I then addressed the Governor-general in writing, and asked His Excellency to inform me, why the dhow “Ari-passa” had been seized, and her crew, under British protection, had been ill-treated and imprisoned? To which he replied that the “Ari-passa” was “found in communication with Quitangonha, which was forbidden, and in consequence she was seized, as being suspected of smuggling, and she was delivered to the tribunals according to law.”
Now, I knew that being delivered to the “tribunals according to law” meant that, having been plundered of the bullion by the Governor-general, she was then handed over to the judge, to see what he could make out of her in the way of a bribe, or fine, to release her and her cargo; and was only submitting to be further robbed. It was, therefore, necessary to adopt bold measures, and to let Vasco Guedes know that I was acquainted with the circumstances connected with her capture. And although I could not write and state what I knew about the Governor of Ibo writing to him relative to the “Ari-passa,” and the arrangements which were made in consequence, because I would then have to state who my informant was, still I addressed His Excellency in such a manner that he could not doubt that I was fully aware of all that had taken place. I particularly pointed out that the vessel was seized at anchor at the entrance of Quicimajulo Bay, which was, at least, twenty miles from Quitangonha; that she had simply anchored from stress of weather; that it was usual for dhows working along the coast to anchor every night, and that the vessel had not communicated with the shore. I then stated the manner in which the dhow had been boarded by the “19 de Maio,” by dashing alongside like a pirate, and throwing a party of armed boarders on to the deck of a peaceful trader, laying emphasis on the manner in which the soldiers had broken open the boxes containing money, and rifled the cases containing cargo, and designated the whole affair as an illegal and piratical seizure. “Suaviter in modo et fortiter in re,”—is a good diplomatic motto; but, in dealing with Portuguese one must not forget the “fortiter in re.”
The Governor-general’s reply is one of the richest things on record. He commences by stating:—
“That it is with regret that he sees a vessel, the flag of which is under the protection of Great Britain, engaged in illicit commerce, more especially as in the province of Mozambique every facility is afforded for legitimate commerce to ships of all nations, and particularly to those of a friendly ally.
“That in regard to the deposition of the captain of the ‘Ari-passa,’ which I had sent to him, he doubts its correctness; for the captain does not mention her stay at Ibo, which was the most important circumstance connected with his voyage. That the dhows from India bear very suspicious characters; as a proof of which, one of the dhows from India lately entered the port with a cargo of fire-wood! But, however the matter may be, it was not for his Excellency and myself to settle it, but the tribunals, before which the depositions ought to be made.”
His Excellency then indulged in a geographical disquisition relative to Quicimajulo and Quitanhonga, and admitted that my knowledge might be correct as to their relative positions.
With reference to the conduct of the soldiers who boarded the “Ari-passa,” he reminded me of what the illustrious Lord Wellington himself states as to the conduct of his soldiers in the Peninsula, contained in his letters addressed to Viscount Castlereagh; and, also, begs me to bear in mind that, it is said, similar acts are practised by the British cruisers on the coast of Angola, and also on that of Mozambique; and that, in fine, he possesses a document of a recent date, in which the depositions of the crew and passengers are given, of one of the Portuguese vessels coming from India, which, being at anchor in Conducia Bay, was boarded by a boat from a British cruiser; that the officers searched the Portuguese vessel, broke the seals of the dispatches addressed to the custom-house, and endeavoured also, during the night, to introduce chains, or slave-irons, on board the vessel, so as to seize her as a slaver.
The fact of the matter was, that the Governor-general, at that time, was hard pressed by me on the subject of the slave-trade. I had discovered, in the short space of a month, all the ramifications of the slave-trade which he had established at Mozambique, under the denomination of the French Free Labour Emigration Scheme, and how the victims for that traffic were supplied from the interior of Africa, renewing the horrors of the slave-trade in the heart of that continent.
This letter was evidently written to annoy and irritate the British consul; but, coming from such a source, I could well afford to smile at the insult to my country, in comparing the glorious soldiers of Wellington, who, on their victorious bayonets, carried liberty to Spain and Portugal, to the convicted and degraded felons who formed the soldiery of Mozambique. In regard to the statement directed against the British navy, I simply let that matter rest until the arrival of a British ship of war, the commander of which considered it beneath notice.
The Scotchman kept his temper, and simply renewed his demand for the unconditional release of the “Ari-passa.” Some days afterwards I received an invitation for my wife and myself to drink a cup of tea at the palace; and a postscript was added by his Excellency, intimating that the “Ari-passa” was restored!