The Sun.
London, England, 1839-04-09 00:00:00

HORRORS of the SLAVE TRADE

Our readers will perhaps recollect that some time
ago it was currently reported that on board a slaver
captured-by her Majesty's ship Snake some of the slaves
had been killed and served up for food to the remainder.
We are rather pleased to learn, great as are the hor-
rors of this traffic, that there is reason to suppose this
enormity was not committed. Some papers have been
laid on the table of the House of Commons on this
subject, and printed, from which we make the following
extracts :

" Port Royal, Jamaica, July 6, 1838.
" STR,—Having by your directions, this day read a
letter from Mr. Evelyn of Lucea,' in this island, stat-
ing that the Portuguese crew of the slave vessel
Arrogante,' captured by her 'Majesty's ship Snake,
mule use" of the bodies of the negroes who died, and
also killed others, for the purpose of feeding the re-
mainder, on her passage from the coast of Africa to
the island of Cuba.
I have the honour to inform you, that I do not think
this horrible transaction could have taken place, or if
so, that I would have been informed of it, as at the
time she was captured I was the officer that boarded her,
and I remained in charge until she was condemned by mixed
Commission Court at Sierra Leone on the 6th of March
last, a period of 103 days. It appeared from the statemeat
of the master, as well as from the log-book, that the
Arrogante's cargo was shipped by a well-known
slave-dealer, of the name of Pedro Blanco, at the river
Gullinas, ;an the 13th of October, 1837, the whole num-
ber received being 470, and when captured she had on
board 406, only 64 having died on the passage, which
occupied a period of forty days, and which I consider

from my own experience, having had charge of five
slavers, an ususual small proportion. I have, how-
ever, a still stronger reason for supposing no such
circumstance had ever taken place, as there were
two male negroes on board who had before been
captured on the coast of Africa, and liberated
at Sierra Leone, but by some means kidnapped and
again sold at the Gullinas ; one of these men talked
English distinctly, the other not so well, but sufficiently
to be understood. I had frequent conversation with
them, as 1 employed them as boatswains to direct the
others, and they never hinted at such a circumstance.
The Arrogante was also abundantly supplied with pro-
visions and water to complete her voyage ; thole being, as
near as I recollect, about 100 sacks of rice, and 10 tons
of water on board at the time of capture, and she was then
about four days' sail from her port of destination ; under
these circumstances, it is scarcely to be supposed
they would be guilty of such a horrible crime, or that
they would wantonly sacrifice to them such valuable pro-
perty. The master, by name Augustus Caesar Medina,
is a native of Port Praya, in the island of " St. Jago,"
Cape de Verds, and he informed me he had been six
voyages in the slave trade to the southward of the line,
and appeared perfectly to understand the management
of a slaver; during the time he remained with me be
conducted himself in a quiet inoffensive manner, and,
as far as I could judge, I do not think he would be
guilty of such a horrible transaction.
I have, &c.
(Signed) R. B. MILLER.
Lieutenant of H. M. S. Snake.
Commodore Douglas, Port Royal.