The Sun.
London, England, 1860-04-12 00:00:00

THE SLATE TRADE AS IT IS.

The following is the letter of the special corre-
spondent of the New York Times referred to in our
second article of Mon lay last. It shows the actual
character of the traffic, the fleet engaged, and the
machinery and mode of operations. We retain the
subordinate headings of the writer :

St. Paul de Loando, West Coast of Africa,
Jan. 15, 1860.

I had supposed previously to leaving the States
that the assumed revival of the African slave trade
was mainly greatly exaggerated to serve the pur-
poses of partisan politicians. A stay of a few months
upon " the coast," however, has proved to me not
merely that " the half has not been told," but that
people on your side of the water know but very
little of the real extent of the traffic as carried on
at the present time. _

We need not go back to the days prior to the
joint Anglo American treaty for the suppression of
the traffic to read the record of middle passages and
the other horrors of the trade ; we have at this time
just such a record to read if we will only open the
book. At no time since the provisions of that treaty
were made known to the world has the traffic been
as actively and successfully prosecuted as at the
present. The seas on the coast swarm with vessels
whose only and known object is to get (in slave
coast parlance) a cargo of "live stock." Congo
River and its immediate vicinity is a favourite place
for the receiving of these live cargoes, and from
this point alone, I may say, without overreaching
the mark, there have been, within the last four
months, at least 4,500 negroes carried off. Three
out of four vessels clearing from the coast with live
cargoes succeed in getting off safely ; 200 miles
from the coast, and their chance of a safe venture
is ton to one in their favour. Almost invariably
this work is carried on under the cover of the
American flag, and it is now notorious here that
every merchant vessel seen in these seas flying that
flag is a justly suspected craft. I may exempt from
this sweeping assertion the single bi-monthly line
of vessels plying between Salem, Mass., and this
place ; the advent of any other legitimate traders
is like angels' visits.
I have thus above dealt in assertion ; for the
whys and wherefores of these assertions look further
along ; they will appear strange, but they will be
true.

The traffic is carried on in just the same style that
it was in days of yore. Improvement in other things
had not necessitated any change in the slaver or
his vessel. The lot of the negro is rather worse
if anything aboard of the modern slave ship than
was formerly the case, before the trade was made
piracy. The cargo is now taken aboard in two or
three hours, not leisurely as under the old regime ;
no regard, of course, is had for their comfort under
such circumstances. The water is got aboard as hur-
riedly as the cargo, and of course in insufficient
quantities. Hence the fearful suffering and death,
from thirst alone, so common in slave ships. The
slave deck is laid as of old, and on a vessel of, say
300 tons burden, there will be 1000 human beings
stowed away. Those slavers who save two-thirds of
their cargo do well. Often one-half of a cargo is
hove overboard before reaching the destined market.
One sample will I give as being illustrative of the
whole class of slavers, and the life in them. I al-
most fear to enter on my task for fear of being ac-
cused of a disposition to exaggerate ; but laying
aside my scruples, here is the truth.
A short time since RAI S. Viper captured the
brig Tavernier, of New York, having a cargo of near
GOO negroes aboard. When first seen she was flying
American colours. Capture king inevitable, she
threw her papers overboard and hauled down her
flag. The scene between decks was shocking. Stowed
in a sitting posture, with their knees drawn close
up to their breasts, were over 500 human beings
whose skins were black, mostly children and
young persons, and some women. So close were
' they packed that they could not move, and could
hardly breathe. In this suffocating condition they
were struggling for life. The strong were killing
the weak to make room for themselves, and that a
lwitatslemore of God's air might be had. Disease
cially among
ophthailnheinlia. in
many
other forms, and espe-
yuag for air andSewaatseharnel-house. But the
irc,k,thhoesmee
poor sick,
wstarertvoihnegs
crowded this floating c,
Cr
d slaverswerewhen on
merciful,
wasreiful , for
sok
they
o
. d b
helpedar thee
fselraev col toe
nigh unto death, they
kindly- assisted him oriherovetb
soul had left the body. The
i.aey sometimes ai ity of their mercy
would
was not strained either, for th
substitute another death fo
drowning--the negro
was knocked on the head with an axe
breaking out, it was supposed to be contagious, and
the sufferers were made away without any scruples
'
of that troublesome thing, called conscience. An
idea of the mortality on board the Tavernier may
be formed when I state that, after her capture by
the Viper, upon her passage over to St. Helena,
whither she was sent in charge of a prize crew,
nearly one hundred of her negroes died. This was
during a run of only about ten days' duration.
I have not, above, taken an extreme ease: The
Tavernier's case is the rule and not the exception.
Less of the horrible would be the exception and
not the rule.

CHARACTER OF THE SLATE TRADERS.
I have cruised around among this class of
people upon whom this brand of piracy was
fixed purposely to see what the cut of their
jib was, and as may be supposed I have often
found myself in bad company. I have come to
the conclusion that there were different grades
df society even among slavers. First, there
is the genteel cut-throat. I mistake in
saying that the brand of piracy is affixed to
this class, for he is only indirectly engaged in the
work. His vocation is, however, always expressed
and understood. This class of cut-throats live high
and in style, and as a consequence they are consi-
dered " respectable." Sometimes they aro dubbed
" gentlemen ' by the parasites who partake of their
wines and dinners. They exercise munificent hospi-
tality, are great sticklers for rank and distinction.
Their guests are oftener naval officers than any
others. Their process of working on the feelings of
tis class is called "the dinner and old wine
pro-
e ss."
The second class of slave-trade society are the
s mi-genteel cut-throats. This class includes in its
r nks captains,
le law could makeh these gent
supercargoes and o
a -hour between ry
offisceielrlsatoef
foslrahvearlsi
around, their neeksehauvtenit
dand earth, with a rope
two-are a
especially the first
,r,_on't. Out here they—
well-dressed set, with
plenty of money.
auey knock around in a devil-