The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1849-07-07
The Shave Trade.

The slave Trade.
We extract the following from curious work
entitled the African Blockade, by Commodore
Forbes, r. N, who was captain of II. M. S.
Bonetta, one Of the squadron stationed on the
West Coast Of Africa for the suppression Of the
slave trade:
SLAVE VEssELs--In May, the stearn-trader,
Maid Of Isley, belonging to Bremen merchant
Of Sierra Leone, being engaged in landing rice
for the slave merchants Of Gallinas (under the
British flag, was mistaken for Brazilian
steamer, and her crew reported that 200 slaves
were sent alongside in six boats, but pulled on
shore as soon as the mistake was discovered.
These are the same boats that Don Luis sent
for the prize crews, a1d fully capable Of holding
2O0 slaves each. They are rowed by forty men,
whose seats are so high that man can walk
underneath. On the slaves being received, the
largest men,are picked out (if not sent with bad
characters) as head.men, and these, dividing
the slaves into gangs, according to the size Of
the vessel, of from ten TO twenty, keep them in
order. The slave deck is divided into two I'M
equal parts, the greater for the men, the other
for women and children, and between the sexes
no communication takes place during the voy-
age.
The stowage Is managed entirely by the head
men, who take care that the largest slaves shall
be farthest from the ships side, or from any
position in which their strength might avail
them, to secure alarger space than their neigh
bors. The form Of stowage is, that the poor
wretches shall be seated on the hams, and the
head thrust between the knees, and so close,
that when one moves the mass must. In this
state, natures Offices are performed, and fire.
quently, from the maddened passions of uncivl-
Used men, fight ensues between parties Of two
nations whose warlIks habits have filled the
slave-ship-alike prisoners, each to the others
ruler, and all sold TO the same factor. In one
instance, brig, the Isabella IL, taken by II. NJ.
s. Sappho, in 1898, had been chased off the
coast for three days, and when the matches were
oppened, starvation had maddened, and assisted
by regular battle between the Akoos and
Eboos. had destroyed 300 human beings This
slate Of misery works, In measure, its own
care. Feyers and eutaneous diseases, conse-
quent ON the crowded state Of the decks, carry
of sometimes hundreds, and leave TO the sur
vivors, at least room enough.
In the West Indies, vessels taken from AT
RIGA offer most 5eplorable picture, many Of
the slaves being in dreadful sgonies, from a
loathsome cutaneous disease, yclept the kras-
hras. IL commences like the itch, between the
! fingers, Sc, but, unless checked, II runs into
nloers OF size, and. from extreme irri-
tation, often proves fatal. Should a mutiny
break out, the cowardly nature of the dastards
employed at once breaks forth, frequently deci-
mating the whole--hanging some, shooting
others, aud cutting and manning just sufficient
to hinder recurrence on board, and yet not 10
spoil the sale Of the article. Sometimes fear
quite overpowers the slaves, as will appear in
the following account of mutiny. given by the
captain Of the Curioso, (prize to ii. M. S. Am
Phitrite, in May, 1857, to Lieutenant Strick-
land the prize-oficer. This mutiny had &C.
Cured on previous voyage. The state Of the
vessel was this: Slaves, 100 men; crew, cap
tain, four whites and a black steward. The
latter managed 10 convey. unseen, the only
four cutlasses, together with three razors, TO
the slaves. At 3 Ia the morning, lying III with
the fever, he heard the slaves breaking out of
the hold. Aiming himself with a knife, he
rushed on deck, fought until the knife broke.
Selling another, and assisted by three white
men, the fourth having been killed, the combat
remained undecided until one Of the white men
found loaded musket, with which he soon
cleared the decks. Daylight revealed a horrid
sight. As many as sixty-seven Of the slaves
lay bleeding or dead; in word, the deck was
perfect scene Of carnage. All the survivors
were put below, ard for the rest of the voyage,
none allowed 10 appear on deck. Food and
water were handed through the iron gratings Of
the hstchwsys. The slave is fed twice day;
in order to give room, one-half are allowed on
deck. At the hour of the meal, they are ranged
into messes, and when all is ready, at a signal
from the head-men, they commence. The food
consists Of either rice, calabancies Ia kind of
BEAM, or farinha 1.-THE -four of the cassada, a
species Of potato) boiIed. As a relish to those,
are either salt pork, beef fish, chillies or palm
oil, in small quantities. After each meal, they
are made to sing, to digest the food, and then
the water is served out, the fullest nominal al
lowance Of which Is one quart daily, though
seldom more than pint Is given. The modes
Of administering this necessary support of ma
ture are various. The most extraordinary, is
the introduction of Tin tube TO the cask, and
allowing each slave TO hove the use OF It for
certain time, whereby il is said little water is
made TO 20 great way