page_0005

3
[From the Sierra Leone Gazette, September 28, 1822.]
Report of Lieutenant Hagan of the Thistle

"The Thistle during her last cruize visited the Bissao river,
also the river and settlement of Cacheo. Lieutenant Hagan received
In the latter place of a corroboration of the information he before
obtained of the trade of slaves being still carried on in that settle-
ment. About the middle of August, a Portuguese brig belonging to
Mr. Coelho, a character well known at the Cape de Verds, sailed
with a full cargo (supposed five hundred) of slaves; another brig,
(the Apollo?) the property of a Mr. John Pereira, Member of the
Junta in St. Jago, arrived in June for the same purpose; but Liue-
tenant Hagan was told that she did not take away any, owing to the
indisposition of Mr. Pereira, who it is said, sailed for Lisbon for
the purpose of receiving medical assistance. Lieutenant Hagan had
reason, however, to doubt this story.

"Lieutenant Hagan describes the town of Cacheo as the most
wretched slave factory he ever visisted. The low, damp, and confined
cells for the slaves, were loathsome in the extreme, many of them
being below the high-tide mark of the river. The block-house, or,
as it is called, the fort, is in a most wretched state of decay; one gun
only is mounted, the others being dismounted with a log of wood
under the muzzle. The swamps and stagnant pools immediately in
rear of the town, render Cacheo assuredly the most unhealthy place
that can be imagined; but this is not sufficient to deter the slave
traders, who generally lose one-half of their crews, frequently all
their Europeans.

"Lieutenant Hagan was not able to procure any stock, although
it was in the town in grat abundance; he was even refused a pilot
to take him out—the greatest jealousy appearing to prevail from a
visit, as unexpected as it was unwelcome. The Thistle, however, by
keeping the boats a-head and other preautions, found no difficulty
in the navigation.

"The officers composing the garrison of this place (Cacheo) are
all blacks, and mulattoes, with the exception of the Governor, J.
Antonio Gomez, and another officer: a creole Portuguse of the
Cape de Verd Islands, did not attempt to conceal that a brisk trade
in slaves was still carried on there, as well as at Bissao; and boasted,
that the Thistle found the two vessels already named, she might
probably have changed masters; one being armed with sixteen, the
other with eleven guns. The return of these vessels, as well as
others, is spoken of as a matter of course in the present season; and,
as far as Lieutenant Hagan could judge from the number of slaves,
seen in the place, they will not be long in completing their cargoes
of unfortunate human victims."

[From the Sierra Leone Gazette, October 12, 1822]
British and Spanish Court of Mixed Commission, October 5th

Schooner Josefa, alias Maracagerca, Josef Mayona, Master—
"This vessel, of ninety Spanish tons burthren, with a rew of twenty-
one men, arrived with one long eighteen-pounder, twenty-one mus-
kets, nine cutlasses, twelve pikes and six pistols, with ammunition in
proportion, cleared out from the Havanna on the 6th of April last for
the Coast of Africa, ostensibly for a cargo of ivory, wax, dye woods,
&c. The clearance was signed by the regular officer "Nicolus de
Foro," who signed a clearance for this same vessel, Don Juan Baptista
Zavala being master, in august, 1821, for a similar voyage. In this
last-mentioned clearance it is stated that she was to land some "free
negroes" in Africa; but does not mention who or what they were,
nor where to be landed. At the time of her sailing on her present
voyage, it appears from the Role d'Equipage, that Josef Moyan, a
native of Malaga, was master and first pilot, and apparently part
owner; Jozè Ferris, a native of the same place, second pilot; Jozè
Zavala, a native of Biscay, third pilot, and Jozè Saaveeha, a native
of Ferrol, "contremestre," or boatswain.

"After leaving the Havanna, the Josefa called at the Gallinas,
on this coast, then at Grand Bassa, and finally entered the River
Bonny, where her cargo was delivered and a return cargo of slaves
purchased. Whilst lying in that river, with water casks full, plat-
forms laid and waiting for her slave cargo, she was boarded, in the
latter end of July, by Lieutenant Saumarez, in command of the
boats of his Majesty's ship "Driver;" but there being no slaves
actually on board, he was unwillingly obliged to leave her, after
taking the precaution of endorsing her papers. She crossed the
Bonny bar on the 18th of August, and was met the same day by the
Driver, which had returned in search of her and, after a long chase,
was captured at eight next morning, having on board two hundred
and sixteen slaves, all males, and, with a small exception, all men.
Captain Woolrige immediately sent her to this place.

"The case being very clear, the Commissioners passed sentence
of condemnation without any remarks."

[From the Sierra Leone Gazette, October 19, 1822.]
Portuguese Brig the Commerciante
H.M.S. Driver, Captain Woolrige, returned to this harbour,
from a successful cruize to Leeward, having captured, in addition to
the Spanish schooner described in our last, a Portuguese brig in the
River Cameroons, on the 7th ultimo, with one hundred and seventy-
nine slaves. An English merchant ship communicated the [???]
tion at sea: the Driver anchored off the mouth of the river, and the
following morning, as the boats got into sight of the slave vessel, a great
many canoes were seen about her: as the boats approached nearer, it
was perceived that they were making every effort in landing the
slaves; and when the last load left, the boats were actually within
pistol shot of the vessel. Lieutenant King, who commanded the
boats, explained to the Chiefs (Bell and Aqua) the impropriety of
assisting to land the slaves, adding, that they were removed from
the vessel in sight of his Majesty's boats, they must be returned to
her. This they complied with most readily; indeed, in half an hour,
the same canoes which had been employed in landing them, put the
whole on board. Thus one hundred and seventy-nine slaves, chiefly
females, were, under divine providence, rescued from the galling iron
grasp of the unfeeling and merciless slave-dealer. The brig proved
[???]
Nasa del Noble owner; 219 tons, [???] men, 4 guns, from [???]. The
slaves were remarkably healthy, and, as soon as they understood the
cause of their seizure and liberation, they fell on their faces, approached
the feet of the officers of the Driver, making every demonstration of
joy and satisfaction.

"The Driver examined, in this cruize, twelve slave vessels; viz.
eight Portuguese, one of which was captured; one Spanish, which
was also captured, and three French, one from Havre de Grace and
two from Nantz."

[From the Sierra Leone Gazette, October 26, 1822]
A Return of Slave Vessels boarded by H.M.S. Driver, Captain Thomas Woolrige,
between the 14th of July and 19th of September, 1822

No.	Time when	What place	Name and description of Vessel.	No. of Men	No. of Gun	No. of tons	Where from	Where bound	Where belonging	No. of Slaves.	Remarks &c.
1	July 14	Whydah...	Schooner Cararades*	20	2	200	Buda	Malembo	Bahai	506	With Royal Licenses to trade for slaves to the southward of the Line, but preparing to ship them—Slaves already on shore for embarkation—water casks full and platforms down
2	.......	Ditto	Ship Vigilante*	33	4	300	Bahia	Whydah	Bahia	1000	" "
3	—15	Ditto	Smack St. Antonio, Lisbon*	26	2	188	Ditto	Malembo	Ditto	600	" "
4	.......	Porto Novo	Schr, Juliana*	28	6	150	Ditto	Ditto	Ditto	500	" "
5	.......	Ditto	Schr. Conseinson	33	2	270	Ditto	Ditto	Ditto	502	" "
6	.......	Badagary	Brig Bom Caminho*.	26	1	250	Ditto	Ditto	Ditto	506	" "
7	—20	Bonny	Brig La Fontaine+	21	2	128	Nantz	Prince's	Nantz	600	Boarded by Lieut. King, in river Bonny, preparing to take slaves on board.
8	—21	Ditto	—La Juliet	26	6	209	Havannah	St. Thomas'	Nantz	400	" "
9	Aug. 13	At sea	Schr. Magdalena	11	3	20	Riv Gaboon	Prince's	Prince's	60	Said they were trading for palm oil, ivory, &c, but platforms laid for slaves, belonging to the Governor of Prince's.
10	—18	Ditto	Ketch Le Furet ++	7	4	60	Calabar	Do. & Honir	Havre	620	Trading for palm oil, ivory, &c.
11	Sept. 7...	Cameroons.	Brig Commerciante (Captured)	30	4 , 1h.	249	R. Camaroon	Bahia	Bahia	650	Portuguese { Captured by Lt. John King, in the ship's boats, up the river Cameroon, with 179 slaves, which were in the act of being landed when that officer took possession of her, but were all restored upon his determined conduct.
12	Sept 19	Bonny	Schr. Joseia Maraca-yera (Captured)	21	1	90	—Bonny	Havannah	Havannah	217	Spanish { Captured by the ship, after an interesting chase of twenty hours, with 216 male slaves on board

* This vessel was boarded at sea, and said by her Captain to be bound for Prince's, but was the next day boarded in the river Bonny.
++ This was the tender to the Le Phenix from Havre, vide Nos. 205, 222, and 225, This ketch is constantly employed in collecting slaves at the different slave ports
on the coast, for a Company of Slave Dealers at Havre and Nantz.
¶ Those marked thus * had Royal Passports, to take the number of Slaves specified from Molembo and Cabenda, but here they were to the northward of the
equator with their cargoes on shore, the slaves preparing for embarkation, platforms down and water casks full, and every thing ready for sailing with the victims of
their criminal cupidity.