The Abolition of Slavery in Ottoman Tunisia

Appendix A: The Tunisian Trans-Saharan Slave Trade and the Traffic across the Mediterranean

Appendix A The Tunisian Trans-Saharan Slave Trade and the Traffic across the Mediterranean DOCUMENT 1 Lord Sydney to Robert Traill, FO 77/3, NA, Kew Whitehall 6 October 1788 Sir, I am recommended to signify to you the King’s pleasure, that you procure and transmit to me for the information of the Lord of the Committee of Council of Trade, an account of the trade in slaves carried in the Dominions of the Bey of Tunis, stating the numbers annually brought into them and sold, distinguishing those that are natives of Asia from those that are natives of Africa, and specifying as far as may be possible from parts of Asia and Africa the so sold in the Dominions of the Bey are brought and stating whether the male slaves are usually castrated: and it is His majesty’s further pleasure that you furnish me, for the use the Committee, with an account of the Caravans, if any periodically sent from the Bey’s Dominions into the interior parts of Africa, to what countries they go, of what commerce thereby carried on to and from the interior of Africa consists, and the probable annual amount of each article; together with all circumstances which you may be able to collect that may tend to throw a light on the nature and extent of their commerce and on the condition, population, state of cultivation and governance of those countries in the interior of Africa, with which this trade is carried on. I am Sir, Lord Sydney Tunisian Trans-Saharan Slave Trade and the Traffic across the Mediterranean · 139 DOCUMENT 2 Robert Trail to Lord Sydney, FO 77/3, NA, Kew Tunis 1 February 1789 My Lord, Honored by your Lordship’s much esteemed circular letter on the October 6th last which I did not receive until the 26th December through the hands of Consul Aldny of Leghorn and ever desirous to fulfill my duty to the utmost of my power in the charge of this Consulate, wherewith I am at present honoured. I have therefore ever since the receipt of your Lordship’s above commands been endeavoring to collect every information and light that I possibly could obtain to add to my own intelligence on the nature and extent of the trade in slaves and other articles, carried on in the Dominions of this Bey and by the best intelligence that I can procure, I find this Government [of Tunis] do not enter into this commerce at all. But there are five or six yearly caravans of particular group called Godempsis, who undertake a journey of forty-day distance from hence towards the interior parts of Africa. There being no caravans undertaken towards Asia from this Bey’s Dominions to Godempsi, which is their native country. From thence, there are other caravans undertaken but once a year to Gass [Ghat], which is twenty days farther journey in the interior of Africa. From Gass [Ghat] to Jannese [Jenne] seven days farther and from thence to Ayire [Aïr], which is forty days, journey. The country produces a considerable quantity of senna, which is the principal article of commerce that these caravans bring with them back, except the Negroes from Africa. From Ayire in eight days farther journey, they arrive at Eghdir [Agades] which place is every extensive and is governed by a despotic prince, who is called Twerkia [Tuareg], and fifteen days farther from thence, they arrive at Giauri [Gwari], where they generally procure the castrated Blacks; from thence ten days farther is Burgu and ten days from that is a very extensive forest call Gabba, which produces great quantities of Logwood and other dyers woods which articles are generally sent to Giorback [Yorubaland], which is a sea port eight days journey distance from said forest, and there dispose of the Christians, who go to the Coast of Guinea. The above-mentioned different countries are each governed by a despotic commander. The Twerkians are the people who generally procure the Negroes, which are purchased by the caravans made to that place yearly from Godempsi. In which they generally collect to the amount of one thousand or one thousand three hundred Negroes part of whom they dispose of as they can find 140 · Appendix A sale for on their return. But the greatest part are brought to Godempsi from whence there is generally to the amount of one thousand yearly...