Memorial from William Forster and a letter to Lord Glenelg, 26 Jul 1838
Item
Shelfmark: MSS. Brit. Emp. s. 444 Vol. 33, pp. 113-128
Held at the Weston Library
Comprises:
- memorial from William Forster, a merchant who had lived at Bathurst (Banjul) in the Gambia for twenty years [to Lord Glenelg], about the recent change in the affairs of the Gambia brought about by the encroachments of the French and the weakness of the local government. The French, he claimed, had prevented legitimate British trade with the North African traders at Portendic by a blockade in 1834, had taken possession of Albzeda (Albreda) on the river, and settled at Caza-Manza (Casamance), which adjoined the Gambia and could be considered part of it; these settlements also threatened British trade. He attributes the weakness of the government to failure by the home government to appoint a replacement for the last Governor, who had died of fever twelve months before, as well as to the fact that the Gambia's laws had to be discussed and enacted in Sierra Leone and therefore took nearly twelve months to pass at times. He complains that the colony then possessed neither a chaplain nor schoolmaster as formerly, that no one knew how the duties paid in the colony were expended, and that the currency had depreciated by about 40% because of the official cutting of the Spanish dollar before issue, which encouraged illegal clipping. Since he had lost hope of the government acting in such a way as to revitalise the life and trade of the Gambia, he suggests that it would be in its interest to sell it to the French, on the understanding that the merchants would be indemnified by the French from the purchase money for the loss of their property, or that it should be handed over to the administration of the merchants, as at Cape Coast Castle, 26 Jul 1838
- letter to Lord Glenelg, expanding upon the recent French encroachment on the Cazamanza (Casamance), of which Forster complained, 2 Aug 1838.
Dates
- Creation: 26 Jul 1838
Extent
16 pages
Language of Materials
- English
Shelfmark
MSS. Brit. Emp. s. 444 Vol. 33, pp. 113-128
Former reference:
U 2
Repository Details
Part of the Bodleian Libraries Repository
Contact:
Weston Library
Broad Street
Oxford OX1 3BG United Kingdom
specialcollections.enquiries@bodleian.ox.ac.uk
Weston Library
Broad Street
Oxford OX1 3BG United Kingdom
specialcollections.enquiries@bodleian.ox.ac.uk