Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1854-09-08
MISCELLANY.
From Brantz Mayors Twenty Years on ar
African Slaver," in press.
How slaves are Shipped. +.

How slaves are shipped.
An African factor of fair repute is ever
careful to select his human cargo with con-
summate prudence, SO rs not only to supply
his employers with athletic laborers, but to
avoid any taint of disease that may affect the
slaves in their transit to Cuba OF the Ameri-
can main Two days before embarkation, the
head of every male and female is neatly
shaved and, if the cargo belongs to several
owners, each mans brand is impressed on the
body of his respective negro. This operation
is performed with pieces of silver wire, or
small irons fashioned into the merchants
initials, heated just enough to blister without
burning the skin. When the entire cargo is
the venture Of but one proprietor, the brand
ing is always dispensed with.
On the appointed day, the barraooon or
slave-pen is made Joyous by the abundant
" feed which signalizes the negros last
hours in his country. The feast over, they
are taken alongside the vessel in canoes and
as they touch the deck, they are entirely
stripped, 20 that women as we'll as men 90
out of Africa as they came into it-naked.
This precautIon, it will be understood, il in
dispensable A.; for perfect nudity, during the
whole voyage, is the only means of securing
cleanliness and health. In this state, they
are Immediately ordered below, the men to
the boys and girls are, day and night, kept
on deck, where their sole protection from the
elements is a sail in fair weather, and a tar
pauhn in foul.
At meal time they are distributed IN messes
of ten. Thirty years ago, when the Spanish
slave trade was lawful, the captains were
somewhat more tremendously religious than
at present, and it was then u universal habit
TO make the gangs say grace before meat, and
give thanks afterwards. In our days, how
ever, they dispense with this ritual, and con-
tent themselves with a " V'ro Ia Habana,"
or 4" hurrah for Havana" accompanied by a
clappng Of hands.
This over, bucket of salt water is served
to each mess by way Of A" finger glasses" for
the ablution Of hands, after which a kidd,-
either of rice, farina, yams OF beans, - ac-
cording to the tribal habit of the negroes, is
| placed before the squad. In order to prevent
| greediness OF inequality in the appropriation
of nourishment, the process is performed by
signals from u monitor, whose motions indi-
cate when the darkies shall dip and when
they shall swallow.
1t is the duty of guard to report imme-
diately whenever slave refuses TO eat in
order that his abstinence may be traced 50
stubbornne,n or disease. Negroes have some
times been found in slavers, who attempted
voluntary starvation 30 that, when the
watch reports the patient to be "sharnining,'
his appetite is stimulate d by the medIcnl an
tidote of " cat" II the slave, however, IL
truly i'll, he is ticketed Tor the sick list by a
band or button around his neck, and dis
patched to An iniirmary in the forccastle.
These meals occur twice daily,-at ten in
the morning and four in the afternoon, and
are terminated by another ablution. Thrice
in each twenty-four hours they are served
with halfa pint of water, Pipes and tobacco
are circulated economically among both
sexes but, us each negro cannot be allowed