British supercargoes petition for King Pepple's restoration

By 1858 the British supercargoes who had conspired to exile King Pepple in 1854 petitioned Consul Hutchinson to request Pepple's return. The "Quadruple Regency" that had replaced the king was described as "no more than a mockery and delusion." The supercargoes admitted that "legitimate commerce could not thrive without protection" and that none of the regents—being of ex-slave status—could command authority in Bonny.