On the way to the church, Colonel Almeida insisted that I should take my place with himself and Vasco Guedes, under the large purple velvet umbrella, which, on state occasions, is held over the Governor-general of the province.
After the religious ceremony in the church was over, I was requested to repair to the palace, with the officers of H.M.S.V. “Geyser,” who were present at the ceremony, and there to await the return of the procession from Fort San Sebastian, to which the new Governor-general had to repair for the purpose of receiving the keys of the fort.
On his Excellency’s return, we were again presented, and congratulated him on his taking possession of the government of the province. In the evening there was a ball, where all the “beauty and fashion” of Mozambique attended.
On the following Monday I called the attention of the new Governor-general to some serious charges preferred by me against the Governor of Ibo, in being openly engaged in the slave-trade.
Vasco Guedes had told me that he could not supersede the Governor of Ibo for these practices, as he was appointed directly by the King, but Colonel Almeida made short work of it, by appointing another governor to Ibo, and requesting me to obtain a passage for him in H.M.S.V. “Geyser.”
This request I was not able to comply with, as an urgent order had arrived from the Cape of Good Hope, recalling the “Geyser.” At that time I had only just heard of the Indian mutiny. I expected that Sir George Grey would send every regiment and vessel on to India, and that he would be anxiously looking out for the “Geyser.” Although I saw hot work for the new Governor-general and myself, I hurried the “Geyser” to the Cape, where, I hoped, she would be useful to my country.
On the arrival of the new Governor at Ibo, he found a vessel under French colours lying there waiting for slaves, which his predecessor was about to supply. This vessel, called the “Marie et Caroline,” the new Governor, Lieutenant J. Romeiro, sent down to Mozambique; and there being a French Delegate on board, who stated that she had sailed from Réunion for the purpose of embarking free labourers from the east coast of Africa, he was informed by the Governor-general of Mozambique that this traffic in human beings was forbidden, and had to enter into a bond that he would not endeavour to carry on this species of slave-trade within the precincts of the province of Mozambique. The “Marie et Caroline” was then released; and another vessel, named the “Maria Stella,” under the French flag, being sent down from Ibo to Mozambique, was treated in the same manner.
The new Governor-general had thus shown himself determined to put an end to the slave-trade, and to carry out faithfully the treaties entered into by Portugal and Great Britain, for the suppression of the slave-trade in these seas.
In the middle of November I had received intelligence that slaves were to be shipped close to Mozambique, and had communicated this fact to the Governor-general, during an interview which I had with his Excellency.
On the evenings of the 17th, 18th, and 19th of November, I observed from my house that signals were being made from Cabaçeira Point, by means of fires, to some sail in the offing. On the last of those evenings the Fort San Sebastian was communicating with the vessel in the offing by means of lights; and I afterwards found that for these three days a large three-masted vessel was in sight from the fort. The commandant of the fort, an old colonel of artillery, I knew to be a notorious slave-dealer, and when he was telegraphing to the vessel in the offing I felt convinced that the rumour which I had heard relative to slaves being about to be shipped in the neighbourhood of the fort was but too true.