Africa and the American FlagFoote, Andrew H. (Andrew Hull)
History
Africa and the American Flag
Foote, Andrew H. (Andrew Hull)
Africa, West -- Description and travel; Liberia -- History -- 1847-1944; Slave trade -- Africa, West
Both vessels having arrived, a letter to the following purport was
addressed to the commodore: “One hundred bags of farina, a large
quantity of plank, sufficient to lay a slave-deck, casks and barrels
of spirits, in sufficient quantity to contain water for a large
slave-cargo, jerked beef, and other articles, were found on board the
Chatsworth. These articles, and others on board, corresponded generally
with the manifest, which paper was drawn up in the Portuguese language.
A paper with the consular seal, authorizing the shipment of the crew,
all foreigners, was also made out in the Portuguese language. In the
register, the vessel was called a brig, instead of a brigantine. A
letter of instructions from the reputed owner, a citizen of Baltimore,
directed the American captain to leave the vessel whenever he should
be directed to do so by the Italian supercargo. These, together with
the report that the vessel on her last voyage had shipped a cargo of
slaves, and her now being at the most notorious slave-station on the
coast, impressed the commander of the Perry so strongly with the belief
that the Chatsworth was a slaver, that he considered it his duty to
direct the boarding-officer to take her in charge, and proceed in
company with the Perry to Loanda, that the case might undergo a more
critical examination by the commander-in-chief.”
The commodore, after visiting the Chatsworth in person, although
morally certain she was a slaver, yet as the evidence which would be
required in the United States Courts essential to her condemnation,
was wanting, conceived it to be his duty to order the commander of the
Perry to surrender the charge of that vessel, and return all the papers
to her master, and withdraw his guard from her.
The captain of the Volusia now suddenly made his appearance at Loanda,
having in his possession the sea-letter which the British commander
who had captured him called a register, written on a sheet of foolscap
paper, which from misapprehension he erroneously stated was destroyed
by the master. This new matter was introduced in the discussion
between the two commodores. The captain of the Volusia claimed that
his vessel was _bonâ fide_ American, stating that the sea-letter
in his possession was conclusive evidence to that effect. No other
subject than that of the nationality of the vessel, while treating
upon this matter with an English officer, could be introduced. The
sea-letter was laid before the commanders. This document bore all the
marks of a genuine paper, except in having the word “signed” occurring
before the consul’s signature, and partially erased. This seemed to
indicate that it had been made out as a copy, and, if genuine, the
consul had afterwards signed it as an original paper. The consular seal
was impressed, and several other documents, duly sealed and properly
certified, were attached, bearing strong evidence that the document was
genuine.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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