Any person who has visited Africa, and who has been employed by his Govern- I was at anchor off Grand Cape Palmas: ment in the suppression of that frightful it was Sunday, and, to use a sailor's extraffic in human flesh, will at once see pression, our church was rigged," and the truth of every word contained in the bell tolling, when it was reported to your book, with this only exception, that, me that several large canoes were pulling I think, generally speaking, you rather off; and as I did not wish to be interunderrate the average number of slaves rupted during the service, I waited till they that are yearly exported from the rivers, came on board. I then told the king that and that in describing the horrors of a I could not speak to him till after the slave vessel fall you of short of what it prayers, but that he might, with many very in reality is, for it is not in the power of his people, remain if they would be perman, even those who have witnessed such fectly quiet; he said, "Let me make prayer scenes, to paint the wretchedness and with you." I accordingly placed him, with misery which take place, or the disgust- some of his chiefs, near me, The bell ing cruelty of the brutes (for I would not again tolled; the band played the mornprofane the name by calling them men) ing hymn, and the service commenced, who have charge of these poor helpless and although many people may fancy that unoffending creatures after they are sailors have but little religion, yet the shipped.

solemn and devout appearance of a wellappointed ship's company at prayers, their attention and desire to hear and learn, might lead even some of our congregations on shore to be more attentive. These poor blacks were perfectly astonished; their attention to all that passed I shall never forget; standing when we stood, kneeling when we knelt, and watching every motion with the utmost anxiety. When the service was ended, the king exclaimed, "White man be God;" he added, "would the King of England send him clergymen to teach his people the way to 'proper Spirit,' to the 'God of the white man;' if he would, their safety should be guaranteed; he would give them houses and land, and support them in every way; that he would trade with England and with other countries, and never again deal in slaves ;" and I firmly believe he meant what he said.

The prevention of the Slave Trade by a strict blockade of the west coast of Africa, between the Rio Volta and the Cameroons, a direct distance of about 500 miles, is not only possible, but may be done without any great difficulty. A steam-vessel, or a fast-sailing cutter or schooner, at the mouth of every large river (the former would be the best), say ten in all, manned with from thirty to thirty-five seamen, each with two large guns on pivot, with three or four larger steam-vessels manned with from forty-five to fifty men, then the small vessels as guard-ships, and occasionally to watch the motions of the vessels in the rivers, would, in my opinion, in the course of two years completely put a stop to it along that important portion of the coast; and the benefit that would accrue to the trade of our country would more than pay for the outfit of the steamers.

The force now employed for the suppression of the Slave Trade is, I believe, 140 guns and 1100 men. The force in steam-vessels would be

CAPTURE OF A SLAVE VESSEL. The Journal des Debats of the 21st of January gives an account of the capture of La Poncha, a Portuguese pirate and slaver, off the Comoro Islands, by La Prévoyante, a French ship of war engaged in surveying the Mozambique channel; 220 slaves and 22 Arabs were found on board her, which it was intended to carry to the Havana. The Governor of Bourbon, in complimenting Lieutenant JEHENNE, commander of La Prévoyante, on his gallant conduct, boldly declared, "that he had acted as he ought to have done, whatever may be the judgment pronounced upon the validity of his prize.'

From and to Sierra Leone:-
John Forster.....171..Oliver

*Margaret........ 241.. Harper........London.. 10 Feb.

From and to Fernando Po:*Reliance....

Harriet.....

.333..Howell...... .London....4 Feb. ..396..Beech........Deptford. 10 Feb. *The Post-Office will despatch letters by these vessels.

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BY

THE COMMITTEE OF THE SOCIETY FOR THE EXTINCTION OF THE
SLAVE TRADE AND FOR THE CIVILIZATION OF AFRICA.

PARLIAMENTARY SLAVE-TRADE PAPERS FOR 1839-1840.

Ir may be proper to remind our readers that the papers which form the subject of the following pages, contain the correspondence of Government with its own Officers and with Foreign Powers together with a mass of statistical information on matters relating to the Slave Trade, being part of a series annually laid before Parliament. As an authentic record of the various negotiations and compulsory methods by which this country, in alliance with other states, has attempted, but in vain, to abolish this accursed traffic, their contents must be considered of the highest interest and value; but they are far too voluminous to admit of general perusal.

In order to give greater circulation to such important details, digests of these papers were, in former years, occasionally published by the London Anti-Slavery Society; and most of the leading facts of later date have undergone sufficient notice in the elaborate volume recently published by Sir Fowell Buxton.

But still the correspondence proceeds, and every year's report discloses fresh facts, and furnishes additional arguments, to prove the inadequacy of the means hitherto employed for the extinction of this tremendous evil. A conviction of this painful truth lies at the foundation of the present Society; it becomes, therefore, the duty of its Committee to furnish these unhappy confirmations as they arise, and to bring them within the reach of those readers who may not have access to the original papers.

In accordance with this object, the present article is designed to present a summary of facts tending still further to corroborate the statements, and justify the views, entertained by Sir Fowell Buxton; the extracts will therefore be arranged in the order of subjects adopted by that distinguished philanthropist in his recent publication.

A more complete examination of the relations actually subsisting between this Government and Foreign States, as well as of the legislative and practical measures respectively adopted by them, would require a separate article, and must, together with further references to these volumes, be reserved for a future occasion.

The first subject to which we shall now direct our attention will be the EXTENT of the Slave Trade.

VOL. I.

E

BRAZIL.

at Pernambuco, Mr. Watts, thus writes to Viscount Palmerston, on the 27th July, 1839: "The list No. 2 does not exhibit either the number of slaves landed, or the names of the creeks and inlets in which theyhave been disembarked, for the utmost diligence of inquiry or

Her Majesty's commissioners, in noticing, on the 16th May, 1839, two reports of the Brazilian ministers, say, "Both reports attest, unfortunately, the continuance of the traffic; and the experience of every day confirms its alarm-vigilance of research cannot arrive at a ing progress. As a proof, we have to correct knowledge of these facts, which inform your Lordship (Viscount Pal- are impenetrably veiled and disguised by merston) that out of the thirty-four the artful combinations of all those who vessels, a list of which is inclosed, twenty, are either directly or indirectly interested besides eleven others, have entered this in the traffic of African slaves, who port (Rio) from the coast of Africa, in spread abroad false reports in order to ballast,-in other words, after having mislead the local authorities and deceive landed their cargoes of slaves." the public; yet it is most unquestionably true, that all the vessels enumerated in that list (ten vessels of 1,387 tons) have safely landed their full cargoes of slaves, the number of which can only be surmised from the capacities of these vessels to shelter them in a crowded and merciless stowage."

On the 20th January, 1840, they write, that "in the last month the arrivals have been more frequent; and if the state of circumstances should continue for the next two or three months, it will probably appear that there will have been little or no diminution in the importation in the last year, as compared with the preceding, the number of departures amounting to fifty-three, of which three were detained by Her Majesty's cruisers, shortly after leaving this harbour (Rio)."

Mr. Ouseley, the British resident at Rio, thus writes to Admiral Elliot, on the 19th January, 1840: "There are at this time about forty slave-vessels fitting out in this harbour alone, all under the Portuguese flag, and there have arrived about twenty within a short time. The great slave-dealers are making every effort to extend and renew their operations. At a moment when it is more particularly requisite to have a sufficient force for acting efficiently against the Slave Trade, this station has but one small brig-of-war to be used for that purpose."

CUBA.

Her Majesty's commissioners, on the 30th September, 1839, after giving the arrivals of slave vessels during August, at Havana, thus proceed: "Of the departures, we regret to say we have not been able to procure returns; and the more so, as we believe the trade is carried on with undiminished activity. The dealers seem nothing checked by the captures on the coast, which, they have it reported, amount to eighty in the last twelve months."

In a report to Viscount Palmerston, of date 1st January, 1840, the commissioners state, that many slaves had been disembarked at ports contiguous to "the new estates, for which the former demand for slaves continues undiminished;" and " we cannot indulge the hope that any diminution has taken place in the aggregate. When the demand is so great, and the prices to be obtained so

Commander Tucker, on the 16th April, 1839, reports to Admiral Elliot, that from papers found in prize vessels, and information obtained from the neigh-high, we fear that the obstacles to the bouring coast, it appeared that there were at that time forty-two vessels at St. Paul de Loando aloné, "engaged in the horrid traffic, nearly all of them Brazilian vessels under Portuguese colours."

It appears that the difficulty of obtaining information of the arrival of slave vessels on the coast of Brazil is not diminished. Her Majesty's consul

supply will be found ineffectual; and we learn accordingly, from quarters on which we can rely, that the number introduced into the island generally have not, on the whole, varied from those of former years."

"The planters continue their exertions to obtain greater quantities of sugar than ever. In the year preceding the

It is stated that the Joseph Leggett, | fined."