Chapter 22

_Thursday, 20_.--Anderson, the African soldier, who escaped from confinement on Tuesday, was met in the woods this morning by a serjeant of his company, to whom he immediately surrendered himself, and who placed him under charge of another soldier. Apprehensive, however, of the consequences of his double offence, he shortly after contrived to give his guard the slip, and again effected his escape. The above mentioned serjeant also detected a labourer in the act of lowering a piece of iron from a cliff, with the intention of selling it to the natives, whose canoes were lying off the beach. Having first secured the offender, he then fired his musket at one of the canoes, without injuring, or intending to injure, the men whom it contained, and the aim was so unerring, that the ball penetrated through the bottom of the canoe, in such a manner that it immediately began to fill with water; this terrified the natives so much, that they all leaped overboard, and swimming to another canoe, left their own, with her cargo of sheep, fowls, &c. to its fate. This might truly be termed a good hit.

In the afternoon I went on shore at Adelaide Point, where, it is said, the Spaniards had a battery. Whether this be true or not, the spot is well adapted for one; it is now entirely covered over with remarkably thick brushwood, which Captain Owen has ordered to be cleared off, with the intention of forming a road, through the woods, to Longfield. Hospital-Assistant Cowen found to-day a silver Spanish coin, in Paradise, near the same spot where the copper one before mentioned was discovered, and which bears the same date.

_Friday, 21_.--This morning, Matthew Elwood died, after an illness of 25 days. His complaint was a remittent fever, taken on our short journey into the interior. On the third day after our return, he took to his bed, from which he never rose again, excepting on the day previous to his death, when, under a state of mental aberration, he secretly took off his shirt, and threw himself from out of the port-hole near his bed into the sea; he was soon taken up, but his delirium continued until he expired. At five this afternoon he was buried in Paradise. My other companion, John Debenham, has also been ill ever since our return, with an ulcerated leg, occasioned by the bites of insects, and which, at present, shews little disposition to heal.

_Saturday, 22_.--A sheep was killed this morning, one of whose hind quarters weighed four pounds and two ounces, and which, although not fat, was the largest native sheep we have yet met with. About a fortnight since five were slaughtered, which altogether weighed but sixty pounds, and, consequently, averaged only twelve pounds each.

_Sunday, 23_.--During the last week we have experienced much thunder and lightning. Our fishermen attribute their want of success to this cause; for the fishery has been unusually unproductive. Early this morning it began to rain, and for an hour continued to do so more heavily than any of us had before witnessed, after which; a smaller rain continued until eleven o'clock, when it cleared off, and the remainder of the day was fine. In the evening, a number of native fishing boats assembled between Point William, and the Eden, and as their proceedings on the occasion particularly attracted our attention, I shall take this opportunity of describing the peculiar method of fishing which they make use of.

A number of canoes, containing from three to twelve men, put out to sea, to look for a shoal of fish; when discovered, they surround it on all sides, shouting and splashing the water with their paddles in every direction, endeavouring to drive it towards a centre. This done, they commence fishing, using for the bait a small fish with which they are previously provided, and they occasionally throw a few of these into the midst of the shoal. The fish appear to take this bait very eagerly; but, as the hooks which the natives use, are made of bone or nails, and without barbs,[32] not more than half the number struck in the first instance, are eventually secured. Two men paddle the canoe in the direction of the shoal, while the remainder are occupied in fishing. Captain Owen went in his boat, and pulled towards the party; we were much interested with their operations and success. At his invitation, after the fishing had concluded, one of the canoes brought us some very fine ones, a species of bream, weighing from two to three pounds each. This was the first time I ever knew fish caught, in deep water at sea, with a rod and line.

_Monday, Dec. 24_.--In the course of the day, a party of natives brought on board three black men, inhabitants of the Island of St. Thomas, who, six months before, had taken refuge in Fernando Po, under the following circumstances:--During the time they were engaged in fishing, a strong wind arose, which drove them out to sea. Unable to contend against the power of the gale, they deemed it prudent to keep the canoe before it, and even assist with their paddles, in hopes of sooner falling in with land, and thus escape starvation. In this manner they continued drifting for eight days without fresh water, or any kind of provisions, excepting the few fish they had caught before the gale arose, the greater part of which were thrown overboard, in consequence of their getting into a state of excessive putridity. At length they came in sight of Fernando Po. Some of the natives came off to them in their canoes, and took them ashore on the eastern part of the island. Here they had been compelled to remain, devoid of all hopes of returning, until they saw our steam-vessel making its late circumnavigation of the island. This opened to them a new and cheering prospect; and they determined to attempt reaching our settlement overland, by travelling at night, and secreting themselves during the day, in order that the natives might not interrupt their escape. Previously to the discovery of our steam-vessel, they had frequently heard the reports of our morning and evening gun: this had led them to the belief, that some Europeans were resident on the island, and now afforded them the proper line of direction for their march. After travelling for three nights, and at the time of their approaching our settlement, they were discovered by the natives, who, in the first instance, attempted to force them back to their former residence. The poor creatures, however, made so much noise and resistance, that, apprehending the fact would transpire and excite our displeasure, it was at length determined to conduct them to us. One of them was a Fantee, and had resided at the Dutch settlement of Elmina, where a black man of our party, who was no less a personage than a son of the King of Cape Coast, although now discharging the humble office of gun-room steward of the Eden, had frequently seen him.

At the time these men arrived on board, several natives were with us, and among the rest, our friend Cut-throat. No sooner did the Fantee fix his eyes upon him, than, to the astonishment of all present, they began to flash with indignation, while the countenance of Cut-throat assumed proportionably the expression of sheepishness. The cause of this proved to be, that, when they first landed on the island, our old friend had stolen a shirt from him; in other respects, however, I believe they had little reason to complain of the treatment they experienced: for they had not been compelled to work, excepting occasionally assisting in fishing, and they had been permitted to reside by themselves; it is true, on the other hand, that they had little hospitality to be grateful for, having been compelled to subsist on a scanty supply of yams and palm-wine.

During the last week, the natives had, without any apparent reason, absented themselves from the settlement; to-day, however, they returned in great numbers, and among the rest, our old friend Cut-throat, exhibiting a large gash on his forehead. He gave us to understand, that there had been some warfare between the various tribes, concerning a quantity of iron, probably that which Chameleon's party had stolen from Messrs. Vidal and Jeffery.

_Tuesday, Dec. 25_.--This being Christmas-day, Captain Owen selected it for taking formal possession of the settlement, in the name, and on behalf of his Sovereign, George the Fourth. At seven o'clock in the morning, accompanied by most of his officers and ship's company, he went on shore for this purpose. The different parties of our colony being assembled, the whole marched in procession, from the border parade, in the following order, with bugles, drums and fifes, playing alternately:--

Captains Owen and Harrison, Surgeon Cowen and Lieutenant Holman, Messrs. Jeffery and Carter, The Surgeon and Purser of the Eden, The European Volunteers, commanded by Lieutenant Glover, Lieutenant Vidal, with half the Eden's ship's company, and the Midshipmen of his division, The Colours, carried by Mr. Wood, The Band, Lieutenant Badgeley, with half the Eden's ship's company, and the Midshipmen of his division, The Marines and Royal African Corps, under Lieutenant Mends, The Clarence Militia, under their respective Officers: First Division--Lieutenant Morrison, Second Division--Lieutenant Abbott, Third Division--Ensign Matthews, Tom Liverpool's party, under Bell, Ben Gundo's party, under Miller.

On arriving at the Point, the different divisions were formed around the flag-staff; and the colours having been first hoisted, the following Proclamation was read:--

'_Proclamation_,--By William Fitzwilliam Owen, Esq. Captain of His Majesty's ship Eden, and Superintendent of Fernando Po.

'His Majesty, George the Fourth, King of Great Britain and Ireland, has been graciously pleased to direct that a settlement by his Majesty's subjects should be established on the Island of Fernando Po, and his Royal Highness the Lord High Admiral having selected me for the performance of this service, the formation of the said settlement has been entrusted to me, under the title and denomination of Superintendent.

'In obedience to the orders of his Royal Highness the Lord High Admiral, I directed the first operations of clearing the land on this point (Point William) to be commenced on the first day of November last, and on the tenth and twelfth following, purchased from the native chiefs, and from the tenants of one small part of that ground which I desired to occupy, the full right of property and possession, for which iron was paid to the amount of three bars, and land-marks fixed by the native chiefs, to shew the extent of ground so bought.

'_Therefore_, in the name of God, by whose grace we have been thus successful, and for the sole use and benefit of his most gracious Majesty, George the Fourth, King of Great Britain and Ireland, I do, by this public act, take possession of all the land bought by me as aforesaid, under the future name of _Clarence_, being all the land bounded on the north by the sea, on the east and south by Hay-brook, and on the west by a line running from the sea due south, by the magnetic needle, or south-south-east, by the pole of the world, until it joins Hay-brook, the Peninsula of Point William included in the same, being in north latitude about three degrees and forty-five minutes, and east longitude from the Observatory of Greenwich, about eight degrees and forty-five minutes, and the aforesaid western boundary being taken from a tree marked by the natives, which is two hundred and eighteen yards from the gate of the ditch across the gorge of Point William, and bearing, therefore, south twenty and a half degrees west by the magnetic needle, or south two degrees and thirty minutes east by the pole of the world.

'And, in testimony of this public act, I command all persons present to attach their names to this Proclamation, as witnesses of the same.

'Done by me on Point William, in the settlement of Clarence, on the Island of Fernando Po, this one thousand eight hundred and twenty-seventh anniversary of the birth of our blessed Saviour and Redeemer, and in the eighth year of the reign of his present Majesty.

'WILLIAM FITZWILLIAM OWEN,

_Captain of his Majesty's ship Eden, and Superintendent of Fernando Po._

'GOD SAVE THE KING.'

The following additional Proclamation was then read:--

'_Proclamation_,--By William Fitzwilliam Owen, Esq. Captain of his Majesty's ship Eden, and Superintendent of Fernando Po.

'It has become necessary to extend our lines for the purpose of keeping the natives more separate from our working parties, which are, at times, much incommoded by them, and for the purpose of possessing ground enough for our own establishment.

'_Therefore_, I do, by this act, formally take possession for his Majesty, of all unpossessed lands lying between a line running south, by the compass, or south-south-east by the pole of the world, from Cockburn-brook on the west, to Hay-brook on the south, and the coast-line between the said Cockburn and Hay-brooks, including therein the two islets named Adelaide; guaranteeing, at the same time, to the natives of Fernando Po, perfect security, and unmolested possession of all such grounds within the said limits as are now settled or appropriated by them, being apparently four small spots where they have parks for store yams, which grounds are to be purchased whenever the chiefs can be assembled for that purpose, and the said natives are disposed to receive an equivalent for their value.

'Given under my hand, at Clarence, this twenty-fifth day of December, one thousand eight hundred and twenty-seven.

'WILLIAM FITZWILLIAM OWEN,

_Captain of his Majesty's ship Eden, and Superintendent of Fernando Po._

'GOD SAVE THE KING.'

The above Proclamations having been read, three general cheers were given, on a signal from the boatswain's pipe, after which the band struck up 'God save the King,' succeeded by a _feu de joie_ from the volunteers, marines, and African corps, which was immediately responded to, by a royal salute, from His Majesty's ship Eden, the Steam-vessel, and the African (a merchant schooner), and afterwards from small cannon at the settlement.

The ceremony being thus concluded, the different parties marched off in the same order as before, and were dismissed to their respective quarters, the band playing 'Rule Britannia.' On returning to the Eden, Capt. Owen performed divine service, Captain Harrison doing the same to the civil establishment on shore; after which, Capt. Owen gave a dinner, at Mr. Glover's house, to the whole of the officers engaged in the establishment. It only remains to be added to the events of this day, that many of the natives, including our friend Cut-throat, were present during its different ceremonies.

_Tuesday, January 1, 1828_.--During the past week nothing of importance has occurred, excepting that our works are rapidly advancing; as respects our general pursuits, and intercourse with the natives, much sameness must necessarily exist.

Soon after eight o'clock this morning. Captains Owen and Harrison, attended by a party of marines, proceeded to a native town, eight miles to the eastward, for the purpose of meeting an old chief, who was said to be the principal one on that part of the island. After they had waited a considerable time at the place appointed, the chief made his appearance, accompanied by 150 spearmen, who entertained our party with an exhibition of warlike evolutions, when Captain Owen, in return, directed his marines to go through their military exercise; but, before they had proceeded far, the chief became evidently much alarmed, and requested them to desist: his apprehension appeared to be more particularly excited by the bayonets. Having spent a short time with the chief, partaking of his palm-wine, and inviting him to return the visit on the following Tuesday, Captain Owen took his leave.

In the course of the afternoon Chameleon came to our market, accompanied by nearly 150 of his followers, all well armed with spears, and walked up to Mr. Jeffery in a menacing and insulting manner, as if to demand satisfaction for some injury he had sustained. He even carried his daring so far as to make a seizure of Mr. Jeffery's person; that gentleman immediately despatched a messenger to Captain Owen to communicate what had happened, requesting at the same time that some soldiers might be sent to his assistance, in order to prevent further aggression on our lines. Captain Owen immediately hastened to the spot with a party of the Royal African Corps, and at length succeeded in conciliating the natives, although, for want of a good interpreter, he could by no means satisfactorily ascertain the cause of their violent proceedings. It probably originated in the discontent of the chief, who had, on the day preceding, in consequence of some misconduct, been excluded from the market.

At five o'clock I had the pleasure of accompanying Captain Owen on shore to a banquet, that had been prepared in honour of him by the civil and military officers of the establishment. On this occasion the Eden's band attended, and we were also favoured by the presence of many of the natives, who were thus enabled to gratify their love of music. The following ludicrous instance of their enthusiasm in this respect, occurred one day while the band were playing on the quarter-deck of the Eden. A chief, named Good-tempered Jack, while listening to the music, was so absorbed in his feelings, that he became totally insensible to the circumstance of a native woman, who stood behind him, giving way to her own raptures, by beating time, with no little vehemence, on his back.

_Thursday, 3_.--Lieutenant Vidal, Captain Smith, of the African, schooner, and others, made an excursion, about eight miles up the Baracouta river, this morning. They proceeded partly by walking along the banks, and partly by wading up the bed of the river. They met with little of interest, excepting that, at about three miles from the mouth, they observed some fine basaltic pillars: they also shot a few snipes, and saw the tracks of many deer.

_Friday, 4_.--Our old acquaintance, Bottle-nose, was to-day found guilty of an indirect mode of stealing, by demanding payment a second time, with the greatest possible coolness and effrontery, for a sheep, and a goat with its kid, for which he had previously received the stipulated price. Mr. Jeffery, of course, resisted the demand, and brought forward several persons who most satisfactorily proved the former payment. Mr. Bottle-nose, however, would not be satisfied with this, and had even the presumption to complain to Captain Owen, who, on inquiry, was convinced that he was guilty of an intentional attempt at imposition; he, however, ordered the animals in question to be returned, but gave directions that he should never in future be permitted to enter the market, or in any shape trade with our establishment. This man had also, on the very same day, been detected in two or three attempts to steal a knife, and various pieces of iron. It is evident, from the above and other traits, that the natives of this island, like all other savage nations, are naturally addicted to thieving: from the fear of detection, however, the instances of their venturing to indulge the propensity, do not appear to be numerous.

_Monday, 7_.--After breakfasting on board the steam-vessel, I accompanied Lieutenant Vidal and Mr. Cowen on shore, for the purpose of making observations. In the first place, we investigated the process for making a beautiful lake-red pigment, which is conducted by the women, the paint being used as an ornament for their skins. On entering the hut of an old chief, to whom our visit was more particularly directed, we found him sitting on the ground, with one of his wives in the same position holding a calabash, containing a mess of fowl and palm-oil, which he was eating with one hand, while the other held a roasted yam, which he also occasionally partook of. Having finished his repast, he took a draught from a large calabash of palm-wine, which he then presented to us, having, however, previously poured some into another vessel, which he gave to his wife. When the lady had finished her draught, she went to a tree near the hut, whose leaves and berries resembled those of our laurel, and plucking off about a dozen of the younger leaves, made them up into a bundle, which she first dipped into water, and afterwards into wood-ashes; they were then ground into a pulp on a stone, whose surface formed an inclined place, from which the material was allowed to run off when sufficiently prepared. On rubbing a portion of this pulp on our hands and faces, it became, after drying, a most beautiful and delicate rose colour, which required several times washing with soap and water before it could be removed, and which, if allowed to remain without washing, would retain its brilliancy for a comparatively long time. Mr. Cowen professed his intention of preparing a quantity of this dye, to send to his fair friends in England.

We also observed the process for preparing the palm-oil which I have before described. This oil, from the great number of palm-trees in the island, will, without doubt, ultimately become a considerable article of trade; indeed Captain Smith, of the African, schooner, has already opened a traffic for it, giving iron in exchange.

Two of the Kroomen to-day knocked down a fine buck deer, one of the haunches of which weighed six pounds.

_Tuesday, 8_.--Our market at Longfield, which of late has been held only twice in the week, when the natives are summoned by the sound of the bugle, has been well attended to-day. Hitherto Mr. Jeffery has had the superintendence of it, and it is impossible to pay too high a tribute to his exertions, and the manner in which he has discharged the very arduous task of conducting the barter with the natives. The system acted upon has now become so well defined, that Captain Owen deems it sufficient to commit the future charge to a corporal of marines, who has to-day entered on this duty.

_Thursday, 10_.--A native afflicted with insanity came within our lines this morning, and continued there until the afternoon. The conduits, or shoots from the watering-place to the beach, were this day reported to be completed.

_Saturday, 12_.--We have for some days been experiencing close warm weather, which I regret to say has proved unfavourable to our invalids, the ulcerations having in consequence been apparently aggravated.

_Monday, 14_.--Mr. Abbott, the store-keeper at Clarence, and John Earle, seaman of H.M.S. Eden, who had charge of the ordnance at the settlement, died this afternoon from intermittent fever.

_Thursday, 17_.--At daylight, the African, steam-vessel, got up her anchor and steam; when she stood out of the bay and parted company for England, intending to call at Sierra Leone, for a fresh supply of coals. She was under the command of Lieut. Vidal, who was charged with despatches relating to the proceedings of the settlement, &c. Mr. Bremner, master of the Eden, as well as several invalids, went home passengers in her: and I availed myself of the opportunity of sending home numberless specimens of articles used by the natives, amongst which were the following--the model of a canoe, spears, fishing lines, and stone slings, made from the fibre of the bark of a tree, bracelets, armlets, and other trifling ornaments worn about their person; a knife, made out of an iron hoop, and fitted into a wooden handle; a bell-shaped wooden rattle, some small boxes, made of split cane, monkey skins, &c. &c.