Mr. Miller, who was a volunteer serving for a commission in the Royal African Corps, died to-day from the effects of fever.
Tuesday 11th.—Some slight showers in the forepart of this day, and fine in the afternoon, when the Rev. Mr. Davy took me to visit a school for free black children under the charge of Mrs. Taylor, widow of a late missionary in this colony. Although this is but a day-school, there is a probability of its doing some good with all who attend it, and a great deal of service to a few. But it is in vain to attempt to civilize savage nations through the medium of book instruction alone. Previous habits exercise so powerful an influence over the mind, that the value of precept is hardly felt. The good impressions which arc made by the teacher in the morning, are obliterated by the example of ignorant parents in the evening; so that the result of an education imparted in this way, is merely to sharpen the natural cunning of youth, and give them an increased power of evil, by the fragments of information they thus acquire. If we would have our efforts to improve their condition, really effective, we should deal with them as with foundlings. They should be removed from the contagion of their former intercourse, and apprenticed out to persons who would look after their morals, and whore they would have no bad examples set them, so soon as they were capable of applying their faculties to objects of utility. The instances are very rare where these African children have fulfilled the expectations of their benevolent benefactors; I am persuaded that an establishment for a limited number, in which the end proposed should be the completion of the work of civilization, would be incalculably superior to the attempts to accomplish that desirable purpose with great numbers in so imperfect a manner.
Wednesday, Sept. 12th.—Heavy and frequent showers, from last evening till near noon to-day, when it cleared up, and continued fine all the afternoon. This forenoon, I accompanied Mr. Kenneth Macauley to the Court House, and attended the opening of the general quarter sessions.[[11] ]
Friday, 14th.—Attended the Court to-day with Mr. Macauley, where I heard various cases of petty larceny. The morning was fine, but it became cloudy in the evening, and very dark with much lightning. The latter is a strong intimation of the expected tornadoes, with which the rainy season terminates, as well as commences. Captains Owen and Harrison, Lieutenant Woodman (agent for transports), and myself, dined with the Governor at his regimental mess. There were also present, all the principal officers of the civil establishment. Could our friends in England have witnessed the hilarity that prevailed at that banquet, in such a country, and at that melancholy season of the year, they would have scarcely credited what they saw and heard. Many who were seated there on that day, are now no more! The assistant surgeon of the North Star, who was serving on hoard a schooner, that was tender to that ship, died to-day. His death was supposed to have been much accelerated by the gloomy apprehensions that entered his mind from the moment he was seized with the fever.
Saturday, 15th.—Attended the Court, and heard some amusing trials for house-breaking, and stealing therefrom; in one case there were Kroomen against Kroomen:—Tom Coffee and Bottle of Beer—against another Bottle of Beer.
Sunday, 16th.—Very fine day. Accompanied the Rev. Mr. Davy on board the Eden, whore he performed divine service: after which we dined with Captain Owen, and returned on shore in the evening, when I accompanied him to a chapel in the parish of St. George's, Freetown, where he performed the evening service. There are a great number of Independent chapels in the town, supported by the free black population, and with black preachers. I unfortunately witnessed a trial in the Court, that did not redound much to the credit of one of these preachers. As it is very novel, and not a little amusing in its way, I think I cannot do better than to give, in its proper place, the opening speech on the day it occurred, as delivered in the Court by the plaintiff's counsel, who was a black gentleman. It was the first cause of the kind that ever was tried in this colony, where morality does not appear to be so highly appreciated as in some countries of Europe.
Monday, 17th.—Very fine warm day. I attended the Court as usual to-day; and heard two trials of the same nature as most of the others; distinguished also by the same difficulty of obtaining the truth from most of the witnesses, who are quite indifferent to the responsibility of an oath, because they have no qualms of conscience; but if their priests were to fetish them, it is probable they might be induced to give their testimony more honestly. Sentence was this day awarded to all the prisoners that had been tried, as follows:—
- John Rhode, a native of the Rio Pongas, for petty larceny.
- Grando, a Krooman, for assault.
- Yellow Will, a Krooman, for receiving stolen goods.[[12]]
- Peter, a Krooman, for stealing from a dwelling-house.
- John Testing, a discharged soldier, for ditto.
- Jim Johnson, a liberated African, for grand larceny.
- Ben Kroo, a Krooman, for ditto.
- Jack Freeman, a Krooman, for receiving stolen goods.[[12]]
- John Freeman, a Krooman, for ditto.
Several other prisoners found "not guilty," were discharged by proclamation, and the sentence on Patrick Riley, a private soldier in the Royal African Colonial Corps, for maliciously stabbing with intent to murder, was respited on the motion of counsel, until a reference should be made as to the application to this colony, of the statute under which he was indicted;—the 43rd Geo. III. cap. 58th, commonly called Lord Ellenborough's Act.
It is some gratification to know, that, notwithstanding these sessions have been unusually heavy, still, that out of 19 prisoners in the calendar, only two were liberated Africans, although this class of persons forms nine-tenths of the community of the colony, and that but one of them was found guilty; whereas, the time of the Court was taken up with the crimes committed by Kroomen, 13 of whom were tried for various offences. The evidence disclosed in these cases, afforded the strongest grounds for the measure now in progress for reducing the number of such strangers, by sending all above 600 from the colony; and more particularly what are termed headmen. These fellows, who perform no kind of work, it would seem, from what transpired in two or three of the robberies brought to light before the public on this occasion, live on the labour, and proceeds of plunder, obtained by the younger hands, who first leave their country under the protection of these headmen, and who are the mere instruments of this privileged class, contenting themselves with planning the felonies committed by their dependants, and thus generally escaping the consequences of detection; while, at the same time, they alone benefit in the pecuniary advantages of this criminal course of life. The organization of professional criminals, and the presence of the principle of co-operation amongst rogues, who live by the commission of a variety of depredations on society, are not confined to such places as London and Paris. The schemes and resources of the headmen, considering the limits and differently constituted sphere of their operations, are quite as admirable as those of the more practised thieves of the modern Babylon.