When the Sierra Leone Company was first settled, they endeavored to
bring over to their friendship all the petty African princes in their
neighborhood. Among others, they applied to a chief of the name of
Naimbanna, who was remarkable for a good disposition and an acute
understanding. He easily saw that the intention of the company was
friendly to Africa, and entered into amity with them.
They spoke to him about the slave trade, and gave him reasons for
wishing to have it abolished. He was convinced of its wickedness, and
declared that not one of his subjects should ever go into slavery
again. By degrees, they began to talk to him about religion, but he
was rather wary on that head. It seems he had formed some prejudices
against Christianity.
Finding, however, that the Company's factory contained a very good
sort of people, and that they lived happily among themselves, he began
to think more favorably of their religion; but he was still backward
either in receiving it himself, or in making it the religion of his
country. He was well convinced of the barbarous state of his own
people, on a comparison with Europeans, and he wished for nothing more
than a reformation among them, especially in religion.
But as he found there were several kinds (or forms) of religion in
the world, he wished to know which was the best before he introduced
either of them. To ascertain this point as well as he could, he took
the following method: He sent one of his sons into Turkey, among the
Mohammedans; a second into Portugal, among the Papists; and the third
he recommended to the Sierra Leone Company, desiring they would send
him to England, to be there instructed in the religion of that country.
It appears he meant to be directed by the reports of his sons in the
choice of a national religion. Of the two former of these young men,
we have no particulars, only that one of them became very vicious. The
last mentioned, though I believe the eldest, bore his father's name,
Naimbanna. The Sierra Leone Company received the charge of him with
great pleasure, believing that nothing could have a better effect in
promoting their benevolent schemes, than making him a good Christian.
Young Naimbanna was a perfect African in form, and had the features
with which the African face is commonly marked. While he was with the
Company, he seemed a well-disposed tractable youth; but when opposed,
he was impatient, fierce, and subject to violent passion. In the first
ship that sailed he was sent to England, where he arrived in the year
1791.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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