from going off to the fhipping, as well as wood, water, and every other neceffary, which they used to have in great abundance from this town; by which means they have fuffered feverely, especially those who have had any number of flaves on board; this palaver commenced now almost four months ago, and there is no profpect of its being fettled except the chief interpofes his authority, of which there is not the smallest likelihood, as he has been often heard to declare, he never would interfere directly or indirectly with their palaver... Until within thefe few days paft, Mr. Bell kept the back gate of his fort conftantly open in the day time to preferve a communication between. him and the fishermen, from whom he used to get a good deal of trade; and this I take to have been the reafon for his not demanding the murderers or getting the palaver fettled, left by acting vigorously against them, his trade might fuffer from that quarter. The Fantees, however, foon put a stop to his trade by blocking up his avenues to his principal gate, and for fix or seven days fuffered neither provisions nor flaves to go into the fort; upon which he gave them two anchors of rum, and a promise to use his beft endeavours to get the palaver fettled, provided they would not moleft the traders and others going to the fort in future; thus, the affair rests, and thus the shipping and private traders, fuffer for the folly and indifcretion (to give them no worse epithets) of thofe who are too well paid for protecting, aiding, and aflifting them. I leave you to judge, gentlemen, what fixteen or eighteen fail of veffels, which we have now here, muft fuffer from this man's conduct; and the misfortune is, we don't know when, or where, this affair will end, or where to apply for redress: the captains remonftrated to the governor and council of Cape Coaft upon the affair of the factories, and were treated with the utmoft contempt, they not vouchfafing even to give them an answer; therefore, to apply to them would answer no purpose, except to render them, if poffible, more infolent. Out of numberless inftances of the extreme infolence and wantonnefs of our chief here, and his natural propenfity to give offence, I fhall only felect one, which happened the 8th inftant; as his majefty's fhip the Rainbow was standing into into the road of Cape Coaft, which is in fight of this fort, Mr. Bell hoifted his colours, which was an union flag, very old, fhabby, but not to be difcerned at that distance; in a few hours after, the Corfican Hero of Liverpool, Captain Smith, was feen standing into this road, and as foon as fhe was right a-breast of this fort, Mr. Bell hauled down his English colours, and hoisted a Scotch jack, that is, a blue field with a white St. Andrew's crofs; knowing, I fuppofe, that this was one of the two fhips, whofe owners refused to let Mr. Woodal fhip goods in laft year for him and Meffrs. Grofsle and Mill. About a month ago, the Peggy, Captain Hercules Mill, a large ship from London, arrived at Cape Appolonia, where letters were lodged for him, and he there delivered the chief, Mr. Miles, who is factor for Governor Mill (and for whofe fole emolument that fort is now fupported) a large quantity of goods; after which he run down to Cape Coast, landed Mr. Mill more goods, and then came down here, where he has landed Mr. Bell a very large quantity; I was a witness myself to fix or seven butts of cloth goods, and a great many other very large cafes and packages. Captain Mill lies now with his fhip trading in this road. You'fee, gentlemen, what a profpect you have of making voyages to the Gold Coast, and with what reason you expect an amendment in this trade, when one of the members of the committee is the very man who sends out all these goods to oppofe you; and for which good services, you may depend his ships and connections will always be preferred to all others. In January laft, the Mary James ftore fhip, Captain Darling, arrived at Cape Coaft; he brought out goods to difpofe of on the Coast to the amount of fixty or seventy flaves, and as his stay was to be very fhort, he made an offer of them to any of the gentlemen who would engage to furnish him with flaves at eleven ounces men, and nine ounces women. Almost all the gentlemen he applied to, had fo many engagements on their hands at that time, that they either could not, or would not, accept his proposals; so that he had no alternative, but to raise the price of flaves to the natives, or carry his goods round to the Weft Indies and Europe; he accordingly raised the price to ten and ten and half ounces for men, and eight and eight and half for women; fome do not fcruple to say he gave eleven for men, and nine for women; and this conduct (though it is hard to blame Captain Darling) has been of infinite prejudice to the trade, as the traders expected for fome time that the shipping at Annamaboe would continue to give the fame price; and upon refufal, numbers of them grew extremely infolent; the price, however, got up to ten ounces for men, and eight for women, by the going fhips, but I am much afraid it will foon become general. Meffrs. Mill and Bell, however, could find flaves to fell Captain Darling for bills of exchange; as Captain Darling affured me he had twenty from Bell, and was to have between twenty and thirty from Mr. Mill; and that the former of thofe two gentlemen gave him the strongest affurances of felling him fixty for bills this year, and Mr. Mill one hundred; and that these two gentlemen had farther engaged to give him two hundred flaves on freight for account of Mr. Grofsle's estate, over and above the one hundred and fixty beforementioned to be fold for bills. Captain Darling was upon the Coaft but five or fix weeks, and carried off one hundred and fixty flaves; fo that the difference must have been either fold for bills alfo, or fhipped on freight, which laft I am most inclined to conjecture; for I never can be brought to think that Mr. Mill, Mr. Bell, or any other gentlemen in the fervice, are fo fimple as to fell a prime Gold Coast man flave (as no other would be accepted) for a bill of 20l. when there is a moral certainty, that such a flave would fetch 361. fterling in the Weft-Indies; allowing then a man flave to fetch in the Weft Indies 361. From which deduct 10 per cent. commiffion Freight 51. mortality 11. 16s. Doctor's head money 3 12 London bill There remains and appears to be a loss on every man slave of 5 11 and as women are faid to be fold for only 161. in bills, and differ only 40s. from the price of men in the Weft-Indies, it will appear that those gentlemen will lofe 71. 11s. fterling on every woman; to this it will be objected, that they are prohibited by the committee-instructions from shipping flaves on freight, and have no alternative but to fell them either for goods or bills; which laft method, they tell you, they are obliged to take, in order to fupport their credit and pay for the goods fent them out by their friends; what credit you are pleased to give them, gentlemen, I cannot pretend to fay; but for my part, I do not believe a syllable of it, neither do I believe any merchant in England would send a ship of five or four, or even three hundred tons, with the fupplies every year to Cape Coast for the paltry confideration of 500l. if they had not strong affurances of a good freight of flaves from the Coast to the West-Indies. The Jamaica store ship, of five or fix hundred tons burthen, chiefly owned by the late Mr. Biscoe, committee-man for Bristol, was sent out last year with the supplies, upon a prefumption that his good friend Mr. Groffle was living, and at the head of affairs, and would secure a good freight for her; feveral letters were wrote the chiefs on the Coast at that time, and large quantities of goods fent out freight free, for what purpose it is easy to imagine; now if the members of the committee, who ought to be the guardians of this trade, will dare to out-fit fhips, fupply all their fervants with goods on the Coaft, receive all their remittances, and encourage them not only to break through their own inftructions and regulations, but even acts of parliament, I think it is almost time to bid adieu to this trade. The gentlemen in the fort, I believe, apprehend they will be forbid to keep craft; to remedy which, they have fallen upon a method of taking fome part of the fhip's cargoes, in order to have the use of these veffels and the craft belonging to them; an inftance or two I gave Mr. Barber in my letter to him of 20th July, wherein Meffrs. Mill and Bell, took a Rhode Island brig's cargoe, on condition of having the use of the veffel for five months to trade for them onthe Coast, and the brig Beggar's Bennison, Captain Dunn, who was kept trading to leeward fix months for them, and afterwards dispatched from Cape Coast to the West-Indies full of flaves. Mr. Trinder alfo took part of a Boston fchooner's cargoe in February last, on condition that the Captain should run down to Whydah and land it there for him, which he did; fo that let the committee fend what orders they will, these people will find methods to elude them. Captain Captain George Young, of his Majesty's floop Weazle, being just gone on board in order to fail, I am obliged to conclude with affuring you, I fhall embrace every opportunity to advise you how matters are carried on, on the Coast, and that I am with great efteem, GENTLEMEN, GENTLEMEN, Your most obedient fervant, RICHARD BREW. Caftle Brew, August 25, 1771. Y the Corfican Hero, late Captain Smith, Miles Barber, Efq; did me B a letter to him, dated the 25th of last February, by which I find they have taken great offence at my detecting and expofing their unwarrantable proceedings, and the mal-practices of their fervants on the Coast; a circumstance, however, I am perfectly easy about. Before I proceed to inform you of fome late tranfactions on the Coaft, I beg leave to fay fomething in my own behalf, as the committee have stated matters to you in a very ungenteel, unfair manner. The first thing the committee takes notice of in their letter to Mr. Barber is, "that it would be contrary to all rules of law and justice to have admitted my evidence against them and their fervants. In answer to which give me leave to afk you, gentlemen, whether my evidence and oath in a court of justice, or at the bar of the House of Commons, would not be looked upon as valid as the evidence of any member of the committee, or the oaths of any master or mate of a ship whatsoever. In the year 1753, one of this righteous committee fufpended me from the government of Tantumquerry fort, upon the bare evidence of Mr. David Hamilton of Bristol, who was then only a mate of a fhip. I was condemned even without the form of a trial, which fhews that what was law and justice in those days is not fo now. In the year 1764, another committee fufpended me from the government of Annamaboe, upon the evidence of one Eafton, a master of a veffel belonging to Liverpool; the charge was, that I had shipped off five |