§ Sir A. STEEL-MAITLANDasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether the Admiralty have received any and, if so, what information as to the existence of slave trading on the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean; whether any captures of ships engaged in the traffic have been made; and, if so, what wore the circumstances in each case?
§ Mr. AMERYThere have been two recent cases in which dhows engaged in slave traffic in the Red Sea have been captured by His Majesty's ships, one on 25th January last, and one on 28th June last. In the first case no slaves were actually found on board, but the crew of the dhow fired on the ships' boats sent to inspect her, and specie was found on board which the Aden Court considered to be the proceeds or slave running. In the second case 30 slaves were found on board. Both vessels were condemned in the Aden Court as having been engaged in slave trade. As a result of the examination in Court in the second case it was ascertained that the slaves were kidnapped in Abyssinia and shipped to Midi in the Idrisi territory on the Arabian coast; from Midi they were shipped on the captured dhow with a view to being taken to Jeddah for sale. There has also been one recent case in which one of His Majesty's ships was successful in stopping traffic in slaves in the Gulf of Oman. On the 7th July three slaves were recovered from on shore (Arabian coast) after having been landed from a dhow. The dhow was not arrested.