West African Company of London

West African Company of London – this was one of the primary agents in the economic development of Fernando Po between 1836 and 1843, when it withdrew and sold its properties to the BMS as part of a program to help freed slaves from the West Indies to resettle in Africa (see letters 236 and 242). This program, however, was stalled by the takeover of the island by the Spanish, who would eventually expel the BMS from the island. Clarke’s letter was read before the BMS Committee on 2 March 1843, after which the Committee authorized Angus to propose the sum of £1500 for the purchase of the property. See Martin Lynn, “Commerce, Christianity and the Origins of the ‘Creoles’ of Fernando Po,” Journal of African History 25 (1984): 258-259. BMS Committee Minutes, Vol. I (Jan. 1843-May 1844), f. 33, Angus Library, Regent's Park College, Oxford.