A CARGO OF SLAVES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume X, Issue 605, 25 August 1858, Page 6

A CARGO OF SLAVES.

£{From Major Chambers' Kecollections of West -Indian Life.) I was once at Montego Bay when a fine --.slaver was brought in by one of our cruisers, with a numerous cargo of slaves, the greater * part of whom were boys and girls. They occupied less space on board than adults, and consequently a greater number might be taken in the same vessel to the Cuba market, where they were much more valuable than old negroes. The ■person who commanded the schooner was a Frenchman, and I had some conversation with him. I told him if he continued in the trade, he would, probably, end by being hung as a pirate. ■ He treated my observation with great -contempt, sa3*ing, that the next slaver he commanded should be heavily armed, and, if he met any of-our cruisers he would fight it out • with them. When I replied that he was now a prisoner, and that he would be sent to the Havana, where, in all probability, he would be sentenced to confinement for a lengthened period, and thereby prevented from recommencing his ■old practices, he merely smiled, as much as to say, if that is all I have to apprehend, it is not a matter of much importance. I heard afterwards that similar characters escape punishment in some such way as this. They feign illness, and are taken to the hospital, where, by bribing the employes, they are reported dead. Instead of a corpse, the live man is put into a coffin, aud carried away by friendly accomplices, who liberate him to reappear in command of another slaver, and under another name. As soon as the arrival of the prize in question became known to the authorities, a large new building, then unoccupied, with a spacious wharf attached to it, was hired for the purpose of lodging them -until' the Island Government could be made acquainted with the circumstances. I went to visit them, and a more shocking scene I never witnessed. On entering the gates the first thing that met my cy res was a high , pile of coffins, heaped one upon another, to carry off the dead as they might be required. From the confined space in which they had been stowed, many of the poor negroes -were bent double; and numbers were lying about on the ground dying of dysentery and exhaustion, brought on by bad food and the impure air of the hold. It was explained to me, to account for the distorted shapes many of them presented that they were placed close to each other in three rows, against the side of the vessel, the two front being seated between the knees of those behind, but owing to the lowness of the deck, the upper tier could not sit erect. They were more like skeletons than human beings, and ate ravenously the food offered to them. In the middle of the yard cauldrons of soup were boiling, and, a number of soup plates and spoons were laid out for their use. On a given signal, they all ran to receive their portions, with the exception of a party of 15 or 16, who were sitting together j on some planks under a shed. These were the {

children of African princes or chiefs, and when

they were told to get their dinner, they refused, saying it must be taken to them, as they were not in the habit of serving themselves. Amongst these was a j Toung girl, of a clear olive complexion, and I have seen many Spaniards and Portuguese much darker. Her frame was moulded in faultless symmetry, and her features were . small and delicate. Who she was, or how she came to be entrapped and brought away captive, I could not ascertain. The kindness of the inhabitants of Montego Bay to these poor creatures, in ministering to their wants and necessities, was truly praiseworthy. It was an ample refutation of the stories current at the time, of the inhamanity of Jamaica planters to their negroes ; but so unaccustomed were these poor creatures generally to such kind treatment that many of them thought they were only fattened to be killed and eaten afterwards. A report of some atrocities committed on board the slaver was so prevalent that the Government ordered the matter to be investigated. It was said that, af-er having left the coast of Africa about three weeks, they mek-with calms and adverse winds, and that their stock of provisions was consequently shortened. One day when-the slaves were between decks, the captain and some of the crew called a man who bad been usually employed as a cabin servant to the fore-part of the schooner, and deliberately cut his throat, throwing his heal, hands, and feet overboard. This horrid murder was distinctly seen under the sail, which partly concealed the actors in the tragedy, by a young black, who v.'as sweeping the afterpart of the deck; and he particularly stated that., to prevent discoloring the boards, they held his head over an iron pot to receive the blood as it flowed. They then put the rest of the body into a barrel with salt pickle, after cutting it into small pieces; the following day it was served out to the slaves with the°usual allowance of rice; but on the cruiser bearinodown towards them, the*"barrel with its contents was thrown into the sea. Incredible as this story may appear, I had reason to think there must be some truth in it, for, in attending the .court of inquiry, held by a special magistrate, I there heard the evidence of some°of the unfortunate negroes rendered into English by an interpreter from one of the estates. They all - gave much the same account of what had happened; and what added greater weight to then' statements was, that they were brought . from the various properties where they were located, and could have had no communication with each other. A sister of the murdered ..man,, by name..Zuleia or Ziileica, when ques- -"•" tiohe'd on the subject, burst into tears, and was a long time before she could give any answer. She said she distinctly heard her brother calling . J»pr and crying, "They are murdering me,

Zuleia," as he made vain efforts to escape; that his; voice became gradually less audible, although she heard his groans; and that from that time she had never seen him again. I did not learn the result of this investigation, but many thought with tne, that there was a reason to believe in the correctness of the statement made by the slaves. It was asserted too that in consequence of the strict surveillance exercised by bur men of war on the coast of Africa, the vessels employed in the slave trade are built so sharp, for the purpose of fast sailing, that there is little room for the stowage of provisions in addition to the live cargo. The voyage might he occasionally prolonged by variation in the weather. It is impossible to say correctly from whence all the capital comes that is embarked in this nefarious traffic. It has been supposed that vessels are sent from America, Cuba, or elsewhere, to meet expected slavers in certain latitudes, and provide them with rice, salt "meat, and water.

Writing fob Posterity.—lt is like writing on foreign post paper. You cannot say to a man at Calcutta what you would to a man at Hackney; you think the yellow man is a very long way off: this is the fine paper, it will go by a ship. So you try to say something worthy of the ship—something noble, which will keep and travel.— Bagsliot's Essays. A Poser.—A temperance lecturer, during one of his harangues recently delivered, remarked that when whiskey came into the world a devil was born. When oue of the audience, a " member of the bar," arose, and said it was a matter of some curiosity to him to know whether it was still born or no?