SIMILAR DELUSIONS IN FOREIGN PARTS.

"What has been," says the wise Solo mon," is the same as now is"-we have lately seen the Continent direct all its power to certain manufactures, in imitation of England. It is the repetition of an old story: the same Daily Post as has furnished the extracts already given, furnishes also another, which we shall leave without remark to the reflection of the reader. It is dated "The Hague, June 13."

Our heads run much upon projects here; and some give out that we shall, in a little time; start something into the world, as surprising as any thing that has happened in our neighbouring countries; the truth is, we have as much need of it, for the paying of the public debts, as our neighbours can have; our finances having been in a very low condition, and in some disorders not easily rectified for some years past; for the States whose share in the expense of the late war was very heavy to them, whatever other people pretended, have not had equal opportunities to restore things, as have been found in France or in Great Britain. It cannot therefore be wou dered at, that the States are willing to encourage any persons whose thoughts are turned that way, to propose any advantageous scheme for the raising the public credit, and redeeming their affairs, that they may, at least, be upon an equal foot for any new incident, as their neighbours are. We have not yet any light into particulars, but we are told, a fund will be established of some millions, for the extending the commerce of the States, and improving their interests in three several parts, or branches, to such a degree, as shall equal, if not exceed, any thing yet in being in Europe, and to which a general subscription will soon be obtained, upon the credit whereof, such advantages shall accrue immediately to the States, as shall be sufficient to the purposes above-mentioned, and, perhaps, to setting the States free of all their debts at once. But the success of this affair must be remitted to time, the persons who are at present supposed to be contriving it being under an oath of secrecy; and they so well keep their oaths, that nothing of what is reported, as above, can be so depended upon as to vouch the particulars. But we hear that commissions are already arrived here from foreign parts, to subscribe to the undertaking, as soon as it shall appear, let it be what it will, if it comes supported by the authority of the States.

NARRATIVE OF THE SHIPWRECK OF THE BRITISH BRIG, Surprise, oN THE COAST OF AFRICA, AND OF THE CAPTIVITY OF THE CREW AND PASSENGERS, TILL RANSOMED BY THE WORSHIPFUL COMPANY OF IRONMONGERS.

Mr. THOMAS BETTON, by his Will, dated 15th February, 1723, gave the residue of his estate to the Ironmongers' Company upon trust, to place his estate out at interest; positively forbidding them to diminish the capital sum, by giving away any part of it, or that the interest and profits should be applied to any other use than therein directed, viz. to pay one full half part of the said interest and profit of his whole estate yearly, and every year for ever, unto the redemption of British Slaves in Turkey or Barbary; one full fourth part thereof unto the Charity Schools in the City and Suburbs of London, where the education is according to the Church of England, not exceeding £20 a year to any one school; the remaining fourth part (after payment of £10 annually to the Chaplain) unto necessitous decayed Freemen of the Company, their Widows and Children, not exceeding £10 a year to any family.

[It is understood, that Mr. Betton was a Turkey merchant, who in the course of his life was a captive on the coast of Barbary, during which period his sufferings led him to commisserate the condition of those who might subsequently fall into the same unhappy state. It is probable, also, that he knew of the Brotherhoods established in Catholic countries for the redemption of Captives, and finding no such institution among his countrymen, he supplied the deficiency.]

The known existence of this fund among the tribes, operates not only as a motive for preserving the life of the poor captive, but ensures to him also a less rigorous measure of treatment, than it is feared he would otherwise experience. Mr. Black's account fully justifies this remark; for in the exact proportion as the hope of gain rises or falls in the minds of their oppressors, so is the barometer of good or illtreatment towards their captives.

It should also be borne in mind by the Company in general, that by the old existing treaties between Great Britain, the Emperor of Morocco, and the Regencies of Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli, it is expressly stipulated, that all British vessels, having on board the usual passes and certificates, shall not, in the event of ship.

wreck or otherwise, become prize, nor shall any person, of what nation or quality soever, being on board, be made slave; but that all the subjects of these Regencies shall use their best endeavours to save the men and their goods.

That part of the Western Coast of Africa, which lies between the latitudes of 20 and 32 degrees north, is generally the region, opposite to which the shipwrecks most frequently occur. It is a desert country, interspersed with immense hills of loose sand, which are from time to time driven by the wind into various forms, and so impregnate the air with sands for many miles out at sea, as to give to the atmosphere an appearance of hazy weather. Navigators, not aware of this circumstance, never sus

pect, during such appearances, that they are near laud, until they discover the breakers on the coast, which is so extremely flat, that one may walk a mile into the sea without being over the knees; so that ships strike when at a very considerable distance from the beach; added to this, there is a current, which sets in from the west towards Africa, with inconceivable force and rapidity, with which the navigator being generally unacquainted, he loses his reckoning; and in the course of a night perhaps, when he expects to clear the African coast in his passage southward, he is alarmed with the appearance of shoal water; and before he has time to recover himself, finds his ship aground on a desert shore, where neither habitation nor human being is visible. In this state, his fears are soon increased by a persuasion, that he must either perish in fighting a horde of wild Arabs, or submit to become their captive; for soon after a ship strikes, some wandering Arabs, strolling from their duar in the desert, perceive the masts from the sand hills, and without coming to shore, repair to their horde, perhaps 30 or 40 miles off, to apprise them of the wreck; when they immediately assemble, arming themselves with daggers, guns, and cudgels; sometimes two or three days, or more, elapse, before they make their appearance on the coast, where they wait the usual alternative of the crew, either delivering themselves up, rather than perish with hunger, or throwing themselves into the sea. When the former takes place quarrels frequently ensue among the Arabs, about the possession of the sailors, disputing for the captain or mate, because he is better dressed, or discovers himself to them in some other way. They afterwards go in boats, and take every thing portable from the vessel, and then, if the sea do not

dash it to pieces, set fire to it, in order that it may not serve as a warning to other ships, which may be so unfortunate as to follow the same course. Sometimes in these wrecks, the poor seamen, perceiving what savages they have to contend with (though they are far from being so savage and inhospitable as their appearance indicates), determine on making resistance; and by means of cannon, small arms, &c, maintain a temporary defence, until a few falling from the superiority of numbers, they at length yield, and deliver themselves

up.*

Until, therefore, the navigation of this part of the coast of Africa shall become desert cease to be infested by these lawless better understood by the mariner; and the tribes of wandering Arabs, who, so far from being in any degree under the government of the Emperor of Morocco, brave all manner of control whatever; it must be obvious to every one, that no hope can be indulged of the utter abolition of Christian Slavery, and that consequently, there will, most probably, be frequent ocMr. Betton's Trust Fund for the redemption casion, in future, to have recourse to of British Captives.

[The Brig Surprise sailed from Glasgow, Dec. 6, 1815, on a voyage to St. Thomas and Jamaica, with a valuable cargo of dry goods, having on board a crew of seventeen persons and three passengers. Soon after leaving the Clyde, they expe rienced heavy gales of wind, until they got near the latitude of Madeira. About three o'clock in the morning of Dec. 28, in latitude 27° 30" N. the vessel struck on rocks, and soon after grounded; a heavy sea beating over her. The passengers and crew except two, who were drowned in the attempt, reached the shore in the boats. The appearance of a number of armed Arabs on the shore in a few hours afterwards, shewed that they were on the coast of Africa, in the desert. Mr. Black, one of the passengers, being so fortunate as to save his black lead pencil from the general pillage, was enabled to note down incidents in the form of a journal, from which the following are extracts.]

December 29.-In the afternoon I was carried off by one of the parties with Captain Ross and James Walker, the second mate; but had not travelled far before we were met by two horsemen, one of whom, after saying a few words to the leader, laid hold of me by the collar; called Walker to my assistance, and extricated myself,

* See Jackson's Account of Morocco.

upon which the robber presented his musket; found it was useless to make resistance, and was carried off by them to the wreck; saw W. Black there, and spoke to him. The two robbers were joined by four others on foot, and three camels; left the wreck before dark, and travelled into the country; came up to some tents, where we encamped; and got a drink of goat's milk and water, and some goat's flesh to eat; met there John Niel, one of the three men missing, shockingly cut in the face and body from blows by the Arabs who took him, from whom he had attempted to escape.

January 3.-During this day, my two robbers continued riding up to the different parties we saw on the march. In the afternoon we halted, and the chief of the gang (Hamet) led me over to the other side of a rising ground, where I saw two Arabs sitting, and a person laying on the ground, who, from the dress, I immediately knew to be one of our own people; but what was my astonishment on finding William Black asleep, with a stone for his pillow; I called to him, when he started up, and his surprire, joined to our mutual feelings on this unexpected meeting again, can scarcely be described. It was also a great consolation to us both to be informed by these Arabs, that we were to travel iu company.

January 12.-Arrived at an encampment of Arabs of about 200 tents, a kind of town, where my robbers lived; we were taken to Hamet's tent, followed by numbers of women and children crowding on us; and when within the tent, we could

scarcely breathe for their flocking in to see the N'saara (Christians), handling our clothes and buttons. In the night, one of the girls in the tent took hold of a 'button, and trying to pull it off, tore my coat; I was however, obliged to cut off two the next day in order to pacify them.

From January 17 to February 8.--Set oat in the morning, met a Moor on horseback (a very handsome little horse), who I understood to be Cide [Sidi) Hameder, my new master, who returned with me to a place called Wednoon, where I was happy in seeing William Black again, with J. Bissland and two of the sailors; the latter three were employed in folding up goods brought up from the wreck, but W. B. and myself were exempted from that work. We were informed that the whole of us would very shortly be carried on to the Consul Inglese at Mogador; the first day treated well, but shoved into a dirty bole of a place at night, swarming with lice and

fleas; nothing to sleep on, except a bag or two, which were sometimes thrown into our bed chamber, resembling a miserable cow-house, filled with rubbish, chaff, &c. &c. They gave us a blanket to cover the five of us, but took it from us in a few days; at times we felt very cold, and were glad to get inside of a corn bag, two of us together, making a pillow of stones, or any thing softer we could find. The vermin were exceedingly tormenting, although it was our daily employment to endeavour to reduce their numbers. This house belonged to Shaih Abraham (chief the tribe Abglala) and his brother Cide Baruk, both of whom lived in it; it was inclosed with high walls like a fortification, a run of water through the court was a great comfort to us; our food was now an allowance of corn not nearly sufficient for us all, which we had to grind and cook ourselves, the cleaning of it from stones and dirt was also part of the operation; a little oil was allowed us with our porridge, but afterwards nothing else but corn of the worst kind, much inferior to what was given to their horses, and that too, we often did not get till late in the day. A Spanish captive messed with us, and we divided our old wooden platter into six equal parts, by marks round it, drawing lines across the porridge, so that each had an equal share. If it happened that any of us had more dom the case), others were not wanting to than he was inclined to eat (which was selassist him. The Moors, in eating, use no spoons, knives, &c. and we were obliged also to make use of our hands; but finding this mode did not answer so well with porThis Spaniard, Josi or Filipi Perdoma, was ridge, we contrived to make wooden spoons. a young lad belonging to a Canary fishing boat, who had been five years amongst the great many questions were put to us by our Arabs, and became our interpreter. A Moorish masters, and answered through our interpreter, but which, in some instances, we afterwards found were 'not the same answers we had given; and these Moors were thereby led to believe that we were able to pay a large ransom; this misapprehension proceeding either from the Spaniard being imperfect in the Moorish language, or from his carelessness as to the motives of these questions. The Spaniard slept in the same place with us, besides a Moor and a negro slave as a kind of guard over us. This Moor (Cide Hamet) at different times brought us small pieces of meat, part of the liver and entrails of a goat just enough to taste; we sometimes picked up a few dates and carrots from the children and negro slaves, and when very hungry