any room for the stowage of a cargo, which leads me to think, they are not in any way fitted up or adapted for the Slave Trade.

The "Caridade" had landed the whole of her cargo, notwithstanding her Papers directed her to proceed to Molembo, and every thing was in readiness for shipping the Slaves at a short notice; her logs were evidently false, as they described a route from Bahia to Molembo, in south latitude; and a declaration was produced, purporting to have been drawn up at the latter place, on the 7th April, and stating, "that in consequence of not being able to dispose of her cargo at that Port, it was expedient, for the benefit of her Owners, that she should proceed up the Coast for that purpose;" whereas I ascertained, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that she anchored at Whydah on the 10th April, three days after the date of the document affirmed to have been signed in 6° of south latitude; such are the subterfuges resorted to by the dealers in this illicit trade to evade detection.

The whole of the Brazilian Vessels I have boarded have been furnished with a Passport from Don Pedro, agreeably to the Treaty between Great Britain and Portugal, permitting them to trade for Slaves to the Portuguese Possessions, south of the Line; but it is an ascertained fact, that instead of doing so, they make a direct passage to one of the Ports in the Bight of Benin, (keeping the false log before alluded to;) their Masters and Supercargoes instantly land, and remain on shore bargaining for the Slaves, while the Vessel either lies at anchor the whole time, or takes an occasional cruize to prevent suspicion; when the number of Slaves is complete, they watch a favourable opportunity to ship them, and sail the same day; they are thus enabled to escape capture in almost every instance, as they will keep their Slaves for several months in readiness on the shore, without embarking them, sooner than run the risk, when they have information of our cruizers being on the coast.

I beg however to assure their Lordships, that the most vigorous measures shall be resorted to, and the most effectual means taken to intercept and annihilate a traffic so revolting to human nature.

From Lieut. Scott I received a Letter, of which the enclosed is an Extract, stating his proceeding when in command of His Majesty's Ship, "Victor," and containing information respecting "El Romano," which Vessel is now, I learn, cruizing off the Isles De Loss.

July 11

(Extract.)

(Enclosure 2.)-Lieut. Scott to Commodore Bullen.

H. M. S. Victor, Port Antonio, Princes Island,

May 10, 1824. On my way to Princes Island I fell in with a large Brig under the South American Flag, with a Lugger and a Brig in company; the latter I soon came up with, which proved to be "El Vencador," belonging to Bahia, and had been captured, together with the Lugger in company, by the "El Romano" Spanish Privateer, but decidedly a Pirate, having broke bulk on the cargo of "El Vencador," which he had transferred into the Lugger, and with that Cargo had purchased Slaves, and from information which I had previously received from an American Schooner, neither respected Flag or Nation; I have therefore sent her to Sierra Leone, to be dealt with in the Vice-Admiralty Court accordingly.

I beg leave further to state that on the 8th instant, when at anchor in Port Antonio, Princes Island, I observed a small schooner boat approaching the Harbour, and perceiving her movements to be rather suspicious, I despatched a boat to board her, which was accordingly done; and, much to my satisfaction, they seized her with seventeen Slaves, together with a proportion of ivory, bees-wax, and gum copal, belonging to this Island, and eight days from the Gaboon River, at which Place she had made her purchases.

The Vessel being so exceedingly small, and in such bad condition as to render her totally incapable of performing the Voyage to Sierra Leone, together with the Negroes being in a complete state of starvation, and approaching dissolution, so much so that one died the day on which the Vessel was seized.

From the miserable accommodation on board, and reasons before stated, I have adjudged it absolutely neccessary to transfer the Negroes and other cargo on board "El Vencador," with her Papers and the necessary Documents to be delivered over to the Court of Mixed Commissioners at Sierra Leone for adjudication.

(Extract.)

No. 6.-Commodore Bullen to J. W. Croker, Esq.

H.M. S. Maidstone, Man of War Bay, St. Thomas,
Sept. 23, 1824.

I BEG leave to enclose an Extract of a Letter from Captain Woollcombe, stating his having been so fortunate as to capture the “ Diana," with 143 Slaves on board, since which (on the 18th instant) he succeeded in detaining "Os dos Amigos Brazilianos," (one of the Vessels boarded by me off Badagry, and reported to their Lordships in my Letter of the 22d July) with 260 Slaves, making in all 740 that this active and valuable Officer has been instrumental in liberating from the worst and most distressing species of Slavery. In his Letter he has detailed the extent of human misery experienced by these unfortunate beings during their passage across the Atlantic; and on

my visiting his last prize, on the 21st, the filthy and horrid state I found her in beggars all description; many females were far advanced in pregnancy, and several had infants of from four to twelve months of age; all were crowded together in one mass of living corruption, and yet this Vessel had not her prescribed complement by nearly one hundred.

(Enclosure.)-Captain Woollcombe to Commodore Bullen.

(Extract.)

H. M. S. Victor, Man of War Bay, St. Thomas,

Aug, 20, 1824. IN obedience to your order of the 29th July last, I yesterday arrived at this anchorage, and immediately commenced watering, which I shall have completed by noon, and shall proceed again to my cruizing ground as soon as the boat returns from the town, which takes this up and lands some Portuguese. I have been so fortunate as to seize a Brazilian Brigantine, with 143 Slaves on board at the time of seizure.

Of all vessels I was on board of, this was in the most deplorable condition; the stench from the accumulation of dirt, joined to that of so many human beings packed together in a small space (the men all ironed in pairs) was intolerable; and to add to this scene of misery, the small pox had broken out among them; nine had died before we took possession, and one almost immediately after our first boat got alongside.

No. 7.-Acting Captain Wray to J. W. Croker, Esq.

(Extract.)

H. M. S. Andromache, Port Louis, Mauritius,
Sept. 30, 1824.

CAPTAIN Moorsom not having yet arrived, and a Ship sailing this day for England, I do myself the honour of forwarding, and beg you will lay before their Lordships, a Copy of a Letter written by the late Commmodore Nourse in his rough letter book, and intended for their Lordships information.

(Enclosure 1.)-Copy of a Letter written by the late Commodore Nourse

in his Rough Letter Book, and intended for the information of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty.

ON the 20th July we anchored off the town of Majunga, and found the Ariadne, which had arrived on the 17th, from whose Captain I received a report of his proceedings, and I have the honour to forward a copy of it.

On my arrival at Majunga, I immediately wrote to Mr. Hastie, who had returned with King Radama, and expressed my desire to see him and Radama. Mr. Hastie preceded him two days, and Radama arrived at Majunga on the 25th July, when I visited him, and on the following day he came at my desire early to pass the day with me, in

order to obtain some commercial regulations for the advantage of British Shipping, and the more effectual suppression of the Slave Traffic.

On my return to the camp I addressed Mr. Hastie by Letter, desiring to be informed on the subject of the interesting ceremony just witnessed, particularly that part of it which related to the abandonment of the Slave Trade; and I have the honour to send a Copy of his reply to me, and trust it may be satisfactory to their Lordships that I have accomplished the great object of putting down the traffic in Slaves, so extensively carried on and acknowledged by Adrian Soul in his Dominions, and along the north-west Coast, and this without the loss of lives or plunder of property, which would be punished by Radama with the greatest severity; the depriving the people of their arms, which I strongly recommended him to do, has been done without creating discontent, and will not only secure tranquillity in his newly acquired Dominions, but remove a great medium of barter for Slaves which the Arabs were in the practice of bringing to Majunga from the African Coast, and exchanging for powder and muskets, purchased by the Traders of Majunga from the European Traders, chiefly Americans, who come for hides, tallow, salt, beef and rice.

On the 29th I dispatched the Ariadne to Mozambique, with a Letter to the Governor, a Copy of which I enclose for their Lordships information, with directions to Captain Moorsom to look in at Oibo and Zindy, or any other places he might learn Vessels were obtaining Slaves, meeting me at Zanguebar.

(Enclosure 2.) — Captain C. R. Moorsom to Commodore Nourse. (Extract.) H. M. S. Ariadne, Bembatooka Bay, July 17, 1824. Ir does not appear to me that any regular traffic in Slaves is carried on in the Bays I have visited; but, as I before observed, when Arabs are in the practice of resorting to certain spots, they would doubtless bring Slaves on previous agreement with any Slave dealer.

(Enclosure 3.)—Mr. J. Hastie, Madagas ar Agent, to Commodore Nourse. (Extract.) Camp at Maronvoie, Aug. 2, 1824. FIRST it was the King's most positive command, that none of his Subjects should, under any pretext whatsoever, be removed by sale from the Shores of Madagascar ; or that any persons owing allegiance to him should in any way be engaged in that unlawful traffic.

Secondly, he equally positively forbad that his Subjects should be engaged even in Foreign Traffic of that nature, or that Slaves should be introduced into Madagascar; yet he recommended that every conciliatory measure should be resorted to, to induce the free dealer or cultivator of the soil to visit and to settle in his territories.