James Swan

“30th. No trade yet; but our Traders came on board to-day and informed us the people had burnt four towns, so that to-morrow we expect Slaves off. “31st. Fair weather, but no trade yet; we see each night towns burning, but we hear the Sestro men are many of them killed by the inland Negroes, so that we fear this war will be unsuccessful. “The 2d of January. Last night we saw a prodigious fire break out about eleven o’clock, and this morning saw the town of Sestro burnt down to the ground, (it contained some hundred houses) so that we find their enemies are too hard for them at present; consequently our trade spoiled here, so that about seven o’clock we weighed anchor, as did also the three other vessels, to proceed lower down.” Here follows another relation taken from an original Journal of a Surgeon who sailed out of New-York, “Being on the Coast of Guinea at a place called Basalia, the Commander of the vessel, according to custom, sent a person on shore, with a present to the King, acquainting him with his arrival, and informing him they wanted a cargo of Slaves. The King promised to furnish them, and in order to do it, set out to war against his enemies; designing also to surprise some town, and take all the people prisoners: Some time after, the King sent them word, he had not yet met with the desired success, having been twice repulsed in attempting to break up two towns; but that he still hoped to procure a number of Slaves for them, and in this design persisted,”
― James Swan, A dissuasion to Great-Britain and the colonies, from the slave trade to Africa: Enriched edition. Confronting the Legacy of Inhumane Exploitation