► Royal Navy ► 1841 Niger expedition ► Book ► Chapter XIChapter X ◄► Chapter XII
Treaty between the Queen of Great Britain, and Obi Osaï Chief of Abòh or (Eboe or Ibu.)
There shall be peace and friendship between the people of Great Britain and the people of Abòh, and the Slave-trade shall be put down for ever in the Abòh country, and the people of Great Britain and the people of Abòh shall trade together innocently, justly, kindly and usefully; and Captain Henry Dundas Trotter, Commander William Allen, Commander Bird Allen, and William Cook, Esq., Commissioners on the part of the Queen of Great Britain, and Obi Osaï on his own part, and that of his people as Chief of the Abòh country, do make the following Agreement for these purposes.
1.- The Slave-trade shall be utterly abolished in the Abòh country, and from the signing of this Agreement, no person whatever shall be removed out of the country for the purpose of being treated or dealt with as slaves; nor shall any persons whatever be allowed to be brought through the country or any part thereof, for the purpose of being treated or dealt with as slaves by way of exportation or otherwise; nor shall any persons whatever be imported into the country for the purpose of being dealt with as slaves, and no subject of the Abòh country shall be in any way concerned in the exporting or importing slaves, or carrying on the Slave-trade, either within or without the limits of the country. The Chief promises to inflict reasonable punishment on all his subjects who may break this law.
2.- The officers of the Queen of Great Britain may seize every vessel or boat of Abòh found anywhere carrying on the trade in slaves, and may also seize every vessel or boat of other nations with whom a similar agreement has been made, found carrying on the trade in slaves in the waters belonging to the Chief of Abòh: upon such seizure, and after regular condemnation, according to the provisions of this Agreement, the slaves shall be made free, and the vessels or boats shall be destroyed.
3.- That in all cases of the seizure of vessels and boats, with the slaves on board, under the provisions of this Agreement, the said Commissioners, or those of them who may be present, and in their absence the commissioned or commanding officer on board the British vessel making the seizure, or any agent authorized for that purpose, shall in presence of the Chief or headman appointed by him, make due examination and inquiry into the case, and shall condemn the said vessel or boat with the slaves on board, if satisfied that the provisions of this Agreement have been thus contravened; or otherwise acquit and restore the same.
4.- That from and after the signing of this Agreement, no person whatever coming into the country shall be reduced into slavery, or treated or used as slaves. All white persons whatever, and all British subjects, of whatever colour, at present detained in slavery, shall be immediately set free.
5.- British people may freely come into the Abòh country, and may stay in it, or pass through it: and they shall be treated as friends while in it, and they may leave the country with their property when they please.
6.- Christians, of whatever nation or country, peaceably conducting themselves in the dominions of the Chief of Abòh, shall be left in the free enjoyment and exercise of the Christian religion, and shall not be hindered or molested in their endeavours to teach the same to all persons whatever willing and desirous to be taught; nor shall any subject of Abòh, who may embrace the Christian faith, be on that account, or on account of the teaching or exercise thereof, molested or troubled in any manner whatsoever.
7.- British people may always trade freely with the people of Abòh in every article which they may wish to sell, and neither the British people nor the people of Abòh shall ever be forced to buy or sell any article, nor shall they be prevented from buying or selling any article with whomsoever they please; and they shall not be compelled to employ an agent, and the customs and dues taken by the Chief of Abòh on British goods sold in the Abòh country shall in no case be more altogether than one twentieth part of the goods so imported, or their ascertained value, and there shall be no duty, toll, or custom levied on goods exported.
8.- The paths shall be kept open through the Abòh country to other countries, so that British traders may carry goods of all kinds through the Abòh country to sell them elsewhere; and the traders of other countries may bring their goods through the Abòh country to trade with the British people.
9.- British people may buy and sell, or hire lands and houses in the Abòh country; and their houses shall not be entered without their consent, not shall their goods be seized, nor their persons touched; and if British people are wronged or ill-treated by the people of Abòh, the Chief of Abòh shall punish those doing such wrong.
10.- But the British people must not break the laws of the Abòh country; and when they are accused of breaking the laws, the Chief may detain the person charged with committing any grievous crime in safe custody, taking care that he be treated with humanity; and shall send a true account of the matter to the nearest place where there is a British force; and the commander of such British force shall send for the British person, who shall be tried according to British law, and shall be punished, if found guilty, and a report of such punishment shall be forwarded to the Chief for his satisfaction.
11.- If the Abòh people should take away the property of a British person, or should not pay their just debts to a British person, the Chief of Abòh shall do all he can to make the Abòh people restore the property and pay the debt; and if British persons should take away the property of the Abòh people, or shall not pay their just debts to the Abòh people, they shall be subject to the laws of the country for the recovery of the same; provided always that no injury be done to their persons. The Chief of Abòh shall make known the fact to the commander of the British force nearest to the Abòh country, or to the resident agent, if there is one; and the British commander or agent, whichever it may be, shall do all he can to make the British persons restore the property, and pay the debt.
12.- The Queen of Great Britain may appoint an agent to visit Abòh, or to reside there, in order to watch over the interests of the British people; and to see that this agreement is fulfilled; and such agent shall always receive honour and protection in the Abòh country; and the Abòh Chief shall pay attention to what the agent says, and the person and property of the agent shall be sacred.
13.- It is understood that all British vessels or boats are at liberty to navigate the river Niger, and its branches and tributaries, without the payment of any duties, tolls, or customs whatsoever. The Chief of Abòh promises to use his utmost endeavour to facilitate the conveyance of messengers and despatches to or from British people.
14.- The power of sanctioning or modifying this Treaty is expressly reserved to Her Majesty the Queen of Great Britain.
15.- Any infringement of this Treaty will subject the Chief of Abòh to the severe displeasure of the Queen of Great Britain, and the loss of the duties herein stipulated for.
16.- The Chief of Abòh shall within forty-eight hours of the date of this agreement, make a law for carrying the whole of it into effect, and shall proclaim that law; and the Chief of Abòh shall put that law in force from that time for ever.
l7.- The Queen of Great Britain, out of friendship for the Chief of Abòh, and because the Chief of Abòh has made this Agreement, gives him the following articles: -
1 ornamented velvet cap.
1 double-barrelled gun, German silver mounted, flint lock.
1 pair of pistols, German silver mounted, flint lock.
1 Gilt mounted sabre.
6 yards of cotton velvet.
1 piece [i.e. standard length] of Maddapolan.
2 pieces of printed Manchester goods [cotton cloth].
1/2 piece of caricature handkerchiefs.
5 yards of superfine scarlet cloth.
5 yards of superfine blue cloth.
36 bead necklaces of sorts.
100 flints.
1 case, containing razors, knife, and scissors.
32 small looking-glasses.
1 large lustring umbrella.
1 telescope.
1 sergeant-major's dress complete.
4 red caps.
4 red jackets, baize.
4 shirts.
4 black jacks.
1 1/2 piece of romal [Indian silk or cotton] handkerchiefs.
1 pewter basin.
4 brass bracelets (bangles).
1 brass snuff-box.
2 dozen gilt buttons.
6 large pewter spoons.
6 small pewter spoons.
2 brass lamps.
1 padlock.
6 pocket knives.
1 saw.
2 pieces of Pondicherry [?].
1 piece of Naganapots.
2 pieces of brawls [Indian blue and white striped cloth].
1 piece of Madras [striped cotton] handkerchiefs.
1 piece of brown shirting.
2 pieces of Bejutepant [?].
1 piece of cotton Bandanas.
1 piece of Niccarree [?].
1 piece of Chillo [?].
6 tin horns.
1 Arabic Bible.
1 oil press.
And the Chief of Abòh hereby acknowledges he has received those articles.
And so we, Captain Henry Dundas Trotter, Commander William Allen, Commander Bird Allen, William Cook, Esq., and Obi Osaï, Chief of Abòh, have made this Agreement, and have signed it on board Her Majesty's steam-vessel 'Albert', off Abòh, this twenty-eighth day of August, one thousand eight hundred and forty-one; and this Agreement shall stand for ever.
| (signed) | H. D. Trotter | Commissioner. |
| WILLIAM ALLEN | Commissioner. | |
| BIRD ALLEN | Commissioner. | |
| W. COOK | Commissioner. | |
| OBI OSAÏ, his + mark | Chief of the Abòh Country. | |
| Witnesses | J. O. McWilliam, M.D. | Surgeon, |
| James Frederick Schön | Missionary, | |
| William Bowden | Secretary. | |
| Aribunda, his + mark | King Obi's brothers. | |
| Ajeh, his + mark | ||
| Chikuma, his + mark | King Obi's eldest Son. |
Additional Articles.
The Chief of Abòh declares that no human beings are sacrificed on account of religious or other ceremonies or customs in the Abòh country, and hereby stipulates that he will prevent the introduction of such barbarous and inhuman customs and ceremonies into his country.
And so we, Captain Henry Dundas Trotter, Commander William Allen, Commander Bird Allen, William Cook, Esquire, and Obi Osaï, Chief of Abòh have made this Agreement, and have signed it on board Her Majesty's steam-vessel, 'Albert' off Abòh, this twenty-eighth day of August, one thousand eight hundred and forty-one, and this Agreement shall stand for ever.
| (signed) | H. D. Trotter | Commissioner. |
| WILLIAM ALLEN | Commissioner. | |
| BIRD ALLEN | Commissioner. | |
| W. COOK | Commissioner. | |
| OBI OSAÏ, his + mark | Chief of the Abòh Country. | |
| Witnesses | J. O. McWilliam, M.D. | Surgeon, |
| James Frederick Schön | Missionary, | |
| William Bowden | Secretary. | |
| Aribunda, his + mark | King Obi's brothers. | |
| Ajeh, his + mark | ||
| Chikuma, his + mark | King Obi's eldest Son. |
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