Page:Abstract of the evidence for the abolition of the slave-trade 1791.djvu/58

( 28 ) Lieutenant Storey says, that Captain Jeremiah Smith, in the London, in 1766, having a dispute with the natives of New Town Old Calabar, concerning the stated price which he was to give for slaves, for several days stopped every canoe coming down the Creek from New Town, and also fired several guns indiscriminately over the woods into the town, till he brought them to his own terms.

Captain Hall says, in Old Calabar River there are two towns. Old Town and New Town. A rivalship in trade produced a jealousy between the towns; so that through fear of each other, for a considerable time, no canoe would leave their towns to go up the river for slaves. This happened in 1767. In this year seven ships, of which five were the following — Duke of York, Bevan, — Edgar, Lace, — Indian Queen, Lewis, — Nancy, Maxwell — and Canterbury, Sparkes, — lay off the point which separates the towns. Six of the captains invited the people of both towns on board on a certain day, as if to reconcile them: at the same time they agreed with the people of New Town to cut off all the Old Town people who should remain on board the next morning. The Old Town people persuaded of the sincerity of the captains proposal, went onboard in great numbers. Next morning, at eight o'clock, one of the ships fired a gun, as a signal to commence hostilities. Some of the traders were secured on board, some were killed in resisting, and some got overboard, and were fired upon. When the firing began, the New Town people, who were in ambush behind the Point, came forward, and picked up the people of Old Town, who were swimming, and had escaped the firing. After the firing was over, the captains of five of the ships delivered their prisoners (persons of consequence) to the New Town canoes, two of whom were beheaded alongside the ships. The inferior prisoners were carried to the West Indies. One of the captains, who had secured three of the king's brothers, delivered one of them to the chief man of New Town, who was one of the two beheaded alongside; the other brothers he kept on board, promising, when the ship was slaved, to deliver them to the chief man of New Town. His ship was