SIR ROBERT ANSTRUTIIER (for Sir JOHN KENNAWAY)asked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Whether he can state what number of slaves have been liberated by Her Majesty's cruisers on the East Coast of Africa during the years 1875 and 1876; to whom these slaves have been handed over under the Slave Trade Act of 1873; and what provision has been made for their protection and maintenance?
§ MR. BOURKE,in reply, said, 456 slaves were liberated by Her Majesty's cruisers on the East Coast of Africa in 1875, and 634 in 1876. Of those captured in 1875, 239 were taken over by the Church Missionary Society, and 154 by the Universities Society—a society promoted by the Universities of this country. Two others were sent to Natal, and some were, at their own request, taken to the mainland and given letters of manumission. Of the 634 liberated in 1876, 45 were sent to Natal, to a protection society there which was well known and was under Government supervision, and they had every reason to believe that slaves sent there would be taken care of. Twenty others were taken over by the Universities Society, a great many others were taken by the Church Missionary Society, and 85 were landed on the mainland, at their own request, with letters of manumission. The statistics which he had did not account for the total number who were liberated in that year; but he believed a great portion of the remainder had been taken over by the Church Missionary Society and had been sent to Natal. Dr. Kirk had been specially instructed to report as to the difference between the figures, 1519 and his Report was expected shortly. As to the future maintenance of the liberated slaves, Her Majesty's Government had every reason to believe that both the society in Natal and the Church Missionary Society were able and willing to provide for them, and they did not suppose there would be any difficulty in disposing of them in the same way that they had been disposed of in the years 1875–6.