THE FOREIGN OFFICE AND PORTUGUESE SLAVERY.
[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."]
SIR,—Allow me to thank you very warmly for your most excel- lent article on the Foreign Office and Portuguese Slavery. It is, as you say, almost incredible that our Foreign Office should take the line they are doing, but have you seen the African Mail for March 7th with an article on Livingstone and the Portu- guese of considerable interest ? It shows how history repeats itself. The Portuguese Government then, as now, poisoned our Foreign Office to such an extent that the Portuguese were accepted as authorities regarding their slave trade and Livingstone was infamously maligned, the British Govern- ment being too indifferent to find out the truth. As the main object of Livingstone's expedition was avowedly to destroy the slave trade, the Portuguese hated him and all his doings. But seeing the terrible mistake and the hideous injustice to Livingstone, surely Sir E. Grey ought to be more careful in listening to all he bears from the Portuguese. What have we, any of us, to gain by fighting this slavery, while the Portuguese gain enormously (financially) by con- tinuing their present methods, or at any rate they think they do. That ought to be enough for Sir E. Grey. I am so rejoiced at the stand you are taking, and I feel Livingstone's prayer that a rich blessing may rest on every one who tries to heal the open sore of the world must rest on (Member of the S. Thomt Committee of the A.S. and A.D. Society).
Stoughton House, Croydon.
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