APPENDIX
f .
“ the -precision and attention possible, we should still ignorantly omit some things,
“ and depict others in too faint and indulgent a light, ‘the grounds o f our information
K being often superficial and precarious ; . for it isto .b e romembered, that the enormi-
u ties which are committed in this trade conceal themselves- in the dark, and it is only
“ by accident that some traces o f ‘them can occasionally be discerned. For th'esé rea-
“ sons, the undersigned request that they may be excused for confining themselves to
M the most common, and notorious abuses, which being, faith&lly recorded, may still
:s afford sufficient evidence o f the dteadfuil and detéstable .crimes which -spring from
“ avarice, and o f the frightful shapes in which she perpetually-displays-herself, insti-
1C gating and exciting the vengeful and blood-thirsty passions o f the natives; and
u . creating a fertile source of trouble and mischief.
j® Th e making o f a slave transport, i f properly viewed, consists in nothing more than
“ this. A person, calling himself an. interpreter,: repairs; at thè desiW d f 'otfe1 who
« says that he has bought a slave, to the Secretary’s Office, and accompanied by any
“ native, who provided with a note .from the.purchaser gives Himself öiïf a^-sbllèïi
« For three rupees a eertiftcate o f sale, in .the usual form,, is' immediately made out ;
“ three rupees are also paid to the notary, two rupees put into the hands o f thé inters
« prêter, the whole transaction is concluded, and the purchase» has thus-become
“ the lawful owner o f a free-born man, who very often is; stolen with his (the jiir-.
« chaser’s) concurrence and co-operation. He does not,: ;hojy ever, trouble himself
“ about that, because the stolen victim is already concealed where nobody can find Kittf.
« The transaction also very seldom becomes public, because never were found more
« faithful receivers than the slave-traders. It is a maxim wit-hr-theni, never, as they
« pall it, to betray their prison ; a phrase which we shall presently havé' thé honour
« more fully to explain. But what will be .thought o f the value ó f-thiSse ip'ufcîlifc! instfti-
« ments, to which the name o f Slave Transports is attached, when at times it is foùnd
« that both purchaser and seller are fictitious, and that they are united in tone league
“ with the interpreter. By such means it is Obvi ous, that the right of-property upon
« a stolen man may be acquired with as much ease as if he were pinioned.befdreFthe
if door or within the yard.of the pretended purchaser, and with no:greater cost than
“ the small sum o f one rupee, or something more, according to circumstances, which
« must be put into the hands o f him who gave himself out for the seller. T o find a person
“ for this purpose does not.require a long search, fpr.it is--a very easy- tirade to pursue*
u and there are numbers o f the most profligate o f the natives continually roving about
“ who do nothing else, and maintain themselves exclusively upon such small profits.;
even the slaves o f the inhabitants being bribed, suffer themselves for a small'fee to
a be thus employed. The victim himself, who is stolen and sold, is never examined,
“ nor do the Dutch or native interpreters at all concern themselves about the matter ;
« they are not much afraid o f the risk o f their responsibility ; so that, at any time,
“ it were possible to prepare beforehand as many transports as might be required.
“ L e t us further represent to ourselves this, our town of M a k â s a r , filled with
“ • prisons, the .one more dismal than the other, which are stuffed up with hundreds of
“ wretches,
Kg wrètches, the victims of avarice and tyranny, who, chained in fetters, look forward appendix
‘f with: despair towards their future destiny, and> taken away from their wives, their F*
“ children, their parent^, their friends and comforts, languish in slavery, helpless
1 and -miserable!. We may picture'1 to ourselves the condition o f one (and how often
“ do such instances occur) who perhaps saw his aged father lose his life by big side, in
(i attempting to rescue'the pride and comfort o f hie declining years, whilst the survivor,
“ incapable o f further resistance, is torn from him, robbed irrecoverably o f what is
“ most precious.to every human being, and carried away, in.a condition more dread-
u fnl than death itself; a condition o f despair and uncertainty, in which that moment
“ onjyishall-produce-a1 change, when he ie resigifed for a. trifle- to the arbitrary wijt
“ ©fantaster, who^Hgfe paid thé stipulated price, and acquired the right o f placing him
“ ,a$P% sf; the number o f 'his"domestic animals, treating him at times no better than
“ he would'do those creatures.
“ H we would lift lip another corner o f the curtain, a scène no less pre-
“ sents itself.-1 H’ere we discover wives lamenting the Joss o f their husbands, children
*f missing their parents, parents missing their children, who; with hearts filled with
“ i rage and revenge,’ run frantic through the streets and Before our doors, tó do all
“ that the filial love ó f children for their parents, the tenderness o f parents for their
” - offspring can inspire, in order; ’.if1 possible, to discover where their dearest pledges
“ are concealed. Often, very Often, is all-tbeir labour and trouble in vain, being
v obliged, to return back hopeless and comfortless to their afflicted' friends and rela-
“ fiöni. .^pometrmes,1 indeed, the profbundest secrecy is not proof against their inde-
«ipWjtghble scrutiny, and i f they do by any chance learn where a father, mother, a son
ïrp é daughter,, a husband o r a wife, is kept in concealment, hope revives within their
and absorbed in the prospect o f becoming their deliverers and saviours,
every sacrifice is considered trifling; by means o f which they can regain possession o f
“ t,ie objqpts ofrfheir anxious care. But, alas! these unhappy people have not as y e t
“ reached the end o f their su f fe r ig s ; an obdurate purchaser, deaf to all the pleadings
<£ distress, will be prepared coolly to make his advantage o f it; and proportionably
d .to enhance the ransom o f his victim, t ill1 by extorting an exorbitant price, h e may
‘1 plunge the unhappy relative from a moderate property into indigence, or, which is
{,* still worse, burden him with debts, which soonèr or later will reduce himself, and
“ perhaps his whole family, to slavery!
,ri“ ' It- must not he thought, that when these wretched people have thus carried their
“ point) and when, to furnish the sum demanded, they have sold their houses and
“ goods, or even pawned themselves,* that, after the payment o f the ransom agreed
£C °n, the matter is finished. N o ! the trader will not deliver up the pretended slave
*£ nntil he departs for B atavia: and if we ask, why? it is, that his prison may not be
“ betrayed; that is to Say, that it may not become generally known throughout the
<£ country, what numbers of stolen people he keeps shut up within his prison, and that
“ the cry o f vengeance against many execrable acts that are concealed in the dark, may
“ not
Meaning their services for a stipulated period or for life.