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Back to Two Voyages to Sierra Leone, part 7 LETTER XIV. "Even
the declarations made by themselves, seem wholly new and strange to them;
they forget not only what
they have seen, but what they have said." Wilberforce, on the Slave Trade. 18th April, 1791. My dear Madam, I Concluded my last by telling you Mr. –– had some business to settle with the Directors, part of which was on account of what they were, and yet are, indebted to me as the widow of Mr. Falconbridge, for money left in their hands, and for salary due to him when he died. About a week after we came to town, I called at Mr. Henry Thornton's, but not finding him at home, left my address, with a message, that I wished to see him on business. Several days elapsed without a syllable from Mr. Thornton, and conjecturing the servant might have omitted delivering either my card or message, I called again, when his house-keeper assured me he had received both, but was then at his country seat at Clapham; I now left a note mentioning the circumstance of having waited on him twice, and beging to be acquainted when I could have the pleasure of seeing him; four or five days more passed away without any answer, which puzzled me very much to account for. Unwilling, however, to nurse any suspicion that either insult or injury could possibly be intended me, by a man who had spontaneously made such declarations of friendship as Mr. Thornton did to me, before I went last to with, I therefore determined to venture another letter before I formed any opinion; the consequence of this was an answer that staggered me a vast deal more than his silence; he informed me I would find him
at his banking house, in Bartholomew lane, from ten to twelve the following
day, if I chose to call there. I was vexed at receiving so affronting a note from Mr. Thornton, because it gave me room to question his veracity, and the Directors good intentions towards me; nevertheless, a consciousness of having done nothing to merit such rudeness, and my interest requiring me to see him, I curbed my nettled pride, collected as much composure as it was possible, and met the gentleman on his own ground. I believe he neither expected or wished for this meeting; when I entered his counting room, he blushed confusion, and with some difficulty he stammered out, "pray madam, what is your business with me?” "I have been induced to take much pains to see you Sir, to request you will get the Directors to settle Mr Falconbridge's accounts, and pay what is owing me," answered I, "why," said he, "Mr Falconbridge kept no books, and he appears to be considerably in debt to the Company." "Kept no books, Sir, how can that be, when I have a copy of them this moment in my hands, a duplicate of which,
I know your Accountant at Directors" "I have never seen them; pray what is the amount of your demand?" replied Mr. Thornton. 1 then produced an abstract account stating the sum; "why" says he, its a large amount; I did know Mr. Falconbridge left any money in our hands, I thought he had received it; and his accounts for the Lapwing's first voyage were never settled." This language startled me a good deal, but I refreshed his memory regarding the money left with the Directors; and told him he also laboured under a mistake respecting the Lapwing's accounts, for he must recollect they were settled, and that he, fortunately, paid the ballance of 74l. 19s. 6d. to myself. Naked truths thus staring him in the face, made him at a loss what to lay; however after a little reflection, he told me, "whatever is due to you, madam must be paid; if you will walk into another room, and wait a few moments, I will fend for Mr. Williams, the Secretary, who will see every thing set right." I was then shewn into a large cold room, covered with painted floor cloth, where, after waiting some time half frozed, Mr. Williams came. His behaviour was gentlemanlike: when I had recapitulated nearly what I said to Mr. Thornton, he enquired if Mr. Falconbridge left a will in my favour? which having answered in the affirmative, he wished me joy, as it would prevent others from sharing of the little property he left—desired me to get the will proved, and when that was done there would be no impediment whatever in my way, and I should be paid immediately. In a few days after, Mr. — saw Mr. Williams, who told him, he had better omit proving the will till the Court exactly ascertained what amount I had to receive, as it would save expence. Perhaps Mr. Williams intended a kindness by this admonition, for he must have known then, what I am now sure of, that the Directors mean, if they possibly can, to withhold every sixpence from me; at least, there is great reason to suppose so from .their quibbling conduct. After detaining us here all this time, and muffling Mr.–– off from one Court to another, without assigning any honest, business like reason, for doing so; they now wind up their prevarications, by saying,
they must wait for further information from positive refusal; indeed, it would have been much handsomer had they candidly declared at once, that it was not their intention to pay me—for their evasive answers have increased the injury, by prolonging our stay here to the overthrow of some plans Mr.–– had in contemplation. What do you think of their charging me with the presents they particularly directed, I should purchase for,
and make, Queen Naimbana; with the stores granted by the Court for me to take
to my
journey to myself. But besides these paltry, pitiful charges, they bring forward three others of much greater consequence, though founded on equally shameful and frivolous grounds, viz. the Lapwing's cargo, with all the expences
of her first voyage, and for eight months before she left the river the Duke of Buccleugh,. together with the freight and passage money paid Messrs. Anderson's, and the Amy's
cargo when we last went to They might, with as much propriety, have included the whole of the Company's funds that have been thrown away ;-—yes, shamefully so,—no stt of raw boys just let loose from school, could have disposed of them more injudiciously. What had Mr. Falconbridge to do with the disbursement of the Lapwing? Her master was the ostensible person. The trifling goods sent out in her and the Duke of Buccleugh, were all appropriated conformable to the instructions Mr. Falconbridge received; they were not intended for trading with, but merely as gifts of charity, and bribes, to pacify the covetous natives; therefore, if Mr. Falconbridge had not accounted for them, it would be very easy to find out whether they had been disposed of that way: but I know every thing was settled previous to our second voyage, and it is only a poor, mean finesse in the Directors to say otherwise. As to the Amy's cargo, true—it was consigned to Mr, Falconbridge; but that consignment was done away,
when he received his fresh instructions, after we arrived at left receipt the Directors have at this moment. I will not interrupt your time with this subject longer than to give you the sentiments of the late Governor
of should give you so much trouble, and particularly about the cargo of the Lapwing for her first voyage. They certainly are unacquainted with the circumstances, and the situation of Falconbridge on his first voyage, or they would never be so minute, particularly with his widow, who experienced such unheard of hardships. "I hope I speak truth, when I pronounce their late Commercial Agent an honest man, but a very unfortunate one, not in the least calculated for the station he filled, which men of discernment might have discovered at first view. I assure you, had I been on board the Lapwing, on her first voyage, by myself,
in the cafe with Falconbridge), knowing the country as I do, I should have thought myself extremely happy to have returned safe to my native country, without any cargo at all." I shall now leave you to make what comments you please on the vexatious treatment I have received from those Gentlemen, and to turn in your mind what my prospects would have been had I come home implicitly confiding in the profusion of friendly promises they bestowed on me (unsought for) when last
in I certainly had a right to build some expectations from them; but in place of any, you find those paragons of virtue and human excellence, unwilling to do me common justice, refusing to pay me what is religiously my right—a little pittance, which God knows, I gave the highest price for! However, if there is any comfort in having company in one's misfortunes, or ill usage, I have that satisfaction. .—Their treatment to Mr. Clarkson (the late Governor), and others, has been highly discreditable,
but their behaviour to the two Deputies from constituents, is the most inconsistent part of their conduct, because any injury done them must annoy and jar the Company's interest. These unfortunate oppressed people (the Deputies) have related to me most minutely every circumstanee that has befallen them since their arrival in this country; and, as you seem interested in their behalf, and desire to know what success they have met with, I will repeat their narrative nearly in their own words. "We
landed pennyless at the
Directors for the amount of what our fellow sufferers subscribed before we
left Company's
Agent at our bill when it was paid. As soon as we came to Town, we went to Mr. Thornton's house, and delivered our Petition to him, he read it over, and seemed at first to be very kind, and to compassionate us
very much, but, in two or three days time, he told us the Directors had
received letters from stating that our complaints were frivolous and ill grounded. After this we saw several of the Directors, who told us the same. We asked who the letters came from, but this they would not tell, however we are sure Dawes and McAuley are the authors, because they must write all the they can think of to excuse themselves. '. . "When we had been here about three , weeks, finding our money almost exhausted, we applied to two of the Directors, namely, Mr. Thornton and Mr. Parker, and requested them to supply us with a little." The latter said, "Yes, I will I will let you have money, if you will mortgage, or sell the lands due you by the Company," but the former had more humanity, he recommended us to go and labour for our support. To this we replied, we were willing to work, if we knew where to get employment.— Mr. you.'— "This we gladly accepted of, and accordingly got into service, where we wrought for near a month, without hearing the most distant hint of an answer to our Petition. We then began to grow very uneasy, and quite at a loss what to do, having no mend to advise us. “The Directors never would give us Mr. Clarkson's address, though we asked for it frequently; however, in the midst of our distress, accidentally hearing he lived at Wisbeach, we wrote him without hesitation, enclosed a copy of our Petition, requested he would interpose his influence with the Directors, and in vindication of his character, endeavour to get justice done us. We told him, all we required
was the fulfilment of his promises, which the Gentlemen at made without authority. When Mr. Clarkson received this letter, he wrote to Mr. Thornton, beging the Directors would appoint some early day to meet him and us together, that he might explain his promises, and thereby acquit himself from having acted dishonorably in any shape, to the people he carried
from “We suppose the Directors did not like to see Mr. Clarkson and us face to to face, for Mr. Thornton never answered that letter, which obliged Mr. Clarkson to write another; this he sent unsealed under cover to us, that we might be convinced of his good intentions and integrity towards us." They shewed me a copy of the letter, which having read, I also transcribed, as I now do again word for word. Wisbeach, Nov. 11, 1793. My dear Sir, "AS you have given me no answer to my letter, wherein I requested a day to be appointed for the Directors, myself, with Messrs. Anderson and Perkins, the Deputies appointed by the inhabitants of Free Town to meet, to explain the promises you authorised me to make them, I am induced to take this method to convince the people at large of your Colony, that I have done all in my power, since I have been
in when I was on the spot; and as I cannot bear to be suspected by them, or the inhabitants of Nova assuring them of the sincerity of my professions, as well that the promises I made them were from the Directors of the Sierra Leone Company, and that they have as great a right to the performances of them as they have to dispose of their own property. "I send this letter to you (unsealed) under cover to Messrs. Anderson and Perkins, for their perusal, that they may assure those they represent, I have done all in my power to perform my engagements with them, consistent with, honour and honesty. I am, Dear Sir, Your's sincerely, (signed) JOHN CLARKSON. To Henry Thornton, Esq. Chairman of the Court of Directors of the Sierra Leone
Company, “We
attended," continued the spokesman, "the The Directors did not seem well pleased, but they made no observations on it to us. Before we left the Court,
we were informed one of the Company's ships was to sail for we were to return in her, and when embarked, we should have an answer to our petition, "We thought it very, strange, they mould put off giving us an answer till we had embarked, and therefore objected, saying, we wished not only to have, but to consider, the answer before we left this country, and were proceeding to say much more, when the Court prevented us, by saying, "Whatever objections you have to make, or whatever you wish to tell us, you must do it in writing."—In consequence
whereof, on the To the Honourable the Chairman and Court of Directors of the Sierra Leone Company, Honourable Sirs, "YOU have desired us to commit to writing what we wish to tell you. "We did not think, Gentlemen, any thing more was necessary than the petition we brought, and delivered to you from the people we represent; but as you do not seem to treat that petition with the attention we expected, you oblige us to say something more on the subject, for we would be very remiss were we to leave this country, without doing all in our power to get some satisfaction, not for the trouble we have been at, but such as will be pleasing and comfortable to our countrymen, and at the fame time serviceable to your interest. “The
Settlers at always
believed the promises made them by Mr. Clarkson, in now convinced of the truth of this, by the letter from Mr. Clarkson, which we delivered you on Friday last. "We certainly hope your Honors intend making good those promises, and we beg to know whether you do or not?—We beg to have Grants for the land we at present occupy, and a promise in writing for the remainder, or the value, to be given at a future time named in that instrument of writing. “When we are able, we shall consider ourselves bound to contribute what we can, towards defraying the expences of the Colony; but this never can be the case until your promises are fulfilled to us; at present you are obliged to give us daily wages to do work, from which no advantage can ever be derived, either to the Company or the Settlers; and we have no choice, but to do this work, or starve; whereas if we had our lands, and that support from the Company, which was promised, there would be no necessity for employing us except at such work as was really wanting; and we might do as we please, either work on our own lands, or the Company's, whereby there would be a mutual advantage, and in a few years, with industry and good management on our parts, the produce of those lands would yield a profitable trade to the Company, and we should have the pleasure of knowing we were providing comfort for our children aster us. "We
always supposed we were sent from the King of this Country; who, no doubt, expected our situation would be made better, from the assurances he had received of what your Honors were to do for us. We wish the Governor of our Colony should be appointed by his Majesty, whose subjects we consider ourselves, and to whom we shall be happy at all times of shewing our loyalty and attachment. “If we are not of importance enough to this Country, to deserve a Governor authorised by the King, we, with due respect to your Honors, think we have a right to a voice, in naming the man who shall govern us, but by this we do not mean to say, that we have a right to interfere with the person whom you may chuse to direct: or manage your property. "We
will not be governed by your present Agents in grievances to them, which we understand is the intention of your Honors, for it is inconsistent to suppose justice will be shewn us, by the men who have injured us, and we cannot help expressing our surprise that you should even hint such a thing. "Our Countrymen have told you, in the petition we delivered to his Honor the Chairman, — they will wait patiently till we returned, that their religion made them bear the impositions of your Council, and prevented them from doing any thing that might be considered improper, till they heard from your Honors, being convinced they would then have justice shewn them; but we are sorry to say, we do not think
you seem disposed to listen to our complaints, and if we are obliged to
return to impressed with those sentiments, and without obtaining any satisfactory answer to the complaints and representations we have made, it is impossible for us to say what the consequences may be, but we will make bold and tell your Honors, on the swer we get, depends the success of your Colony. “We wish to return to our families by the Amy, and therefore beg to have your answer time enough for us to consider on it, before we leave this Country. "We hope your Honors will not think we have said any thing here but what is respectful and proper; we thought it our duty to tell you the truth; we want nothing but justice, which cannot surely be refused us. We have been so often deceived by white people, that we are jealous when they make any promises, and uneasily wait till we see what they will come to. “We shall conclude gentlemen, by observing, since we arrived here, we have avoided giving you trouble as much as possible; we did not come upon a childish errand, but to represent the grievances and sufferings of a thousand souls, “We expected to have had some more attention paid to our complaints, but the manner you have treated us, has been just the same as if we were Slaves, come to tell our masters, of the cruelties and severe behaviour of an Overseer. "You will pardon us gentlemen, for speaking so plain; however, we do not think your conduct has proceeded from any inclination to wrong us, but from the influence and misrepresentations of evil minded men, whose baseness will some day or other be discovered to you, for the Great Disposer of events will not suffer them to be hidden long. We are Gentlemen, With all possible respects Your faithful Servants, (Signed) Isaac Anderson. Cato Perkins. Representatives for the Inhabitants of Free Town. "When they had read this over, they seemed very much out of humor, and we were desired to leave the Court room, but in a few minutes Mr. Thornton sent us this letter," "Messrs. Anderson and Perkins "In consequence of an address sent by you to the Court of Directors this day, I desire to be informed in writing,
what are those promises of Mr. Clarkson, which you say, were made to you, in and are still unfilled. I am, Your obedient humble servant, (Signed) H. Thornton." ' 19th Nov. 1793. "Here is our answer to Mr. Thornton." To Henry Thornton, Esq. Chairman, of the Court of Directors of the Sierra Leone Company. "Sir, “AS you desire to be informed in writing, what were the promises made by Mr. Clarkson to us (the inhabitants
of “That
his Majesty having heard of the abuses we met with in loyalty and services, in the late war, wished to make some amends, and proposed, if we were inclined to go
to “That
the part of Africa we were to be carried to, was called most
respectable gentlemen, in Slave Trade. “That he (Mr. Clarkson) was authorised by the Directors of that Company, to say, each head of a family should have a grant of not less than twenty acres of land, for him or herself; ten acres for a wife, and five acres for each child. “That
those grants should be given directly on our arrival in whatever. "That we should be provided with all tools wanted for cultivation, and likewise the comforts and necessaries of life, from the Company's stores, at a reasonable rate, such as about ten per cent advance, upon the prime cost and charges, and should not be distressed for the payment of such goods, until enabled by the produce ff our lands; but when we became comfortably settled, we should be subject to such charges and obligations as would tend to the general good of the Colony. "That
we should be protected by the laws of shewn Whites and Blacks. “As far as we can recollect those are the heads of Mr. Clarkson's promises to us; almost the whole of' which remain unfulfilled. There has been one fifth part of the lands distributed to most of the settlers, but they are in general, so mountainous, barren, and rocky, as to be of little or no use to them; nor was the
surveying of that fifth part compleated when we left in, therefore it was impossible to clear or make much progress this year, and you must be sensible, Sir, of the injury we sustain by loosing two years in the improvement of those lands. “We are charged extravagantly for all the goods we purchase from the stores, which we consider, not only a breach of promise, but an unjust and cruel way of imposing a tax on us. .. "We
certainly are not protected by the laws of officers appointed by authority of this government. But even the Police which we have formed among ourselves, has not distributed justice impartially to Blacks and Whites, due, as we suppose, to the influence of your Agents; and we think it an unsufferable cruelty, that at the caprice or whim of any Gentlemen
in office, at from the service, but prevented from purchasing the common necessaries from the Company's stores, for the support of our families, while it is not in our power to procure them by any other mode. We are Sir, Respectfully, Your obedient, humble servant, (Signed) Isaac Anderson. Cato Perkins. Representatives for the Inhabitants of Free Town. "What was the consequence of this letter? said I— “Why the Directors were no better pleased with it than the first, they seemed quite in a quandary; were very anxious to know whether any person had assisted us in collecting and reducing our thoughts to writing, interrogated us separately on the subject, and appeared greatly disappointed with our answers." “Have you had any answer from them?” '”No, Madam, and imagine they do not intend giving any; indeed
we have heard that they mean to keep us from going to stratagem, to dupe and lull our Countrymen, who have said they will wait peaceable, until we return; but such a poor little artifice is so very unbecoming the characters of gentlemen, that we can hardly believe it; however, if it is the case it cannot avail much, and will in the end, do them more injury than us; we have already wrote to our brethren, warning them of our suspicions, and guarding them against signing any paper or instrument of writing, as we have reason to think some thing of the sort will be asked of them, to contradict what we have done; it will be a great hardship on us to be kept here from our families, yet, if it ultimately tends to obtain justice for our constituents, or to secure freedom and happiness to them and their children, We shall think, it no sacrifice." This is fully the substance of the information I have from time to time had, from the two Deputies.* *
Those two men returned to the
same errand, and are just now (August, 1794) in complaints, among which is one of a serious nature, viz. that an enormous annual tax of two bushels of neat rice, equal to 130lb. has been demanded per acre for their lands, notwithstanding those lands were promised them, free of every expence, or charge whatever. Now, rice is sold from the Company's storehouse, at would amount to 21s. 8d. per acre. Is it not almost incomprehensible that Thirteen Men, whose reputations in private life (one or two excepted) have hitherto been esteemed so spotless, that the tarnishing blasts of fame, or the venom'd shafts of malevolence, have seldom ventured to attack them, should, as a corporation, act incompatible with common sense and common –––– ? The Directors conduct must really be a subject of consternation wherever it is known; and should they not, of their own accord, fulfill Mr. Clarkson's promises to their settlers, which they certainly seem inclinable to, I really think, in my humble opinion, this government ought to feel it a National concern, and enforce a performance. His Majesty, no doubt, expected be was doing those poor people an actual service, by removing them to a country, which gave birth, not only to their fore-fathers, but many of themselves, and more especially so as they were to be taken under the wing and protection of such patrons of humanity, as the gentlemen conducting the affairs of the Sierra Leone Company professed themselves to be, otherwise, he
never would have hazarded their happiness, by taking them from comfortably settled;—where they might have been useful and valuable subjects, and where they had been, long before their removal, really an acquisition, besides subjecting this Country to the expence of upwards of 20,000l. for their transportation.* * Those
are a part of the very people, whom Do you not think that immacculate Member of the House of Commons, who is obstinately persisting to abolish the Slave Trade, would be better employed, and would discover more real humanity, if he exerted himself in getting justice done these poor blacks, whose happiness and comfort he has, in some measure, though innocently, been the means of destroying? Until all the promises made them are performed, or, at least, a sincere inclination shewn to perform them, no kind of confidence can exist between the Company and the Colonists; and, unless that is quickly secured, the Colony must fall to nought. It may not be amiss here to give you the sentiments of a Gentleman, zealous for its success, and intimately acquainted with the Directors, and with the progress of the Colony, from its birth. He
says, in a letter to a friend of his at the situation the Nova Scotians were in formerly; the number of times they have been deceived, and will not make allowances for the great change they have made; and I am more fearful of their not having patience or moderation enough to put up with their ignorance. It is an easy thing for the Governor and Council to leave them to themselves, if they are wickedly inclined; but I should consider such behaviour as the greatest species of wickedness on their parts, (the Governor and Council) and should think their education ill bestowed upon them, and their religion but skin deep. What! are they not sent out to instruct them, and to set a good example to the unenlightened Africans? Ought they not to make the same allowances for them as our school-masters did for us in our infancy? And ought they not to know, that ignorant people, situated as they are, with the bad example set before their eyes by those who were sent out to instruct them at the commencement of the Colony—are liable to be riotous and unruly—particularly when so many "have resided together, and but little employment to keep their minds amused? with the promises made them by the Company entirely neglected, and not the least appearance of a speedy completion, or even a desire to perform them. I say, had the Nova Scotians acted different from what they have done, under all these circumstances, it would have astonished me, and I should have requested those, who consider themselves more enlightened, and stood forward as their friends and protectors, to have taken a lesson from so singular an example. “Should you quarrel with the Nova Scotians, who do you think I shall blame? Your Government and the Company ;—your Government, for want of patience, and for not shewing an inclination to perform promises, which will always set ignorant people at variance with their leaders, and particularly those who have been so often deceived before; and the Company, for not enforcing their orders relative to promises, and for their dilatory manner of sending out the means to perform them with dispatch. “If you should have a war with the Natives, it will certainly be the fault of' your Government; because, you have it in your power, by a particular conduct, to make your Colony unanimous,—and then you have nothing to fear.—You can always keep the natives quiet, if you have peace at home, which you may do, and at the same time gain their esteem and confidence; and if your Government should not, in every instance, do their utmost to preserve peace and harmony, and make every degree of allowance for the ignorance and bad example hitherto set to the poor natives, and, I may add, the Nova Scotians, they will, in my opinion, have a greater crime to answer for, than they may be aware of—for should your Colony, from bad management not succeed, after all the advantages it has had, the friends to the civilization
of unenlightened part of society; it will depress the spirits of those whose hearts were warmly engaged in the cause, and deter them from making future attempts. “These considerations have been so forcibly impressed on my mind, that I do not remember, since my arrival
in private; but I have taken care to enforce, in as strong language as I could, the necessity of performing, as soon as possible, their promises to the Nova Scotians. “I have been almost ready to expose people who are deserving of blame, but the situation of the Colony is such, that I am obliged to be silent, for it has many enemies in this Country, who would be rejoiced at having an opportunity to prejudice the minds of the Subscribers, against the measures adopted by the Directors." I have given you those extracts, corroborant to many assertions I have made, that you may not impute any of them to a wrong cause; and I must give you another from the same letter, very interesting to the company's servants and officers employed in the Colony. "I find there is a religious influence in the Colony, that will carry every thing their own way with a majority of the present Directors, and whatever they say, will be a law with them; and I really believe, that religion, which ought to have been the support and sheet anchor of the Colony, will be its ruin, from its being practised with too great enthusiasm and inconsistency; and I am fearsul, that those possessed of honest hearts and independent spirits, who will speak their sentiments as truth dictates, will always be neglected by the Government there, and the Directors at home; and will never be done that justice which their readiness and exertions on every occasion to promote the prosperity of the Colony, entitles them to." Can the Company ever expect to prosper, or have officers of probity or worth, while such is the case? No,—Sycophantic Hypocrites are the only servants who will continue in their service, and those will always drain the purses of their employers, by any means, however scandalous or dishonorable, to fill their own. ADIEU To HENRY THORNTON, Esq.. M. P. and Chairman of the Court of Directors of the Sierra Leone Company, &c. &c. SIR, Being earnestly solicited, by several friends, to publish the History of my Two Voyages to Africa, and having, with some reluctance, consented, I feel it incumbent on me to address this letter to you (which is hereafter intended for publication), by way of acquiring a tribute truth and candor demands, in support of what I have, necessarily, mentioned regarding the Directors behaviour to me. It is needless, Sir, to take a more distant retrospect of the subject matter, than to the time of our arrival from Is you will turn over to that period, and search into your personal behaviour, as well as the Court of Directors, to Mr. Falconbridge, I am persuaded you will find it marked with repeated testimonies of approbation and applause, for the services you were pleased to say he had rendered the common interest and original views of the Company. For what purpose did the Directors vote us a compensation for our losses? Or for what purpose did they remove Mr. Falconbridge, out of his particular province as a medical man, and make him their Commercial Agent? Were these not tokens of satisfaction, and rewards for his extraordinary exertions to serve the Company;
or were they mere tricks of chichane and deception, to inveigle him to return
to answer
the desirable end of securing a footing for the Emigrants, then expected from
your own heart, Sir, decide upon these questions. I understand the Directors persist to say, Mr. Falconbridge had not settled the accounts of his first voyage
before he left accounted for the cargo of the Amy, consigned to him as Commercial Agent. Is it so, Sir? Are these the paltry subterfuges made use of for withholding the poor pittance I am entitled to ?—If they are? I shall charitably suppose, for a moment, they proceed from error, and endeavour once more to set you right,— though, believe me, not with the smallest expectation of profiting thereby. To the first I shall observe,—You must labor under the misfortune of a very careless memory, if you cannot recollect that all Mr. Falconbridge's accounts, anteceding the 25th of December, 1791* were adjusted to that time, and that I received from yourself a balance of 74l. 19s. 6d. which appeared on the face of the account in his savor. Can you deny the truth of this assertion, and say there was no such settlement? If you can, I will not attribute it to any harsher cause than bad memory, for I yet think it is impossible, Mr. Thornton would be so pitiful, willingly, to utter an untruth. But if this pointed circumstance had not happened, and I was wholly ignorant of the affair, I should suppose men of business (as some of the Directors must be) would never have suffered him, or any person else, to commence the transactions of a new concern 'till those of the old were clearly concluded, but more especially so in this instance, as the charities Mr. Falconbridge had the distribution of on his first voyage, were the property of the St. George's Bay Company, whose original funds and effects were taken in account by the Sierra Leone Company, upon their incorporation, and therefore it was certainly. necessary that the Directors should be made acquainted with the true state of their affairs. To the second, I have to remind you, that Mr. Falconbridge never received the Cargo of the Amy, and consequently
cannot account for what he was not in possession of; upon his arrival in instructions from the Directors, placing him entirely under the control of the Superintendant and Council, and the property of the Company solely under their direction, consequently the first consignment and unlimited instructions given him became nugatory; furthermore, the master of the Amy got a receipt for his whole Cargo from the Governor and Council, previous to his leaving Sierra Leone, which is just now in possession of the Directors. Mr. Falconbridge had no independent authority or management over the company's goods after he received those instructions, nor did he give any orders of himself, as other hair-brained members of council did, but got written instructions from the Superinendant and Council for every sixpence worth he had, either from ship board or else where, all of which is accounted for in his books, delivered Mr. Grey by the particular desire of Mr. Dawes. I am inclined to believe the Directors are already acquainted with these circumstances, indeed it is almost impossible they can be ignorant of them. But admitting they are, what excuse Can they have for swelling up an account against me with fictitious niggardly charges, such as charging me with disbursements for the Lapwing's first voyage, not
only during her voyage, but for six or seven months before she left the river
and passage money of the Duke of Buccleugh paid Messrs. Anderson. The presents I was desired to purchase and make Queen Naimbana, for which I have your letter as authority. The stores I was allowed
to take with me for our use at How can your Honorable Court, formed, as it is, of Members of Parliament, Bankers, and some of the first
Merchants in the City of its worth by being guilty of such gross meanness? I verily believe it would be impossible to cull from the Migratory Chapmen of Rag Fair, any number of men who would not blush to be detected in a similar transaction. That the Directors had cause to be displeased with Mr. Falconbridge for not extending their commercial views, may be in some measure true; but tied up as he was, to obey the dictates of the Superintendant and Council, who would not listen to any arrangements of the kind, until comfort and regularity were established in the Colony—What was he to do? however if he was altogether in fault, was he not punished by annulling his appointment as Commercial Agent? could the Directors do more? If they had blindly (as they certainly did in many instances made improper appointments: What more could. they do than annul them when they discovered their mistake? But I should suppose it did not require any great discernment, to know that a Surgeon, unacquainted with mercantile affairs, would make but as poor a figure in that line, as a Merchant,. who had not studied physic or anatomy, would make in the practice of surgery. Mr. Falconbridge's dismission did not charge or accuse him with any crime but wanting knowledge of his business; and what information the Directors could get on that score must have been from a quarter as ignorant, if not more so than himself;—but surely, it was their province to have convinced themselves, when they made the appointment, whether he was equal to it or not. Did not Mr. Falconbridge's dismission stipulate, that his salary was to continue till the Governor and Council
procured him a passage to detaining either the money left in the hands of the Directors, or his wages? Surely not—Then why do the Directors (now he is no more) withhold payment from me? For shame, Mr. Thornton, for shame!!! —How can you wink at my being so shabbily treated, after the unexampled exampled sufferings I have undergone, and after the prodigality of fair promises I had from
you, to induce me to return a second time to Falconbridge, I should be handsomely provided for by the Company? Surely, you cannot forget making such a promise;—which you not only forego fulfilling, but shamefully keep back (all I require of you) the trifling sum so justly due to me. If the Directors were not fearful of subjecting their conduct (towards me) to the investigation of impartial men, they never would have refused submitting the affair to arbitration, as was offered; nor would they have threatened, or boasted, that they would ruin me, with an expensive law-suit, in Chancery, when I signified my intention of trying the cause at Common Law, if they meant to do the fair thing. I cannot help forming those conjectures, for how are we to calculate the principles of men but by their actions? Though, believe me, Mr. Thornton, notwithstanding all I have said of the Court of Directors, I yet firmly believe, if, the decision was left wholly to yourself, I should have ample justice and I cannot avoid thinking, from the opinion I have heretofore formed of your benevolence of heart, that you are secretly ashamed of the Directors nefarious treatment to me. I will not trespass on your time any longer, but shall quit the subject, with refering my cause to the loftiest of Tribunals, where reigns a Judge of mercy, vengeance, and justice, who, I am persuaded, will not let such turpitude go unpunished, and who has, probably, already began to shew his displeasure; Pray, Sir, receive this letter with temper, and consider it comes from a Woman, aggravated by insults and injury. I am, &c. &c. ANNA MARIA— Henry Thornton, Esq. M. P. King's
Arms Yard, Coleman-street, FINIS. |
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