§ MR. ANDERSONasked the First Lord of the Admiralty, with reference to amended Return No. 381, Are the slaves under the heads "Sent to Natal," "Sent to Seychelles," and "Zanzibar Mission," sent to these destinations to work as free labourers, or under any system of indenture; and, is it under regulations made by the Treasury as prescribed by the 10th section of the Act, or have any such regulations been made?
§ MR. W. H. SMITHSir, the Navy are not in any way responsible for the disposal of slaves. They fall under the jurisdiction of the Court which condemns the captured vessels, and the officers of Her Majesty's ships have nothing fur- 792 ther to do with them. But, as a matter of fact, I believe that, as regards the slaves handed over to the Zanzibar Mission, the children are sent to the different mission schools, Roman Catholic as well as Protestant. Adults are taught trades where they show an aptitude for mechanical labour, and others are drafted off to the various mission stations on the mainland, where they form the nuclei of free villages. In Natal and the Seychelles they are dealt with under Colonial Acts or regulations, which authorize their indenture for not exceeding five years; on the expiration of allotment they are on the same footing as ordinary free labourers. There were only three liberated slaves in 1878 sent to Natal, and one to the Seychelles. No special regulations under the 10th Section of the Slave Trade (Consolidation) Act have yet been issued by the Treasury.