Travels in Eastern Africa, Volume 2
Lyons McLeod's Travels in Eastern Africa, Volume 2, opens with his account of serving as British consul at Mozambique under a new Portuguese governor-general, Colonel Almeida, who replaced Vasco Guedes de Carvalho e Menezes after the latter was superseded for slave-dealing. McLeod recounts being deliberately misdirected to the installation ceremony by a hostile secretary, his insistence on being presented despite the snub, and Almeida's early gestures of respect, including sharing his ceremonial umbrella. Almeida initially pursues anti-slave-trade measures, replacing the slave-dealing governor of Ibo and turning away French "Free Labour" ships. McLeod details the seizure of the French slaver "Charles et Georges" in Conducia Bay after his own intelligence prompted action, the corrupt judge's attempt to have her released for a bribe, and the vessel's eventual dispatch to Lisbon. He then describes the desertion of the British consulate by H.M. frigate "Castor" under Captain Henry Lyster, who left without carrying McLeod's despatches, emboldening the slave-dealing faction. The narrative turns to a sustained campaign against McLeod by Mozambique's merchants and slave-dealers, led by his landlord Soares, who evicts him, deprives him of servants, and organizes native harassment, stoning, and blockades of supplies. McLeod describes the enslaved child Azinte, mutilated for eating from a cooking pot, whom his wife shelters but cannot free; he witnesses the torture of a male slave by a Portuguese overseer and reports further atrocities against slaves, including a mutilation involving a boiled egg. He recounts the "Ari-passa" affair, in which a Cutch trading dhow is piratically seized by a Portuguese naval schooner acting on orders from the Ibo governor, its bullion plundered, and its release secured only through McLeod's diplomatic pressure on Almeida. A related chapter narrates the seizure of the British cutter "Herald" by Portuguese forces from Lourenço Marques while trading with the natives of the River King George (Manakusi), the humiliating captivity of Captain Duncan and his crew, their transport to Mozambique, and the death of crewman John Fysh en route. McLeod then describes his household's escalating peril: an attack by natives incited against his party, food and water blockades, disbanded police guards, and the fever deaths of Duncan and near-deaths of Hilliard and Rosa, compounded by Portuguese doctors' refusal to treat them (one dose reportedly poisoning his wife). He recounts obtaining French naval medical aid, burying Duncan under his consular flag, and the desecration of Duncan's grave by a local named Santos. A detailed account follows of the catastrophic April 1858 hurricane at Mozambique, with barometric readings, shipwrecks, and destruction across the settlement. McLeod then narrates renewed harassment after H.M. brig arrives late and its commander fraternizes with slave-dealers; his wife is wounded by a stone during a mob attack on the house; and, with Almeida declaring himself unable to protect him, McLeod evacuates aboard H.M.S. "Lyra" in May 1858, en route intercepting a slave-trading dhow, the "Flor de Moçambique." The volume continues with McLeod's stay in Mauritius, covering the island's history of post-emancipation Indian indentured labour, sugar production statistics, immigration abuses, and social conditions, interspersed with anecdotes of unruly hotel servants and colonial life. He recounts the case of the British barque "Sutton," whose captain kidnapped Pacific islanders from Byron Island and sold them into slavery at Réunion, and praises the heroism of Captain Castle in saving the burning troopship "Sarah Sands." A lengthy historical and political survey of Madagascar follows, tracing French and British claims, the reign of Radama and Queen Ranavola, and a failed French-backed conspiracy involving M. Lambert, the Jesuit Père Jean, and traveler Ida Pfeiffer to overthrow the Malagasy queen, ending in the conspirators' banishment and Pfeiffer's death shortly after returning to Europe. McLeod closes this portion with a description of the Seychelles archipelago—its harbor, climate, flora including the Coco de Mer palm, and trade—and his party's onward voyage via Réunion to Aden, including an account of how Aden became a British possession following the 1836 wreck of the "Deria Dowlat" and subsequent negotiations by Captain Haines.
By Lyons McLeod · First published 1860 · Genre: Travel Literature, Historical Non-fiction, Political Commentary · 10 chapters · 72,187 words
First lines
Governor-general of Mozambique Superseded for Slave-dealing, and Arrival of His Successor-Trick of Slave-dealers to cause an Early Misunderstanding between the New Governor-general and the British Consul-Polite Attentions of the New Governor-general-Decisive Measure adopted for the Suppression of the Slave-Trade-The Fort signalizes to a Slaver in the Offing-Seizure of the "Charles et Georges"-Arrival of H. M. Frigate "Castor," and desertion by her of the British Consul-Combination of Slave-dealers to drive the British Consul from the Port.
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Genres
- Travel Literature — The work is primarily a first-hand account of the author's experiences traveling and residing in Eastern Africa, specifically Mozambique, documenting observations of places, people, and conditions encountered during the expedition.
- Historical Non-fiction — The text provides detailed historical accounts of specific events, dates, and official correspondence from 1857-1858, including political upheavals, administrative changes, and significant colonial incidents that document a particular period in African history.
- Political Commentary — The work extensively critiques Portuguese colonial governance, the complicity of officials in the slave trade, and policies affecting legitimate commerce, presenting a sustained political argument about colonial administration and its moral implications.
- Memoir — The narrative is written in first person from the author's perspective as British Consul, recounting personal experiences, challenges, relationships with local figures, and the hardships endured by himself and his family during their time in Mozambique.
Tags
Africa · Eastern Africa · travel · exploration · geography · 19th century · colonial period · adventure · narrative · non-fiction · memoir · regional history
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Travels in Eastern Africa, Volume 2 is listed on Textopian as a historical account by Lyons McLeod, dated 1860 CE.
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- Work type: Historical account
- Author: Lyons McLeod
- Date: 1860 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Travel Literature, Historical Non-fiction, Political Commentary, Memoir, Journalism/Reportage
- Length: 72,187 words
- Structure: 10 chapters, 912 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Difficult (10th-12th Grade)
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- Work identity for Travels in Eastern Africa, Volume 2 by Lyons McLeod
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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Contents
- CHAPTER I
- CHAPTER II
- CHAPTER III
- CHAPTER IV
- CHAPTER V
- CHAPTER VI
- CHAPTER VII
- CHAPTER VIII
- CHAPTER IX
- Appendix