night - Rejoins the schooner - Party proceeds to Delagoa Bay - Rescue
in boats — Two of the men enter on board the Nemesis — Harsh treat
ment of native women by the Portuguese - Interesting tale—Nemesis
ready for sea --Excursion up the river - Three branches — Dundas
Buffaloes — Zebras – Native birds -Ilerds of Hippopotami— Appear
ance and habits — Fine sport — Difficulty of killing—Manner in which
the natives hunt them — Traps Return of party — Governor's grand
entertainment — Dance of native women Native chiefs the great
abettors of the slave - trade.
The circumstances relating to the distressed seamen
on the coast, alluded to in the foregoing chapter, were
first stated by one of the unfortunate sufferers himself,
who accosted , in very good English, some of the officers
of the Nemesis, as they were returning to their ship,
and soon proved himself to have belonged to an Ame
rican vessel, but stated that he was a native of Ha
nover . His name was Samuel Reid, or something very
much like it. His right eye and lower jaw appeared to
SHIPWRECK . 91
have been dreadfully wounded, and gave a practical in
troduction to the following tale, every part of which
there is too much reason to believe is strictly true.
It appears that an American schooner, called the
Colonel Crockett, of one hundred and forty tons, be
longing to Newburgh, U. S., sailed from New York in
ܕ
the summer of 1839, bound on a voyage to the west
coast of Africa, to procure bullocks for salting, princi
pally for the St. Helena market. She subsequently,
also, proceeded to Madagascar, and touched at Delagoa
Bay, on her way to Inhampura River, high up on the
east coast, to trade for ivory. There she remained three
weeks, without being able to accomplish her object. In
working out of it again, in May, 1840, she missed stays,
and went on shore on the sand at the river's mouth .
They tried in vain to get the vessel off on the following
day, there not being enough men fit for work, as all, ex
cept three out of eleven, were sick with fever. There
she lay, nearly high and dry. It seems they had only
one boat remaining, which was too small to contain all
the people ; and, therefore, it was agreed that the cap
tain and second mate, (Samuel Reid) with two men,
should start off in her, and try to reach Delagoa Bay,
which was only about seventy miles distant ; where
they were to procure a larger boat and other assistance,
and then return, to bring away the remainder of the
crew, and whatever could be saved from the wreck.
Unfortunately, they found the surf beating over the
bar at the mouth of the Inhampura so heavily, that they
could not succeed in getting the boat out. In this pre
dicament, the captain and second mate volunteered to
92 NATIVE TREACHERY .
set out together, to try to reach Delagoa Bay by land
a most hazardous experiment under any circumstances,
with the dangers of the fatal fevers, and the treachery
of the savage native tribes, staring them in the face.
The attempt was, in fact, almost hopeless. Neverthe
less, on the morning of the 9th of May, 1840, they
landed from the vessel, totally unarmed, thinking, pro
bably, that it would be both useless and laborious for
two men to carry arms which they could scarcely use
for more than one or two discharges, owing to the diffi
culty of carrying ammunition .
They proceeded for about twenty to twenty -five
miles on that day, without molestation, but were at
length joined by three natives, one of whom left them ,
under the pretence of going to procure water, while the
other two lighted a fire, and began to roast some corn ,
of which they all partook equally. In the mean time,
the native who had been absent returned, bringing with
him seven others .
The captain, being anxious to make the most of his
time, determined to proceed, although the day was fast
declining. But, in order to relieve themselves from the
weight of their bags of clothes which they had each
brought with them, they entrusted them to the care of
>
the natives who followed . On arriving at the bottom
of a steep hill, where there was a picturesque valley,
they all halted for the night, and soon made a capital
fire. As might have been expected, the curiosity of the
natives, to say nothing of their treacherous disposition,
could not withstand the temptation of looking into the
bags they had carried, to examine their contents. This
AFFRAY WITH NATIVES . 93
was resisted by the captain , who was rather a basty
man ; a scuffle ensued, and thus the opportunity the
natives sought for was at once afforded them .
Their intentions might have been foreseen the mo
ment the man left the party, ostensibly to look for
water, but in reality to look for assistance . And
although a natural dread of the white man had hitherto
prevented them from openly commencing their attack,
waiting probably for a more favourable opportunity at
nightfall, a quarrel having once arisen, however trifling,
their savage blood was roused, and all their bad feelings
awakened . They immediately rose in a body, and made
a general discharge of their spears at the two unhappy
white men . The captain faced them boldly, and soon
received several severe wounds in front, and at last tried
to save himself by flight. But, wounded as he was, they
soon overtook him, and struck him down, it is to be
hoped, quite dead, although even that does not appear
certain.
The mate, on the other hand, who stood sideways to
receive the discharge of spears, presenting a narrower
surface than in front, was wounded with two spears in
the right arm, and one in the neighbourhood of the
right eye, and , having picked up one of them, made a
furious charge at those who were nearest to him, and
killed two of the savages on the spot. Numbers, how
ever, necessarily prevailed over the most desperate cou
rage, and he was at last struck down by a heavy blow
of a club over the head, and, being senseless, was con
sidered dead. They now dragged him towards the fire,
as he afterwards found, and must have struck him seve
94 CANNIBALISM.
ral heavy blows upon different parts of the body . On
coming to himself again, he found that he was stripped
of all his clothes, lying naked upon the sand, and so ex
hausted that he could neither speak nor move. Gradu
ally, however, becoming sensible of his helpless situation ,
he looked around him from time to time, unobserved ;
and , at length, to his great horror, discovered the body
of his unfortunate captain, lying by the side of the fire,
and several natives standing around it, some of whom
were busy cutting off slices from the fleshy parts of the
body, while others roasted them in the fire, with all the
appearance of anxious longing for the feast !
Can any situation be conceived more horrible at this
moment than that of the unfortunate wounded man ? If
he betrayed symptoms of life, he was sure to be beaten
with heavy clubs to death ; if he lay quiet, to all ap
pearance lifeless, it was far from improbable that, when
they should have become satiated with the flesh of his
companion, they might be ready to commence their
butchery upon himself. Who can picture to himself,
without horror, the dreadful moments which lingered as
they passed, and seemed endless in the anxiety of sus
pense ! There the poor fellow lay, in speechless agony ;
the fated witness of barbarity the most revolting.
At length, having gorged themselves with that horri.
ble repast, in the peculiar manner which those who have
ever seen the hungry savage at his meal can never forget,
they fell asleep round the fire, under the full oppression
of repletion. The poor mate, perceiving this, made a
desperate effort to rouse himself from his death - like
dreaminess, and try to fly from his impending fate, he
HORRIBLE SITUATION . 95
knew not how or whither. He could not stand, he could
not walk, and almost fainted with the effort ; yet he
crawled on hands and knees towards the neighbouring
bush or thicket, and there contrived to hide himself.
He lay concealed in helplessness until the following
day, when he was discovered by the restless eye of the
suspicious savage. He asked, by signs, for water ; but
not only was that refused to him, but he was given to
understand, without difficulty, that they looked forward
to the pleasure of eating him for their evening meal with
particular satisfaction ; and a sort of rude table was
pointed out to him, upon which they intended to cut
him up for their repast, according to their most ap
proved fashion. After this, they left him alone in his
misery. It should be mentioned that, when they re
fused him drink, they did give him a little food , of some
kind or other, which they forced him to eat ; and
horrible to think of !-it was not improbably a part of
his murdered companion, upon which they had regaled
themselves the evening before.
As night approached, the man, finding himself some
what recovered from the shock of his wounds, made
another desperate effort to escape. He could now walk ;
and slowly and cautiously he pursued his way, tracing
back his course, with the almost unerring instinct which
the resolution of despair awakens. The darkness of the
night favoured him1 ; and, by sometimes diving into the
wood for concealment, sometimes resting in the darkest
part of the thicket to collect his failing strength, and
then again boldly urging on his course along the more
open beach by the sea-side, he at length eluded all his
96 ESCAPE .
pursuers. They had followed him, for some distance, in
vain ; and he safely reached, on the following day, the
schooner he had left, completely exhausted and help
less .
Here he found that, even during his short absence,
death had done its work among his messmates on board .
Finding that there was no hope of procuring relief on
shore, another attempt was made to get the boat over
the bar — and with success. In this the chief mate, with
two men , embarked , in the hope of being able to make
their passage along the coast to Delagoa Bay. The at
tempt most fortunately succeeded ; and , at the end of
five days, to the inexpressible joy of all the survivors
upon the wreck, a large boat was descried approaching
it, which had been hired by their comrades from the
Portuguese authorities for two hundred dollars, for the
purpose of bringing them off. But their troubles were
not yet destined to end. A heavy sea still continued to
beat upon the bar, creating such a surf that they were
compelled to wait at least fourteen days more before
they could leave the schooner. Happily, they were at
length able to embark ; and, carrying with them the
most portable articles of value they could stow away ,
they ultimately succeeded in reaching Delagoa Bay.
Such was the melancholy tale which had occasioned
the very opportune address to the sable king before
mentioned ; and it is to be hoped that some benefit may
in future be derived from the judicious manner in which
the subject was handled, during his majesty's visit to
the Nemesis. It has more than once been suspected ,
that some of the tribes on the eastern coast of Africa
CANNIBALISM . 97
were cannibals, under certain circumstances : but others
again, and Captain Owen among the number, have de
clared that, on inquiry, even their greatest enemies
acquitted them of the suspicion . ” There does not, how
ever,, appear to be any well-grounded reason for calling
in question the truth of the statement made by this
unfortunate man , Reid . His tale was told with every
appearance of truth ; and, although it might be suggested
that the man was not unlikely to have been in a state
of dreamy delirium, after the wounds and blows he had
>
received upon the head, and might have been led by
fear to imagine what he pictured to himself to be true,
still this is a very unsatisfactory answer to a simple tale
of facts, artlessly told, and without any object to be
gained by inventing a case of horror. Besides which ,
he could hardly have found his way back to the schooner
without assistance, had he not perfectly recovered his
senses before he started .
Two of the unfortunate men entered as able seamen
on board the Nemesis, with liberty to be discharged
when they pleased, and continued on board until she
arrived at Singapore; but the second mate preferred
waiting for any American vessel that might touch at the
settlement .
To return once more to the old king, and the beha
viour of the natives generally, it may here be remarked ,
that the former went back to his own country, to all
appearance impressed with a very high opinion of the
power, the wealth, and the friendly disposition of the
English. Several visits were paid to his encampment,
during the remainder of his stay, by the officers of the
VOL . I. H
98 THE NATIVES .
Nemesis ; and on all occasions they were received with
becoming civility, and with attention worthy of more
enlightened beings.
These poor people appeared in some respects superior
to the small tribes which frequent the immediate neigh
bourhood of the settlement . There was, on one occa
sion, a dancing exhibition among the latter, which was
savagein all respects, and even indecent in some. They
had rude drums and discordant horns, with which they
bellowed forth the most savage din that ever won the name
of music ; and the contortions of their bodies, as they
danced and hopped about with inconceivable exertion ,
ornamented with pieces of the skins of various wild
animals, made them more resemble demons upon the
stage, in the opera of Der Freischütz, than higher beings
destined to run their little race of mock humanity upon
earth .
It may seem that I have dwelt long upon the subjects
of interest connected with the stay of the Nemesis at
Delagoa Bay ; but in reality it is a part of the coast
of Africa little known to the general reader, and as
the vessel was detained there for a considerable time,
many objects of interest were noticed and remembered .
I have before memtioned that the Portuguese have been
very far from advancing the civilization of the natives.
There is certainly no love for each other between them ;
and the debasing influences of the slave-trade seem uni
versally to poison the heart, and turn even the softer
sympathies of our nature, in course of time, into the
harder brittleness of the lifeless rock. Were it other
wise, how could you be brought to witness the cruel
NATIVE WOMEN. 99
degradation of the weaker sex, which is inflicted upon
them by the Portuguese authorities, more because they
are black instead of white, than because their crimes
are blacker, or their natures less alive to the inflic
tion ! Whatever may be the cause, none can view with
cold indifference, or without a wish to set them free, the
unhappy native women driven to work in chains, some
even with children tied upon their backs. They may
be slaves, they may be offenders against the law which
Portuguese governors administer, but still they are
women , and claim rather pity than the vindictiveness of
anger.
One poor native woman was discovered who spoke Eng
lish tolerably well, and was found to have been extremely
useful as interpreter to all the English and American ves
sels, whalers, and others, which touched there for sup
plies. For what particular reason does not appear, but
this poor creature had been strictly forbidden by the
governor to go on board the Nemesis, under pain of the
severest punishment ; indeed, she had been kept in close
confinement nearly ever since the arrival of the vessel.
But, at length, when an American whaler came into the
bay, she was allowed to visit that ship as usual. There
was something peculiarly artless and good -natured about
the poor woman's manner, and she expressed a particu
lar wish to be allowed to see some person from the
English ship. Word was accordingly brought from the
American captain to that effect.
Her tale was a remarkable one, and told with consi
derable intelligence. She expressed her attachment to
the English in strong terms, enumerated the various
H 2
100 VISIT TO THE INTERIOR.
kindnesses she had received from them, inquired after
particular ships and individuals, and seemed to remem
ber almost every trifling incident that had occurred .
She was greatly afraid of being punished by the go
vernor, for having dared to talk to the English, but could
assign no particular grounds for the harsh treatment she
received. It was, however, shrewdly suspected that it
arose from fear that she might furnish information about
the slave -trade, and that in fact her remarks might
already have been very useful to the English cruizers,
and , consequently, injurious to the Portuguese dealers .
It has been before stated that the governor himself was
not free from the suspicion of countenancing the traffic ;
and, taking all the circumstances together, it became
pretty evident that this poor woman's treatment was
only one of the links in the chain of turpitude forged
out of the iron rod of slavery.
The repairs of the Nemesis had by this time been
completed, after working day and night without in
termission during the whole time she had been
there . Nothing now remained but to fill up the fresh
water necessary for the ship's company, and to take in the
little fuel still required to complete her proper supply .
For the first time since their arrival , some of the offi
cers were now able to leave the ship for a day, and >
make an interesting excursion up the river. They
started early in the morning, accompanied by a Portu
guese merchant and his servant. It being now the least
unhealthy season of the year, there was little or no
danger to be apprehended from sickness, particularly
as it was not their intention to remain out at night.
HIPPOPOTAMI . 101
It has already been noticed that the English River is,
in fact, formed by the united waters of three rivers at
the distance of only five or six miles from the fort, the
largest being the Temby, to the southward, and the
smallest, the Dundas, to the westward, while the Mattoll
runs up towards the northward . The Dundas was the
one chosen on the present excursion, as there was good
expectation of finding large herds of hippopotami upon
its banks, and perhaps other wild animals, which would
furnish a capital day's sport. The banks of the river
were low, and the stream sluggish, and on all sides
abundance of mangrove shrubs and bushes, sufficient of
themselves to indicate that the country must frequently
be flooded. Birds of various kinds, particularly such
as feed upon small fish and worms, were seen in great
numbers, curlews and crows, and occasionally a pelican ,
with wild geese and pigeons, and now and then rarer
birds of more beautiful plumage.
As the boat ascended, four wild buffaloes were seen at
a distance, and a beautiful zebra was descried, galloping
away from the river-side . But the most striking objects
were the numerous hippopotami , in the midst of whose
favourite haunts they now found themselves. A more
curious or exciting scene can scarcely be imagined ; and
when it was resolved to continue the ascent , in the hope
of having some fine sport , the Portuguese merchant was
so alarmed that he very humbly requested that he might
be left behind . The strange animals opened their huge
mouths, and bellowed forth a sound something like the
roar of an ox in concert with the grunt of aa wild boar,
with aa little accompaniment of the braying of an ass.
102 HIPPOPOTAMI .
They did not at first seem frightened, but showed their
formidable- looking teeth as if they had some right
to frighten others. Hundreds of them started up at
different times, some rising from the shallow mud in
which they had been lying, and hastening off with a
quick heavy tread ; others again just raising their heads
up from the deeper parts of the river, and diving again
like porpoises. Several of them were fired at and
wounded, upon which they dived instantly out of sight,
without rising again. Indeed, they are hardly ever killed
in such a way as to be taken upon the spot at once ; but,,
dying under water, the carcase of course rises to the
surface after two or three days, and is then taken pos
session of by the natives. Their flesh is eaten with
great avidity in times of scarcity ; but, generally speak
ing, they are more valued for the beautiful ivory of
their teeth, which are collected and bartered for various
articles of European manufacture.
Several natives were seen paddling about in the river
in their little canoes, apparently without any fear of
the hippopotami, and one party of them was spoken to,
and appeared harmless and contented ; but their invita
tion to land and look at the country was not accepted ,
as there was little time to spare , and their treacherous
character was sufficiently known to make it imprudent
to divide a small party into still smaller ones. They ,
however, explained the mode in which they contrive to
kill the hippopotami, very intelligibly, viz. , sometimes
by making a regular charge at some of them singled
out on purpose , with their spears . To effect this, they
go in large numbers together, but the expedition is at
GASTRONOMIC NOVELTIES. 103
tended with considerable danger, and rarely resorted to
except in times of dearth . A more common method is
to lay traps of various kinds for them, either upon the
banks of the river itself, or among the neighbouring
trees, a party being constantly at hand, in concealment,
to despatch them at the last moment.
The whole distance ascended, from the junction of
the Dundas with the English River, was about seven or
eight miles, when the water became so shallow that the
boats could scarcely proceed. Towards evening, there
fore, they again descended with the ebb-tide, having the
full light of the moon to guide them down to their ship,
after a laborious but very agreeable day, which fully
repaid them, by the interesting objects which presented
themselves to their notice.
Their last day had now arrived ; and with a view to
show them every possible attention, as well as to conciliate
their good offices, the governor invited them to a grand
entertainment; on which occasion all the delicacies of
the African coast had been sought out, to do honour to
the guests. Rare vegetables and fruits had been col
lected, and grand discussions had taken place in the
settlement, upon the relative gastronomic value of suck
ing pigs, and buffalo cutlets, and the peculiar claims to
consideration of sea -horse soup, or Guinea-fowl ragoût.
Certainly nothing was omitted which could contribute to
the novelty and perfection of the entertainment.
The governor's residence on the outside was something
like a good-sized English cottage, consisting of only
one floor, as is commonly the case in hot countries, and
having two white pillars in front, which supported a por
104 DANCING EXTRAORDINARY .
tion of the roof, serving at the same time for a verandah.
It was ornamented with green branches for the occasion,
affording a very necessary protection from the glare of
the sun, which was still high and powerful. There were
several other smaller cottages disposed around it, some
thing in the form of a square, but not a single tree or
other relieving object, to soften the burning reflection
from the deep sand which formed the site of the fort
and of the governor's residence.
The dinner went off with great eclat, and no little
amusement at the original attempts of the black waiters
(of course, slaves) to vie with European refinement.
Towards evening, when tea had at length been handed
round , the entertainment was concluded with , “for the
last time of performance,” a dance of the native women
belonging to the neighbouring village. Little can be
said for the good taste displayed, either in the dancing,
or in the singing which accompanied it . It is, indeed,
Y rather degrading than otherwise to one's pride of
humanity, to witness the grotesque and sometimes
worse than ridiculous contortions of the body and
countenance, which form the essence of the dances of
savage life, particularly when performed by women.
The whole affair lasted for about an hour, when, glad to
escape the heat and noise, the officers returned to their
ship, well pleased with the attentions which they had
received on shore. On the same day, the men on board
had been regaled with a capital dinner of roast beef and
plum-pudding, and an extra glass of grog, in reward for
their good behaviour and energy during the refitting of
the ship .
THE SLAVE -TRADE. 105
Little further remains to be said of Delagoa Bay,
though many interesting facts might have been elicited
in relation to the slave -trade, had the Nemesis remained
there longer. It appears very evident that formerly
the trade was carried on with greater atrocity than at
present, but enough is still known respecting it to make
us look upon the natives themselves as the worst abet
tors of the traffic. The passions of the savage chiefs
seem only to be withheld for aa moment, not suppressed,
by the difficulty of procuring slaves ; and when they can
neither find enemies to seize, nor culprits to condemn,
they sometimes send a sort of maurading expedition, to
seize by treachery their own people, and sell them into
slavery. It is stated by Captain Owen that, within even
a few years, under a former commandant, some of the
chiefs had been persuaded to sell their harmless subjects
for so trifling a sum as a dollar and a half each, or about
seven shillings, to be paid, not in money, but in mer
chandize of trifling value, and that several cargoes had
been obtained in this way for the Brazilian market. No
wonder that, at this rate, the fortunate landing of even
one cargo in three at their ultimate destination should
produce so enormous a profit upon the speculation .
If we look for the most thriving mart for slaves upon
the east coast of Africa, at the present time, we shall
find it at the river Quillimane, a little more than five
hundred miles to the north of Delagoa Bay. It lies
about midway between that settlement and Mozambique.
There the slaves are purchased for coarse cloth, gun
powder, beads, cutlery, &c.; and the “ arrival of one of
the little traders, with his pedlar-kind of stock, among
106 SLAVE -MART .
one of the native tribes in the interior, becomes the
signal for general warfare, in which the weak become the
victims of the strong .” A few years ago, no less than
five thousand slaves were annually exported from this
mart alone, to Rio Janeiro. But it is impossible to
ascertain how many of this human cargo may have lived
to reach their destination.
It is indeed astonishing that a place so unhealthy in
itself as Quillimane should be able to keep up its con
stant supply of human export. The soil and the very
air are no less pestilential than the traffic which debases
it. But the effects of the demand are felt far and
wide, and hundreds of miles in the interior the slave
hunt, as it may be called, is carried on ; and the
ramifications of this odious traffic spread themselves, like
the branches of the upas-tree, not merely poisoning all
within its shade, but becoming more and more infectious
as it branches out further from the root.
DEPARTURE FROM DELAGOA BAY . 107
CHAPTER VII.
Departure from Delagoa Bay — Uncertainty of the Compasses_Arrival
at Mozambique — No danger from lightning to iron vessels - Alarm
of slave -traders — Measures of the governor - Determined to put down
the trade— Visit to the Nemesis—Description of Mozambique - Re
marks on its inhabitants — Slave-dealing — Curious law - Coal found
Future advantages — Best place of call on the coast — Arrival at the
Comoro islands — Johanna - Character of its inhabitants.
All preparations being at length completed, on the
morning of the 17th of August, just twenty days after
having so providentially succeeded in reaching her
port of refuge, the Nemesis was once more ready to
pursue her voyage. Steam was again got up, and, in
order to try the engine, and the steadiness of the vessel,
once more before proceeding out to sea, she was taken
some way up the river and round the bay, the governor
and all his family being on board . On landing, his
Excellency ordered a salute of seven guns to be fired
from the fort, which was returned with cheers only, out
of consideration to the sick men who were on board ;
for already two or three cases of fever, not however
fatal, had broken out.
As the vessel pursued her course out of the bay, she
was heartily cheered by the few ships which were there,
108 MOZAMBIQUE.
particularly by an American whaler, which had come in
for supplies some time before. Yet all was “ mystery ”
still ; all knew whence she came, but none knew whither
she went.
Scarcely had she cleared the Bay of Delagoa, when a
strong head-wind, high sea, and adverse current, pro
mised again to baffle her efforts. In consequence of
this, after proceeding six or seven miles out to sea, and ,
finding that she was pitching heavily, it was thought
better to bring her up again along the shore. She
pursued her course steadily, in spite of the strong lee
current, until the next evening, when it was resolved to
come to anchor about three or four miles from the coast.
The weather soon moderated considerably, and she ran
on as far as Cape Corrientes. But as the land from
this point takes aa long sweep to the westward, towards
Mozambique, forming by this means an immense bay,
she was obliged to stand out to sea again,
On the 22nd August she passed near the groupe of
Rocky Islands, called Bassa da India, which are situ
ated nearly in the middle of the channel, and pursued
her voyage under sail. Of course, her progress was
slow against an adverse wind, and no little anxiety was
felt by her captain, on account of the uncertainty of the
compasses, and their discrepancy with each other. She
arrived, however, safely at Mozambique on the afternoon
of the 31st, without having had occasion to use her
engines, except just to carry her into the anchorage.
As she passed through the outer roads, she com
municated with H.M. brig Acorn, Captain Adams,
which was on the look-out for two slavers daily ex
ERRORS OF THE COMPASSES . 109
pected to arrive for cargoes ; and, the better to entrap
them , she had hoisted a sort of decoy- flag at her main ,
which she had already taken from one of the same
description. While a short visit was being paid on
board, a pilot had come off from the shore, to conduct
the Nemesis into the inner harbour, where she was soon
brought to within a quarter of a mile of the town.
Little time, however, could be spared for the visit, but
there was still some necessary work to be done on
board , which could not be completed until the follow
ing day. I have stated that three stringers, or beams,
had been fixed to the ship's side at Delagoa Bay, but,
in reality, only two of them were finished there, the third
having been prepared on her voyage up to Mozambique,
and only fixed in its proper position on her arrival there,
with the assistance of the carpenters from the Acorn .
As the errors of the compasses have been alluded to
above, and seem to have occasioned very great anxiety
upon this passage,, it may be well to make some re
marks about them again in this place. It will be
remembered , that before leaving Liverpool a long series
of experiments had been made, which were intended to
provide means of counteracting the local action of the
iron of the ship’s hull upon the compasses. But no
worse place can be imagined than a crowded dock for
the purpose of carrying on experiments of such nicety.
Disturbing causes were continually operating , and the
accident she met with on her way to Portsmouth
proved that the correctness of the compasses was very
far from being satisfactory . The experiments which
were afterwards made at Portsmouth were also very
110 ERRORS OF THE COMPASSES .
doubtful in their result, in all probability owing, as
before explained, to the absence of the boxes of chain
or broken iron, which are always used by Professor
Airey. It may readily be imagined that the utmost
anxiety was always felt on board the vessel on this
account, particularly when near the land ; and many a
long and anxious night has been spent on deck, with
frequently a leadsman upon each of the paddle-boxes,
to take soundings, and one in the bows besides.
The large magnets, as originally placed in their posi
tions, have never been moved, neither has the compass
been changed in the slightest degree. But, although
they have greatly modified the errors, they have by no
means sufficed to correct them. It has been always
found the safest course not to put faith in the compasses
at all ; or, rather, in this instance, observation showed
that a compass, suspended in a box from a cross spar,
at the height of ten or twelve feet above the head of the
man at the helm, acted with much more accuracy than
any other, and it was always the most relied on whenever
it could be used.
It is scarcely to be doubted that the vessel has often
made a longer passage than she would have done had
the compasses been correct ; for, in bad weather, when
observations of the celestial bodies could not be taken ,
she could scarcely have avoided making many errors in
her course . But nowhere were these difficulties felt
more anxiously than in this passage through the Mozam
bique Channel, where land could never be very far
distant. The necessity for a constant good look -out,
and for two or even three men in the chains, produced
ERRORS OF THE COMPASSES. 111
anxiety and fatigue in itself ; while it was also neces
sary for the officers to have the advantage of taking
the altitudes of the stars, whenever the night was clear
enough, not only once, but many times during the night.
The compasses not only differed from the true points,
but differed also from each other ; and, particularly in
the Mozambique Channel, it was observed that they
differed more than elsewhere, without being influenced ,
however, by the rapid atmospheric changes which pre
vailed . The more the ship’s course was directed
towards the true pole, the less was the error of the
compass ; but gradually, as her course was changed
towards the east or west, so did the errors and dis
crepancies of the compasses increase.
It is satisfactory to know that the same degree of
difficulty was not experienced on board the other iron
steamers which were sent out afterwards; and, as the
Nemesis was the first of her class that ever made the
voyage, it is right here to record the difficulties she
encountered under this head . Many an anxious watch
has been spent on deck, trying to catch the altitude of
particular stars as they emerged, for a moment, from
the dense clouds or haze ; and much of this kind of
labour, so frequently repeated, would have been saved,
>
had her compasses been trustworthy.
With respect to the effects of lightning upon an iron
ship, and the danger which was to be apprehended from
the attraction, both of the vessel as a body, and of its
particular parts as points for the electrical fluid to touch
upon in its passage between the clouds and the earth,
no inconvenience whatever seems to have been felt.
112 DANGER FROM LIGHTNING .
Much had been said about it in England, before her
departure for a tropical region. The timid , and those
less acquainted with the subject, openly expressed their
apprehensions ; the learned smiled with more of curio
sity than fear; but the officers of the vessel itself were
too busy about other matters to give themselves time to
think much about the question. During their voyage
to the southward, when many dangers were encoun
tered, certainly that from lightning was amongst the
least thought of ; and now, as they were passing
>
through the Mozambique Channel, a part of the world
particularly famous for its heavy storms of thunder and
lightning, not the slightest effect from it was observed
upon the iron vessel. The funnel has a perfectly smooth
top, without any ornamental points, such as are some
times seen1 ; and the main rigging and funnel stays were
made of chain at the top, and rope throughout the rest.
It is now time to return to the anchorage at Mozam
bique, where we left the Nemesis. Of course, as she
passed the principal Portuguese fort, she fired a salute,
which was returned, and immediately became the signal
to the whole town that something uncommon was to be
expected . The arrival of a large steamer was soon
made known in every direction , and not only became a
1 Which is considered by far the most useful plan, and most cal
culated to withstand the sudden jerks and heavy rolling motion, which
cannot be avoided in a shallow steamer. The great precaution required
in every steamer is to have no sharp points of iron about her. But, as
regards the mere hull of the vessel, the only practical result arrived at
appears to be, that there is no greater danger to be apprehended from the
effects of lightning upon one of iron, than if it were constructed in the
usual manner of wood.
ALARM OF THE SLAVE - TRADERS. 113
source of curiosity to all, but an object of great alarm
to many. The first impression was that she was sent
purposely to put an end to the slave-trade at that place,
and the consternation became general ; for the governor,
of whom more will presently be said, at once encouraged
this opinion, which he felt would strengthen his power,
as it did his determination, which was proved to be
perfectly sincere, to do his utmost to stop the trade.
Those most interested in the traffic had already begun
openly to defy his power, and had not hesitated to
declare to him that they would still carry it on in some
of the shallow rivers, where vessels of war could not
approach them. But the sight of a large steamer, run
ning along close in -shore, almost as if she were a small
boat, drawing at the same time only five feet and a half
of water, at once damped their ardour. They never
could have dreamed that a large heavily-armed vessel
could move wherever she pleased through their smallest
streams ; and their alarm was proportioned to their
surprise.
Shortly before this, there had been so strong a dis
position to resist the governor's power, that it had
amounted almost to a rebellion ; and his Excellency,
though a bold man, and the first governor of the Por
tuguese possessions on that coast who had come with
the honest determination to stop the trade at all hazards,
felt himself in a very awkward position. Perhaps he
had not forgotten the mutiny of the troops, and the
disturbances which had taken place there about fifteen
years before, under a former governor ; then the
town was only saved from pillage, and the government
VOL . I. I
114 THE SLAVE-TRADE .
from being overturned, by the opportune aid of the
seamen of H.M.S. Andromache and Cygnet, under
Commodore Nourse. These vessels happened to be in
the outer roads at the time, and application was offi
cially made to the commodore, for protection to the
lives and persons of the governor and his family , and
the peaceable portion of the inhabitants. Mutineers
and rioters have generally so little reliance upon each
other, that they are, in most instances, overthrown
with the greatest ease by the coolness and decision of a
small body of regular troops, acting with good faith .
But on that occasion the whole of the rioters dispersed
on seeing the British seamen approach the landing-place,
and before they had even landed before the palace.
So likewise, in the present instance, the governor
felt himself strong enough to take extreme measures,
the moment he saw the steamer so close to the town .
He afterwards admitted that her arrival was most
opportune, and so pleased was he, at the same time,
that he turned at once upon the slave-dealers ; even
that very day he seized two large slavers, condemned
them at once, and publicly sold them by auction before
the day was over. Such vigorous measures had been
quite unknown under any former governor, and at once
proved , both to the Portuguese and to the world, that
his professions were real, and that he meant to keep his
word . He had before this taken strong measures
against the dealers in slaves, but this bold step was
the finishing stroke of his policy, and at once filled all
parties with dismay. In fact, trade of all kinds was
stagnant for the moment, in consequence of the mea
THE SLAVE-TRADE . 115
sures adopted ; and large heaps of valuable ivory were
lying there useless, in consequence of the impossibility,
or, at all events, extreme hazard, of sending the usual
slave-ships to sea, which would convey it to a market.
The governor is a brigadier-general in the Portuguese
service, by name Joachim Pereira Morinho, and had
formerly served under the Duke of Wellington in the
Peninsula. He had not been long on the coast ; but,
as he had come with a full determination to destroy
the slave-trade, or, at all events, to do his utmost
towards it, he had already been long enough there
to gain the ill-will of all the Portuguese residents. In
deed , he did not live altogether in security from vio
lence, arising from the vindictive feelings of those
interested in the traffic ; and he had, therefore, re
quested Captain Adams, in the Acorn, to remain there
as long as he could to afford him protection ; and had
also detained aa small brig -of-war belonging to his own
country, named the Villa Flora, to overawe the sea
faring part of the population .
The governor seemed to entertain the best feelings
towards the English generally, with whom he had asso
ciated a good deal, and particularly inquired what
assistance he could give to the Nemesis. As fuel and
vegetables were, of course, most in request, they were
mentioned. He appeared quite pleased to have it in
his power to furnish something that would be of use to
her ; and, to the gratification of every one, a large boat
came off to the ship early in the morning, bringing a
fat ox, four sheep, a large pig, and some vegetables
and fruit ; besides which there was also a large country
I 2
116 THE GOVERNOR OF MOZAMBIQUE .
boat full of wood, containing eight thousand pieces.
In addition to these very handsome presents, he also
proposed to fill up the ship's water free of expense.
This was accompanied by a note, in Portuguese, from
the secretary -general of the province, Don Antonio
Julio di Castro Pinto, of high degree and higher
sounding name, who was charged by his Excellency to
offer the good things above-mentioned “ as a mark of
his good will, and of his sense of the service which
the visit of the Nemesis would render to the cause
of anti-slavery, and, at the same time, as a trifling
>
present to a brother in arms from an old soldier, grown
grey in the service of his country, both at home and
abroad .”
Nothing could have been more acceptable, and ,
through the active assistance which the Nemesis re
ceived, she was enabled to proceed on her voyage, after
little more than a day's delay. As an acknowledg
ment of his Excellency's attention , a trifling present of
some capital hollands, preserved salmon, and English
pickles, were sent to him, which were very great luxuries
in that part of the world, and appeared to be duly
appreciated. His Excellency had never before seen a
steamer in those parts ; and, the better to do justice to
his good nature, and to increase the sensation her arrival
had produced on shore, he was invited to come on board
to look at the ship, and to partake of such refreshment
as she had to offer. This was accordingly a grand
day for all parties, and the 1st of September, 1840,
will have been, on many accounts, long remembered at
Mozambique.
VISIT FROM THE GOVERNOR. 117
His Excellency came on board in his state-barge,
attended by all his suite, in full uniform , under a salute
from the batteries and the Portuguese brig -of -war,
while crowds of spectators stood upon every point on
shore whence a good view could be obtained . The
deck of the Nemesis, though rather crowded with
visiters, presented a gay appearance, from the variety of
uniforms and foreign orders which all those who were
entitled to them , not few in number, displayed upon
the occasion .
Sufficient time having been spent in viewing the ship
and inspecting the machinery, which few of them had
ever seen before, the whole party sat down to a grand
déjeúner à la fourchette. Now, it may seem that a
trifling incident of this sort could have no possible con
nection with the suppression of the slave -trade ; and,
moreover, this latter question has been more frequently
discussed at tea -drinking parties among benevolent
ladies, than at champagne luncheons among the redoubt
able sons of Mars. Yet the impression which a thing
makes is often of more consequence than might other
wise be anticipated from the trifling nature of the thing
itself.
The healths of the Queens of England and of Portugal
were drank with three times three, followed imme
diately by a salute of twenty -one guns, both from the
steamer and the Portuguese brig. The effect of this
upon the inhabitants was by no means unimportant ; it
impressed them more than ever with the conviction ,
that the governments of the two countries were per
fectly united in their determination to suppress the
118 VISIT OF THE GOVERNOR .
slave -trade ; and the sound of the royal salutes ringing
in their ears completely put an end, for the moment
certainly, of all their inclinations to resist the governor's
authority.
In proof of his determination to do his utmost to
suppress the slave -trade, General Morinho had already
ordered one of the deputy -governors to be brought up
to Mozambique, to be tried by court-martial for dis
obedience of orders, in permitting the trade under his
own eyes ; and it has already been mentioned, that
from the information which was given by the Nemesis
of the slave-brig at Delagoa Bay, lying under the very
guns of the fort, the governor of that settlement was
also to be sent for.
After all, however, the tenure of his Excellency's
power must always be unstable ; since a strong interest
would be exerted elsewhere, among the numerous in
fluential parties interested, more or less, in the trade,
to obtain his removal under some pretence or other.
That no attention might be omitted, after the great
kindness his Excellency had shown to all on board , he
ome way up the river, to
and his party were steamed some
show them the capabilities of the vessel ; thousands
of boats crowded round her in all directions, while the
house-tops, the fort, the beach, and all the ships in port,
were covered with people anxious to see the greatest
novelty the place had ever been witness to — the first
-
steamer, moving with rapidity about their fine harbour,
and in whatever direction she pleased .
A few words may not be out of place concerning the
position of Mozambique, and its eligibility as a place of
MOZAMBIQUE . 119
call for fuel, should steamers be sent more frequently by
that route to India. The following description of the har
bour, taken from Captain Owen's narrative of his surveys
on that coast, will be found perfectly correct. “ It is
formed by a deep inlet of the sea, five and аa half miles
broad and six long, receiving the waters of three incon
siderable rivers at its head . At the entrance are three
small islands, which, together with reefs and shoals,
render the anchorage perfectly safe in the worst weather.
Of these islands, that of Mozambique, on which stands
the city, is completely formed of coral, very low and
narrow , and scarcely one mile and aa half in length. It
is situated nearly in the centre of the inlet, and just
within the line of the two points that form its ex
tremities. The other two islands, called St. George
and St. Jago, lie about three miles outside of Mozam
bique, but close to each other. They are uninhabited ,
although covered with rich verdure and trees, but upon
a coral foundation."
Mozambique was taken from the Arabs by the Por
tuguese, at the very commencement of the sixteenth
century ; and the extent of the fort of St. Sebas
tian, built there by them , and which even now might
be rendered a very strong fortification, capable of
mounting nearly a hundred guns, if in proper repair,
will be sufficient to show the great importance which
they attributed to it, even in that early period of its
settlement. It still contains large barracks and exten
sive quarters and storehouses, but only a very small