The Express.
London, England, 1846-09-19 00:00:00

ATROCITIES OF TILE SLAVE TRADE.

The Lirerpool Mercury publishes the following
narrative respecting the capture of the slave-ship l'ona, on
the coast of Africa, in the month of November last, having
on board 900 slaves :

It appears that in November the barque Pons, of Phila-
delnhia, commanded by Captain James "terry, was at anchor
in the port of Cabinda (Africa), for some time before, taking
in the slaves, during which time she was closely watched by
her Britannic Majesty's brig Cygnet, Captain Layton, com-
mander. The slaver had come from Rio, and a person,
named Gallen°, an Italian, who embarked in her as pas-
senger, had entered into an arrangement by which she was
to be given up to him on their arrival at the Coast. On the
morning of the' 7th, the Cygnet, being ordered to leave the
Coast, was got under weigh and stood out to sea, and the
captain of the slaver taking advantage of this ercumstance,
immediately commenced getting on board the slaves, with
the water, provisions, &c.: so expeditious were they in their
movements that at eight o'clock the same evening the vessel
had left Cabinda, having em'arked 903 slaves. She did not
stand out to sea immediately, but kept along the coast during
the night. and at daylight, being off Kacongo, about twenty-
five miles north of Cabinda, they discovered the Cygnet in
the offing. Under these eircumstav, they drifted near the
shore, -- -"sr that a number of lined the beach, in

so near that a . negroes
the expectation of her going aground and becoming a wreck.
Towards noon, however, the Cygnet drew off from the land,
and the crew of the laver, finding they had not been ob-
served, set all sail and cleared the shore. About this time the
United States ship Yorktown, under the command of Cap-
tain Bell, having observed her motions, and judging that she
was engaged in the abominable traffic of slavery, gave chase,
and after a run of two days, succeeded in capturing her, in
lat. 3 deg. south. When first observed she hoisted American
colours, under the impression that the vessel in chase was a
British cruiser, but, discovering her mistake, raised the
Portuguese flag. Owing, however, to Captain Bell first
showing one colour and then another, the captain of the
slaver became confused, and during the fright threw all
his papers overboard, which he admitted on being captured.
When the slaves became acquainted with the fact of their
re-capture, they were so overcome with joy that they gave a
shout which might have been heard at the distance of a mile.
The crew consisted of Spaniards, Portuguese, Brazilians, and
seamen from other nations. 011 examination it was found
that she had shipped upwards of 900 slaves, between the ages
of eight and thirty, embracing 47 girls ; and that about 20
had died, although the vessel had been out only three days.
The slave ship was then placed under the command of Lieut.
Cogdell, who proceeded with the unfortunate victims to Li-
beria, where he arrived on the 15th of December, and landed
all that remained alive, amounting to 756, upwards of 180
having died ma the passage. About 30 who were in a
dying condition survived only a short time after their
arrival. The vessel had no slave-deck, and upwards of
850 of the wretched human beings (males) were piled
almost in a bulk on the water-casks below, while forty or
fifty females occupied one-half of the round-house cabin on
deck, the other half being for the use of the officers. She
was bound to Rio Janeiro, and being a vessel of only about
350 tons, it seemed impossible that one-half of the slaves
could have lived to cross the Atlantic. The Captain said he
had intended to ship 400 or 500 more, had he not been pre•
vented by the proximity of an English cruiser. The suffer-
ings of the poor wretches can scarcely be imagined, as the
stench from below was so great, that it was impossible to
stand more than a few moments near the hatchways, and
several of the ship's crew who went below, from mere cu-
riosity, were brought up sick in a few minutes.
The victims of the abominable traffic were taken in charge
by Dr. Lugenbeel. the Secretary of the American Coloniza-
tion Society at Monrovia (Liberia) and afterwards placed
under the care of responsible persons lathe colony, aguarantee
being required that they should be kindly and humanely
treated. The Rev. W. 13. Hoyt, missionary from the Episcopal
Society at Monrovia, visited the Pons on her arrival at Liberia,
and describes the scene which was there presented as of the most
appalling character, the living and the dying being crowded
together with less care than would have been bestowed on
the brute creation; some of them were so emaciated that
their bones almost protruded through the flesh, while others
had upon their bodies large so:-es produced by lying on the
planks of the vessel, the ulcers being covered with swarms of
flies, who were feeding as upon a dead carcase. The ther-
mometer in the hold would, it was supposed, range between
110 to 12.4 degrees. Several of the sufferers had jumped
overkoard during the painage, and others would no doubt
h..5e done so if an opportunity had been afforded them.
The prize master stated, that as won as a slave became
helpless, through debility or sickness, those around
would strangle him in order that his body might be re-
moved, and more room thus afforded to his companions.
—The Italian captain was brought to Liberia in the York-
town, as a prisoner, but on his arrival he was released by
the officer in command, and such was the excitement
amongst the inhabitants of the colony against him, owing to
the lawless and ferocious brutality he had exhibited, that it
was deemed unsafe for him to remain on the beach. lie
stayed only a few days, and then sailed for South America.
It appeared he had been engaged in the slave trade upwards

of twenty years, during which period lie h 4 been six timss
captured by Eng:ish cruisers, but had, neverthclew, raids
many successful voyages. The whole affair was no doubt as.
ranged between him and Berry before the ship sailed frank*.
but it is thought the parties cannot be brought to jiagaseC.
the present laws of the United States. The slaver wassail
mately taken into the river Delawarre, and examined's,*
the navy yard. The part of the roundhouse, in which 47 et
the female slaves wero confined, was found to he 11 (sat 4
inches by 8 feet 6 inches, and 6 feet in height. On /Sidi ills
were two tiers (three in a tier) of spaces, probably in
berths, each about half the length of the room, 2 feet.'
and the two upper ones in each tier 2 feet 3 inches Idi;
the berths on the level of the floor were only 18 inch.'`'
height. The hold measured 100 feet in length by 24 1,„4
8 inches in the widest part. Several casks were there, whisk
had been covered with bags of farina (the food of %I
slaves), upon which was spread old coarse matting, Yam
hog a sort of platform, on which the male slaves ens,
stowed. When the bags and mats were there, the hews
of the hold occupied by the inmates could not be more trsi
six feet. The area of the platform was found by wows,
tion not to exceed 1,720 feet, and as 860 slaves were stowed
there, each slave must have had only two square feet of
mom, or a square space of seventeen inches in the side.
If they had lain side by side, and each occupied Mass
inches in width, and five in length, 286 of them would hays
filled up the whole space, but that was only about ow
third of their actual number, and some idea may cps",
quently be formed of the suffer:ng they must have end
It was found that when the hatches were closed they wow
breathe all the air in the hold twice over within as how,
There were but two apertures for the admission of frail
air, one near the middle of the deck, 6 feet 9 by 7 feet, the
other 3 feet 9 by 3 feet 6, with a stepladder occupying*
small put of it. The area of the two openings would be
about sixty square feet, and those furnished the only mesas
of ventilating this pestilential receptacle for 840 human
beings, during the period which might be occupied in a voy-
age across the Atlantic.