New-York daily tribune., 1861-08-26
THE SLAVE-TRADE IN AFRICA.
Corrs.fordence Of The Joumsl Of omnercs.
WEsr CO,sT OF AFRICA, June 3

Corre.t .toudeuce Of The Joumsl Of Commercs.
WEsT CO,sT AFRICA, June g. lsei
On the arrival of the United States sloop-o'-war
Saratoga of tie mouth of the River COngo-the land
n]t in sight-s sG some distance to windward, under
"A crowd OF canvas, was discovered Cbase was I'M
neGiatoly made and ship gained sufficiently ON the
yesi e assure all on board, that she would soon be
oyertaned After dark, another s.il was reported
very near gun was fired, md the last discovered
vese hove TO. She WAS boarded and found TO be Tie
JOAN Gilpin, a regular and lawful trader between
tho Coast Of foa and the United States. This peces.
sary detention caused TO lose sight OF tie vessel
which we had chased, ard she escaped Soon after
our arrival et st. Paul de Loand0 We beard from un
doubted Authority thBt we had lost a prlze III tie
Ergnian, which brig Lad on board at The time OF our
chasing COO negroes. Ire Nr,quiln had been two or
three times captured sent home as Prize by one Of
our cruisers and here she again at her old tricks,
with full cargo OF slaves
Tho Falmouth IL at this time, If she has not sailed
within few days past, IL the Congo awaiting cargo
of " Ebony" Sbe wGs captured some time sgo and
cent home aud here she is again. all ready TO sail Tor
Cuba "a she gets her expected cargo on board
Perhaps she may again De caught though tue chances
ae by large odds in her favor Tie Triton, cent home
condemned and sold, IN now up for another cargo,
which she will procure soon az she can, ana on rhe
goe- for Cuba. The Storm King, sent from here,
er months ago. In charge Of prize oicer condemned
aud cold at Norfolk, has come back received he car
CO. and is her way rejoicing 10 Cuba, with Six
or seven hundred negroes on board. ! mention the
names Of there yesseL hs Is curious TACT that they
slavers captured By Btish cruisers destroyed and
Il would appear for good reason. II may as well be
mentioned now, that the Spanish schooner Aurelia
went of short time ago with cargo Of slaves, US
sso did a Spanish steamer, name not known 70 me,
from that place. remarkable for the great number Of
kinks who live there, and the great quantity OF rain
which falls there-Katenda.
Tie Ardennes, captured by the British steamer
Nranger full Of negroes lad been for months on the
coast and with the perfect knowledge OF this fact, her
capture Was ut last an accident. Sic received her
negroes Oh board at Msnque Orarde unmoiested, and
went on az She rather those on booTd gladly sup
posed, for Cuba. So with the Fairy and some Others
which have recently sailed, only they have not been
caught. Indeed sll nearly all tho vessels engaged
in the slave trade are well known, though not one Ia
eight or zen s caught. They are nnmolested, or al
leas only boarded and IL there DO no sa es on board
ere allowed 10 pass. Ia stating this fact IL Is not my
intention 10 blame In the slightest manner tie officers
OF the squadron. There is wrong somewhere, but not
with them. Those vessels all come ON the coast with
correct papers and no fault can be found with the
cargo they bring ous yet with NIL this In their favor
often happens dai the officer In charge OF the man
o..wa which boards thsm although he may be morally
certain thu. their only nention and business are TO en-.
ga eE illegal trafc, does not take charge oil tneI
anu the reason Is obvous.
IL rarely happeps shat chip, captured without
siayes condemned, and the fact OF their not being
rondeinnsd gives lie scCundrels in Charge u those VII
lnous crafts a soat grievance. lawyer is con-
suited by them, OF ecuree lawsuit Is the conse-
quence and if the naval officer escape ruin be Il ior-
tunatc man. This ~ not an imaginary picture An
officer, who had command OF sloop-0f-war on this
coast some yeors ago. has suffered from tho cause men
toned and his case Is hint 10 others. IT, then the
only indispensable or legal evidence which will con-
denim vessel SLAYER is that she mnst have slaves
board, who will dIe, at the great rk presented,
capture vessel unless she has the siaUeS on board
Formerly, but very rarely now, these vessels were
taken when hey mad on board all tho requirements OF
a SLAYER as cargo, such as coppen and galley for
cooking the viotuals of slayee,. lumbe for mSkicg
slave deck, great many Casks for water such ood as
Is generally under such circ umstances provided tor
slaves &c.; but ships whose intention IS ~
6Tak the ieD rarely take theso suspicious articles on
board till as shout the time that they receive the
grOes Indeed in one ship Of whose capture am
c0gnzaut the last things 10 be brought bosri
tie galley and other cooking utensils Not many days
ago one vessel came out with lawful cargo, which
she thew overheard for the accommodation Of No
groes. This WIS the Storm King.
Rarely do the ships engaged in this traffic ea under
other than the American fag though If necessity makes
them show colors to American the lsst
thing In the world that they would .how would be tho
AmerteG. flag. To foreign national vessels this hag
would be blazoned at their peak. AS q resnlt, IA
American nan-ol-wsr would have lo right 70 board,
because olher than the American lag is snowh.
An English man-otwnr must not board, because the |
American tag is shown. II IA most curious paradox
that tn United States the only nation that has pro- |
claimed the sverade policy, should insist that her
flag should protect pirates Would II not be propefto
allow the right Vi visit 10 American vessels Oh 'he