Pointe à Pitre, and are dated at Pointe à Pitre, Guadaloupe, as fol Custom-House Clearance from Pointe à Pitre...26th April, while the Dutch Papers, found concealed on board, declare her to be the Charles, commanded by Louis L'Oiseau; has her Clearance from Saint Thomas, dated 23d April, 1825, her Invoice (corresponding in every particular with the one said to be made at Pointe à Pitre, and in the same hand-writing,) dated also at St. Thomas, on the 24th April, 1825, signed by T. B. Andrize and Co. for the account and risk of Louis L'Oiseau; and the Muster-Roll Clearance for Rio Janeiro, and Passport, are dated at Saint Eustatius, the 27th April, 1825. It is, therefore, evident that the French Papers must be gross forgeries, it being out of all probability that she could clear out from Pointe à Pitre, on the 26th April, and have her Muster-Roll Clearance for Rio Janeiro and Passport from Saint Eustatius, the next day. The Second Master, Jean Rouxel, in his examination on the Standing Interrogatories, stated, that she was seized for having Slaves, and Dutch Papers and Colours on board; that her name is the Charles, but he believed she had also been called L'Eugene, as he saw French Papers with that name in them on board of her; that he saw them, for the first time, when she was lying in Calabar River, where also the French Flag was first hoisted, and that the French Flag was flying when she was examined by the Man-of-war, by which she was taken. He further stated, that the present Voyage commenced at St. Thomas, but did not know where it was to have ended. St. Eustatius he declared to be the last clearing Port the Brig sailed from, previous to capture, and that she went there to procure Netherlands Papers; from which Port she went direct to Calabar to procure her Cargo of Slaves, 267 of whom were on board when the Brig was taken, and he believed the Master (Louis L'Oiseau) to have been the sole Owner of the Brig and Slaves at the time they were seized. Thomas Ganse, Seaman on board, deposed, on the same Interrogatories," that the Brig was seized for having Slaves and French Papers and Colours, and Dutch Papers and Colours, on board, but that she sailed under Dutch Colours, and he only knew the Brig by the name of L'Eugene; that the present Voyage began at St. Thomas, but he did not know where it was to have ended; St. Eustatius was the last clearing Port she sailed from previous to capture, where the Dutch Papers were procured; and that she went to Calabar River to trade for Slaves, but he could not tell the number that were taken on board;" he further declared his belief, "that the Master was the sole Owner of the Brig and Slaves at the time they were seized.” It appeared by the evidence of Lindor, a Cabin-boy, "that this is the second Voyage in which the Brig has been employed in carrying on an illicit Traffick in Slaves, the first Cargo having been safely delivered at Surinam; that the present voyage commenced at St. Thomas, and was to have ended there, after delivering the present Cargo at Surinam." The Declarations of Jean Rouxel, Thomas Ganse, and Lindor, the production of the fraudulent, if not felonious, French Papers, the concealment of the Dutch Papers, added to the fact of the Slaves having been found on board; all these circumstances combined, made this Case so very clear that the Court had no difficulty in condemning her as a lawful Prize, taken by His Majesty's Brig Conflict, Lieutenant John Chrystie, Commander, and pronounced 265 Slaves to have been on board at the time of Capture, 22 of whom had died before Adjudication, and the remainder, in number 243, were emancipated. Sierra Leone, March 20, 1826. J.T. WILLIAMS. (Enclosure 8.)—Captain Louis L'Oiseau, Brig Charles. April 27, 1825.-Renewing Register and Muster Roll, and amount paid for obtaining Se curity for 2,000 Spanish dollars.... 600 Sp. dolls. Rd. Payment, T. G. GROEBE. No.51.-G. Rendall, Esq. to Mr. Sec". Canning.-(Rec. June 2, 1826.) I HAVE the honour to acquaint you, that E. P. G. Bonnouvrié, The Right Hon. George Canning. GEO. RENDALL. No. 52.-G. Rendall, Esq. to Mr. Sec". Canning.—( Rec. June 2, 1826.) I HAVE the honour to enclose, for your information, a Report of the Case of The Netherlands Schooner Bey, William Woodside, Master, brought in here on the 23d of May last for Adjudication, having been detained on the 19th of the same month, off the River Gallinas, by His Majesty's Ship Maidstone, Commodore Bullen, on suspicion of being engaged in the illicit Slave-trade, and falling under the several designations of the Additional Article to the Treaty, signed at Brussels, on the 25th of January, 1823. The Court were of opinion that sufficient proof of the illegal engagement in the Slave-trade had been afforded, and therefore passed Sentence of Condemnation on the Vessel and Cargo on the 29th day of June. I cannot allow this Case to pass without noticing to you, Sir, what appeared evident, from the various proofs which were afforded, that The Netherlands Flag and Papers had in this instance been obtained for the purpose of fraudently covering other property. The Vessel was American built, and by the names of the Master and Crew on the Muster-roll, it would appear they were Americans or Englishmen. The Second Mate, an American, was perfectly ignorant of the Dutch language, and stated that he did not know to what Countries the Crew respectively belonged. He appeared much astonished when he was informed that the Ship's Passport contained a Clause which forbade trading on the Coast of Guinea. The Right Hon. George Canning. I have, &c. (Enclosure.)-Report of the Case of The Netherlands Schooner Bey, William Woodside, Master. THIS Vessel arrived in the Harbour of Sierra Leone on the 23d of May last, but, owing to the changes in the Commissions at that period, the Proceedings were not regularly commenced until the 13th of June, upon which day the Ship's Papers were brought into the Registry, aud duly attested by George A. Nixon, Master's Mate of His Majesty's Ship Maidstone. The usual Monition was issued on the 14th, calling upon all Persons having, or pretending to have, any right, title, or interest, in the Schooner Bey, to appear and make claim, which was returned on the 22d of June as duly served. Commodore Bullen's Declaration states, that this Vessel was detained off the River Gallinas, on the 19th of May, 1825, being under Dutch Colours, armed with 1 gun, 12-pounder, William Woodside, Master, who being absent on shore, William Wolper, the Commanding Officer, declared her to be bound from St. Eustatius to the Gallinas, with a Crew of 11 men, having no Slaves on board, but falling under several designations of the Additional Article, signed at Brussels, on the 25th of January, 1823. The Papers of the Vessel consist of a Roll of the Crew, a Bill of Sale, a Licence to carry Arms, and another to Navigate the Vessel, for 12 months, to any Port or Place except upon the Coast of Guinea, and are all dated in the month of October, 1824, at St. Eustatius. The Depositions of all the Witnesses examined, viz.: the Second Mate, one Seaman, and the Steward, shew that this Vessel was fitted at St. Eustatius, from whence she sailed to the Coast of Africa, direct, where she touched at Garraway, Grand Sestos, Cape Mount, Manna, and Gallinas, to trade; that she was seized at anchor 5 miles off Gallinas, had one Passenger taken on board at Manna, Johannes Dahl, a Danish Mariner; that the Master, who is a Naturalized Dutchman, was the Owner; Vessel's Clearance and Log-book burnt at Manna, by accident; has 30 bags of rice taken on board on the Coast; the Seaman states that part was taken on board at St. Eustatius; has 34 water casks, some filled at St. Eustatius, others on the Coast; plank cut to fit the masts and pumps; Cargo sold to different Persons on the Coast. The return Cargo was to have been palm oil and camwood; it was not to have been Slaves, to their knowledge. The Second Mate and Steward state, that Black Men were carried as passengers from one part of the Coast to another, which the Seaman denies. The Deposition of Johannes Dahl shews, that he embarked as a Passenger on board this Vessel at Manna, 2 months and a half previous to his Examination; is certain that 60 or 70 bags of rice, each weighing about 150lbs. were landed at Manna and Gallinas; thinks there were more coppers with steamers than would cook for 100 Negroes or Slaves; Vessel has carried Black Passengers, cannot swear they were free or Slaves. A Commission of Survey was prayed on the part of the Captors, and granted on the 21st of June. The Report of the Commissioners was filed on the 27th, the substance being as follows: that the Schooner Bey is 60 tons admeasurement; length on deck 60 feet 2 inches ; extreme breadth 18 feet 2 inches; one suit of sails complete; no goods, wares, or merchandize on board; armed with 1 long traversing 12-pounder gun in complete order; 2 brace of pistols, 6 cutlasses, and 2 muskets; 1 quarter barrel powder, 40 cases of cannister shot, 45 round shot and a small quantity of langridge; 30 hogsheads of water stowed in the hold, containing about 2,000 gallons; 3 empty puncheons and 2 barrels on deck, capable of containing about 400 gallons more. The casks in the hold are stowed so as to form nearly a platform of themselves. In the after part of the hold a platform, 6 feet by 10 feet 2 inches, was laid. Spare beams and planks fitted to the hold, by which they extended the platform 16 feet 5 inches in length, with the whole breadth of the hold; there were not boards enough to form a complete platform, but they found some pieces cut to fit the fore part of the Vessel, and when cut to fit the foremast. The height between the shifting platform and the deck was 3 feet 1 inch; found on board 11 buckets and 4 mess-kids; boilers divided into 4 parts, and with 2 steamers, capable of holding 31 gallons; an oven for baking, with range in front; found 37 bags of Carolina rice, containing 82 cwt. From the Evidence, the Ship's Papers, and the Report of the Commissioners of Survey, the Court were of opinion that this Vessel was, at the time of her detention, within the limits specified in the Additional Article to the Treaty, concluded at The Hague, the 4th day of May, 1818, between His Majesty and the King of The Netherlands, signed at Brussels, the 25th of January, 1823, and that, in her outfit and equipment, she fell within the 3d, 5th, 6th, 8th, and 9th designations therein mentioned. In addition to this primâ facie Evidence of the Vessel's employment in the Slave-trade, the Court duly considered the other suspicious circumstances under which she was found; viz.: being at anchor off one of the most notorious Slave Factories on the Coast of Africa, when the Licence of Navigation expressly forbade any approach to the Coast of Guinea; landing large quantities of rice at Manna and Gallinas, part of which had been brought from St. Eustatius, and part bought on the Coast; filling the casks with water on the Coast, although the Second Mate declared that palm oil was to have been part of return Cargo; having no Log-Book kept either by the Master or two Mates; and, further, that no satisfactory Evidence was offered on the part of the Owner or Master that this Vessel was otherwise legally employed at the time of detention. The Court, therefore, passed Sentence of Condemnation of the Vessel and Cargo, on the 29th day of June, 1825. GEO. RENDALL. No. 53.-G. Rendall, Esq. to Mr. Sec". Canning.—(Rec. June 2, 1826.) I HAVE the honour to enclose, for your information, the Report of the Case of The Netherlands Brig Z, Denis K. Derne, Master, brought in here for Adjudication on the 17th of August last, having been detained on the 31st of July previous, by His Majesty's Ship Maidstone, Commodore Bullen, off the River Sombrero, or Andony, not having any Slaves on board, but being fitted and equipped for the Slavetrade. The proof in this Case being fully established, the British and Netherlands Commissary Judges passed Sentence of Condemnation of the Vessel, on the 9th September 1825. I beg leave to remark, that I conceive this Case bears great similarity to that of the Bey, and is more fully developed by the discovery of Slave Irons and Coppers. The Master was Naturalized at St. Eustatius, in April last, and in the Month of July he arrived on this Coast with a full Cargo, under Dutch Colours. It is evident that French property is covered in this Case, and shews with what facility false Papers can be procured at the Island of Saint Eustatius. I propose forwarding, with the General Report of the state of the Slave-trade, Translations of the Private Letters and Papers found on |