William Hutton was a British writer. He is notable for having written ''A Voyage to Africa'', which was published in 1821. He also served briefly in the British foreign service in the

Ashanti Empire The Asante Empire (Asante Twi: ), today commonly called the Ashanti Empire, was an Akan state that lasted between 1701 to 1901, in what is now modern-day Ghana. It expanded from the Ashanti Region to include most of Ghana as well as parts of Iv ...

and as Commandant of St Mary's Island,

the Gambia The Gambia,, ff, Gammbi, ar, غامبيا officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country within mainland AfricaHoare, Ben. (2002) ''The Kingfisher A-Z Encyclopedia'', Kingfisher Publicatio ...

Colonial service

Ashanti

Hutton was employed as a writer with the British African Company of Merchants. In 1819, Hutton travelled with

Joseph Dupuis Joseph Dupuis (1789–1874) was appointed as Consul and Vice-Consul for the British Government between 1811 and 1842, with various postings to Africa during that period, including one as Vice-Consul in Mogador. He was married to Evelina Danby, who ...

, British Consul at Kumasi, to the

Cape Coast Cape Coast is a city, fishing port, and the capital of Cape Coast Metropolitan District and Central Region of Ghana. It is one of the country's most historic cities, a World Heritage Site, home to the Cape Coast Castle, with the Gulf of Guinea ...

. It is an account of these events that led Hutton to write ''A Voyage to Africa''. In January 1820, Hutton was part of a British party that received Adum, the nephew of the King of Ashanti, at Cape Coast.

Writing

Hutton wrote ''A Voyage to Africa'' in 1820. It was published in London in 1821. It was a part-travelogue, and part-diplomatic chronicle. It is likely that it would have been read in both Britain and in the United States, where British books were often imported.

The Gambia

In 1829, Hutton became Acting Commandant of St Mary's Island after the previous Commandant, Alexander Findlay, returned to Britain. While temporarily in charge of the administration, Hutton made a voyage up the river to

Fattatenda Fattatenda is a small village in eastern Gambia on the Gambia River. It is located in Wuli District in the Upper River Division, a few kilometers southwest of the much larger village of Baja Kunda. As of 2009, it has an estimated population of ...

and Kantalikunda. Eleven Bathurst merchants had agreed to send goods up the river, provided Hutton could make satisfactory local treaties. On 11 April 1829, he agreed to pay £50 to the chief of Kantalikunda if he allowed Bathurst merchants to set up houses and factories in the town. On 13 April 1829, Hutton entered into another treaty, with Mansa Kwiri, the King of Wuli. It stated that in return for an annual payment of £200, the King would grant the British full access to and sovereignty over Fattatenda and 100 acres of land surrounding it. When news of these treaties reached London, they did not meet with the approval of

Robert William Hay Robert William Hay (1786–1861) was a British public official. Biography Early life Robert William Hay was born in 1786 in Westminster, London, England.

. Findlay was instructed to investigate the treaties when he returned to the Gambia to take up the role of Lieutenant Governor. In particular, there were concerns over expenses that Hutton incurred, including a significant wine bill that he debited to the colonial government. Upon investigation, it was decided to dismiss Hutton from colonial service.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hutton, William Governors of the Gambia Date of birth unknown Date of death unknown Year of birth missing Year of death missing 19th-century British people 19th-century British writers