5208. Mr. _Forster_.] Independently of the feeling of humanity towards the crews themselves, do you not think that the example of such treatment must have a very bad effect in the eyes of the natives of the coast of Africa, as showing them an example of inhumanity on the part of those who profess to be acting solely in that way from motives of humanity?--I have never known a cruizer act inhumanly; I heard of one case the other day, where they were starved, but it was stated in that case that it was owing to the refusal of the Portuguese factories to support them. 5209. Mr. _Stuart Wortley_.] In the paper you have read, it was stated that there were 687 sailors engaged in navigating 30 slave vessels; a short time since you stated that with respect to ships condemned at Sierra Leone, there were seldom more than three or four connected with the navigation of a vessel; will you reconcile those two statements?--They only leave those three or four on board; they land all but those who are required as witnesses at Sierra Leone. 5210. There are no individuals belonging to the slave crew retained on board?--None, but those who are required as witnesses. 5211. Then those individuals of whom you spoke, as being charges against the vessel, were individuals retained as witnesses?--Yes. 5212. _Chairman._] Do you think that the price paid to the Spanish or Portuguese Governments, as the case might be, would suffice for the maintenance of the crews of those vessels?--Yes, it would be only rationing them for the voyage across. 5213. And paying for their passage?--Now we pay continually out of the foreign moiety for the passage; at least the commissariat does. 5214. That is for the captain and mate; but here you are supposing several hundred instead of 20 or 30?--The rationing of the commissariat commences the moment we cease to have any thing to do with the vessel; the day the vessel is condemned, there is given to the commissary a list of the men who will come upon him for rations, and as long as they remain in the colony they will come upon him daily; when a number of vessels have been captured, and at one time we had 37 vessels lying in the harbour at the same time, they would cause a great drain upon the provisions, which are sent out only to meet ordinary contingencies; in that case the commissary went to the expense of hiring vessels to send those men away, and charged those expenses, in the same way as he would have done the rations, against the share of the foreign government. 5215. If you brought the crew to Sierra Leone you would increase the expense of maintenance very considerably?--Yes.