CAPTAIN FORBES ON THE AFRICAN BLOCKADE. * ALTHOUGH this volume only
professes to give an account of "six months' service in the African blockade," the suggestions it contains about the slave-trade are drawn from a much wider experience. Captain Forbes has served nine years in the West Indies ; he made a voyage of four months in a captured slaver between Cuba and Bermuda, and another across the Atlantic to Sierra Leone. The proposals of the gallant officer, however, are not of a very convincing kind. He sees clearly enough, and says distinctly, that our efforts to stop slave-trading by the blockade are useless. The greater our exertions, the more we stimulate the exer- tions of the slave-dealers ; and as we cannot totally destroy the traffic, its partial suppression only has the effect of rendering the slave cheap in Africa and dear in the Brazils; so that, as far as the slaves are concerned, the loss of a captured slaver is less and its successful evasion more profit-
able in exact proportion to the difficulties we throw in the way.
"Captures are, therefore, really of small consequence to the slave-merchant, and certainly of little use towards the suppression or extinction of the trade. During twenty-six years, 103,000 slaves have been emancipated; while in the same period 1,795,000 slaves; were actually landed, or rather more than over 69,000 slaves annually (see Parliamentary Reports); and last year, notwa standing the enormous proportion of empty vessels taken, 60,000 slaves were landed.
" On the other hand, the shipment is generally by agency; the merchant on the
• six Months' Service In the African Blockade, from April to October 1848, in com- mand of H. M. S. Bonetta. By Commander Forbes, R.N., Author of "Five Years la China." Published by Bentley. mast receiving bills to an enormous amount, payable only in the eventof the vessel arriving in port. He is content to bear the loss should she be taken, because one tango in six will pay him well As a proof how much must be gained by this slaves were sold on the coast of Africa in 1847 for a mere song,—an old musket was considered too mach,—while in the Brazils they realized 501. a piece:, The proposal of Captain Forbes to stop the evil is one obviously in- effective in practice, though looking well upon paper. It is merely a new edition of Sir Fowell Buxton's scheme of encouraging the internal trade. Captain Forbes does not indeed propose another Niger expedition, but his plan would, we fear, prove quite as resultless, and more expen- sive, for it is "the introduction of a cheap and useful system of trade under Government snperintendence."
The title of Six Months' Service does not accurately indicate the nature of the book. Only a portion of it relates directly to the author's voyage and adventures. The other consists of a description of the cus- toms of the Negroes and the character of some of their kings on the Northern division of the slave-coast, and a rather full account of the places whence the slave- trade is chiefly carried on, with sketches of some of the persons who are or have been principally engaged in it. Besides these topics, there is a very good exposition of the economy of the slave-trade, and the manner in which it is managed, as well as a variety of miscel- laneous information touching the products, dialects, and commercial sta- tistics of the coast.
Although Captain Forbes's idea of the best mode of suppressing the slave-trade cannot be entertained, his volume may be recommended as containing the latest and freshest facts upon the subject of the trade it- self. Some of his geographical sketches have rather a gazetteer-looking air; his notices of obscure African potentates, and the White adven- turers who constitute themselves viceroys over them, have small interest for the general reader. His accounts of particular events, of the wretched state to which our " humane " attempts reduce the slave, and of the manner in which the discipline of the trade is regulated, are interesting, and in some sense informing, like the last news; although they derive no aid from the author's style, which is somewhat literal.
Perhaps the strongest conclusion suggested by Captain Forbes's facts, is not so much the inutility of the blockade, as its positive evil. When an article indispensably necessary in production can be bought for less than fifty shillings and sold for fifty pounds when carried across the Atlantic, carried it will be. Unless we stationed a line of vessels within sight of one another from Cape Blanco to the Orange River, and from Delagoa Bay to Cape Guardafui or the Straits of Babelmandeb, the trade must continue. Increased activity on our part only makes the dealers more active and ingenious, the effect of their contrivances all going to increase the miseries of the slave. What would the earlier movers against the trade, who were only used to the jogtrot voyage and roomy vessels improved by the regulating acts, have said to such a state of things as now exists ?
"Each trade requires a particularly constructed vessel; and from their pecu- liarity, those accustomed to naval affairs can at once single out a slaver from a number of vessels; (could not any one tell an Indiaman from a collier ?) for of all the ships employed in whatsoever capacity, none are more beautiful than the ge- nerality of slavers. e
"The equipment of the regular slaver is attended with a large outlay; in short, no expense is spared. She is run up for the voyage, and should she be found strong enough for another, she undergoes a thorough repair. In order to make her light and buoyant, her timbers and beams are small and screwed together: when chased these screws are loosened to give the vessel play. After the hull is built she is placed in the hands of the coopers, who erect in the hold huge water-casks, called leaguers. On these are stowed the provisions, wood, Sre.; above them is the slave-deck. Thirty-six inches may be considered a medium height, but they sometimes measure four feet six inches; while, on the other hand, that of the Tra- ps billies was fourteen, and of the Pharafoal eighteen inches, intended for children only. One of these hellish nurseries was taken in 1842 by H.M.S. gantome. She measured eighteen tons, and had, besides a crew of five Spaniards, dbe hun- dred and five slaves (with one exception, a girl of fourteen) under nine and over four years of age. She had no slave-deck, but the children were stowed on the
casks and fire-wood in bulk: her name also was the Triumfo. • • * " The form of stowage is, that the poor wretch shall be seated on the hams, and the head thrust between the knees, and so close that when one moves the
mass must. In this state nature's of are performed; and frequently, from the maddened passions of uncivilized men, a fight ensues between parties of two na- tions whose warlike habits have filled the slave-ship—alike prisoners, each to the other's rulers, and all sold to the same factor. In one instance, a brig, the Ise- belts 11., taken by IL M.S. Sappho in 1638, had been chased of the coast for three days, and when the hatches were opened, starvation had maddened, and, assisted by a regular battle between the Akoos and Eboos, bad destroyed two hundred hu- man beings."
For Want of room we must pass over several passages descriptive of the manaer in which our attempts increase the misery of the slave on shore, and some sketches of the officers and crew of the slaver ; but we will take a short account of the signal-system.
" Slave-merchants employ boats to a distance of forty miles out at sea to watch the cruisers ; and, incredible as it may appear, yet it is no less a fact, that one of bar Majesty's ships was actually reported to that distance daily by whale-boats. " Oue portion of the coast is almost as good as another fur a shipment, except during the severe rains, and a line of signals is constantly kept up. Thus, a sin- gle light means that the coast is clear and the vessel may venture in; two, that the whereabouts of the cruiser is doubtful; three lights indicate great danger, which, if it increase, is shown by repeated flashes. Should the cruiser be off the Part at the time a vessel is expected, a bonfire is lighted, and every half-hour a quantity of gunpowder is thrown on it. These flashes are seen twenty miles off, and taken advantage of With the protection of the American flog, and the cor- rect espionage and line of signals constantly kept up, it is impossible for the coast to be effectually guarded."
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