| Level | Item |
| Finding Number (Click this to view full catalogue structure) | CMS/B/OMS/C A1 E3/82 |
| Title | Letter from Wenzel to Secretary: 14 June [1813]: Sierra Leone |
| Extent | 1 doc. |
| Date | [1813] |
| Description | On his return to Bashia from S. L. with his wife on 13 Oct 1812 he heard of the Foulah invasion, and of the Susu headmen's enmity to the missionaries whom they blamed for the abolition of the slave trade. At a palaver with the headmen Renner had to agree to buy guns and powder for sale to their people, and husk rice instead of cleaned rice. He also had to agree to send away traders' children from the school. The palaver had been preceded by a divining ceremony in a Devil's House built near to obtain by sacrifices the goodwill of the spirits of dead relatives.
At a second Foulah threat Fernandez tried vainly to persuade the Susus to organize resistance. News of the palaver, however, frightened the invaders who offered peace and reparation. Wenzel and Klein took their families to Bashia for a time for greater safety.
Wenzel is concerned at the revival of the slave trade by American vessels convoyed by privateers. They pay in rum and tobacco and have the headmen on their side.
He met Butscher at his visits in Mar and Apr and received the instructions he bought. Mrs. Quast is with him. Klein has gone to Canoffee and they now have 33 children there. Wenzel is busy enlarging the school buildings. He badly needs school materials. He was disappointed not to receive more of the goods repurchased from the wreck of the 'Charles'. He asks for clothing material by Christmas. He has signed the document securing the Canoffee settlement to CMS. |
| Access Status | Open |
| Physical Description | E3: The numbers are original numbers up to E3/29. Thereafter there were no original numbers and they have been given archivist's numbers. Many of the documents up to E3/38 bear one or two crossed-out original numbers. A few of the numbers up to E3/29 are missing and so marked.
N.B. Numbers 30-122 bear no standing original numbers although some have numbers which have been crossed out. |