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Captured Slavers

Captured Slavers image
Parent Issue
Day
6
Month
April
Year
1846
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Three sluve ships, the Pons, the Paniher, and the Robert Wilson, have re;ently been ca plu red by ourcruisers on he coast of África and sent home. The following is the official account of the capturo of the Pons : LETTER FROiM CAPT. BELL TO THE SECRETARY OP THE NaVY. United States Ship Yorktown, Kabinda, (África,) Dec. 16, 1845. Sir : I have the honor to inform yóu tlmt 1 addressed a letter to you on the BOth ultimo, giving an account of the capture of the American barque Pons, of Philadelphia, with eight hundrcd and nincty-six slaves on board, a duplícate of which I now disclose. I was so anxious todispatch the vessel in the shortest time for Liberia, in order to land tho slaves, and relieve them from their miserable confinement. that it was not in ca power to give you a more particular account of this vcsscl. I will now enden vor to do so, and also state some facts which have since come to my knowledge. The Pons, under the commatid of James Berry, was at anchor at Kabinda for about twenty days beforc she took on board the slaves, during which time she was closely watched by her Britanic Mnjesty's brig Cygnet, 'Commandcr Laytori. At about nine o'clock on the morning of the 27th November the Cygnet got under way and stood to sea. linmediaioly Bcrry gave up the ship to Gallano, who commenced getting on board the water, provisions, and slaves ; and so e.xpoditious werc they in their movemenls, that at eitrht o'clock that eveuing tlie vesselwas utuler weigh, liaving embarkod nmc hundred nml thrce slaves. Instcad oí standing directly to sea, slio kept in with the coast during the night. At dayliglit thoy were oft' Kacongo, about twentyfivo miles lo thenorth of Kabinda, wlien they discovered the Cygnet in the ofl.ng. They inimcdiatcly furled all their sa.ls, and drifted so nr ar the shore that the necroes lined the beach in hopo ol a shipTvreck. They cuntinued in this s.iuatiun until mcridian, when, finding they had not been discovered, they set their lmver sails in order to clear the ehore, and, as the Cygnet drew oflTfrom the land, they afterwarda set their more lofty ones. -Two doys aftcrwarls we captured her. - Her crew consisted of Spóniards, I'ortuguese, Brazilkuis, and some f rom othcr countries ; and, ullhough conti nuing under tlio American ilag, with prolmbly American papers, nol one American was on bont!. As I could not dispalch her tho evening of lier capturo, sho kopt company with us (nat niglit. Tlio noxt morning I regretted to learn that eighteen had died and one jumpcd overboard. So many dying in so short a time was accountcd for by the captain in tho neecssity ho liad of thrusting below all who wereon doek, and closing the hatches, when he fust feil in with us, in order to oscapo detcction. Tho vessel has no slavo decfc, and upvvnrda of eight hundred and fifty were pilcd, almosi in bulk, on the water casks below. These were mulos. About forty or fifty females wcreconfined in one huil' of the round-houso cabin on deck ; the other hnlf of the cabin retnaining for the uso of the oflicers. As theship appeared to be less than ihrec hundred and fifty lons, it seemed imposstble that onehalf could have lived to cross tho Atlantic. About two hundred iilled up tho par-deck alone, when tliey were permitted to come up f rom below, and yct the captain assured me that it was hia intention to have taken four hundred more on board if lic could have spared the time. The stench froni below was so great that il was impossiUe to stand more than a few moments ncar tho hatchways. - Our men who went below from curiosily, were foreed up sick in a fow minutes ; then all the hatches were off. What must have been tho sufierings of these poor wretches when tlio hatches were closed ' I am informcd that very often in these cases, tho stronger will stranglo the weaker ; and this was probably the rea son why so many died, or rathcr werefound dead, Ihe tnormng alter the capture. None but an eye witness can form a conception of the horrors theso poor croulures must endure in their transit across the oceun. I regret to say that most of ttys miscry is j)roduccd by our own countrymen ; lliey furniali the nieans of conveyancc in spite of existing onactments ; and although there aro slrong circumstances against Berry, the late master of the Pons, suflicient to induce me to detain him, if 1 should meet with liim, yot I fear neither he nor his cmployers enn be rcached by our present laws. Ho will no doubt, makö it appear th:it the 4Pon3JJ was beyonil bis control when the slaves wcre brought on board. Yet, from the teslimony of the men who camo over from Rio as passengers, there is no doubt ihe whole affair was nrrangcd at Riobetween Berry nnd Gallano beiure the ship sailed. These men state that the first placo tliey anchored was at Onin, neur the river Lagos, in the Bight of Benin ; here they discharged n portion of their cargo, and received on board a number of hogsheads or pipes íilled with wntcr. These were stowed on the ground tior, and a tier of casks contnining spirits were placed over them. They were then nformcd that the vessel was going to Kabinda for a load of slaves. On thcir arrival at the latler place, the spirit was kept on board until a few days bcfore Berry gave tip the command, covering up the water casks in order to eludo thesuspicions of any cruiser. For twenty d:iys did Berry wuit in the roadstead of Kabinda, protectecl by the flog of his country, yct closely watched by a forcign man-of-war, wlio was certain of hisintention ; but the instant that crmser is compelled to withdraw for a lew hours, lic springs at the opportunity of enriohing himsclf and owners, anti disgracing the fl;ig which has protccted liim. As we are shorl-handed, I have shipped those men, much lo their gratification, who camc out as possengers ín the Pons f rom Rio to Kubinda, in order that their testirnony mtiy bo taken, should Borry be in ihc United Slates on our return," and coimnitted for trial. 1 have lamled tho balance oftho pnzecrew here wilh the exception of ono wlio dicd of coast fever a few days after ho camc on board this hip. 1 have the honor to bo, wilh much respect, your obcüient servant, CHARLES H. IEI.L, Commander To the Ilon George Bancroft, Sccrctary of the Navv.