with a brief notice of the neighbouring tribes, soil, productions, &c. and some observations on the facility of Colonizing that part of Africa, with a View to Cultivation; and the introduction of letters and religion to its inhabitants: but more particularly as the means of gradually abolishing African Slavery relative to an attempt to establish a British Settlement on the Island of Bulama, on the Western Coast of Africa, in the year 1792
with a brief notice of the neighbouring tribes, soil, productions, &c. and some observations on the facility of Colonizing that part of Africa, with a View to Cultivation; and the introduction of letters and religion to its inhabitants: but more particularly as the means of gradually abolishing African Slavery relative to an attempt to establish a British Settlement on the Island of Bulama, on the Western Coast of Africa, in the year 1792
African Memoranda. 23 and the consequence was, that from the sailing of the expedi- ^92., tion to the final abandoning of the island, I was never more A P r »i 2o ; cheerfully, willingly, nor implicitly obeyed, when armed with the authority of martial power, than I was by the members who were embarked in this undertaking. We had now been long enough together to enable me to form some opinion of the probability of our success, from the general conduct and character of the colonists. I had from the first conceived that we had great exertions to make, and many diffi culties to overcome before we could succeed in the establish ment of a new colony ; but at the same time thought that the exertions of every individual, being directed to the same end, would eventually insure our success; and not till I had been a week at sea, with this motley assemblage of unthinking mor tals, was I convinced that those hopes which rested on the dis interested energy of individuals must be for ever given up: not that we had not any one on board the Hankey calculated for the expedition which we had undertaken ; we certainly had some, but their number was small, very small indeed, when compared to all that were embarked. Among some of those who had the direction of the enter prize, a constant attention to their own individual interest, and an entire neglect of that of the public ; among others of them a total indifference to both; and a general apathy in all towards the adoption of such measures as would contribute to our suc cess, left little ground for hope ; added to which the general conduct of the subscribers was not such as to afford to the labourers an pxample of severe morality. On Sunday morning prayers were read by a member of the 22a. council to the assembled colonists.