AFRICA.

Colonist, Volume V, Issue 477, 20 May 1862, Page 4

AFRICA.

SEIZURE OF A SUSPECTED SLAVER. A barque, called the Manuel Orthez, arrived in these roads on the Bth of December from New York. She was under British colors. In consequence of information received, his Excellency the Governor caused her to be seized as a slaver ; aud an officer and sixteen privates of the Gold Coast Artillery Corps have been put on board of her. She has been sent down, we learn, to Why dab with these troops on board. The object of sending this vessel there is, as we have understood, to serve the suspected owner or cousignee with a citation calling on him to show cause why the Manuel Orthez should not be condemned as a elaver. She left on the Ist iustant. The captain and crew are still on board. ACTIVITY OF THE SLAVE TKADE. The lave trade is being carried on with renewed vigor along that part of the West Coast from Quittah to the Cougo. The withdrawal 'Of the American squadron—the only American squadron that ever did its duty in slave trade repression—has led to this result. Every slaver now hoiata the United States flag, and thus defies the British ships. The impunity this affords to the slave traders at sea will necessarily lead to an increased slave trade activity ou laud. The brutal force of Dahomey is stirring—every petty royal miscreant on the coast will be on the alert—aud news will go from Dahomey into the interior that will cause large coffLs of wretched oaptives to be passed down through Rabba. Difficulties are anticipated with the Crebboes, who still owe the British Government nearly 200,000 gallons of palm oil, the balance of a fine loflicted on them in 1858, and which they now refus® to pay.

The Crobboes were on bad terma with tho British government. It appears thafe ia 1858, in consequence of serioua disturbances iv Crobboe, a rich and fertile district on the Gold Coast, and under British protection, the British authorities sent an expedition into that country, which, after considerable trouble and some loss of life, they succeeded in reducing to obedience ; and, to defray the expenses of tho expedition, as well as to punish the offending tribe, a fine was imposed upon them, considerable in amount but not heavier than the circumstances of the case and the means of the wealthy Crobboes justified. This was in November 1858. The priucipal chiefs were imprisoned till the five should be paid or substantial security for the payment be produced. An arrangement was then eutered into between the imprisoned chiefs and some merchants, by which the latter agreed to pay the fine to the government, aud tho former bound themselves to repay the amount Ito the merchants in palm oil at a rate inferior indeed to the theu market price of the article, but, considering the immense risks to be encountered by the merchants in thus advancing large sums of money ou account of chiefs residing far fiom the sea side, and not easily to be got at, (as has since been seen in cas9 of a nonfulment of contract), far from unreasonable. When matters of this kind takes place on the coast, it is ofteu very difficult to get at the truth, for those most nearly concerned do not choose to tell the public their private con« cerns. The Crobboe chiefs have failed to carry out their contract with the merchants. Warrants had been issued against the chiefs, but they paid no attention to them ; and tha general belief was that this affair would end in a rupture with the British authorities.