The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-01-10 00:00:00

SLATES BROUGHT TO ENGLAND.

Some meagre details having appeared in some of the
üblic prints respecting the late occurrence ■t St. Ives,
„me have made it our business to inquire into die circum-
aunn of the transaction, and the following is the result

of our inquiries, obtained from the most authentic quart, r.
About the 9th of last month a French vessel, called the
40erle, belonging to St. Makes, under the command of
one Julien Legue, arrived at the port of St. Ives, in
C wnwall, on her return from St. John's River, on the
coast of Atrica, with a crew consisting only of twelve
men ; the Captain, Supercargo, and eight others, having,
sec riling to the representations of Legue,dhil in the course
of the voyage.
The vessel was boarded, and subsequently seized by
Li. tit. Rye, of the Coast Guard service. She was found
well lined out with all the ordinary furniture of a slave
trader, and the hold adapted in the usual way to the re-
vertion of slaves. Among her other stores, there were or
eourae found manacles and shackles in great abundance; a
long chain to confine the unfortunate creatures in gangs,
with all the usual implements of Negro torture, that would
:iet h^ niideratood by their names, we are happy to say, by
tom of our English readers. Among other things were
casks of palm oil, used for the purpose of giving the black
skin an artificial gloss, which, when natural, is indicative
of health and strength.
'We wish that the melancholy detail could stop here; but
we lament to say that five poor creatures were found out
board, whom circumstances too clearly prove to have con-
stituted a part of the wretched cargo. One of them is a
)oung boy.
These Tutor creatures were confined in the main hold,
baying only sails to lie upon, and a few pieces of coarse can-
vass to protect their bodies from the inclemency of the wes-
t tier. Their brutal owners represented them, of course, as
pert of their crew; but as they understand neither French
nor English, nor any other European language, and appear
besides to be entirely ignorant even of the commonest nau-
tical proceedings, it does not require other evidence to show
abe falsity of this representation. But, alas ! they do ap-
pear to be tuo well acquainted with all the uses of the in-
famous slave tackle on board, and too much habituated to
the horrible treatment to which so many of their fel-
low-countrymen are subjected, fur any doubts to remain
of the character in which they were confined on board
this vessel. We have before us an affidavit of the fact,
that while the crew regaled on boiled beef and fish,
these poor negroes were treated with the pot-liquor and
entrails ! Food so nauseous that even their hungry stomachs
rt;ected it with disgust. But we will not harrow up the
feelings of Englishmen by more minute details of the
ethooities these negroes have endured. One circumstance,
',prelim's we must not omit. Shortly after the ship's ar-
rive), a hemane gentleman brought on shore the lad that
we have mentioned. The pour fellow was much caressed,
and his savage owner became apprehensive, we suppose,
of losing him. The gentleman who had brought him
aeon shore had pledged his word to return him, igno-
rant of the negro's acquired rights when once within
she jurisdiction of our Courts of Law. Still, however,
he felt most reluctant to return the unhappy boy to
the custody of his master. It was then impudently
asserted (and we blush to say that the argument was
adopted by an Englishman, and supported, we fear, by
another, if the. French Consul at St. Ives is one), that
this boy as much belonged to the Frenchman as the watch
in tail pocket, and that the gentleman had as much right
to take the one as the other! The boy was restored ; and
the savage Captain stated, that on sale the lad would pro-
slave VW. We lament that we have not been furnished
With the names of these two inlubitants of St. Ives. We
bare, however, mentioned the office of one of them • the
otter is a medical attendant of the mate of the French
vessel, who is at present sick onshore.
We turn with pleasure to the other facts which have
been communicated to us:—lmmediately on the ship's
Attila' Mr. Ilingatone, a gentleman of distinguished hu-
manity at St. I ves, and who has on this occasion exhibited
not lees firmness than humanity, wrote to Mr. Wilbetforce,
rintioning some of the facts that we have stated. Mr.
Ti;berforce instructed Mr. George Stephen, his solicitor,
to' Like the necessary proceedings for restoring the poor
alma to freedom, and an application was immediately
made to the Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, who did
riot hesitate for a moment to grant a habras corpus, even
on the necessarily realm information then obtained, and
iir3iilrited much humane anxiety for the enlargement and
eonifertable disposition of the unfortuoate creatures. The
writ was immediately despatched and served; the slaves;
of conise, have been brought on shore, but have not yet
IttoYeel in town, in consequence of the illness of one of the
party, occasioned by the severity of the weather.
'file reception of them by all classes has been, if we may
;tap the expression, enthusiastically compamionate. Many
the lower orders have thrust into their hands little pre-'.
rents of fond or amusement ; and it has been with diffi-
culty that they have been restrained front the exercise of
toci_greaCkittilness in these respects. The coach proprietor
at Truro, the master of a respectable hotel there, whose
coat:h hail been engaged for their conveyance to town,
s.'utyafully submitted to the loss occasioned by a counter-
mand of their places on the very moment of departure, the
severe frost rendering the journey hazardous. In short,
Tone and all, with the exceptions we have mentioned, have
aown an interest and feeling for these unfortunate beings,
abet, we are sine, accord with those of all classes, whose
sensibility on such matters has not been destroyed by the
~tiistepresentations of interested planters or their agents in
tjtis country. Their arrival is expected in about a week.—
Again: Paper.