HORRORS OF THE SLAVE TRADE.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXII, Issue 52, 2 March 1901, Page 5 (Supplement)

HORRORS OF THE SLAVE TRADE.

In Ids second paper on "The Slave Trade ,n America," appearing In Scrlbne Magazine," Mr John P. Spears deals with the nv7s of the slaves on the ships during transportation. He paints his picture n such vivid colours that one shudders to think of the reality.

THE ACCOMMODATION ON SLAVESHIPS. Mr Spears says of the slave-ships:-The hold was kept almost filled with barrels and casks, even after all the rum or other trade goods had been sold to the native slavers. So full, indeed, was it at all times, and in all ships, that the gieatest space, according to the records, found between the top of the cargo and the under' side of the deck was about five feet, while the ordinary space was from two and a half to three feet. And yet in this space, between barrels and deck, the captain had to stow his cargo of slaves.

Over these barrels a rough floor of boards was laid, and this formed the slave deck of which mention is so often made In books. The slaves were chained two and two by ankle and wrist, besides being all chained to a bar of iron or a long chain running fore and aft on the ship's side. They were forced to lie, without change of position, for incredible periods of time. METHODS OF THRIFTY SLAVERS. There being sometimes as much as five feet between the cargo and the deck, it occurred to some thrifty slavers to build a shelf six feet wide all the Way round the hold between the deck and the slavedeck:— "On this shelf was placed another layer of slaves, thus increasing the number carried by nearly 50 per cent. The crowding in the big ships, having two decks regularly, was still worse, for a slave deck was built clear across between these two, and the galleries, or shelves, were built both under and above the slave-deck. There were ships where four layers of slaves •were placed thus between permanent decks that were only eight feet apart, and there are records of cases where smaller sn ip S _ S hips having but three feet or so of space between cargo and deck—were fitted with galleries, so that the slaves stretched on their backs had but a foot or less of air space between their faces and the deck or the next layer above tlie'm." SANG HOME SONGS. When the weather was fine the slaves were brought up on deck in gangs. The picture of these airings was shocking in the extreme; the slaver knew that the slaves should not brood, "and his chief object in bringing them on deck was to cheer them. He wanted them to sing and dance, and he saw that they did it, too— he applied the lash, not only to make them eat, but to make them sing. There they stood in rows, and as the brawny slaver, whip in hand, paced to and fro, they sang their home songs and danced, each with his free foot slapping the deck."