5330. What would be the effect of putting all vessels on the same footing, whether having slaves on board or being empty?--There would be no difficulty. 5331. _Chairman._] Would it not be fairer to make the remuneration independent of the casual circumstance of whether the vessel was full or empty?--Yes; it would be taking away the advantage which the officers now enjoy with full vessels, but I think it would be a fair thing. 5332. Mr. _Forster_.] Are officers entitled to the head-money on slaves taken on shore?--No; the difficulty in that case is, that when taken on shore they are British subjects, if they are taken in British territory, and the British law will not acknowledge that they could be slaves. The difficulty was found some time ago, when a naval officer went to Bulama and captured several hundred slaves who were detained there by the Portuguese; he proceeded in the Admiralty Court, but the judge said, These men are not slaves, they are taken on British territory. The British law will not allow that any person can be a slave on British soil; so that the captor was deprived of his head-money. 5333. A considerable number was taken at the Gallinas by Captain Denman?--Yes. 5334. Will Captain Denman be entitled to head-money upon those persons so captured?--He has never received any thing for them, but I hope he may; if there is any fund from which remuneration on the ordinary scale can be granted, it would be desirable that such cases should be dealt with in the same manner as they would be if brought under the terms of the Act. 5335. Mr. _Evans_.] If the remuneration was on the tonnage of the vessel, supposing it was on the same scale as it is now, would that be a just way of taking it?--Yes; a remuneration on the tonnage, whether full or empty, would be fair, but the scale should be very much raised; at present it is miserably low. 5336. I am supposing that it was raised to the average of the present remuneration for capturing full and empty vessels?--That would be an improvement. 5337. Mr. _W. Patten_.] Is there not more difficulty in capturing a vessel with slaves on board than in capturing an empty vessel?--There is much less difficulty in capturing a vessel with slaves on board. 5338. Are not more exertions used when a vessel has slaves on board?--They run away in both cases; but the vessel is impeded greatly whilst she has her cargo of slaves on board, and there is more chance of capture, and the chase is less likely to be long, than with an empty vessel. 5339. _Chairman._] The security of condemnation is greater?--Yes.