m.5^7^S^ no. S'
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FIFTY DAYS
ON BOARD
A SLAYE-YESSEL
IN
THE MOZAMBiaUE CHANNEL
In April and May, 1843.
BY THE
REV. PASCOE GRENFELL HILL,
chaplain OF^H.M S. "CLEOPATRA."
J .^ijW INCHESTER3 NEW WORLD PRESS
30 ANN STREET.
r j^ c.
FIFTY DAYS
ON BOARD A SLAVE-VESSIL
H. M. S. " Cleopatra," of twenty-six-
guns, commissioned by Capt. C. Wyvill, in
April, 1842, having received orders to pro-
ceed to the Cape of Good Hope station, and
to convey Lieut. General Sir William
Gomm to Mauritius, of which Island Sir
William had been recently appointed Gov-
ernor, sailed from Spithead in the latter part
of July, and arrived at Eio Janeiro on the
6th of September. I was then in the " Mal-
abar," of seventy-four guns, Capt. Sir
George Sartorius, lying at Rio, and took ad-
vantage of the opportunity w^hich the kind-
ness of Commodore Purvis, senior officer on
the station, afforded me, of getting transfer-
red from that ship to the " Cleopatra."
The unrivalled magniiicence of Rio har-
bor, narrow at the entrance, but spreading
into a circumference of seventeen leagues ;
its hundred islands ; the mountains which
inclose it, showing every change of outline,
covered with the richest verdure from the
shore to their summits ; the higher moun-
tains beyond, which bound the view, ming-
ling their heads with the clouds ; compose
a scene of variety and beauty which can
hardly tire the eye. The city, on the left
hand at the entrance, is four or five miles
from the mouth of the harbor ; the interme-
diate coast divided into several small bays,
studded with pretty villages and country
«eats. These are still more numerous on
the Braganza side of the harbor opposite to
Rio, the favorite resort of its inhabitants
during the heats of summer ; a steamboat
crossing hourly through the day. The sce-
nery on that side is not equally grand in
character, but has more softness, and the
contrast is as great of its quiet and retire-
ment to the noise and bustle of the city.
The usual landing-place at Rio is in front
of the " Hotel PharouxV a very large and
handsome building, which overlooks the
quay, the market, and the great square. In
the square, the principal objects are, the
Palace of the Emperor, a Carmelite convent,
now applied to secular purposes, and the
Chapel Royal, adjacent to it. The busy
stir on the quay, of boats sending passen-
gers, or taking off supplies to the shipping ;
the >till more busy and crowded m.arket,
with its tropical profusion of fruits and ve-
getables; above all, the different tribes of
the human race, of every hue and feature,
vdio throng it ; offer a curious and lively
scene. The proportion of the colored pop-
ulation to the white, in the province of Rio
Janeiro generally, is probably not less than
twenty to one. On the plantations in the
interior, where this proportion is greatest,
the sufferings of the negroes are doubtless
severest. In the metropolis, their condition
does not wear that mournful appearance in
which the imagination is apt to present it.
Certainly the content and cheerfulness of
the motley crowd here seems to equal that
of the common classes in most other coun-
tries. The heartiest mirth prevails among
the parties who mingle around the small
charcoal fires on which they fry their fish,
or boil their cassava root and sweet-potatoe.
The hardest labor witnessed in the streets,
is that of the coffee-carriers, who bear bags
of great weight on their heads, at a running
pace, to the sound of some rattling sub-
stances in a bladder, which the leader of the
parly shakes, and the others accompany
with their voices. The number of hours
RIO JANEIRO.
for which this toil is exacted from them on
their masteis' account still leaves them a
portion of the day to work for their own
profit, permitting them, by industry, within
a reasonable time, to purchase their iree-
dom. And it is to the credit o±' the Brazil-
ians, that the moment which releases the
negro from slavery, raises liim wholly above
the xontempt and ignominy to which his
race' is subject in some other slave countries,
on account of color. The situation of the
domestic slaves in Brazil is more favorable
than that of any others. But although ca-
ses of cruelty toward them do not often
come into notice, there is no doubt that they
are frequently over-worked, under-fed, and
otherwise harshly treated, dependent on the
caprice of an ill-tempered or avaricious
owner. Even the more humane, insist that
it is impossible to get their negroes to work
without the use of the rod. '•' II faut les
frapper," remarked a French lady to me.
A flogging can be legally inflicted only by
sentence of a raagistrate, whose award is
generally one of extren»e severity.
I attended one of the slave-auctions which
take place usually every week, having
been previously advertised in the Gazettes.
About twenty- five ©f both sexes, decently
dressed, were seated on benches behind a
long table, which as each in turn ascended
to be better viewed by the bidders, a sullen-
ness of look seemed to express their feel-
ing of degradation in being thus put up to
sale. The prices seldom rose above 300
mil-reis, about £31 ; but it is to be suppos-
ed that those who are thus disposed of by
auction are among the least useful or valua-
ble to their owners. It is not uncommon
to meet negroes in the streets, moving slowly
with shackled feet, or with a heavy iron
collar round the neck, usually denoting a
recovered fugitive. Advertisements of run-
away negroes often fill a column in the daily
journals. In one of these, taken up at
hazard, " Jornal do Comercio, 13 de Agosta
de 1842," I find the following:
" Disappeared on the 16th inst., fromB.ua
do Cano, N. 2, a negro boatman, named Se-
bastian, native of Inhambane : rather full-
bodied, of ordinary height, dressed in a
duty white shut and trowsers, and accom-
panied by a black dog, answering to the
name of ' Cara-linda.' Whoever may ap-
prehend and take him to the House of Cor-
rection, and give information thereof at the
above address, will be rewarded for his
trouble." •
" Ran away, on the 8th inst., at eight in
the morning, from Dr. Jose Julio de Freitas
Contmho, N. 106, Rua do Hospicio, a ne-
gro woman, his slave, named Maria, native
of Congo, about twenty-five 3-ears of age,
of a deeper black than usual, well-made in
person, countenance handsome, teeth white
and regular ; bearing marks on her arms,
and one by incision, on her hand ; drest in
a dark gown, with striped handkerchief , and
red glass-earrings. She has taken with her
two white gowns, shoes, socks, a lace
shawl, a petticoat of stout calico, and a
shift of the same. It is supposed that she
has been decoyed away and kept in conceal-
ment. Whoever may detain her is hereby
protested against ; and any one who may
discover and bring her to the above house,
will be suitably rewarded."
" Ran away, the 31st ult., a black, named
Pedro, native of Mozambique, wearing a
cotton shirt and trowsers, and an iron round
his neck." — &c.
"Whoever may apprehend and bring to
N. 112, Rua de San Pedro, an old black
woman, named Eva, who ran away, dre.st
in a dark striped gown, carrying with her a
case of sweetmeats, a box of linen, several
pairs of shoes (being a great thief,) and
having one of her eyes closed up, will be
well rewarded."
" Ran away, on the 12th inst., at one m
the afternoon, a moleque (young male slave,)
named Jose, drest in a striped cotton shirt
and trowsers, somewhat dirty from use in
the kitchen," — &c.
" Ran away from the Caminho das La-
rangeiras, a black, named Bento, of ordina-
ry stature, having a wound on one of his
cheek-bones : drest in a white shirt and
trowsers," — &c.
'• Escravos Fugidos. — Fugio, no dia 12
do corrente, a uma hora da tarde, um mo-
leque de nome Jose, na9ao Congo; levou
vestido camisa e cal^a de algodao riscado
de Minas, alguma cousa suja de estar na co-
zinna : roga-se aos Srs. pedestres de, no ca-
so de o apprehenderem, levalo a praia dos
Mineiros n. 41 B, em casa de Manoel Fer-
nande Machado Guimaraes, que sabera re-
compensar o sen trabalho."
" Fugio, no dia 8 do corrente, as 8 ho-
ras da manhaa, ao Dr. Jose JuUo de Freitas
Continho, morador na rua do Hospicio n.
1 06, uma preta sua escrava, de nome Maria,
de na9ao Congo, a qual tera 25 annos de
idade ; e mais preta do- que fula, tem cabel-
lo cortado a gaforina, e e bem feita de corpo ;
tem bonita physionomia, dentes claros e bem
arrumados, signaes nos bracos, e um ' de
cortadura na chave de uma das maos; le-
vou vestido de chita escura, len90 de risca-
dinha e brincos de vidro escarlate ; levou
dous restidos brancos, un de cassa de chad-
rez miudo e outro de cambreta, sapatos,
meias, um chale de renda. uma saia de mo-
MATJEITIUS.
lim grosso e uma camisa do mesmo. Sup-
poe-se que fosse secluzida e esteja occulta,
por ser mocamba recolhida e prendada.
Profesta-se contra quern a tiver, e pede-se
a quern a descobrir que a leve a referida casa,
onde sera gratiiicado.
Parallel to the Maranha or water-side, is
Rua Direita, the widest street in Kio, which
it traverses in its whole breadth ; the other
principal streets going off at right-angles
from it, through the length of the city. Of
these, the first in attraction is the Rua Ouvi-
dor, containing the most showy shops,
chiefly French, and several circulating li-
feraries, stocked with modern French litera-
ture. Toward the upper part of the har-
bour, the Rue Direita terminates in the as-
cent to a hill, on which is situated the spa-
cious Benedictine convent, still tenanted by
some monks of that order. It has fared
better with this than with many other eccle-
siastical edifices, as witnessed in the roof-
less walls of the Jesuit's College, occupying
a somewhat similar hill in the part of the
town toward the , harbor's mouth. One
may regard, in the Southern Hemisphere,
the ruins which mark the downfall of that
Order, with feelings different from those
which .such a spectacle would excite in Eu-
rope, recalling to mind the brave and un-
weared opposition made by its members to
the iniquitous slave traffic of their country-
men in Brazil. The Carmelite convent, in
the great square already mentioned, about
midway between the Jesuit's and Benedic-
tine, has met a sort of middle fate, in being
appropriated to secular uses. Within its
precincts, is the Royal Library, brought
from Portugal by King John VI., in 1808,
consisting of nearly 10,000 volumes, con-
taining many Portuguese and French theo-
logical and historical works. Among the
few English books, I found Southey's " His-
tory of Brazil," and in its pages the follow-
ing passages: "Europe has |no cause to
rejoice in the establishment of the Jesuits ;
but in Brazil and Paraguay their supersti-
tion may be forgiven them for the noble ef-
forts made in behalf of the oppressed In-
dians."— Vol. ii. 232.
" The Jesuits opposed the Indian slave-
trade with the zeal of men who knew that
they were doing their duty : never had men
a better cause, and never did men engage in
any cause with more heroic ardour." —
lb. 308.
The " Cleopatra," after a week's vstay at
Rio, sailed on the 14th of September for the
Cape of Good Hope, and arrived in sight of
it on Sunday, the 9th of October. After re-
peated endeavors, against a strong south-
easter, to weather the Cape, in order to get
round to Simon's Bay, the usual anchorage
for our ships of war, on Wednesday morn-
ing, the sea running very high, and the
wind showing no disposition to abatement
or change, it was found advisable to bear up
for Table Bay, on the west side of the Cape,
where we anchored the same afternoon
The approach to the " Cape of Storms " is
often a subject of anxiety to the navigator ;
but to the passenger, weary of a long voy-
age, no place can afford a more pleasant re-
lief than Cape Town. It has broad, hand-
some streets, shaded by trees ; well-furnish-
ed shops ; excellent roads in its vicinity ;
and a most delightful and healthy climate.
On my way overland, to meet the "Cleopa-
patra " at Simon's Bay, I spent a few days
at the village of Wynberg, near Constantia,
in a scene of complete rural quiet and beauty.
We sailed from Simon's Bay at the end
of October, and arrived about the middle of
the following month at Port Louis, Mauri-
tius. Sir WilHam Gomm, whose reputa-
tion had preceded him thither, was welcom-
ed with acclamation to his new Government ;
and we had much t@ regret in the loss of
his society, and that of Lady Gomm, to which
their fellow- voyagers in the " Cleopatra "
remain indebted for many agreable hours. I
felt a desire to trace the scenery in this isl-
and so minutely described in the elegant fic-
tion of St. Pierre. Taking the book in my
hand, and carefully marking every indica-
tion which it afforded, I bent my steps to-
ward the ," Embrasure," in the mountain-
ridge behind Port Louis — " cette ouverture
escarpee au haut de la montagne" — ^near
which the author fixes the residence of
" Paul et Virginie." After various ineffect-
ual attempts to cross the mountain in that
direction, I at length took the road to Pam-
plemousses — " le chemin qui mene du Port
Louis au quartier des Pamplemousses," —
after proceeding on which two or three miles,
a turning leads round to the back of the
mountain, where nothing appears but its
black, perpendicular side of immense height,
and a long, rough slope, which ascends to
it from the plain. I made my way, hov/-
ever, up this ascent ; and at the foot of the
precipice, completely overshadowed by it,
suddenly opened before me the " bassin,"
the spot of which I was in search. I en-
tered a labyrinth of trees and flowering
shrubs ; the fragrant yellow acacia (Arabi-
ca,) the gorjava in fruit ; and other kinds,
which I had not seen common elsewhere.
There were, indeed, no traces of human hab-
itation except remains of former inclosures,
which showed that the place had not always
been lonely and neglected. Birds, roused
by my entrance, flev/ from tree to tree,min-
8
ST. AUGUSTINE S BAY.
gling their various notes on a;l sides; the
only sounds which broke upon the deep sol-
itude. The path thence to Port Louis,
through an opening in the intervening ridge,
commands a view of the church of Pample-
meusses; of the " Trois Mamelles," and> at
the same time, of the harbor and Signal-
hill; — "le Morne de la Decouverte, avecla
mer au loin, ou apparaissait quelqy.efois un
vaisseau qui venait de I'Eiirope, ou qui y
retournait ; — exactl}'- corresponds to the view
described by St. Pierre, and, indeed, beyond
a doubt, taken by, him on this very spot.
At the beginning of December, the "Cle-
opatra'' quitted Mauritius, to proceed round
the north point of Madagascar, to her ap-
pointed cruizing ground, in the Mozambique
Channel. A ne"sv interest here attached it-
self to every sail which came in sight. The
slave-trade on the coast of Africa is at pres-
ent almost conhned to the districts of Quiii-
mane and Sofula, having ceased at the port
of Mozambiqne, through the zealous exer-
tions of its late and present Governors.
This zeal on their part has been attributed
to the increase made of late years in the le-
gal emoluments of the Government; the
smallness of which, formerl}-, admitted
temptation to add to them by patronizing the
exportation of slaves. The City of Mozam-
bique occupies an island across the middle of
the harbor, about a mile and a quarter in
length — scarcely a quarter of a mile in its
greatest breadth. At one extremity is a very
strong, handsome fort, built at the com-
mencement of the 1 6th century. The island
is low and sandy, with little vegetation ex-
cept a few sickly palms, and depends for
supplies on the adjacent coast. The present
population is about 3,000, consisting chiefly
of negro slaves, with a mixture of Malays,
Johannians, Hindoo bunneahs, or traders,
and a few Portuguese Creoles. I met in the
streets a much greater proportion of shack-
led slaves than at Eio Janeiro. The ne-
groes inhabit cane huts, along the beach,
and on the outskirts of the town : and I was
struck with the order and decorum which
prevailed among them. On remarking this
to a Portuguese, named Nobre, the owner of
the only large store in the place, he said —
"Better for them, else their backs would
smart." He candidly expressed his hatred
to the English, for their exertions to sup-
press the slave-trade.
We crossed the channel, in the beginning
of January, 1843, from the African shore,
to the Bay of St. Augustine, on the coast of
Madagascar, for the purpose of taking in
fresh provisions and \Ys,tei. A. small mer-
chant schooner, from Mauritius, lay there
at anchor on ^our arrival, surrounded b}^
about twenty canoes, full of natives, who
immediately paddled toward our ship. As
tliey approached, a multitude of voices, vy-
ing with each other, proclaimed the names
and titles of our visitors. " Me broder Prince
Wilt," meaning, I believe, " Prmce of
Wales ;" " Me John Green ;" " Me Dunga-
ree ;" '• Me Jem Bravo;" "You my very
good friend — me come aboard, speaky
the captain." They appeared to me a very
fine race of savages ; their dark brown skins
sleek and glossy ; their well-formed limbs
supple from continual exertion; all their
actions and gestures free and agile. Their
features are far from &isagreeable, with an
intelhgent, vivacious expression; their jet-
black hair plaited with great care and clean-
liness, and by no means untastefully. The
canoes, which held about four each, were
twenty feet in length, very narrow, and
sharp at both ends. Though frail in ap-
pearance, being formed of the soft " cabbage-
wood," they are, in reality, safe — two long
transverse poles suspending a solid piece
of the same light wood, which, floating on
the water, balances the canoe, and precludes
the possibility of its upsetting. Most of
our visitors were nearly naked, except a few
whom the pride of di.stinction had led to
disguise their persons in an old naval coat
or cap, sometimes with the addition of a
cast-off epaulette, and a profusion of brass
nails or buttons. On being admitted on board
the ship, their volubility increased, having
at command agreat number of English words,
many of which they pronounce with great
clearness, unfettered, it may be supposed,
by any grammatical connection. One, who
announced himself as " Captain Long," ad-
dressed me in the most earnest tone of sup-
plication :
" Look here — you very good friend to me :
I love you very well ; all de same one fader ;
you speaky the captain."
" What shall T say for you to the cap-
tain .?"
" You speaky for me ; he give me one
cape." (cap.)
This petitioner had two brothers, bear-
ing the same family name, but distinguished
as "Young Long," and "Jem Long."
These, though not above begging, deemed
it beneath their dignity to bring shells for
sale.
"No — no get shell; me big man; sing
out, 'Fellow, go get shell !' me have bul-
lock — speaky the king. Prince Will."
Several brought their assagais, or long
spears, which they were hot unwilling to
barter for beads, buttons, or "clouty" (cot-
ton cloth.)
In the afternoon, I landed at a vil
ST. AUGtTSTINE S BAY.
9
within the mouth of the river which empties
itself into St. Augustine's Bay. The huts,
about fifty in number, are neatly constructed
of clay aad reed, but so I0W3 that it would
require one to stoop double in order to enter
the door. Here we found " Prince Will,"
a dwarfish, most wretched object, in extreme
old age, one eye completely overspread by
a hideous kind of fungus. He v/as engaged
at a sort of "palaver," on the occasion of
receiving some embassage fiom his brother
potentate, " King Voose," whose Govern-
ment includes the territory on the other side
of the river. , Their titles are apparently
hereditary, and their authority, I believe,
subordinate to that of " King Baba," who
resides at some distance in the interior.
" Prince Will" v/as seated on the ground,
under the shade of some fine trees, amid a
circle of above a hundred warlike- looking
men, also seated on their haunches, some
having muskets, and all holding long spears
erect in their hands. He seemed entirely
engrossed in smoking his pipe, and incapa-
ble of taking any interest in the business
going forward, which was conducted on iiis
part by three or four who sat near him.
All preserved great gravity of demeanor, and
took not the slightest notice of our presence.
Many women and children, who had at-
tended us from our landing, kept back at a
"respectful distance while -we approached the
circle, but again thronged us alter we Avith-
drew from it, on our return -to the boat.
some of them were even pressing to enter it,
and accompany us on board. One asked :
" King ship take queeny ? Queeny come
aboard ■" The title " Queeny" is given to
their women, generally. On being told that
their wish could not be complied vv^ith, they
signified their discontent very strongly. The
shameless hcentiousness of the women, en-
couraged and promoted by their men, appears
almost universal.
On the morning after our arrival, " Prince
Will" — notice having been duly sent of his
intention, paid us a visit on board, bringing
with him a large train of attendants. Cap-
tain Wyvill having, Vv^th his usual good-
nature, put in requisition all the chairs
which could be got, his cabin was soon
completely filled, and we were not then left
long in suspense as to the purport of the
visit. A young man stood forward and
delivered, with much gesticulation, a some-
what disjointed harangue, the object of
which, however, was sufiiciently obvious.
" Prince Will very good friend to you, you
very good friend Prince Will ; you com.e
here catch water, catch bullock — very
good. -Prince Will, him no got powder, no
got clouty — Prince Will, him drink brandy."
Our declis were crovv'ded, on this and fol-
lowing days, with natives, bringing shells
for sale — harps, cowries, volutes, and. others,
in great variety ; also a few water-melons
and pum.pldns. One "Captain Harribee,"
from Pullear Bay, about ten miles distant,
objected to barter: "No sell, give;" he
asked for a bottle and some "clouty" and
afterward sent us a present of a- fowl and
a basket of eggs. Another man, who had
received a Spanish dollar for two assagais,
was asked v\^hat use he would make of the
money ? " Get ten dollar, buy slave. Got
one, two, three slave— bring v>fater, bring
wood." Most of our visitors wear, around
the neck, attached to a string of beads, among
shells and other ornaments, a small piece of
leather, which they call " Mahommed," and
believe has a charm to protect from death.
" Where," I asked one of them, "' do we
go when we die?" " You die, takee shore
— Tent-Rock, oder place — put in ground."
" And never get up again .?" " No, no get
up." "But you must die too." "No, I
no die',
question,
swered, '
pray ?"
schooner
cargo of orseille
Jem Long, to w^hom J put the
" Do you ever pray to God .'" an-
Malgash no see God ; what for
The captain of the Mauritius
a Frenchman, taking in here a
a species of lichen, which
roduces a fine dye, tells me that the natives
In this part of the island belong to the tribe
called " Secalaves." He mentions also the
" Baignem.asaques," " Antolotes," and other
Frenchified names. The main distinction,
however, is between these tribes, who in-
habit most of the w^est coast, and the Oo-
valis, occupying the north part of the island,
and the whole of its east coast, who own
the sovereignty of the Queen of Madagas-
car, and are much more advanced toward
civilization.
From St. Augustine's Bay, the " Cleopa-
tra " proceeded to Algoa Bay, in the Cape
of Good Hope colony, the south limit of our
cruising station. This port alone has easy
communication with the productive districts
in the interior of the colony. Its principal
exports during the year 1 842 were : —
Wool . . . : value £43,560
Ox and horse hides . . 19,494
Goatskins .... 9,503
Butter 2,907
Tallow 2,899
Horns 1,066
Aloea 5,644
Ivory 1,964
The town, Port Elizabeth, contains upward
of 3000 British inhabitants, and increases
rapidly in population and importance. We
found here nine English merchant- vessels
at anchor. I made a visit to Uitenhage, about
twenty miles distant, chief town of the di-
10
QUILIMANE.
vision of the same name, to which Port
Elizabeth belongs. It is pleasantly situa-
ted in a fertile valley, sheltered by a low
range of hills, and watered by the Zerartkop
river. Every house lias its inclosures of
peach, apple, or pear trees ; giving the whole
an appearance of one large garden. The
population is about 2000, half of the num-
ber colored, the remainder chiefly Dutch,
the English not amounting to one hundred.
The time of the criminal sessions was ap-
proaching, and the municipal authorities of
Uitenhage vrere making preparation for the
visit of the judges in circuit. Mr. Brunett,
clerk of the peace, informed me, that since
the abolition of slavery the average quar-
terly number of criminal cases for trial in
this division, containing 9000 square miles,
and 1 1 ,000 inhabitants, had diminished from
25 to 4. It is only to be regretted that the
measure of slave-emancipation was not car-
ried into effect in this colony with more con-
sideration for its peculiar eircumstances.
The compensation av/arded to the slave-
owners here, through misunderstanding on
the part of the Boers, or their inabihty to
wait till the time appointed for its payment,
fell, in a great measure, into the hands of
brokers at Cape Town, who purchased their
claims at a very low rate. The dissatisfac-
tion and distrust occasioned by this mea-
sure have been the cause of the rebellious
■disturbances which have arisen in the colo-
ny during the last five years, and which are
now at a higher pitch than ever. Mr. Bru-
, nett expressed to me the anxious desire of
the English inhabitants to obtain a resident
clergyman at Titenhage ; and showed me a
good house and garden provided by them for
a lay catechist, or schoolmaster, who had
just left them, which they would gladly
settle on a clergyman of the Church of En-
gland, who should come among them, as
well as contribute, in a reasonable degree,
to his support. I remember that Mr. Dick-
enson, clerk of the peace at Stellenbosch,
twenty-five miles from Cape Town, held
nearly similar language. That gentleman
regretted to me that, instead of a school-
master sent by Government, at a salary of
2301. per annum, who exercised the Hot-
tentots in questions concerning " oxygen,
hydrogen, latent caloric," &c., a clergyman
had not been sent to administer the ordi-
nances of the Church, as well as give due
attention to the education of the poor. It
is the painful truth that, in this vast colony,
though thirty-seven years have elapsed
since it passed into the hands of the En-
glish, the Church of England is still unre-
presented.
The " Cleopatra," on her return to the
north, cruised along the African coast, and
anchored ten miles off" the bar of Quilimane,
early in February. Shortly after, I accom-
panied a party, in one of our boats, to the
town, situated about eight miles up the ri-
ver, on its left bank. The water on the
bar, at the time of our crossing it, was quite
smooth ; but even a moderate breeze will
curl the sea, to a great extent around, into
formidable breaking waves. The sides of
the river on each hand are a thicket of man-
groves. Several recesses in these, shelter-
ed large flat-bottomed boats, which are used
to carry negroes to the slave-vessels out-
side the bar. Pelicans, curlews, and other
water-birds, flew around us. At two pla-
ces, several hippopotami raised their heads
above the surface, resembling, with their
curved tusks, the twisted stumps of large
trees. On a ball being fired at them, snort-
ing up the water from their nostrils, they
plunged beneath it. I longed to see one of
the monsters in its full proportions, when,
looking on a spall island, " Pequena Ban-
ca," just in the mdd river, about 150 yards
distant, appeared one standing on dry ground.
The animal perceived us as soon, and ran
to and fro with a speed hardly to be ex-
pected from its unwieldy bulk; sometimes
stopping to take a look at us, as if doubting
which way to go, and, entering the water,
gradually disappeared, not before I had sent
a bullet at him, which, however, had no
chance of penetrating its thick, tough hide.
In size it approached the elephant ; but the
shortness of its legs gave it rather the figure
of the pig. We were most hospitably re-
ceived at Quilim.ane, by Senhor Azevedo, a
rich Portuguese gentleman, who carries on
a considerable commerce in ivory and gold-
dust. The exportation of slaves he pro-
fessed to hold in abomination, and is at va-
riance on that point with the present Gov-
ernor of the district of Quilimane, whom
he represents as conniving at it. Azevedo
assured us he had certain intelhgence that,
during this and the following month, four
to six slave-vessels may be confidently ex-
pected at this port. The European inhab-
itants of Quilimane do not exceed ninety
souls. The principal houses are well-built,
v/ith extensive walled premises.- Rice-
grounds occupy a swamp in the midst of
the population, in which are the numerous
mud huts of the negro slaves. I thought
the rice of sweeter flavor than even the
Egyptian. No more, however, is grown
than is sulncient for the consumption of the
inhabitants. The prevalence of the slave-
trade here has had its usual effect in damp-
ing all other spirit of enterprise. The hand-
somest feature of the place is a large grove
THE CHASE.
11
of lofty cocoa-mit palms, which afford a
delicious shade. The mangoes are good,
though inferior to those of Mauritius ; the
plaintains dry and flavorless.
About the middle of February, the " Cle-
opatra" proceeded from Quilimane to recruit
her stock of water at St. Augustine's Bay.
Our return thither was hailed, shortly after
our arrival, by "Jem Bravo," "Young
Long," and others of our former acquaint-
ance. Disgust, however, at their endeavors
to impose on us, by asking ten dollars each
for bullocks small and lean, the fair price
for which would have been three or four
dollars per head, hastened our departure,, as
soon as the business of watering v/as com-
pleted. On March 2d, having gone away
in a boat to a neighboring reef, on a shelling
excursion, while returning to the ship after
dark, I perceived in the west horizon a re-
markable column of Hght, resembling a ra-
diation. Two or three days subsequently,
the whole being visible above the horizon,
it became evident that it was a distinct ce-
lestial body; a comet, with a tail, on a
rough m-easurement, of about forty degrees
in length, travelling in a northerly and
westerly direction.
On March 4th, we left St. Augustine's
Bay for Port Natal, desirous to learn how
affairs went on there, previous to our return
to Quilimane ; and anchored off Natal Bar
on Sunday, March 12th. On the following
morning, I crossed the bar in one of our cut-
ters, vsrhich, the evening before, had been
nearly swamped on it, and lost two of her
oars. Lieut. Nourse, in command of the
"Fawn" schooner, at anchor inside the
harbor, told me that, from an account kept
by him during a year, it resulted that there
are, on an average, twelve days only in
each month on which the bar is passable.
There are about 200 soldiers here at present,
under command of Major Smith — part at
the " Point," just within the harbor's mouth,
where a small fort is erected, and part at the
Camp, two miles distant, on the site where
the same officer, with a force of 100 men,
withstood a siege of the Boers. The ex-
isting relation between the British troops
and the insurgents is that of a suspension of
hostilities, without any acknov/ledgment yet
made by the Boers of the sovereignty of
England.
The " Cleopatra" re-anchored off the bar
of Quilimane on the 23d March, and, the
same day, sent the barge up the river to the
town.
March 26th. The barge, which v/as dis-
patched to Quilimane, returned this morn-
ing, with the news that H. M. brig " Lily" ,
had, during our absence, driven a slave-
vessel ashore, and carried off tv/o others,
barks, prizes to the Cape ; bringing, also, a
letter from the Governor of "Quilimane
and PJos de Senna," in a far from congratu-
latory tone on the subject. His version of
the affair stated that, on the 4th of this
month, the Portuguese brig of war, " Gentil
Libertabor," crossing the bar of the river at
daybreak, perceived a vessel approaching
the shore, which the " Lily," then'' anchored
outside, perceiving at the same moment, im--
mediately weighed anchor. The vessel in
question, judging it impossible to escape,
continued her course to the shore, where
she grounded at hali^past seven, about six
miles from the port. A quarter of an hour
I alter, the Portuguese brig took possession
of the stranded vessel, and hoisted on board
j of her the Portugaese_fiag. The Governor
I complains of the " Lily's" boats having
afterward forcibly boarded the prize, and
destroyed various parts of the vessel. We
have grounds for more than suspicion that,
had not an English cruiser been on the
coast, the " Gentil Libertabor" would not
have interfered with the proceedings of the
slave vessel. The Governor's dispatch pro-
ceeds to state, that, on the 20th of this
month, the crews of the two Brazilian barks,
" Desengano," and " Coniidencia," captured
by H. M. brig " Lily," presented themselves
before him, part having been put ashore,
and part on board the boat of the pilot be-
longing to this port, at that time on service
at the bar; and expatiates on the peril of
their being thus let loose on a country far
from all inhabitants, except those of the
tewn, exposed to the risk of being devoured
by wild beasts.
Friday, March 31 . A sail was observed
this morning, apparently a brigantine, steal-
ing along shore to the south of the Quili-
mane river. At noon, the weather being
calm, I took a seat in the barge, which,
with the pinnace, were ordered away, man-
ned and armed, to overhaul the vessel, or,
faihng in that, to proceed up the river to
Quilimane. Soon after leaving the ship, a
light breeze sprung up and the boats made
sail. After steering a good while in the di-
rection in which the vessel had been seen
from the ship, we unexpectedly caught sight
of her two or three points farther to xvind-
ward than we had supposed her to be, and,
to our surprise, standmg toward the frigate,
which lay at anchor. About the same time
v/e perceived a boat pulling furiously in/that
direction, v/hich proved to belong to the
Portuguese brig of war, anchored inside the
bar.
It seemed doubtful which of us would win
the race ; and we anxiously watched for
12
THE CHASE.
some movement on the part of the " Cleo-
patra," who had now the breeze as well as
ourselves. At length we saw her, at the
same moment cross her royal yards, and
make sail. On this, the brigantine, taking
alarm, hauled her wind. The race, mean-
while, continued between onr boats and the
Portuguese, until one of their rowers, prob-
ably from a coup-de-soleil, was obliged to
quit his oar, which made them drop astern.
The night approaching, compelled our boats
also to abandon the chase, and, having
stood on the same course half an -hour after
it became dark, we turned our heads back
in the direction of the Quilimane river. On
our return, falling in with the " Cleopatra,"
who continued the pursuit, the officer in
charge of the boats wished to communicate
with her, and supposed that she had hove
to, in order to enable him to do so. Incau-
tiously approaching her head, when close
to her bows, we found that she had been
just in stays, and, not perceiving our boat
in the darkness, had gathered way, and was
coming right down on us. In vain we hail-
ed : " Put your helm hard a-port." No
answer was returned. There was no pos-
sibility of getting out of her way. " She
is right into us." A few hands were near
the bowsprit, to whom we cried : " Throw
us plenty of ropes." I had hastily doffed
my great coat in readiness for a swim ; and
after an instant's hesitation, whether it
would be better to jump overboard, or await
the shock, and the chance of catching a
rope, found my hand close to the dolphin-
striker, which I seized, and the next instant,
clambering up, 1 scarce knew how. clasped
the image of Cleopatra, the figure-head of
the frigate. Our boat had providentially
heen perceived just in time to throw all the
sails of the frigate a-back, before the col-
lision, which, otherwise, would have been
inevitable destruction to most of us. Of
those who remained in the boat, only one
was disabled, no other injury being done to
the barge than smashing her mainmast; I
rejoined my comrades in her, and we pro-
ceeded toward the mouth of the river. Un-
able, however, from_ the darkness of the
night, to make sure of the entrance, we an-
chored outside of the surf, and, the next
morning, received a kind welcome from our
hospitable friend Azevedo, at Quilimane.
As we sat, after dinner, enjoying the cool
of the evening, under a porch, he said to
me, '« Monsieur Hill, voulez-vous voir un
Prince noir?" On my assenting, he dis-
patched a request for the presence of the
royal personage, who soon made his ap-
pearance, v/ith'a dozen attendants, from
an adjacent house allotted to their use.
This was a chief of the Macoa tribe, from
about two hundred miles in the interior,
who had brought some gold dust and
ivory for Azevedo. He and his train had
very little clothing among them : their arms
and legs ornamented with rings of hippo-
potamus hide. Having been put in spirits,
by a distribution of brandy, they performed
a dance as void of grace and agility as all
other negro dances that I have seen ; accom-
panying the exhibition by clapping their
hands and a most discordant vocal chorus,
the same, Azevedo told me, which they use
when they go to hunt the hippopotamus,
and well calculated to astound the animal,
if that be their object. In return for this
entertainment, two or three musical boxes
were set a-playing, with M^hich the " Black
Prince" was so much pleased, that he offer-
ed to give four of his attendants for one of
them.
On the following day, we descended the
river, and found the " Cleopatra" again an-
chored off its mo uth^, having failed in pur-
suit of the brigantine. The same afternoon
we weighed anchor for the island of " Fo-
go," about 100 miles to the north, where
slave vessels frequently seek shelter ; leav-
ing the barge and a cutter to guard the en-
trance to the Quilimane river. Finding
nothing at Fogo, the pinnace was sent to
look into the small rivers along the shore
to Mozambique, 100 miles further to the
north, where she rejoined us after a fruit-
less search ; and on Monday, April 1 0th,
we began to retrace our course to the south.
Wednesday, April 12tk. — At day-break
this morning, being again off Fogo, on re-
turn to Quilimane, the look-out at the top-
mast head perceived a vessel on the lee-
quarter, at such a distance as to be scarcely
visible ; but, her locality being pronounced
very suspicious, the order was given to
" bear up for her." Our breeze was light,
and, falhng still lighter, at 9 a. m. the boats
were ordered out, and, in a few minutes,
the barge and the first gig, manned and
armed, were pulling away in the direction
of the stranger. So variable, however, is
the weather, at this season, that, before the
boats had rowed a mile from the ship, a
squall had gathered on our beam, and a
thick haze surrounded us, hiding the chase
from sight; rain fell in torrents, and we
were going seven knots through the water,
not waiting to hoist in the barge. The fog
clearing away, the sun broke foith, and the
rakish-looking brigantine, as we now per-
ceived her to be, appeared to have carried
on all sail during the squall. A steady
breeze succeeded, and we began tO' feel
pretty confident as to the issue of the race.
On mounting a few steps up the rigging,
we could see, under her sails, the low,
black hull, pitching up and down ; and be-
ing now within range of our shot, one of
the forecastle guns was cleared away for a
bow-chaser. The British ensign had been
for sometime flying at our peak, — at length
answered by the green and yellow Brazil-
ian flag. Orders were given to "man the
foremost quarters on the main-deck," and
the due elevation given to the guns, when,
suddenly, the brigantine dropped her peak,
shortened sail, and rounded to, as to wait
for our coming up. Her pursuer, in conse-
quence, also shortened sail, immediately on
which she again made sail and was off, in a
different direction across our bows No
time was lost in bracing our yards in pur-
suit, and sending back the hands to their
quarters at their guns.
As soon as it was brought to bear, the
foremost gun was fired ; and, after an eager
watch of a few seconds, the ball ploughed
the waters just across the bows of the chase.
Another and another followed in quick suc-
cession, equally unregarded by the brigan-
tine ; and fifteen to twenty shot were fired,
some ahead, some astern, some over, till, as
we were evidently gaining on her every
minute, and the chance of escape became
■desperate, she at length shortened sail, and
lay-to in good earnest. We now ranged up
alongside, and eager eyes were turned on
every part of the vessel. Dark, naked forms
passing across her deck removed the least
remaining doubt as to her character, and
showed us that she had her human cargo
aboard. A cutter being hoisted out, an offi-
cer was sent to take possession, and the
British ensign displaced the Brazilian. Capt.
Wyvill, whom I accompanied, then follow-
ed, taking v/ith him the surgeon, to inspect
the state of health on board the prize. It
was a strange scene which presented itself
to us when we mounted her side. The deck
was crowded to the utmost with naked ne-
groes, to the number, as stated in her papers,
of 450, in almost riotous confusion, having
revolted, before our arrival, against their late
masters ; who, on their part, also showed
strong excitement, from feelings, it may be
supposed, of no pleasant nature. The ne-
groes, a meagre, famished-looking throng,
having broken through all control, had
seized everything to which they had a
fancy in the vessel ; some with hands full
of " farinha," the powdered root of the man-
droe or cassava ; others with large pieces of
pork and beek, having broken open the
casks ; and some had taken fowls from the
coops, which they devoured raw. Many
were busily dipping rags, fastened to bits of
'SIErAVE VESSEL, < Jg
string, into the water-casks ; and, unhappi-
ly, there were some who, by a like method,
got at the contents of a cask of "aguardiente,**
fiery Braziliaji rum, of which they drank to
excess. The addition of our boats' crews
to this crowd left hardly room to move on
the deck. The shrill hubbub of noises,
which I cannot attempt to describe, expres-
sive, however, of the wildest joy, thrilled on.
the ear, mingled with the clank of the iron.,
as they were knocking off their fetters on
every side. It seemed that, from the mo-
ment the first ball was fired, they had beeit
actively employed in thus freeing themselves,
in which our men were not slow in lending
their assistance. I counted but thirty shack-
led together in pairs ; but many more pairs of
shackles were found below. We were not
left an instant in doubt as to the light in
which they viewed us. They crawled in
crowds, and rubbed caressingly our feet and
clothes with their hands, even rolling them-
selves, as far as room allowed, on the deck
before us. And when they saw the crew
of the vessel rathe r unceremoniously sent
over the side into the boat which was to take
them prisoners to the frigate, they set up a
long, universal shout of triumph and de-
light.
Account was now taken of the number of
the negroes, amounting to 447. Of these
189 were men, few, however, if any, ex-
ceeding 20 years of age; 45 women; 213
boys. The number of sick among them was
reckoned at 25*. Captain Wyvill proposed
to take 1 00 on board the " Cleopatra." This
humane and judicious intention was, how-
ever, unfortunately prevented from taking
effect, owing to an erroneous impression that
some of them were infected with the small-
pox. Our prize proves to be the same ves-
sel which we chased on the 31st ult., off
Quiiimane ; her name, the " Progresso," last
from Paranagua, in Brazil, and bound, as
her crew state, to Rio Janeiro. They are
seventeen in. number, and, with a few ex-
ceptions, active-looking, able-bodied men :
three Spaniards ; the rest Portuguese, or
Brazilians. They quitted the coast only last
evening, and have thus been captured by us
within a few hours after the embarkation of
their cargo. The vessel is of about 140
tons ; the length of the slave-deck, 27 feet;
its mean breadth, 21 1-2 feet; its height
3 i-2 feet. The captain, if we credit the
statement of the crew, was, with another
man, drowned in the surf, where they em-
barked the negroes ; and the absence of the
long-boat gives some probability to the story.
A Spaniard, of Barcelona, by name Antonio
* This calculation was afterward found to be
much too low.
14
SLAVE VESSEL.
VaJlel, replied to my inquiries, " No hay
qiiien manda ; tan capines somos uno como
otro." " There is no one who commands ;
-we are captains as much one as another."
This man, with another Spaniard, of GaUcia,
Sebastian Vicete, and a Portuguese, named
Manoel, employed to cook for the negroes,
were sent back into the prize. An interpre-
ter being much wanted to communicate with
them concerning the care and management
of the negroes, I ofiered my services during
the voyage, to which Captain Wyvill hav-
ing assented, at 7 o'cock in the evening I
found myself, with ]ny servant and carpet
bag, on board the " Progresso," under sail
ior the Cape of Good Hope. The English
previously sent on board were, the lieuten-
ant in charge, a master's assistant, a quar-
termaster, a boatswain's mate, and nine sea-
men.
During the first v/atch, our breeze was
light and variable, the water smooth, the
recently liberated negroes sleeping, or lying
in quietness about the deck. Their slender
supple limbs entwine in a surprisingly small
compass ; and they resembled, in the moon-
light, confused piles of arms and legs, rather
than distinct human forms. They were,
however, apparently at ease, and all seemed
going on as fah'ly as couJd be desired. But
the scene was soon to undergo a great and
terrible change. About one hour after mid-
night, the sky began to gather clouds, and
a haze overspread" the horizon to windward.
A squall approached, of which I and others,
who had lain down on the deck, received
warning by a few heavy drops of rain.
Then ensued a scene the horrors of which
it is impossible to depict. The hands having
to shorten sail suddenly, uncertain as to the
force of the squall, found the poor helpless
creatures lying about the deck an obstruction
to getting at the ropes and doing what was
required. This caused the order to send
them all below, which was immediately
obeyed. The night, however, being in-
tensely hot and close, 400 wretched beings
thus crammed into a hold 12 yards in length,
7th in breadth, and only 3 1-3 feet in height,
speedily began to make an effort to reissue
to the open air.
Being thrust back, and striving the more
to get out, the after-hatch was forced down
on them. Over the other hatchway, in the
fore-part of the vessel, a wooden grating
was fastened. To this, the sole inlet for
the air, the suffocating heat of the hold, and,
perhaps, panic from the strangeness of their
situation, made them press ; -and thus great
part of the space below was rendered use-
less. They crowd to the grating, and.
clinging to it for' air, completely barred its
entrance. They strove to force their way
through apertures, in length fourteen inches,
and barely six inches in breadth, and, in some
instances, succeeded. The cries, the heat, —
I may say, without exaggeration, " the
smoke of their torment," — which ascended,
can be compared to nothing earthly. Oiie
of the Spaniards gave warning that the
consequence would be "many deaths." —
" Mariana habr-a muchos muertoy."
Thursday, April lSth{Hohj Thursday.)
— The Spaniard's prediction of last night,
this morning was fearfully verified. Fifty-
four crushed and mangled corpses lifted up
from the slave-deck have been brought to
the gang-way and thrown overboard. Some
were emaciated from disease ; many, bruis-
ed and bloody. Antonio tells me that some
were found strangled, their hands still grasp-
ing each other's throats, and tongues pro-
truding from their mouths. The bowels of
one were crushed out. They had been
trampled to death for the most part, the
weaker under the feet of the stronger, in the
madness and torment of suffocation from
crowd and heat. It was a horrid sight, as
they passed one by one — the stiff distorted
limbs sm.eared with blood and filth — to be
cast into the sea. Some, still quivering,
were laid on the deck to die; salt water
thrown on them to revive them, and a little
fresh water poured into their mouths. Anto-
nio reminded me of his last night's warning,
" Ya se lo dixe anoche." He actively em-
ployed himself, with his comrade Sebastian,
in attendance on the wretched living beings
now released from their confinement below ;
distributing to them their morning meal of
"farinha," and their allowance of water,
rather more than half a pint to each, which
they grasped with inconceivable eagerness,
some bending their knees to the deck, to
avoid the risk of losing any of the liquid by
unsteady footing, their throats, doubtless,
parched to the utmost with crying and yel-
ling through the night.
A heavy shower having freshened the
air, in the evening most of the negroes went
below of their own accord, the hatchways
being left open to allow them air. But a
short time, however, had elapsed when they
began tumuituously to re-ascend, while per-
sons above, afraid of their crowding the deck
too much, repelled them, and they were
trampled back, screaming and writhing, in
a confused mass. The hatch was about to
be forced down on them, and, had not the
lieutenant in charge left positive orders to
the contrary, the catastrophe of last night
would have been re-enacted. Antonio,
whom I called at this juncture, turned away
with a gesture of horror, saying, " No soy
SLAVE VESSEL.
15
capaz de matarlos como anoche." On ex-
plaining to him, however, that it was desir-
ed he would dispose in proper places those
who came on deck, he set himself to the
task with great alacrity. As they climbed
nimbly up, he made me feel their skins,
which had been wetted by the rain : " Es-
tan frescos," — " they are cool." " No tie-
nen caior, tienen miedo." It was not heat,
but fear, which now made them rash to es-
cape from the hold ; and he showed me,
with much satisfaction, how soon and quiet-
ly thay were arranged out of the way of
the ropes, covered with long rugs provided
for the purpose. " Manana no ha de morir
ninguno : — acaso algunos de los que estan
ahora enfermos." " To-morrow there will
not be one- dead — perhaps some oftho.se who
are now sick."
April 14th (Good Friday.) — But one dead
this morning. There are three in a dying
state of the number trampled on the first
night ; one, a robust lad, so dreadfully bruis-
ed and swollen as to be unable to move a
limb, nor can we open his eyelids. An or-
ange squeezed into his month, from time to
time, seemed to refresh him. 1 observed
two women creep out of the boiler in which
beans are cooked for the negroes. On the
first night, the females appear to have gone
quietly, at an early hour, to a berth parti-
tioned off for them between the rest of the
hold and our cabin : it being the custom of
slave-traders to keep the sexes strictly sepa-
rate. At two, this afternoon, a large ship
was reported to leeward ; soon ascertained
to be the " Cleopatra," standing out from
Quiiimane, where she had touched on her
way to the Cape.
April 15th {Easter Even.) —The world
can present no more shocking spectacle of
human wretchedness than is contained in
this vessel. It seems that a scene so har-
rowing can hardly be witnessed without an
injurious effect on the beholder ; its tenden-
cy being, first to overwhelm, afterward, by
familiarizing, in some degree to deaden, the
feelings. Perhaps it but reveals that apa-
thy to the sufferings of others which the
heart would be unwilling to acknov/ledge
of itself. Antonio came to report to me that
not one had died during the last night ; ad-
ding, " Bien arreglados, no mueren."
April 16th, (Easter Day.)— The " Cleo-
patra" being Vvathin two miles of us, at day-
break, wishing to communicate, we bore up
close to her, and, at 10 a. m., I accompanied
the lieutenant on board. In a quarter of an
hour we returned, bringing an old Portu-
guese, named Valerian, to assist in repairing
our sails, which were old and weak ; and
a more important, as well as agreeafele ad-
dition to our company, in the assistant-sur-
geon of the frigate, who proceeded to an ex-
amination of the sick. The majority of
cases were those of dysentery and ulcerated
wounds. One man has deep sloughing ul-
cers, from a flogging. " He cannot be worth
much," remarked a Spaniard, "since he
came into our hands not only ironed, but
flogged." A poor child, six or seven years
of age, has lost nearly the whole of his great
toe, from the insect " niguas," or " jiggers."
Another has a severe wound in the leg,
caused by a bite from one of his compan-
ions. Various impediments have prevented
us from assembling to-day for Divine ser-
vice. Our situation, indeed, appears as un-
favorable as can well be imagined to the re-
pose of the sabbath ; and I am still more
puzzled than formerly at a remark in the
'^' Life of the Ptev. John Newton," to the ef-
fect, that he had never enjoyed sweeter sea-
sons of communion with his Maker than
during his voyages to the coast of Africa for
slaves.*
Mmday, April 17th. — Almost a «alm.
The " Cleopatra" sent boats this morning,
and took on board fifty of the boys. The
disease among them, which had the appear-
ance of sm.all-pox, proves to be a virulent
kind of itch.
Tuesday, April 18th. — The \^and con-
tinuing very light, we received a second
visit from the " Cleopatra's" boats, and sent
further provision for the boys above men-
tioned, viz., two sacks of rice, one of millet-
seed, and a quantity of Monte Video dried
beef; of which last article alone the "Pro-
gressQ." carries store enough to support all
the negroes for two months. There are,
besides, six hundred sacks, containing about
* Cape Town, June 24th.— The passage, in
Mr. Cecil's "Life of Newton," is as follows : —
" 1 never knew sweeter or more frequent hours
of Diviae communication than on my two last
voyages to Guinea, when I was either almost
secluded from society on ship-board, or when on
shore among the natives. I have wandered
through the woods, reflecting on the goodness
of the Lord to me. Many a time, upon these
occasions, I have restored the beautiful lines of
Propertiusto the right owner ; lines full o[blas-
phemy and madness when addressed to a crea-
ture, but full of comfort and propriety in the
mouth of a believer : —
"/Sic ego desertis possim bene vivere sylvis,
Quo nuUo humano sit via trita pede ;
Tumihi curarum requies ; in nocte velatra
Lumen, et in solis lu mihi turba locis.' "
The terms of censure applied to the above
lines are surely severe. The sentiments they
contain appears as innocent aslceautilul : —
" Thus in the sylvan deserts would I dwell,
Where never human foot h'^ith (rod ; with thee,
A solace to my ears: in darkness fell,
Alight; in solitude, society."
16 SLAVE VESSEL.
twenty-eight pounds each, of small beans ;
a great many of an inferior rice, and of
♦* farinha." Below the slave-deck are stowed
twenty-two huge water-casks, averaging
:five or six hogsheads each. The length of
one measured'was six feet six inches. The
cabin-stores are profuse ; lockers filled with
ale and porter ; barrels of wine ; hquors of
various sorts ; macaroni, verrniceUi, tapioca
of the finest kind ; cases of English pickles,
each containing twelve jars ; boxes of cigars ;
muscatel raisins, tamarinds, almonds, wal-
nuts, &c., &c. The coops on deck are
crammed with fowls and ducks, and there
are eleven pigs. A breeze springing up in
the afternoon, and gradually freshening, the
*' Cleopatra" shot ahead of us, passing so
near that we could exchange farewell signs
with our friends on board, who seemed now
to be parting company in good earnest.
Wednesday, April 19th. — Antonio gave
me to-day an account of his escape off
Quilimane, and subsequent capture, on our
second chase. The slavers supposed the
*' Cleopatra," lying at anchor, to be an Ame-
rican whaler. When undeceived on this
point, and pursued by the frigate to the
south, taking advantage of the darkness of
the night, they hauled round, and, running
back in an opposite direction, anchored be-
tween Quilimane and Fogo. Here they
commenced the em^barkation of their cargo,
which occupied ten days. " And had we
not been detained," he added, " a day or
two, waiting for provisions, we should have
escaped you altogether. On the same night
that we left the coast, we saw the lights of
a shi'p, and tried to get out of her way, but
there was little v\diid, and, at day-break, I
mounted to the topmast-head, and — descu-
brimas la fragata.'' The negroes forming
their cargo, are affiiTQed by the Spaniards to
have been in a very sickly state — "mala
esclavitud" — when embarked; having wait-
ed on the coast tv/o or three months in ex-
pectation of a vessel. Some oi them had
come from far in the interior, and w^ere re-
ceived in wretched condition, and fifty were
rejected as unfit to take. The vessel, they
say, is capable of carrying five hundred,
" bien arreglados y acomodados." Though
little confidence may be due to the reports of
slave-traders, I questioned them v/hether
Ihey considered the traffic likely to be abol-
ished. Antonio, lifting his fore-finger to
his eye, silently shook his head. Sebastian
gave me his opinion that in Brazil, where
many secluded creeks afforded facility for
contraband adventure, there would be great
difficulty in suppressing the trade, though
the authority of the Government, if hearty
in the cause, migh't do much. At Havana,
he remarked, where for many years he had
been engaged in it, and, at former periods,
had seen twenty " negreros" lying in har-
bor at a time, and two or three go in or out
during a day; now, owing to the zealous
efforts of the Governor, not one was seen to
enter. At Quihmane, by his account, eight
or nine vessels take in their cargo yearly,
averaging, at the lowest, five hundred in
each. "But, now," he added, "none es-
cape :" " es una cai'rera de hombres per-
djdos :" " it is a semce of desperate men."
Two vessels, as before mentioned, having
been taken, and another diiven ashore by
the "Lily;" the " Progresso" makes the
fourth capture this year. One, however,
they say, escaped a few weeks since from
that coast ; and it may be doubted whether
its profits will not compensate for !he loss
of the other four. On the east coast of
Africa negroes are usually paid for in mo-
ney, sometimes in " fazendas," coarse cot-
tons, at a cost of about eighteen dollars for
men, twelve for boys. At Rio Janeiro,
their value may be estimated at 500 milreisj
or £52 for men; 400 milreis, or £41 105,
for women ; 300 milreis. or £31 for boys.
Thus, on a cargo of five hundred, at the
mean price, the profit will exceed £19,000.
Cost price of 500, at fifteen dollars, or
£3 5s. each, . . - - £1,625
Selling price at Rio of 50G, at £41 10s.
each, --.-.- 20,750
" Es un comercio terribile," remarked An-
tonio. The epithet thus applied by him to
the commerce, taken literally, though strictly
appropriate, would be far from expressing
his meaning, viz., that it is extremely lucra-
tive. The pay of the crew in the '^ Pro-
gresso," as shewn by her papers, was at the
rate of twenty-five milreis, about £2 12s.
per month ; to which the Spaniards say, a
present of five hundred milreis to each per-
son would have been added on the issue of
a successful voyage. They are both suffer-
ing under t'he coast-fever, against which,
however, they bear up stoutly. Manoel,
the Portuguese cook, on the contrary, giT^es
way to it, has shaken hands with the sailors,
and says that he is going to die.
Thursday, April 20th. — A negro died this
morning from having gorged himself with
dry meal and crude beans. When thrown
overboard, it being a dead calm, the body
floated for upwards of half an hour, the face
above v/ater, close to the vessel, and some-
times striking against the side ; while we
were in apprehension every moment that a
shark might approach and seize on it. Ano-
ther negro suddenly fell on the deck, in
violent convulsions ; his eyes became fixed,
fiis lips contracted, and we thought him
SLAVE VESSEL.
17
dying. One of his companions, however,
who speaks a little Portuguese, informed us
that his fit v/as occasioned by having smoked
a quantity of tobacco, wrapt in a piece of
rag. After he had succeeded in swallowing
a little water, he was immediately relieved,
and lay down to sleep. A shed has been
erected on deck, to shelter the sick, and ano-
ther for the women, w^hose berth helOw is
used for a store-room.. The sick are fre-
quently intruded on by others, who have no
claim to be numbered among them,regardless
of the injuries th-y occasion to the weak,
helpless creatures, whom they crowd and
crush ; the misery of their own circumstances
it may be supposed, leaving no room for
commisseration of their fellovz-sufJerers.
The great physical suffeiing of all seetas to
be a raging, unquenchable thirst . . .
Km ev TO ojjioKO KaOeiariKSi to ts nXsnf xai sXaaaov
iroToy, They eagerly catch the drippings
from the sails al'ter a shower ; apply their
lips to the wet masts ; and crawl to the
coops to share the supply placed there for
the fowds. I have remarked some of the
sick licking the deck, when washed with
salt water. Their dinner to-day consisted of
four bags of beans, and two of rice, well
boiled together, and affording a plentiful re-
past. It is distributed in tubs, round which
they are seated, in parties of ten, and, at a
signal, hegin to dip their hands into the mess,
and convey the contents to their mouths with
great dexterity, hut without any undue haste
or greediness. Several of the younger boys
have attached themselves to the after part of
the deck, near our cabii^., and will not leave
the spot even during tlie night, having a
piece of sail thrown over them. Their
names are, iVIarcello, who appears not to be
above six years of age, Quehnga, Carrepa,
and Catula.
Sunday, April, 23rd. — Squally weather,
and a heavy sea, prevented any attempt at
the performance of Divine service. To turn
my thoughts from harassing subjects, I had
recourse to a fev/ books, hastily put into
my bag, on quitting the ship ; and the first
which came to my hand, a volume of Mr.
Newman's Lectures, transported me at once
to the spot where J spent this season two
years since. On the afternoon of Easter
Sunday, 1841, I heard their author preach,
at St. Mary's, on the Passion of our Lord,
and pas.sed the evening of the same day,
amid a kind and hospitable circle, around
the fireside of Mr. Palmer, of Worcester
College. " Kebie's Christian Year," the
constant companion, not of this only, but of
all my wanderings in every quarter of the
globe, affords a "treasure of sweet thought"
n all scenes and circumstances.
' Far, far away, the home-sick seaman's hoard.
Thy fragrant tokens live :
Like flower-leaves in a precious volume stored.
To comfon and relieve
Some heart too weary of the restless world."
Form of Prayer to be used at Sea.
Tuesday, April 25th.~The poor wretch
who has wonderfully lingered twelve days,
since the contusions received on the first
night, terminated his miseries to-day, aiJdj
when thrown overboard, sunk as lead. We
are now just on the Tropic, having made
only 350 miles on our voyage, owing to the
frequent calms. The weather much resem-
bles that which one. m.eets on the Line, but
little to be expected where we now are, at
this season. " I Ba\Y a shark, sir," said a
sailor tome this m^orning, " twice as big as
what you are, swimming about the vessel."
A large one was caught soon after, and
mixed with farina, made a meal for the ne-
groes, which they seemed to relish. We
apprehended, on openmg the monster, that
v/e might find the remains of one of their
late comrades, but the stomach was quite
empty, which accounted for the ravenous
manner in which the bait had been instantly
seized. Half an hour after the entrails of
this shark had been taken out, and its tail
chopped off, both which operations it endured
without a sign of sensation — it was sup-
posed, indeed, that we had drowned be-
fore bringing it on board — on a bucket of
salt water being soused on it, to wash off
the blood, it began to flounder about the deck,
and bite on all sides, as if in full vigor of
life. This sight makes credible the stories
which I had previously heard as exaggera-
tions, of sharks caught and deprived of their
entrails, on being thrown back into the sea,
and swimming off apparently as if nothing
had happened to them.
V/ednesday, April 26th.— Six of the Eng-
lish, including myself, are affected with
feverish symptoms, though none in so severe
a degree as the Spaniards. Manoel, the
Portuguese cook, was reported delirious this
morning, and unlikely to survive the day. I
vv^ent forward to see him, in the men's hold,
where he lay in a narrow crib.
" Camara de marineros," said Sebastian,
" es como casa de los puercos," — "A sai-
lor's berth is like a pig-sty."
" Como esta Manoel .'" I inquired.
"Ah! Ave Maria Purisima! si escapa
estanoche, no se: es segun el Biscaino."
— " He is like the Biscayan .'"
" And who was the Biscayan ?"
" Era un Biscaino, que venia con noso-
trcs, que cay5 enfermo, y dix5 que iba a
morir, y — en efeto rnurio." — It was a Bis-
cayan, who came with us, who fell sick,
and said he was going to die, and — in fact
18
SLAVE VESSEL.
he died." " En estas calenturas de la costa
de Africa," he continued, " es menester que
no se acobarde; que si uno se acobard^, en
quartro dias muere." — " In these fevers of
the coast of Africa, it is necessary not to
turn coward ; for if one turns coward, in
four days he dies."
The Portuguese could not recognise any
one. To my question, if he knew me —
" Manoel, quern sou eu ?" he rephed :
"Si, o tubarad." — " Yes, the shark ;" —
thinking, perhaps, of the voracious jaws
that were shortly to prey on him.
At 2, P. M., he died. The body, sewn
up in a hammock, with a shot to make it
sink, was , brought aft to the poop, where,
the English and Spaniards attending, T read
the Form of Burial Service appointed to be
used at Sea : " committing his body to the
deep, to be turned into corruption, looking
for the resurrection of the body, when the
sea shall give up her dead, and the life of
the world to come." The increase of res-
ponsibility incurred by those who have been
called to the high hope of the Christian,
and the " greater condemnation" which may
arise from our misuse of the privilege, is
His to pronounce, who will judge the se-
crets of all at the last day.
Friday, April 28. — The outcries below
in the middle of last night being greater than
usual, I obtained a lantern, and having rous-
ed up the " Capita5 Pequeino," a boy ad-
vanced to the title of f Captain" for his ser-
viceableness in speaking a few words of
Portuguese, he told me the cause of the up-
roar. " Estao roubando agoa." I descen-
ded on the slave-deck with a Spaniard, and
an English sailor, who caught seven of the
ringleaders in the act of drawing water
from the casks beneath. The long, loose
planks which compose this deck have daily
to be removed, to get at the water and pro-
visions ; but the nightly depredators, in rais-
ing them, must at the same time displace a
mass of hving beings, piled on the top, re-
gardless, no doubt, of any injury they may
thus cause to them. The mischief result-
ing from their delinquency is, not the loss
of the wa^er abstracted, but the corruption
of that which remains, by the foul rags
which they dip into the casks to obtain it.
The boys v/ere anxious to exculpate them-
selves from, sharing in the theft vnih the
men; crying, in their language, "Ouishi,
ouishi no capean," — " the little ones do not
steal." This morning the culprits were
«« seized up" with small cords to the fore-
rigging, and received from fifteen to twenty
lashes each from a rope's end ; a Spaniard,
an Englishman, and a strong negro, reliev-
ing each other at the task. Six of the
most able negroes have been appointed to
assist in pulling at the ropes, and entitled
" capita5s marinheiros ;" distinguished by a
canvas frock, with a daub of paint on the
back, to mark the port and starboard watch-
es. Their odd appearance and awkward
efforts excite some mirth among the crew.
" We ought to feel for the poor things," re-
marked a sailor to his comrade, " more than
w^e do." " Ay," was the rejoinder, " but
we do not feel for one another, let alone
them." Even the more considerate seem
pone to look on this unhappy race as an
inferior order of beings ; as if the Almighty
had not " made of one blood all nations of
men on all the face of the earth." Thus
one hears the expressions : " It will die ;" —
" that is dying;" — that fellow cannot live:"
We have, at length, the luxury of a fair
breeze, after a fortnight of calms or variable
airs. Shoals of porpoises have been darting
along on both sides of the vessel, skimming
the water past us with surprising swiftness,
or springing several feet through the air,
and at every minute crossing our bows,
where the sailors are bent, though vainly,
on harpooning one of them.
Saturday, April 29. — Last night I was
awakened by the sound of taking in sails,
amid peals of thunder, and lightnings the
most vivid which I have anywhere wit-
nessed. Flash succeeded flash with scarce-
ly sensible intermission, blue, red, a^nd of
a still more dazzling white, which made the
eye shrink, lighting up every object on
deck as clearly as at midday. All the winds
of heaven seemed let loose, as it blew alter-
nately from every point of the compass.
The screams of distress from the sick and
weak in the hold, mingled with the roar of
the tempest. In the morning a strong gale
came on, driving us back to the north. The
heavy sea rendered it too dangerous to v^er,
and tiie vessel, from her extraordinary width
of beam, being ill qualified to scud, we have
lain-to since noon. From the rolling and
creaking, one might fancy everything going
asunder. The women's shed on deck has
been washed down, and the planks which
formed its roofs falling in a heap, a woman
was found dead under the ruins, -killed, the
assistant- surgeon supposes, by a blov/, hav-
ing no appearance of disease.
Sunday, April 30. — The wind has
moderated sooner than we had ventured to
hope ; but the swell of the sea continues so
high as to prevent our assembling for Divine
service. We are beginning again to make ^
a little progress through the water in the
right direction this evening.
Monday, May .1. — " May-day," which,
in our climate, brings on the sunny hours,
SLAVE VESSEL.
19
in this hemisphere marks the approach of
the cold. The naked negroes* begin ah'eady
to shiver, and their teeth to chatter. This
is a new infliction added to the former cala-
mities to which this unhappy race is doomed.
'OvK t<JTi.v ovSev hivov
'Hi ovK 0.1/ apaiT^ a-^dog
If we meet fead weather on getting into colder
latitudes near the Cape, as it is probable we
may, increased mJsery and mortality must
be the consequence.
Wednesday, May 3. — The gale has re-
turned from the southwest, though with
somewhat less violence than before. We
are lying-to, under main and fore- trysail,
the fore- staysail having been blown away.
We feel the cold now severely. Seven
negroes were found dead this mornmg —
among them a girl.
Thursday, May 4. — The gale, which
raged, like its predecessor, about twenty- four
hours, has abated, and we have to-day light
winds, apparently dying away into a calm.
Friday, May 5. — The " Capitao Pequen-
ino," who bears also the Portuguese name
of " Luiz," came quietly to me this evening,
and said, " Seneor, estao roubando aguar-
dient eabaxo." " They are stealing brandy
beiow." I could not comprehend how this
could be, as all the brandy in the hold had
been started at the commencement of the
voyage, to prevent mischief. Having re-
ported it to the Lieutenant, I accompanied
the two Spaniards to the slave-deck, and
surprised a large party of the negroes, busily
drawing up, by means of old rags, as usual,
the contents of t^vo barrels. One of these
proved to be of water, and another smaller
one, which Luiz supposed to be aguardiente,
contained vinegar. Summary punishment
was inflicted on eight, who were taken in
the fact. They received by moonlight about
eighteen lashes each, and were coupled in
shackles previously to being sent back into
the hold. Thus, as in many other fine be-
ginnings, the end but ill corresponds with
the " early promise." The sound of knock-
ing oiT their irons, which thrilled so musi-
cally on the°ear, when we boarded the prize,
terminates in the clank of rivetting them on
again, with the accompaniment of flogging.
The result of their offence is certainly highly
provoking, when, as is sometimes the case,
instead of pure water, we draw up from the
casks their putrid rags ; on the other hand,
none can tell, save he who has tried, the
pangs of thirst which may excite them in
that heated hold, many of them fevered by
mortal disease. Their daily allowance of
* The females were distinguished by a cotton
handkerchief around the waist.
water is about half a pint in the morning,
and the same quantity in the evening, which
is as much as can be afforded them..
Saturday, Mmj 6. — The two sheds built
on deck for the females and for the sick,
though an excellent provision during the hot
weather, on our passing into cold latitudes,
rendered their inmates more exposed than
the rest, who took refuge below, till the
weather, levelling both, put all on an.
equality. The shed for the sick has how-
ever, been re-erected. Many of the negroes
have letters cut on the breast or shoulder,
which, Antonio tells me, are the marks of
their respective owners, who, on the ves-
sel's arrival at Rio, thus recognize their own
property. An agent, " fattore," at QuiK-
mane, in correspondence with the Eio mer-
chants, having notice when a vessel is to be
expected, holds the cargo ready for embarka-
tion. The condition of the negro, he added,
is much worse at Rio, where he goes forth.
ragged and wretched, " hke a slave," than
at Havana, where he is often better dressed
than many of the whites.
Sunday, May 7. — My congregation to-day
consisted of ten ; three officers, five sailors,
two boys.
Tuesday, May 9. — A heavy squall last
night from the west, and this morning a
strong gale. We hove-to, as before. The
first objects which met my eye on deck were
three lying dead on it : a man, covered by a
coil of rope, a grim and ghastly object ; the
poor little boy, with the " jiggers" in his
foot, who had borne his sufferings vs^ith
great patience ; and a young girl, whose eyes
yesterday were both completely closed from
inflammation of the head. Their lives had
been for some time but a burden to them,
and could not have been much prolonged,
but were certainly shortened by the incle-
mency of the weather. On looking down
the after-hatchway, I had several times
thought that I perceived part of a body be-
tween two loose planks, half hidden by
others lying- on it, yet as often concluded
it must be some bucket or small barrel ; but
at last ascertained it to be the corpse of a
woman, who came yesterday to complain
of her bowels. She was healthy-looking,
well-formed, and in the prime of woman-
hood, apparently about 18. The weather
last night having driven all below who
could move themselves thither, she was in
all probabihty killed by falling down the
hatchway — a raised cover, called the " com-
panion," having increased the fall to about
six feet. In consequence of this, a plank
has been placed mid-way down, to facili-
tate the descent. The wind is evidently
abating this evening. Our gales, if formida-
20
SLAVE VESSEL.
ble, have hitherto been, happily, of brief
duration.
Thursday, May 11. — I was called on
deck soon after six this morning, to look at
*' the most splendid sunrise ever seen."
The whole sky was hung with parallel
layers of cloud^ not dense enough to pre-
vent the beams of the sun from gradually
piercing and tinging rhe entire mass with a
bright flame color. In the east, this v/as of
a deeper hue, varied with rich green and
yellow lines ; and, presently, the sun him-
self arose, liery red, from the wave. Though
a fine, it was certainly a threatening dawn,
and gave omen of a troubled day. Clouds
were rising from all quarters of the horizon,
and the breeze, which had been fair and
steady, gradually freshened to nine knots.
At noon there was all hurry to take in sail.
and 2 p. m, we were iying-to under a gale
heavier than any of the precedmg ones.
Had Vv'e shipped a sea, or lost either of our
remaining sails, we had now no spare ones
left to replace them, our danger would have
been imminent. Toward evening, we were
gratified by the report of the|helmsman, that
*' the heart of the gale was broke." A
yellow haze however overspread the setting
sun, and it continued to blow as wildly as
ever. Squalls, rapidly succeeding each
other, mingled sea and air in one sheet of
spray, blinding the eyes of the helmsman.
Waves, towering high above us, tossing up
the foam from their crests toward the sky,
threatened to ingulf us every moment. The
vessel, however, bending alternately each
gunwale to the sea as it passed, then plung-
ing deeply forward, but recovering herself
with a bound, rode gallantly through the
assaults of the winds and the waves.
Friday, May 12 — I have to-day witnes-
sed a spectaele such as I had frequently
heard to have occurred in slave-vessels, but
barely know how to describe. In a tub,
placed on the slave-deck, for necessary pur-
poses, a boy was found, who had fallen
backward, and, too weak to extricate him-
self, was smothered in it. He appeared
quite dead ; but, on some v/ater being thrown
over him, shov/ed some symptoms of return-
ing hfe, though only for a few hours.
Monday, 'May 15. — When the squalls,
breaking heavily on the vessel cause her
to heel over, and the negroes to tumble
against one another in the hold, the shrieks
of the sufferers, through the gloom of the
night, rising above the noise of the winds
and waves, seems, of all horrors in this
imhappy vessel, the saddest, I went on
deck in the early part of the morning watch.
The horizon looks clear to windward, the
moon just dipping into it, and day breaking
in the opposite quarter. '' The first actoi on
the scene is Cato, our mulatto cook, bust-
ling, in the most imperfect light, among his
pans and kettles, making a fire in the galley
to cook our breakfast. What comes next'?
The same dismal, oft-repeated tale ; three
bodies, a man and two boys, lilted on deck
from the hold. The man was one who
had been savagely beaten by two of his fel-
lows in misery three or four days ago. That
the greater number of those who die have
their deaths hastened by others overlying
or otherwise injuring them below, is obvious
from the fact, that they are found dead in
the morning ; very rarely, at least, during
the day-time. It not unfrequently happens,
that they are crushed between the loose
planks on the slave-deck, affording space
for their limbs to slip down beyond their
strength to extricate. The Spaniards, whom
I found engaged in cleaning this deck, amid
a scene of filth sickening to every sense,
mentioned to me that, among the medicinal
stores provided for the negroes, there are
three which w^ould be found of great use
to them : " Macela" (camomile,) " Raiz de
Althea" (marsh-mallow root,) and " Gomma
Arabica." Antonio argued, not unplausi-
bly, that the manner of the negro's life in
his own countr)'", " Como los animales in
el campo," so difierent Jrom ours, rendered
different remedies suitable. According to
his theory, the bitter of a strong camomile
decoction kills the worms in the stomach,
and the' mixture of the marsh-mallow and
gum arable soothes and strengthens the bov/-
els. He is to give his medicine a trial.
Tuesday, May 16. — To my sincere sor-
row, the "Capitao Pequenino," and an-
other little boy named Francisco, with the
chief of the " Capitaos Marinheiros," and
several others, were brought up this mor-
ning, charged by Sebaslian with stealing
water below, I could hardly credit it oi
the tv^o boys, since I believe they might al-
ways have got water for asking, as they had
made themselves useful, and been treated as
favorites ; except it be that, literally, " sto-
len waters are sweet." There was no doubt
of their delinquency, as they hung down
their heads, and did not speak when I ques-
tioned them. Their punishment was such
as rather to frighten than to hurt them.
That of the other culprits, though not se-
vere, was attended by melancholy circum-
stances. One was in an advanced stage of
dysentery, of which the execution of the
punishment elicited the most revolting
proofs. It so happened, that as another was
lashed to the grating of the fore-hatchway,
writhing about, and screaming with all his
force, " Larnbooya, lambooya," — their cry
SLAVS VESSEL.
21
for mercy, two dead bodies were lifted up
out of th^e hold, scarce two yards distant.
There is among the negroes a man na"med
Cimao, whose grotesque countenance and
gestures make him regarded as a sort oi
buffoon. He has been appointed successor
to the '• Capitao Marinheiro,'' degraded for
his late theft. One gave hirn an old jacket,
another a pair of trowsers, to equip him for
his office. Sabastian, who holds his quali-
fications cheaply, eyed the proceedings with
apparent disdain ; and having, like a true-
born Spaniard, a refroAi ready on every oc-
casion, said :
" Este es el viage de Orineco,
Quien no rauere se vuelve ieco :* '
which, I suppose, may be loosely rendered
thus :
" This is the voyage to Luckinabad ,
They who don't die become mad;"
Thursday, May 18. — There is a natural
good-breeding frequently to be remarked
among the negroes, which one might little
expect. They sometimes come aft, on see-
ing us first appear on deck in the morning,
and bend the knee by way of salutation.
Their manner of returning thanks for any
little present of food or water, is by a stamp
on the deck, and a scrape of the foot back-
wards, and they seldom fail, however weak,
to make this acknowledgment, though it
cost them an effort to rise for the purpose.
The women make a curtsey, bowing their
knees forward so as nearly to touch the
ground. In the partition of the small pieces
of beef in their tubs of farinha, the most
perfect fair-dealing is always observed.
One of each little party takes the whole into
his hands, and distributes two or three bits,
as the number allows, to each, and, should
there be any remainder after the division,
pulls it into yet smaller pieces, and hands
them round v.rith equal impartiality. After
a meal, they express general satisfaction by
a clapping of hands ; a mode also used by
some among them of asking ■ a favor, or
begging pardon for a fault. I have collect-
ed a few words as a specimen of their lan-
guage.
Numerals.
Massoro
Head.
1 Bossy.
Masse
Eye.
2. Peedy.
Macootoo
Ear.
3 Datoo.
Maroto
Finger
4 Nahy.
Macoonuy .
Nail.
5 Shanoo.
Cocy
Neck.
6 Danhaloo.
Mimba
Beily.
7 Shenomy.
Mendo
Leg.
8 Sairy.
Maniallo
Foot.
9 Femba.
Yboono
Toe.
10 Coomy
Names of Men
Names of Women.
Shematonga.
Berezida.
Gondivenga.
Citania.
Chapanduco,
-
Banzuvery.
Zakaly.
Mandilacota.
Friday, May 19.— Bossey, the boat-
swain's m^tte, who was attacked by dysen-
fery a few days since ^ and taken into our
cabin, died this morning at four. The poor
fellow had possessed a considerable stock of
humor, was a singer of comic songs, and a
great favorite of his shipmates. Two or
three days ago he said, " he knew he should
not get up any more, and should make him-
self happy ;" meaning that he would banish
all thoughts tending to make him uncom-
fortable. I could get him to converse but
very little. Once, on asking if he under-
stood parts of Psalms which I was reading
to him, he answered very earnestly, " Oh,
yes I" His last action, when we inquired
if there was anything that he wished done
for himj was to raise his hands above the
bed-clothes, and turn them clasped upward.
The assistant-surgeon, on a post-mortem
examination, found an abscess covering
nearly half of the liver. At 1, p. m., I
committed his body to the deep, all the crew
being able to attend, with the exception of
one, suffering from inflammation of the liv-
er, whom we have taken into the berth in
our cabin, lately occupied by poor Bossey.
Saturday, May 20. — We have, at length,
a fah breeze, the first for many days, and
are going three or four knots, being now
near the spot we were on ten days ago.
Antonio has been essaying the virtues of
his mixture on the dysentery patients.* I
* The following is a nearly perfect list of the
medicines provided for the negroes, found oft
board the "Progresso" when taken by the
'■Cleopatra:"
Linseed, . ; . . ; 8 lbs.
Marsh-mallow root, . . ' . 6
Pearl Barley, 6
Camomile, 6
Tamarind pulp, . . . . 6
Basdieum, 6
Epsom Salts, . . . . . 16
Gum Arabic, .... 5
" Flor de Sabugueiro," . '. . 6
Pomegrante rind, ... 5
Manna, ...... 4
Columba, ..... 4
Electuario Cathartico, . . .4
Cream of Tartar, . . . 2
Sena leaves, ..... 2
Ointment of Cantharides, . . 2
Rose Ointment, .... 2
Go wlard's Ointment, . . . 2
Mustard, 2
"Borrachinhas," .... 2
Adhesive Plaister, ... 1
Resinous Ointment, . * . ^
"MelRozado," . . .2^
" Especies Pectoraes," . . . 5
" Ditto Emehentes," . . 5
" Especies Antiscorbuticos," . . 4
" Cascas de Remaas," . . 4
" Almofaris de Bronse," . . 1
Le Roy's Purgative, . . i 6 bott.
Ditto Emetic, . . . . 3
" Agoa Ingleza" (febrifuge,) . 1
22
SLAVE VESSEL.
am not sanguine as to its efficacy, the dis-
ease having, in most cases to which it is ap-
plied taken too deep root. He points to their
shrunk bowels,the skin wrinkled in folds, and
asks: " Esos tienen barriga, o que tienen?
no tienen mas que el pecho." One or two,
however, who were in a state of emacia-
tion, have begun to look better, and he
pledges himself for their recovery. Only
those cases, he says, are beyond hope in
which the disease has made such progress
as is marked by blood-redness of the mouth
and gums — a horrid symptom generally ob-
seived in the more advanced stages. " Esos
moriran, los otros no." The ulcer cases
have put on so hideous a form that I can
now scarcely bear to look at them. These
poor patients are, almost without exception,
affected by dysentery also, of Avhich they
are certain to die, even if healed of their ul-
cers.
" Quorum si quis, ut est, vitarat funeraleti ;
Visceribus tetris, et nigra proluvie alvi,
Posterius tamen hunc tabes, letumque, mane-
bat."
A boy, wasted to as mere a skeleton as it
is possible to conceive a human being, died
this afternoon while Antojuo was adminis-
tering to him his camomile mixture. He
had made him sit up to drink it, when he
drooped his head, fell forward, and died in
that posture.
Sunday, May 21, — Our breeze continues
fair, though still light ; the sea smooth, and
the weather fine. All our crew were able
to assemble within hearing of Divine Ser-
vice, raising my congregation to fifteen. As
it was late before all had made themselves
neat and ready for attendance, I read only
the Morning Prayer and Litany, omitting
the Communion Service ; although the full
service would hardly have occasioned any
impatience among hearers accustomed, in
the " Cleopatra," to the unmutilated offices
of the Church,
Whatever gale the laboring vessel toss.
'I stationed the " Capitao Pequenino,"
Chloride of Lime,
Bark Wine,
Castor Oil,
Phials of Opodeldoc,
Tartar Emetic,
Calomel,
Ipecacuanha, .
" Balsamo CathoHco,'
Spirit of Ammonia,
Peruvian Bark,
Camphor,
Sulphate of Quinine,
Laudanum,
Sugar of Lead.
Powdered Bluestone,
"iWhite Vitrei,"
"iLombriguera," .
"Pos de Joannes," .
1
1
1
4
8 oz.
8
6
who has crept into favor again, at the main
hatchway, to sign into silence the negroes
below, if any should show a disposition to
be noisy. The few on deck, principally fe-
males, remained perfectly quiet. After the
service, I wished to question the " little cap-
tain" as to the existence of any kind of re-
ligious worship among the African tribes,
but could give him no notion of what T m-
tended to ask. Antonio, who came to my
assistance, told me it was needless, as he,
who knew much of the African coast, could
assure me that they had not the remotest
idea of any religion. " No tienen Dios, ni
Santo — animales son, viven en covados, en
el monte, como los lobos." " They have
neither God nor Saint — mere animals, they
live in holes of the rocks, like wolves."
The onl}^ appearance of superstition, he
added, prevalent among the native tribes, is
their " fetish." They hang anything they
fancy about their persons, call it "fetish,"
and venerate it. I asked him if, at the Ha-
vana, where his occupation formerly lay,
it w^as customary, previously to baptizing
the newly-imported slaves, to give them any
religious instruction. " No les ensena na-
da," he replied, " antes del bautismo; noes
preciso ensen'arles nada, para bautozar-los."
They are taught nothing before baptism ; it
is not necessary to teach them anything in
order to baptise them."
Wednesday, May 24. — The breeze light
and variable during the day, has been, these
two last nights, succeeded by a dead calm ;
the mainsail being lowered, to save it from
the wear occasioned by the roll of the vessel,
the other sails flapping heavily against the
mast. It is now that we suffer great annoy-
ance from the foul air produced by so many
pent-up sick and wretched creatures. At
the first outset of our voyage, it was com-
paratively trifling, and I suffered little incon-
venience from venturing down on the slave-
deck, to see what the matter was, when any
extraordinary noise or outcries occurred. It
is superfluous now to make this descent, in
order to inhale its atmosphere, which per-
vades every part of the vessel, and in our
after-cabin is almost intolerable. Gold lace
and silver articles, though kept in drawers
or japanned cases, have turned quite black,
through this state of the air. In the middle
of last night I left my great-coat and grass
matj which have, in sailor's phrase, done
duty for a bed since I came on board, and
went on deck to seek a little relief, but in
vain. There was not a breath of wind :
nothing in apparent motion in sea or air, or
the Heaven, except the huge albatross, with
wings extending sixteen feet, wheeling round
and round, sometimes sweeping so close as
SLAVE VESSEL.
almost to touch the taffrail, on which I was
seated. I returned below, and, heaping the
cover of a large tea-pot with tobacco,* igni-
ted and blew away at it, till the poor sick
man whom we have taken into our cabin,
complained that I was " stifling "him. Dis-
order, I think, in every sense, is on the in-
crease among the unhappy blacks. During
the late fine weather, they have spent the
sunny hours of the day on deck, but when
below, their cries are incessant day and
night. Thinned as their numbers are by
death, there is no longer narrowness of
room, but increasing sickness and misery
make the survivors more hard and unfeel-
ing, and they fight and bruise one another
more than formerly. Little Catula, the finest
among them, who received a bite in the leg
about six weeks since, getting continual
blqws and knocks, the wound has now be-
come a deep spreading ulcer. Another fine
intelligent lad has been lately severely bit-
ten in the head. Others have the heel, the
great toe, the ankle-joint, nearly bitten
through; and worse injuries than these, too
savage to mention, have been inflicted.
Madness, the distraction of despair, seems
to possess them.
Several sail have been observed Within
these few days. So long a time had previ-
ously passed without our seemg any, that
we seemed " all deserted on the main," ex-
cept by the albatrosses and Cape pigeons,
which have constantly attended us for up-
ward of a month past. The latter, a pretty
species of bird, much resembling the pigeon
in head, beak, and fan-tail, with white
breast and mottled plumage, swim, in flocks
of from fifteen to twenty, close to the ves-
sel's side There is land in sight this after-
noon — the first since the commencement of
our voyage — supposed, from our observa-
tion, to be Plettenbm-gh Bay, between Algoa
Bay and the Cape. Some of the negroes
point at it with looks of interest and curi-
osity, but the greater number of them sit
huddled together on the deck, their heads
resting on their knees, apparently in perfect
apathy to all around ; and surely a more
wretched looking set of objects were never
assembled.
Saturday, May 27th.-^-The bodies of
three boys lay on the lee gangway this
morning, awaitmg the assistant-surgeon's
selection of a subject for post-mortem exami-
nation. Antonio, pointing to one of them,
made me observe his tongue protruded from
his mouth, and a slight wound on the neck
— indications that he had been strang-led.
*" We found on board a large stock of Quili-
mane tobacco, with a quantity of reed and clay
pipe-bowls, for the use of the negroes.
It appeared to me, from an occasional move-
ment of the head, that he still lived. The
Spaniard said that it was but the motion of
the vessel ; but, on looking more attentively
for some time, exclaimed, " Vive, este vive"
— adding "pero esta para morir" — " but he is
at the point of death." Some foam pres-
ently issued from his mouth, the heaving
of his breast became perceptible, and he
continued to breathe between eight and nine
hours.
Sunday, May 28th. — Cape Agulhas in
sight this morning, ten miles distant. We
are still about one hundred miles from the
anchorage in Simon's Bay. Our weather
continues beautifully fine, and promises a
favorable conclusion to a troubled voyage.
During the Afternoon Service, the gentle
swell of the bright sea, the silence all around,
contrasted to the noise and stir of other days,
and the " soothing tendency" of the Service,
combined to give a greater imprsssion of
peacefulness than I have hitherto felt on the
passage. Might the voyage of life, after its
storms and vicissitudes, end as brightly and
peacefully !
Wednesday, May 31. — It is reraaikable
that no death has occurred to-day, though,
during the previous seven days, the fatal
cases have averaged four per diem. The
ancient " Capitao" of the " Maruiheiros"
who was flogged on the 16th inst. for steal-
ing water, and has scarcely sho vn himself
above deck since, during the warmth of
noon crept up the main hatchway ; but so
altered as scarcely to be recognized. From
one of the plumpest and stoutest of the party,
he appeared reduced to little more than a
skeleton; the shrunk and wrinkled skin
hanging in loose folds over the regions of
the bowels, and that " sign of despair,"
the horrid appearance of blood on the Hps,
which marks the fatal stage of dysentery.
" Sudabant etiam fauces intrinsecus atro
Sanguine, etulceribusvocisvia saepta coibat."
Thursday, June 1. — The unusually high
number of eight were found dead this morn-
ing, and we can no longer venture, as be-
fore, to throw them into the sea, lest the
waves should wash them on the in-
habited shores of the Bay, which we entered
last night. The first sight which gieeted
our eyes when the morning mist had cleared
away, were ships lying in Simon's Bay, two
or three miles distant. Three pendants were
discovered, and others imagined. A frigate,
with topmasts down, was pronounced to be
the " Cleopatra ;" or, as termed in affectionate
familiarity, the " Cleo." " But how is this ?
She has fifteen ports on her broadside, where
should have been only nine." Just then a
fishing-boat, which we hailed, informed us
24
SLAVE VESSEL.
that the " Cleopatra" had sailed a few days
before, for Port Natal. The frigate proved
to be the " Isis," Captain Sir John Marshall,
from Ivlam-itius. The brig " Acorn" also
lay at anchor, returned from cruising on the
•west coast of Africa. As soon as the " Pro-
gresso" anchored, we were visited by the
health-officer, who immediately admitted us
to pratique. My friend, Mr. Shea, super-
intendent of the Naval Hospital, also paid
us a visit, and I descended with him, for
the last time, to the slave-hold. Long ac-
customed as he has been to scenes of suf-
fering, he was unable to endure a sight,
" surpassing," he said, " all he could have
conceived of human misery," and made a
hasty retreat. One little girl, crying bitter-
ly, was entangled between the planks, want-
ing strength to extricate her wasted limbs,
till assistance was giveii her.
Total number of deaths during the Voyage.
Apnl 13.
14.
16.
17.
18.
20.
22.
24.
25.
26.
May
29.
30.
1.
2.
3.
4.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Brought up
May 13. . .
14. . .
15. . .
16. . .
17. . .
18. . . .
19. . .
20. . .
21. . . .
22. . .
23. . .
24. . .
25. . . ,
26. . .
27. . .
28. . .
29. . .
30. . .
June 1. . .
100
In fifty days . 163
Carried up . 100 '
Friday, June 2. — Previously to setting out
for the village of Wynberg, where I prom-
ised myself some repose of body and mind,
I paid a visit to Sir John Marshall, on board
the *' Isis," who welcomed me vdth his usu-
al kindness ; and, on my passage back
to the shore, I once more called on the
*' Progresso." Fourteen corpses — six hav-
ing been added to the eight who died yes-
terday — lay piled on deck, to be interred
this afternoon on the beach. A hundred of
the healthiest negroes were already landed
at the pier, to proceed in wagons to Cape
ToAvn. Most of the '•' familiar faces" were
gone. My poor little Macarello gave me a
look of entreaty to be taken away, but he,
who first attracted our attention hy his sleek,
Wealthy appearance, is now among the sick.
Catula, too, with his bad leg, looked dov^^n-
cast, as indeed he has always done : and
•when I tried to cheer him, the tears ran down
his cheek. I was not prepared for the
feeling generally evinced by the negroes on
coming into port, which is that of evi-
dent anxiety and apprehension. ¥/hether
it arise from their thinking less even of
their present ills than of " others which
they know not of," or from some particular
forebodings, I could not gather. The hun-
dred above-mentioned received each, on
landing, a good new warm jacliet and trow-
sers, and were placed quite snugly and com-
fortably in open v/agons ; and it was great
pleasure to see tlieh- circumstances so amend-
ed by the transfer ; yet it was more difficult
than ever to get a cheerful look from any
one of them, I subseqiaently overtook them,
half-way on my drive to Wynberg, at " Far-
mer Peck's," a place of refreshment for
travellers, well known to all who have
any acquaintance with the Cape, and found
them not more reconciled to the change in'
their situation. The women had each a
new white blanket, in addition to an
under-dress. " Berezida," " Banzuvery,"
" Mandilacota," readily responded to their
names, but showed ]ittle signs of pleasure
on the occasion. Doubt and fear were pre-
dominant, and their countenances resembled
those of condemned victims.
Oa my visit to Wynberg, in October
last, it seemed to me almost a Paradise. The
season is now- changed to the winter of the
southern hemisphere, and the leaves are
falling around. There still remain, how-
ever, some roses, and the air is fragrant with
the scent of mignonette ; and certainly no
spot can be better calculated to afford that
rest to which, after fifty days on board a
slave-vessel, one has some claim.
JV'jnberg, near Cape Town, June, 19.
After the lapse of seventeen days from their
! leaving the vessel, I have this morning vis-
ited the negroes in the buildings prepared
for their reception at Papendorf, near the
sea- shore, about a mile from Cape Town,
where they are well lodged, fed, and attend-
ed. All were landed from the " Progresso "
on the 2nd and 3rd instant, in number 222,
the remainder of 397, showing a mortality
while on board of 175.' Of the 50 sent :.":
the " Cleopatra," one had died during the
passage, and one after coming into the hai-
bor. On cleaning out the " Progresso,"
subsequently to landing the negroes, the
body of a lad was found beneath the planks,
in a state of decomposition. Part of a hand
had been devoured, and an eye completely
scooped out by the rats. At the time of
my arrival at Papendorf, a burial was tak-
ing place, attended by the negroes in pro-
cession — the ninth which has occurred
SLAVE" VESSEL.
^S*
among them since their removal thither. Of
28 left at Simon's Bay, not being in a con-
dition to bear removal, 14 have died to the
present date. The sick are still numerous.
It was pleasant to remark to-day, the more
cheerful, assured look of the liberated ne-
groes. Their impression at first had been
that they were destined to be devoured by
the wife men, and they were reluctant to
eat, fearing it was intended to fatten them
for that doom. The attendants, some of
whom are of their own nation, soon freed
them from this apprehension.
Heretofore, it has been the authorized
practice to apprentice negroes brought to the
Cape in prizes, as servants or farm-labor-
ers, for terms of six or seven years, accord-
ing to their age ; the indentures of such ap-
prenticeships including various conditions
favorable to the negro. One of these stipu-
lates, that the person to whom he is bound
" shall cause the said apprentice to be care-
fully instructed, and as speedily as possible,
in the Christian religion, and to be taken,
when sufficiently instructed, Ho be baptized ;
and also shall permit and suffer and encour-
age the said apprentice to attend public wor-
ship . . . and. when he shall have been
baptized, shall immediately cause notice
thereof to be given to the collector of He?
Majesty's customs at the Port of Cape
Town, in order that the identity of such ap-
prentice may at all times be known and dis-
tinguished."
In consequence of an Order in Council,
dated January 4th, in the present year, no-
tice has been recently issued by the local
governm-ent, that negroes under twenty-one
years are henceforth to be apprenticed as
household servants only, or in trades re-
quiring " peculiar art or skill];" male negroes
of twenty-one and upward, for one year
only, as farm servants ; females of twenty-
one and upward, for one year only, as house-
hold servants. It appears that there is little
demand among the mechanical trades of the
colony for such apprentices at the |)resent
time. Th€ agricultural colonists complain
that the period of one year, for which the
adult is allotted to them, is too short to ad-
mit of their deriving adequate benefit from
his services.
CONCLUDING REMARKS.
Wynberg, near Cape Town, Sept. 3.
The circumstances which I have witness-
ed attendant on the present practice of the
slave-trade have led me more carefully to
consider the chief obstacles which impede
its abolition. And first in order of these,
appears obviously the impunity permitted
to those who engage in that traffic. So long
as slave-traders, though taken in the actual
perpetration of their crime, are free from all
apprehension of penalty attached to it, we
may look in vain for its suppression. To
such persons no other restraint than fear of
punishment can be of any weight. It was
evident, in the case of the Spaniards on
board the " Progresso," that their only shad-
ow of apprehension was that of not meeting,
if sent to Rio Janeiro, equal favor with their
Portuguese and Brazilian shipmates. The
old Portuguese sailor, whom the necessities
of his family had induced to embark in a
slave vessel, desired nothing better than to
be sent back to Rio. The other thirteen,
Brazilians ©r Portuguese j who had preced-
ed us to the Cape in the " Cleopatra," we
learnt, on our arrival, had already dispersed
wherever it pleased them, there being no
authority at tthe Cape to deal with them as
criminals. The captain, whom they reported
to have perished in the surf near Quilimane,
but who was concealed among them, em-
barked for Rio, with four of his compan-
ions, in an English brig, having obtained
money, as has been since discovered, from
an English mercantile house in Cape Town.
It is not to be presumed that his motives for
concealing himself arose from any other
fear than that of inconvenient detention un-
til the condemnation of the vessel should
take place.* Here, then, is the evil which
first claims a remedy in carrying into effect
the spirit of existing enactments for the pun-
ishment of the slave-trader, so that he may-
no longer with impunity make a mock of
the laws and treaties ratified by all .the civi-
lized nations of the globe.
The motives to such a course derive, were
it necessary, increased weight from the con-
sideration that the sufferings and mortality
of the negroes, connected with their trans-
port, are, by the measures at present pursu-
ed to check it, not lessened, but aggravated.
It is too manifest, that under circumstances
similar to those which I have related, the
capture of the " prize " must be an event
far more disastrous to the slave than to the
slave-dealer. It cannot be supposed that
the accumulated calamities which ensued
to the hapless beings on board the "Pro-
gresso," on their transfer to the protection
of their liberators, could have taken place
had they continued in the hands of their
purchasers. As the latter have the highest
interest which men can have in the preser-
vation of an extremely valuable cargo : so
are they, of all men, most qualified for the
task, by experience of the system best cal-
culated to provide for their health and safe-
ty, and by concurrence of able hands, in am-
ple number, to carry that system into effect.
In these respects, the reverse may generally
be asserted of those, who, on the capture of
the vessel, by a ship of war, succeed to
their charge. Those who know the naval
* The captain of the " Defensive," a second Brazilian slave-prize taken by the " Cleopatra, '
off Quilimane, soon after her return to hercruising-ground, and brought into Simon's Bay on the
29th ult. (without negroes on board,) treated with the utmost ridicule the notion of his being
considered in Braz]l an offender against the law ; remarking that, after a stay at the Cape, he
CONCLUDING REMARKS.
27
service are aware that a cruiser, especially
on a sickly station, can often but ill spare
more hands to send away in a prize than
are barely sufficient for their proper duties
in working the vessel. The number thus
sent away will be further liable to reduction
by sickness, from the tainted, unhealthy at-
mosphere to which they are introduced,
and other causes peculiar to the change of
their situation. Thus, in the case of the
"Progresso," every seaman was in his
turn disabled by illness. It is also to be re-
membered, that the officer in command of
the prize, on whose exertions and discretion
,the welfare of the rescued negroes mainly
depends, is encompassed by professional
difficulties of a very engrossing kind, in-
creased, in many cases, by the novelty of
an independent command, and the weakness
of his crew, should sickness occur among
them, in a vessel unproved as to her sea
qualities, worse provided in naval stores
than those to which he has been accustom-
ed, and on a coast probably strange to him.
It is not to be expected that any individual
can, in addition to these causes of embar-
rassment, be equal, in the care of 500 help-
less beings, to a burden usually divided
among 15 or 20 persons, well trained to the
work, and employed in it day and night.
The advantage of improved medical treat-
ment offers less alleviation to the sufferings
of the negroes than would be at first sup-
posed. All that medical care and skill, as
adapted to European constitutions and mal-
adies, could effect, was tried by our assist-
ant-surgeon on the negroes of the " Progres-
so," without success, that I am aware of,
might probably return to Rio and take command of another slave-vessel. He had been an officer
in the Brazilian navy. The slave-trade, is, I believe, in Brazil looked on rather as a sphere for
spirited and skillful adventure than as a discreditable hne ol enterprise. It is rather curious
that, of the captains of slavers whom I have known, two out of three were proficients on the guit-
ar. The following air, composed by Captain Arias, a Spaniard, I fcopy, by permission, from the
music-book of Miss Apollonia Boonzeier, of Hout's Bay :
CAPRICHO DEL CAPITAN ARIAS.
e^
W—&-
d^
-8-=?=:^
:«?zit
Ca . mi - na ^ o - ril-las del E - bro Caba - Hero li di - a-dor
B— — W—m-
~\ 1 ^ -^ 7
1
J,
j a — P i*
?:
con - tra - rios ven - cio.
Des - pier - ta Leo - nor
-m~m-
in any one instance. On the other hand,
the slave-dealers, in their selection and ap-
plication of the large stores of medicines
found on hoard the vessel, may be presumed
to have been guided by some experience of
their beneficial effects. In general, it is
certain that the augmentation of sufferinejs,
under the present system employed for the
suppression of the slave-trade, is such as
to present an additional motive for the adop-
tion of a more efficient course, by taking
some measures v/hich may give force to tlie
penal enactments against persons engaged
in that traffic* While we boast the name
of Wilberforce, and the genius and elo-
quence which enabled him to arouse so gen-
eral a zeal against the slave-trade ; while
ethers are disputing with liim the claim of
being " the true annihilator of the slave-
trade ;" that trade, so far from being annihi-
lated, is at this very hour carried on imder
circunistances of greater atrocity than were
known in his time, and the blood of the
poor victims calls more loudly on us as the
actual, though unintentional, aggravators of
their miseries.
I may in conclusion remark, that, even
after taking this lii'st necessary step, the
root of the evil, slavery itself, would still
remain deeper than any penal measures,
however strictly enforced, can reach. It
sprmgs from the present debased, demora-
lized condition of the native African tribes.
The prominent feature of social relation, in
des - pier - ta A - di . os, A - di - os, Leonor. Des - pier - ta Leo - nor
.III! \ \ I \ \ ^ I r 1^:
-sh-m-
z±
d— F3=^
:^z^z:^-
-9-e—^r
-^
No Uores si a saber llegas
Que me matan por traydor.
Que el amarte es mi delito
Yen el amor no hay balJon.
Despierta, fee.
Captain Arias, after some months' detention at the Cape, took command of another slave ves-
sel on the coast of Africa ; but being peized by a sterner captor, the coast-fever, is said to have died
after iwo hours' illness.
In the berth occupied by the captain of the "Progresso," I found a ^agett'awozir, a beautifully
worked sampler, with the f ollovv'ing pretty verse in the cestre, in variegated silks:
" No meio de mil prazeres.
Que gozares con sabor,
Ve nestapequena oferta
Sinceras provas de amor."
* May 15, 1820.— The United States legisla-
ture made the slave-trade piracj^ with penalty
of death.
March 31, 1824.— Great Britain enacted, that
any person concerned in the slave-trade from
January 1, 1825, should, on conviction, "suffer
death, as pirates, felons, and robbers ought to
suffer." The penalty was subsequently altered
to transportation.
Nov. 15, 18^^.— The State of Buenos Ayres
declared, that their citizens, trading in slaves,
should be punished as pirates.
Nov. 23, 1826 —Brazil signed a convention
with Great Britain, stipulating that the carrying
on of the slave-trade after three years from that
date, shonld be deemed and treated as piracy.
In 1841, Austria, Prussia and K,ussia declared
by treaty the slave-trade piracy.
In 1842, Portugal became a party to a similar
treaty.
eONCLUDIN©- REMARKS.
Uif
many parts, is that of absolute slavery to
their chiefs. The barter and exchange of
slaves among them, is as frequent as, in
Europe, that of do^s or horses. I have
mentioned the case of a chief from the inte-
rior, at Quilimane, who, though in no way
concerned in the exportation of slaves,
crfFered, in my presence, four of his train to
Azevedo, in barter for a paltry musical toy.
Parents will sometimes bring even their own
children for sale. The abominable traffic,
ingrafted on this " degenerate and degraded
state," confirming and perpetuating its ills ;
the wholesale shipment of slaves to foreign
lands, involving the multiplied hardships of
their journey from the interior to the coast ;
exposure to aggravated sufferings and mor-
tality, after embarkation, .even under the
most favorable circumstances ; these form
the catalogue of charges against the slave-
trader. The predominance of slavery, how-
ever, in the barbarous countries with which
he trades, existed previously to his traffic ;
and, should it cease, would still remain.
No other measure can reach this evil than
the introduction among their savage tribes
of the principles of civilization and Chris-
tianity, without which blessings their state
would be but partially amended by the sup-
pression of the slave-trade. It is, indeed.
little in our power to speculate at what
period so glorious an event may take place.
We may, however, by a retrospect of the
means blessed by the Almighty in time past
to the conversion of the heathen, gather
that tiiey differed in no slight degree from
any at present in operation for that end.
Though in modern times the labors of indi-
viduals have produced- partial and temporary
benefits, and some, whose " record is on
high," have bequeathed noble examples of
zeal and devotedness, those labors have left
on earth no permanent results, their very
traces having passed away with the zeal
and devotion which animated them. When
the spirit which of old converted our own
and all the other barbarous nations of Eu-
rope to the faith of Christ, shall again
animate His church — the only instrument
which has ever availed to raise a single
nation from " darkness and the shadow of
death " — Christianity will again gain ground
on heathenism, as in former times. A branch
of that Church, once planted and flourishing
in our own colony, may soon extend her
arms to the barbarous nations on each side
of the adjacent channel, and gather the sa-
vage tribes of Madagascar and Mozambique
mider the barmer of the CroSs. There is no
other that can ever triumph over Slavery
THE END.
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Ne-w and beautiful Collection
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THE
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Comprising themes now first arranged from the
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LOITERINGS
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MYSTERIES OF PARIS,
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Translated from the French, by
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Assisted by Professor Boedenate, Teacher of
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From the Boston Atlas.
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