Star.
London, England, 1822-08-05 00:00:00

SLAVE TRADE.

A letter from Portsmouth, in our Paper of Friday.
announced the capture of a French slave trade squa-
dron in the river Bonny, on the coast of Africa, and
the arrival of one of the prizes at that port. The fol-
lowing interesting details are copied from the Hamp-
shire Telegraph (Portsmouth Paper) of Saturday :
" Wednesday morning we were surprised with the Dow novel
circumstance of the arrival of a French brig, of 240 tons, called
the Vigilante, a. a prize, she having been captured, with several
others, in the act of slave trading (having 343 on board), on the
15th of April last, in the river Bonny (northward of the Line),
by the boats of his Majesty's ships Inman& and Mvaauson,
manned with about 150 seamen, and commanded by Lieute-
nant G. V, M. Sr. Jena bluaistay, after a must severe contest, in
which two seamen were killed, and seven were wounded. It is
not known how many of the slaves suffered in this vessel, as they
jumped overboard and were destroyed by the sharks; and,
mixing with the slates in the hold, after our seamen were in pos-
session of the upper deck, several slaves were also killed. One
poor girl about ten years of age had both her legs amputated, and
was doing well. This vessel, with six others, formed a little
slave trading squadron, which was discovered by the boats dis-
patched by Sir R. Manx to reconnoitre the river Bonny,
moored across the stream of the river, with springs on their ca-
bles, all armed, with apparently about 400 men on board, and
perfectly prepared to resist the approach of boarders. Lieute-
nant Micniaav pushed on with his boats, and as they got within
range of the slavers, they all opened a heavy fire of canister and
grape shot and musketry ; but as nothing could withstand the
coolness and undaunted courage of our seamen, all the vessels
were soon in their possession : their defenders, on being boarded,
many of them ran below, and others jumped overboard. The
vessels proved to be as follows :
" French brig Vigilante, 240 tons, four guns, thirty men, 34$
slaves; French brig Petite Betsey, 148 tons, four guns, twenty-
five men, 218 slaves; French brigantine l'Ursule, 100 tons, four
guns, twenty-seven men, 247 slaves; Spanish schooner Yesnam,
306 tons, ten guns, fifty-five men, 380 slaves; Spanish schooner
Becna, 130 tons, nine guns, forty-five men, $OO slaves ; and an-
other brig, which took part in the action, but the had no cargo in.
" The state of the unhappy slaves on board these vessels it is
impossible to describe : some were linked in shackles by the leg,
in pairs ; some of them were bound in cords ; and many of them
had their arms so lacerated that the flesh was completely eaten
through ! Another of the inhuman practices of their purchasers
is to flog them until they dance and eat, as an antidote to dejec-
tion and despair, as under these feelings they often throw them-
selves overboard in pairs ! What individual is there, with a
heart in any degree susceptible of human feelings, but must pray
for the extinction of this abominable traffic, and mourn for the
iniquity done by Christianized Europeans in that land of misery
and woe—Africa? The fiend-like cruelty of these hateful slave-
traders was discovered, and happily frustrated ere its design took
effect, on board one of the captured vessels, which the slavers,
on the attack being made, deserted, placing a lighted match in
the magazine, in which were several barrels of gunpowder, in
the hope, no doubt, that so soon as oar men had boarded, the
vessel would blow up with them, and the three hundred slaves
who were chained together in the hold. Providentially, one
of the men discovered it, very coolly put his hat under it, and
carried it safely on deck.
" We regret very much to state, that, on the passage of the
prizes from the Bonny River to Sierra Leone, the fine schooner
Yeanam (drawing 17 feet water), with 380 slaves on board, and
23 seamen, upset in a tornado, and all in her perished, excepting
eight seamen, who were picked up five days afterwards by the
Memnon*, in a state of derangement, from the want of food.
Messrs. BATTY and Douonvv, Midshipmen, perished in her.—
The number of slaves liberated by the capture of these vessels
was 1876, about 200 of whom died on the passage to Sierra
Leone ; the others (excepting those lost in the schooner) were
landed at that place. Lieutenant Dinamay came home in charge
of the Vigilante, and on landing set off for the Admiralty, with
dispatches from Commodore Sir Roamer Nuns. He left Sierra
Leone on the 20th June. The rainy season had just commenced.
The Deters, 18, Captain Trios. Woisace, and Balm, 20, Capt.
Cumicas Pamir's, had arrived out, front Portsmouth. Sir R.
Means intended to sail for England shortly in the lrunizena, to
refit. We congratulate the friends of humanity on the success
which has attended the first cruize of this excellent Officer on
the coast, in which a great blow has been struck at that inhuman
traffic which is the disgrace of Europe."

The Duke of ST.ALIA NS, a Lieutenant in the Royal
Navy, is placed on the list of retired Commanders.
Letters from India state that the GLASGOW fri-
gate, Captain B. C. Dovt.z, had arrived at Calcutta,
to embark the Marquis of HASTINGS and suite,
and that that ship will also bring to England fifty-
five lacs of rupees in silver (the almost incredible sum
of £2,750,000) ; and that the GANGES, new teak 80
gun ship, Captain F. A. COLLIZR, C.B. would shortly
sail for England, from Bombay, with the 65th Regi-
ment on board, and 45 lacs of rupees (about two mil-
lions two hundred and fifty thousand pounds), on
account of the Hon. East India Company, and other
British merchants.
ALL IN ONZ DAT !!!—TUESDAY, August 13th,
the Lottery finishes.—The Wheel still contains Two
Grand Prizes of £30,000 Consols, and various other
Prizes, all of which must be drawn that day.—A few
warranted undrawn Tickets and Shares are yet on sale
Lat Bull's Offices, 4, Coinhill, and 9, Cbarirg-Cron.