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How did Smith Mackenzie Begin (part two)
Firmly established in Zanzibar, the firm Smith Mackenzie was in an excellent position to take advantage of the opportunities for trade on the mainland once the Imperial British East Africa Company penetrated the interior of the lands that were to become Kenya and...
How did the firm Smith Mackenzie begin? (part 1)
In the 1870s The Sultan of Zanzibar, Seyyid Bhargash, was well disposed towards Westerners, particularly if their activities boosted the island’s commerce. The British India Steam Navigation Company (BISN) started a regular service of steamers between Bombay and Aden...
The Old British Consulate in Zanzibar
As part of their attempts to counter the Slave Trade, the British sent Atkins Hamerton to Zanzibar in 1842 to discover the extent of the trade in human beings. He was lent a house by Seyyid Said, the Sultan of Zanzibar, on the foreshore near the Sultan’s palace. It...