Star.
London, England, 1826-08-26 00:00:00

FRENCH TRAFFIC IN SLAVES.

The following letter fr.oin the agents at Havre, dated
the 22d of August, was received at Lloyd's yesterday :
Webeg leave to communicate to you an extract of a
report recently made to the King, by his Excellency
the Minister of the Marine, relative to the slave-trade,
and inasmuch as it displays the good faith and earnest
desire of this Government to suppress, to the utmost of'
its power, that odious commerce, we have considered it
would be agreeable to Lloyd's to receive an authentic
communication of the following details:
" His Excellency states to the King, that the French
Government has never relaxed in its efforts for the sup-
pression of the slave-trade: that the naval station on
the coast of Africa, which, up to the present, consisted
of a sloop of war, two brigs, and four othet vessels, has
recently been reinforced by a frigate: that another force
had been ordered to cruise off Cuba: that the governors
of French colonies, and naval officers commanding in the
We•t Indies, Cayenne, Bordeaux, and Madagascar, had
received eke most positive and pressing injunctions to
use alliefue vigilance, and to seize all French vessels
which might attempt to trade in slaves: that orders
had been issued from the department of the Marine,
addressed to all King's ships on their leaving French
ports, to assist in tie repression of this odious traffic, by
boarding and searching all French vessels suspected of
engaging in the same, and to detain those whose lading
and equipment furnishei proof of their being slave-
ships. The Minister observes, that a Royal decision
held out to the captors a premium of 1001. head
money, for each slave brought in, to be employed in
the public works; that French Consuls in the western
coasts of America were authorized to sequester any
French ship convicted of trading in slaves, with orders
to send her to the nearest French colony for adjudica-
tion. Finally, 'the naval authorities in the ports of
France are required to throw every obstacle in the way
of the clearance of any vessel, whose outfit and general
equipment may appear suspicious: they are commanded
to be vigilant in preventing the shipment of manacles
calculated for fastening slaves together, as also of a
greater number of water-cocks or boilers than may be
strictly necessary for the crew, and not to deliver the
muster-roll in all cases where the number of the crew
shall exceed that usually employed in vessels to which
no suspicion attaches. The report aids, that all con-
traventions to the laws prohibitory of trading in slaves
are judicially provided against ; that any, the slightest
element of proof, shall furnish sufficient ground for
bringing the delinquents before the tribunals. It states,
that since 1817, 153 cases have been submitted to the
Courts abroad and at home, which have led to 53 con-
victions and 74 acquittals, leaving 26 in which the le-
gal procedure is still incomplete.
" The Minister concludes by observing, 1 Such, Sire,
are the measures commanded and acted on with rigour,
in order to enforce the strict execution of treaties, and
of the laws : if they have not entirely suppressed this
forbidden traffic, at least they prove that the Govern-
ment omits nothing having this object in view.'"