to seventeen kings, and thirty-four half-kings—assented to the settlement; and on the 28th of April, 1822, formal possession was taken of Cape Mesurado.
Dr. Ayres and Mr. Wiltberger now returned to the United States, the former to urge the wants of the colony, and the latter from ill health. Before they left, Elijah Johnson, of New York, one of the colonists, who had on various occasions distinguished himself, was appointed to superintend the colony during their absence.