The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1839-10-26
VOLUME Il 4.
1ElzIlA V1IDlA OF NL2 I'll D0ALo
From the Emancipator.
The Court of Mixed Commission.


TO examine the six folio volumes of ParIiamenta
ny documents on the slave trade, communicated
and published the present year, chiefly filled with
abe communications of the Mixed Commission
Courts at Havana, Rio Janero and Sierra Leone
and letters of the naval officers employed in the
slave-trade suppression service. An article ap
peared some time since in the Commercial Adver
tser, drawn from this source, but it was quite toe
superficial TO afford any adequate idea Of the ex
tent and importance Of the information here pre-
scented. The Court of Mixed Commissions" i.
constituted under the treaties of Great Britain
with Portugal and Spain for the suppression o
the slave trade, and consists of two commission.
ers appointed and supported by each government
for the trial of all vessels that may be seized and
sent in by the cruisers Of either power suspi-
con of having been destined for or engaged in
the slave trade. There are, we believe, four such
tribunals; British and Spanish court at Havana,
and another at Sierra Leone-a British and Por-
tuguese court at Rio, aud another at Sierra Leone.
The British Commissioners make full returns OF
all their proceedings to the Admiralty, and their
communications rich in important Information
AS specimen of the caution and order of their
proceedings, although rather long, we have tran
scribed, and now present the following article.
NUMBER TWENTY.
SIERRA LEONE, Nov. II, 1888.
My Lord
We have the honor to transmit to your Lord
ship herewith, report of the Of the schoo-
ner "ConStituciano," Joaquin da Souza Pinto,
master; which was captured by Her Maje<ty's
brig Brisk" and condemned in the British AND
Spanish Mixed Court Of Justice, on the 10th in
slant.
Although the "Constituciano" was sailing un-
der the Portuguese flag at the moment of her
cbo n,,od bolo In
of Rorosa Marine and Company, of Havana; and
her detention took place just in time to prevent
The embarkation of full cargo of slaves, for the
reception OF whom every preparation had been
made.
An agreement was signed in Havana by the
s. crew, promising to acknowledge, in the character
of captain and representative Of the owners, no.
the Portuguese who figures as captain in the pa
pers, but Spaniard Of the name of Batalla who
embarked as passenger, with passport from the
Spanish authorities
From other papers it appears that the nominal
Portuguese master was only of the rank OF car
penter on board small Portuguese brig of war;
and that the pay he received for his general ser
vices on board the "Constituciano" and for thus
lending his name to lower her true character con-
sideraby less than that Of the man who is said to
have been his boutswan.
The evidence respecting the equipment Of the
vessel for slave trade was very complete; and
Spanish ownership and course of trade having
decided her national character, the court felt no
hesitation in declaring the "ConStitucaano" to be
forfeited for violation of the Spanish slave trade
treaty.
We have, &c.
(Signed) Fl. w. MAcAuLAY.
r. DoHERTY.
The Right Hon. Viscount Pamerston, G. G.
B. &c. &c.
Report of the case of the schooner "Constituci-
ano," Joaquin dd Sou2G Pinto, Master.
This case resembles, in all its main features,
those which we have lately been called upon to
report; in which the protection of the Portuguese
flag has been invoked by Spanish slave traders
against the consequences of a violation of the
slave trade treaty of Spain, and in which it has
beea the duty of the court to remove the disguise
which has been assumed, and to disclose the real
character of the transaction submitted to its no.
tice.
The ships papers, Nos and 2, show the mu-
tual assistance which is rendered by the Portu-
ouese and Spanish authorities, stationed at Ha-
yana, to give security and support to elicit slave
trade adventures. They consist of clearance
from the Havana custom house, and certificate
.hereof from the Portuguese Consul, Don Jose
Fernandez, declaring tnat lne Tortuguese sCno"-
ner "Coustituciano" joaquin da Souza Pinto,
master cleared out from Havana for 81. Thomas,
ON the 24th of March, 1888, with 3S leaguers
and water casks; some to be filed with water,
and some in shakes to be filed with palm oil on
the return voyage, Two cauldrons, [slave boilers
40 clarity the said oil; and 1000 feet of plank
and 500 feet of scantlng [slave deck and beams
to support it, for the purpose Of erecting facto-
ny Oh shore.
No. 8, the Portuguese Register under which
The vessel sails, purports to have been obtained
from Leandro Joze da Costa Military Governor
If S., Thomas, on the llth Of April, 1887, al
,bonoh she is declared, in the same document toI
nave been built in America, and therefore not en-
titled according 10 the present state OF the law to
a Portuguese Register. The owner is said to be |
Tni;o Ferreira de Almeda, and the master, Fran
cisco joe Das, both Portuguese subjects This
register was visaed by Fernandez, the Portuguese
Consul at Havana, in March last on her depar-
ture for this coast and he adds certificate as TO
The appointment of the present master.
Nos. a and S. On the same day, (March :, ~, |
1889 the Portuguese Consul granted clean 6ll,l
: - H. So nst;flei1uo" and certhed |