Plans and Reality

On the voyage, there were at first promising signs that the expedition's troubles had been left behind. Both Thompson and Fraser reported a far greater degree of harmony on board the ships. The only cloud was cast by the persistence of the fever, which claimed 14 lives. Tenerife was reached in less than a fortnight, and Thompson took the opportunity of buying a bullock for each ship, so that the passengers might have fresh meat as a change from salt provisions. (He sent the bill to the Treasury, who agreed to pay it). On 10 May, a month and a day after leaving Plymouth, the ships dropped anchor in ‘Frenchman's Bay’, Sierra Leone.

The matter of most pressing importance on arrival was that which had so concerned Thompson in England – to arrange for the purchase of land. If the local Africans would not permit the permanent establishment of the settlement, any land cleared or buildings erected would be so much wasted effort. Verbal communication with the Africans, although sometimes imperfect, was no great problem. A number spoke at least some English, which they had acquired through long contact with the British fort and trading post in the locality and with visiting British and American slave traders, and the most fluent individuals among them were generally appointed to act as interpreters. Thompson had his first meeting with the nearest African ruler, ‘King Tom’, the day after the ships arrived.