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Will you now permit me, Gentlemen, to assure you, that you shall have my cordial co-operation for the dispatch of the very important business of the session; and I sincerely hope that you will be so endowed with wisdom, and every other Divine qualification, as that your session will prove harmonious and profitable; a session that will be highly creditable to yourselves, and satisfactory to your constituents, and thus reflect great honour upon our country in particular, and our race in general.

STEPHEN ALLEN BENSON.

TREATIES, &c. between Great Britain and Native Chiefs and States on the West Coast of Africa, relative to the Slave Trade, Commerce, &c.-1854-1856.

(1.)—AGREEMENT of King Pepple of Grand Bonny.-Grand Bonny, January 28, 1854.

I, THE lawful successor of the late deposed King Pepple, of Grand Bonny, do hereby agree to all the Articles and Conditions. contained in a Treaty made on the 21st day of November, 1848, by Thomas Rodney Eden, Esq., Captain of Her Majesty's ship Amphitrite, on the part of Her Majesty the Queen of England, and King Pepple. In testimony thereof, I have this day signed the present document to be appended to that Treaty, in the presence of John Beecroft, Esq., Her Majesty's Consul for the Bight of Biafra, and the witnesses whose names are hereunto subscribed. Done at the Court House, Grand Bonny, this 28th day of January, 1854.

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(2.)-AGREEMENT with the Chiefs and Headmen of Congo River.— Pluto, Congo River, June 20, 1854.

By the express wish of the Undersigned Chiefs and headmen of the Congo River, the following agreement was entered into, and considered fair and equitable for the mutual protection of trade and commerce between the said Chiefs and headmen and the British traders.

ART. I. That upon the arrival of any British merchant-vessel in this river for the purpose of trading therein, the supercargo shall, upon tendering the usual custom to the Chiefs or headmen entitled to receive it, be allowed the privilege of trading without any further delays or molestation.

Should the custom not be immediately taken when tendered, the ship is to commence trade; but it does not follow the supercargo is exempt from paying the custom, if subsequently demanded.

II. Upon a trader expressing to a Chief or headman his wish to settle and trade in his territory, he, the said Chief or headman, shall appoint him a piece of ground to build his factory on; and it is to be distinctly understood by the Chiefs and headmen, that when the custom is paid or tendered, they, the Chiefs, &c., are responsible for the safety of the lives and property of the traders against their own people, or any others in their territory.

III. No second custom shall be paid for one voyage of a ship, should it so happen that the supercargo or master should die, or should the ship leave to visit other ports, and afterwards return to complete cargo, &c., provided always that it is the same voyage from Europe.

IV. No Chief or headman shall, on any pretence whatever, force any trust from any of the British traders, or allow any of his people so to do.

V. In the event of any misunderstanding between the natives and traders, the Chiefs, headmen and masters of the ships shall quietly meet and inquire into the affair; and the Chiefs pledge themselves to punish any offender should he be a native, and the masters pledge themselves to do the same should he be a white man.

Should they not then be able to settle the palaver, a letter is to be sent to Her Britannic Majesty's Consul at Loanda, or to one of Her Majesty's ships, but on no such or any other pretence shall the trade be stopped or hindered in any way.

VI. We, the Chiefs and headmen of this river, and masters and supercargoes of the British vessels, of our own free will, and perfectly understanding the above Articles of this Agreement, consider the same to be perfectly binding to us all, and as a proof thereof we here, in the presence of Lieutenant Commander Norman B. Bedingfeld and officers of Her Majesty's ship Pluto, affix our names.

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(3.)—ADDITIONAL ARTICLES to the Commercial Treaty with the King and Chiefs of the New Calabar River, dated October 2, 1850.*-New Calabar, January 10, 1855.

ART. I. THAT in four months from this date it be deemed illegal for any supercargo to receive from a trader an irregular tradepuncheon; that the trade-puncheon be a regular 40-inch; and that, in order not to press too hard upon the trader, he may have the option of starting into a trade-cask, at the Cask-house, if he has any suspicion that the cask is not up to the mark.

II. That any breach of the above Article shall be punished as follows:-Any native making use of or offering such an irregular cask for sale shall be fined one puncheon of palm oil, and any white trader receiving or purchasing oil in such irregular cask be fined two puncheons of oil.

III. In the event of any ship or vessel arriving in this river for the purpose of trade, and the King being absent, the supercargo or trader shall be at perfect liberty to commence trading, and any obstruction or other prevention occurring to prevent such trading, no matter under what circumstances, a fine of five trade puncheons of palm oil shall be inflicted upon the King and Chiefs of this river.

IV. On the arrival of Her Britannic Majesty's Consul in the river, and until the whole of his business be transacted, no white trader be allowed to proceed on shore, on his own business or in a private manner, without first requesting and obtaining permission of Her Majesty's Consul, under the penalty of one puncheon of palm oil for each offence.

Given under our hands, on board Her Majesty's steam-vessel Antelope, in the New Calabar river, this 10th day of January, 1855.

his

KING AMACREE

mark.

[And 21 Chiefs.]

Signed in our presence:

J. W. B. LYNSLAGER, H.B.M.'s Acting Consul.
THOS. M. SIMPSON, Secretary to H.B.M.'s Consul.
C. H. YOUNG, Lieutenant, Commanding H.M.'s steam-
vessel Antelope.

JNO. LA FRENCH, Heroine.

J. H. S. WITT.

JAMES FINIGIR.

P. W. PHYTHIAN.

B. CAHILL.

JOHN GLANVILE.

F. GRANT.

E. WYLIE.

Vol. XXXIX. Page 1045.

(4.)-ENGAGEMENTS with the King and Chiefs of Bonny.-January 12, 13, 1855.

(A.) Certificate.-To all whom it may concern.

I, JAMES WILLIAM BISHOP LYNSLAGER, Esquire, Her Britannic Majesty's Acting Consul for the Bight of Biafra, do hereby certify that at a Court held at the Court-house established in this river, on Thursday, 11th January, 1855, by myself, the Supercargoes, King, and Chiefs, it was unanimously resolved and agreed upon, that in consideration of the debts of ex-King Pepple, amounting to 72 puncheons of good palm-oil, being paid to the respective creditors by Fred Pepple, that he, the said Fred Pepple, shall keep and retain, for his own use and purpose, any property he may be in possession of belonging to the ex-King Pepple.

And I hereby grant this public instrument, under my hand, that such property shall become the lawful property of Fred Pepple, on these debts being liquidated by him.

Given under my hand on board Her Britannic Majesty's steamvessel Antelope, in the River Bonny, this 12th day of January, 1855.

J. W. B. LYNSLAGER, H.B.M.'s Acting Consul.

(B.) Certificate.-To all whom it may concern.

I, JAMES WILLIAM BISHOP LYNSLAGER, Esquire, Her Britannic Majesty's Acting Consul for the Bight of Biafra, do hereby authorize and empower King Dapho, of the River Bonny, to seize upon and destroy any vessel that may enter his territories for the purpose of dealing in slaves; also to seize and destroy any cargo, stores, &c., that may be on board: he, the said King Dapho, using every precaution in first ascertaining from the Chairman and Members of the Royal Court of Equity, that such vessel is for the purpose of purchasing slaves.

Given under my hand, at the Bonny river, on board Her Majesty's steam-vessel Antelope, this 12th day of January, 1855. J. W. B. LYNSLAGER, H.B.M.'s Acting Consul. C. H. YOUNG, Lieutenant, Commanding H.M.'s steamvessel Antelope.

Antelope, River Bonny, January 13, 1855. (C.) Certificate.-WHEREAS Fred Pepple has now become the responsible party for the debts owing by the ex-King Pepple, I have now to request that all supercargoes will pay King Dapho his just amount of comey.

J. W. B. LYNSLAGER, H.B.M.'s Acting Consul.

(5.)-ADDITIONAL ARTICLES to a Treaty with the King and Chiefs of the Old Calabar River, dated February 15, 1851.*—Old Calabar, January 18, 1855.

IT is hereby solemnly promised and agreed to by us, that any female belonging to the Old Calabar river, who shall from and after this date be delivered of twin children, that the children shall be given into the care of the Scottish Missionaries resident in the river, for the purpose of being forwarded to Her Britannic Majesty's Consul at Fernando Po.

Given under our hands on board Her Majesty's steam-vessel Antelope, in the Old Calabar river, this 18th day of January, 1855. KING EYO HONESTY.

[And 7 Chiefs.]

Signed date and day as mentioned above, before us:

J. W. B. LYNSLAGER, H.B.M.'s Acting Consul.

C. H. YOUNG, Lieutenant, Commanding H.M.S. Antelope.

J. S. MORGAN, Supercargo, Lady Head; and 7 Others.

(6.) DECLARATION of the King and Chiefs of Acqua Town, Cameroons, January 30, 1855.

WE, the Undersigned, King and Chiefs of Acqua Town, River Cameroons, do hereby guarantee the safety of all vessels in this river, all goods on board of these vessels, all property, of whatever description, on the beach, and the lives of all the persons on board; we also guarantee their safety should they land on the beach. And further, we hereby promise to resume the trade immediately with these vessels, on consideration of receiving one cask of rum and 14 pieces of cloth, when we will await the result of the investigation at Sierra Leone, on Mr. William Walker, Supercargo of the hulk Alexander Grant, stationed in this river.

Given under our hands, on board Her Britannic Majesty's steam-vessel Antelope, in the River Cameroons, this 30th day of January, 1855.

[And 11 Chiefs.]

his

KING ACQUA ≥

Signed in our presence, day and date aforenamed:

mark.

J. W. B. LYNSLAGER, H.B.M.'s Acting Consul. C. H. YOUNG, Lieutenant, Commanding H.M.'s steam-vessel Antelope.

THOS. M. SIMPSON, Secretary to H.B.M.'s Consul.

W. H. ASHMALL, Sir John Falstaff.

HARRY ANTHONY, Lydia.

JOHN BOWERBANK, St. Lawrence.

E. HARRIS, barque Fantee.

* Vol. XLI. Page 727.

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