Description
Slave Trade with Madagascar. The Journals of the Cape slaver Leijdsman, 1715 brings to life a largely forgotten chapter of the Cape of Good Hope’s history. Following the devastating smallpox epidemic of 1713, which decimated the Dutch East India Company’s slave workforce, this book presents the firsthand accounts of Hendrik Frappé and Willem van der Lint as they journeyed to Madagascar to acquire new slaves. Their journals provide vivid descriptions of the harsh realities of the trade in men, women, and children, as well as observations of Comoro Islands and eighteenth-century Malagasy court life.
Presented in both the original Dutch and English translations, these journals offer a rare and invaluable insight into the logistics, culture, and human consequences of the early slave trade. The book is both a historical record and a linguistic resource, making it essential for scholars of slavery, Cape history, and early modern colonial trade. Through these meticulous accounts, readers can understand the social, economic, and human dimensions of a period that shaped the region profoundly.
This is a compelling resource for historians, linguists, and anyone interested in the history of slavery and colonial South Africa.
