Horrors of the Slave Trade.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XVIII, Issue 1721, 17 August 1885, Page 3

Horrors of the Slave Trade.

It is only a few months since that a private letter was published in England which will give our readers an idea of how the slave trade is carried on at present day : “ Pier Majesty s ship Osprey, off the coast of Madagascar sighted a dhow attempting to make the land. The dhow was boarded and captured. She was of about 50 tons, and was found to contain t6g bona fide slaves, besides 30 passengers or slave owners. The dhow was eight Jays out from Mombassa, and the slaves had had nothing 1 3 cat for five and nothing to drink for three says. They were in a most pitiable state, and when the Osprey’s cutter came alongside t.iey nearly capsized the dhow in stretching over fighting for water and food. Most of the slaves were merely living skeletons, with bones almost through their skins. They were trying, poor wretches, to quench their thirst under tlie burning sun by drinking the salt water. lour children died immediately after the capture The stench from the dhow was so awful that after the slaves were landed, the blue jackets, who went to clear her, were ad turned up. I tic- dhow contained people of all ages, iront children at the breast to old men and women, they wet e all nearly naked ; some na a tow dirty rags. Many could not stand. A.t cein-'r it was a frightful sight. At Mombassa the whole party of slaves were received and the I’nilom-.-l) by the Rev. Mr H nidlord, of the Church .Missionary Society, whose energy. enterprise and kindness it would be impo.-.sthle io exaggerate, and wlms-- mission stacon at Froretown—called after Sir Bartle Prere a model of order and cleanliness. The morning after leaving Mombassa for Zanzibar, at daybreak, two canoes and one dhow were sighted from the Osprey making for Pemba. As we gave chase and steamed, a cry was heard in the sea, and a call of 1 Man overboard " raised. A boat was quickly lowered and a small slave bov of about 12 years old picked up. He had been thrown overboard from the dhow at (he first sight ol the Osprey. These boats had eight slave; on board. They threw seven overboard : six were drowned ; one bov was picked up, and one we found under some mats m the dhow Thus was all done by the Captain and owner of the dhow. Por cold blooded rilurJer this has, I think, rarely been surpassed. Had it not been for the fishing up of the bov we should have found no slaves 0:1 board, and the canoes would have been able to pass as ordinary fishing boats.