CAPTURED AFRICANS. (Hansard, 11 June 1844)

§ Dr. Bowring

wished to put a question, of which he had given notice, relative to the alleged refusal of the Governor of St. Helena to allow certain Africans captured by Her Majesty's ship Arrow to be landed in that island. The statement which he (Dr. Bowring) had received with respect to this subject was to the effect that Her Majesty's ship Arrow arrived at St. Helena with two prizes containing captured Africans—that on their arrival at St. Helena the Africans were in a very unhealthy state, dysentery having broken out amongst them, and in consequence of this the Captain of the Arrow separated them, placing the healthy Africans in one of the prizes, and those who were diseased in another. He then asked leave to place the prizes in quarantine, previous to landing the Africans at St. Helena, but he was told that the dépôt in that island was broken up, and that it would, therefore, be necessary for him to 522 proceed to the Cape of Good Hope with the Africans, as he could not land them at St. Helena. The Captain stated to the authorities in St. Helena that only one of his prizes was seaworthy, the other having been injured by shot from the Arrow previous to her capture, and he, therefore, desired that in case he proceeded to the Cape with the seaworthy prize and the healthy Africans, the damaged prize might be allowed to ride quarantine at St. Helena previous to landing the diseased Africans. This was, however, refused, so that the Captain of the Arrow was obliged to mix up the sickly and healthy again, and compress the two cargoes into one, and proceed to the Cape. The result of that course was stated to have been what under such circumstances might have been anticipated, that the track of the prize to the Cape from St. Helena was strewed with the corpses of the unfortunate Africans, not half of whom arrived at the Cape of Good Hope. He wished, therefore, to ascertain if the noble Lord the Secretary for the Colonies could furnish any information with respect to the circumstances of this case?

Lord Stanley

was sorry to inform the House and the hon. Gentleman that the statement was correct to the extent of a considerable mortality having taken place amongst the captured Africans, but not to the extent represented by the hon. Gentleman. Of 337 Africans who had sailed from St. Helena in the Arrow's prize for the Cape of Good Hope, 18 died on the voyage, and 22 subsequently to her arrival at the Cape, so that in all only 40 out of 337 had died, instead of one half of the whole number. That was, however, a large number, and he thought it right to state to the hon. Member and the House the precise circumstances of the case. In 1839, general instructions were sent that all captured vessels, with Africans on board, should be carried to the port nearest to where the capture was effected, and the result of those orders was, that a considerable number were carried to St. Helena. In St. Helena there was no means of employment for them; there was a want of accommodation, and as the means of subsistence were more expensive in St. Helena than in any other port to which they might be carried, there were great complaints of the enormous expense of the number carried to that island. Subsequently, orders were 523 given to Her Majesty's cruisers to avoid St. Helena as much as possible, when they captured vessels containing Africans, and to bring them to the West Indies, or Sierra Leone, or the Cape of Good Hope, as might be most convenient, according to the peculiar circumstances. A limitation of ports took place after the treaty with Portugal, in consequence of the distinction between the ports to which vessels with no flag, and vessels sailing under the Portuguese flag, might be carried. Under these circumstances the Arrow arrived in the month of December, 1841, with two prizes containing captured Africans at St. Helena; and upon her arrival the captain was asked for a proof of the emergency of the case which had induced him to come to St. Helena instead of to the other ports to which the cruisers were ordered to repair whenever it was possible to do so. To that he answered that he had been sent there by his superior officer on the west coast of Africa, in order to take in water, and proceed to the Cape. The Governor then directed him to convey the Africans to the Cape, as there was not more sickness than usual, and as that was the most favourable season of the year for such a voyage—he also offered medicine for their use, if required; but no medicine was required, and they were provided with water, which was the only supply demanded for them. It was not considered by the Governor of St. Helena such a case of emergency as required the landing of the Africans at St. Helena, and he, therefore, ordered the Captain to proceed to the Cape of Good Hope. In doing so he the Governor acted as he thought right in the exercise of his discretion.