The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1839-08-21


reason assigned therefor that there Portuguese
Consul at thai port.
g. list Of vessels engaged in the slave trade which
had been searched and detained by British vessels on
the African station, between October lst, and Decem-
Der 3lst, 1888 Among these vessels the schooner
Consi,iueao, under Portuguese coiors, from Havana,
with papers signed by Mr. Tns,. and also blank pa
pers signed BY him, 20 be filled up rs occasion might
require She had no slaves board but slave iTons
plank for slave deck large coPpnrs, and other slasing
equipments
Then comes letter from Lord Palmerson TO Mr.
Fox, with enclosures, the principal Of which arc:
1, A letter from Lieut. Com. Birch, Of II. NJ
brig Wizard, dated of Bahia 18th Of November 1888,
TO Commodore Sullivan, stating that lhe 10th Of
September he had boarded the schooner Eagle Of Bal
timore under American coors and papers, Lieut..
Birch therefore did not think himself justified Ia search
ing her. although il was aeg d tia, she had landed
slaves 10 the nohwsrd of Bahia. Onsihe 10Th Of 0c-
tober following she sailed for Africa.
2. Another letter froU Lieut.. Com Birch to Com
modore Sullivan. dated the former, stating that the
American brig DIDO. Of Baltimore, Phillips master,
LEI, Havana in March, 1897, with general slave cargo;
touched at Port au Prince and Bonsysta. where the
usual sham sale 10 Portuguese effected, and Por
iuguese papers obtained thence proceeded the
Blight Of Benin, aud took on board i've hundred and
seventy five slaves with which she sailed for Bahia.
On nearing that port was that H. b. NJ. sloop.
ofwar sparowhawk was lying there, upon which The
evening the slaves were landed the brig put rights,
and the next day she into the harbor Of Bahia
under American colors. There was Portuguese
named Manuel on board who figured supercargo
when the brig was under American coors. and as mus
ter when under Portuguese; Phillips, the American
then, representing himself supcrcargo. The
Dido under Portuguese colors the coast Of Afri
ca--under American ut Bahia She sailed again for
the Of Africa on the 9Th Of July. One Of her
crew, James Fox subsequently entered on board tho
.laa ~ skz
facts above stated. He had seventy five dollars
month"; and hundred dollars bounty when the slaves
were landed.
g. Another letter from Lieut. Com. Birch TO Com
modore Sullivan, dated board the Wizard, of Bahia,
December 60 1885, stating that on the 10Th he board
ed the schooner Mary Lushing Of Baltimore Reynolds,
MASTER under American coors with Spanish and
Portuguese crew, from the Of Africa, bound for
Bahia Il was well known Bahia that she had been
sold Havana for the slave trade, retaining her Ame
rican papers and She hal been to the coast
Of Africa for slaves but there. closely watched
by of the British cruizers, that after stay OF some
weeks the attempt to get slaves on board was gwen
up and she sailed for Bahia in ballast She shortly
to sail again for Africa.
The master observed to the boarding officer, that II
there had been slaves board he would not have seen
the American colors up.
Then follows two letters from Lord Palmerston to
Mr. Fox nsructing him to call the attention Of tho
in officiating Portuguese Consul at Havana and 70
urge the necessity either Of entering into
ton by which British cruizers should be enabled to cap
ture slavers under the American aag Of sationng
American vessels Of the coast Of Africa for the
suppression of the slave trade under that flag
Next comes letter from Sir John Barrow, enclosing
six others l. From Lieut.. Reeve, Of H. b. M. sloop
of Lily, announcing The capture OF the American
brig Eagle sailing under American colors, but with
Spanish crew. and her release by the court at Sierra
bn~a har para Annc hen
captured she last from Havana, and was believed to
be the vessel formerly reported to the Admiralty
under the name Of the Tres Amigos, under Portuguese
colos, and employed in the slave trade Sac was sold
at Havana, and Mr. Trst attended the sale and granted
American papers. Three other vessels had been cap
tured and released. under like circumstances Of
which subsequently recsp.ured, with slaves on
board Lieut. Reeve concludes his letter by saying,
mo other flag ba, the American will be the
short time, for it affords all the protection
SLAYER requires, under the existing laws
. From Rear Admiral Ellio, to Mr. Wood from
which the following are extracts:
Several Of the slave dealers have declared their in
tcntion TO have American sailing master in each
sell and American colors and some have had the impu-
dence that the government Of the United States
would not discounenance such practices by any act
agreement which could such gross abuse Of the
American flag +"
THE probable object of using the American flag
being ready for shipments then to 60 through the farce Of
selling the vessels to Portuguese or Spaniard But
in case Of capture with slaves on board, under the
American flag, should beg know what is to be done
with the man passing for the American captain.
The actual sale Of nearly all the slave vessels in
question takes place at Havana, where is en-
gagged TO personiy American captain but they seem
very indifferent as to having any pretended American
papers. The flag, in their opinion, is sufficient
and as they also provided with the proper national
flag, they prepared in Of meeting with Ame
rican vessel Of war"
8. A letter from Lieut. Kelett to Rear Admiral FL
lott, dated on board II b M brig Brisk Sierra Leone,
October 20, 1889, announcing the capture Of the schr.
Mary Ann Cassard, under American colors. She be-
ionged TO Gilbert Cassard Of Baltimore, and had been
sold at Matanzas She had no American papers but the
roll, which signed by the u s. consul Matanzas.
Inc crew consisted Of spaniards the master was an
EnglIshman but called himself an American.
A. From 1t. Kelett to the same, calling attention to
the case Of the American schooner Mary Hopper above
stated She had Portuguese and American papers
the latter to be used if overhauled by British, the
former II by an American, vessel Of war
o. FROM Captain Popham, OF the soop OF war Peli-
can, mentioning the Of the ship Venus, of Balti
more, an exceeding fast sailer which arrived at Lagos
from Boston on tho 9Th November 1888, took in a
large cargo Of slaves, said to amount to $780, being
protected by the American flag aud papers while taking
',e saves on BOARD and hosting the Portuguese flag
When she sailed. The Pelican chased but could not
oyertake her.
AT Lagos the Pelican boarded large American
bngantine discharging cargo for the purchase Of
slaves.
Subsequently the Pelican boarded Portuguese slave
schooner, board which was an American named
Huntingdon who had sold the American schooner On
ario 10 SPaniard at Brass and subsequently, cap
urcd by the Pelican, being then under Spanish coors,
with 22O slaves on board. She had no papers The
letter concludes as follows
IL has been stated by Spanards and Portuguese
shaving on this coast that were il not for the active CO.
operation OF the Americans the slave trade would ma
leraly decline do not doubt, from all hear, that
the citizens Of the United States, GENERALLY Of Batl-
moIe) are more deeply interested in the slave trade
Havana and Brazil than is generally supposed"
g. Extract from a letter from Rear Admiral Elliott