AUSTRALIAN SLAVE TRADERS.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVIII, Issue 1998, 19 December 1863, Page 4

AUSTRALIAN SLAVE TRADERS.

(feom the "daily times" correspondent) Melbourne, 2nd December, 1863. i It appears that the Australian colonies are ' likely to acquire a most unenviable notoriety in connection with the abominable practice of man-stealing:, winch has been going on in the South Sea Islands for some time past, in defiance of every sentiment of humanity and justice and of all laws both human and divine. Two of the wretches who have taken a leading part in this vile traffic, had been, it seems, domiciled in this city for some time previous to their engaging in it. One of these persons we learn was a man named Byrue, who, after swindling; a number of the too-confiding residents of the quiet colony of Natal, came to this colony, arid was no less successful in rictiraising some of the merchants and tradesmen here. The other ma», who, in accordance with the old saw which tells us that "birds of a feather flock together," associated himself with the firstnamed worthy in the new slave trade, was an American named Clarke, who, after keeping an hotel in this city, was duly whitewashed by passing through our Insolvent Court. Having obtained a vessel, the partners proceeded to the South Sea Islauds and succeeded iv kidnapping a cargo of the natives whom they at once carried off to Peru and sold as slaves. Byrne dying soon afterwards — in pursuance of the terms of an agreement which had been entered into previous to the voyage — Clarke came in for the whole profits of the speculation, and these profits were so large as to enable him to settle as a stockholder or squatter in the neighbourhood of Callao. In addition to the above story a somewhat similar one it. reference to the same shameful trade, and in which the chief actor was an Irishman named M'Gratb, the master of a Tasmanian whaler, has been furnished to the Melbourne papers by a seaman named John Turner, who is at present employed on board the schooner Urania trading from this port. The following is the version of his narrative publisbed by the Age : — " On the 24th of February last he joined the brig" Grecian, of Hobart Town, Captain T. M'Gratb, to go on a whaling voyage, and to be discharged at New Zealand, or the first Australian colony at which the vessel might call on or after the 20th of May. Instead of directing his attention to whaling, the captain pioceeded to the South Sea Islands. On the 17th May he proposed to the crew that they should enter upon the slave trade as being more profitable. Turner and seven others refused, and on the 20th of the same month, the vessel being off Ravage Island, and the articles having expired, the captain ordered them to be put ashore, and left on the rocks. Scarcely had the boat touched the shore when a missionary came, and told them that the natives gave them only fire minutes to leave. They told this to the second mate who was in charge of the boat, and he then took them again on board the brig, and for doing so was severely reprimanded by the captain, who accused him of being guilty of breach of orders in not leaving the men on the rocks as he was told to do. On the mate's remonstrating with the captain, the latter asked him with an oath what he had to do with the natives or the men either, The men then asked him to take them to a British port, or to some place where there was a British magistrate, but he answered that he would do nothing of the kind. He, however, seems to have relented so far as to take them on board. In a week afterwards, on the 27th May, he again sent them ashore, the vessel then being off Tutuila, one of the Navigator group, threatening to shoot them if they refused. At the farther end of this island was the residence of the British consular agent, and the natives being, to a ceitaia extent, friendly, the eight men who were landed, induced them by the payment of fourteen dollars in money and the gift of some clothes, to conduct them overland. On arriving at the town of Leone, they visited the consular agent, Mr Henry Hunkin. They remained there for two days, and received from the agent every kindness that it was in his power to bestow. On the seventeenth day after being landed, aud the second after arriving at Leone, they left in a boat provided for them by Mr Hunkin, and proceeded to Upolu, an island distant about seventy miles, where the Biitish consul, Mr M'Farlane, resided. They accomplished the distance in two days and a night, having had nothing to eat during the time except a few cocoa nuts, as Mr Hunkin was unable to give them supplies, his stores being exhausted. On arriving at Upolu, they received every attention from Mr M'Farlane. After being there for about five weeks, five of the men shipped on board the American whalerDesdemona. The other three remained for six weeks longer. During their stay, John Bryan, formerly a shipmate on board the Grecian, also arrived there. He was landed at Lafuca, in Ovolau, one of the Figi islands, because of his objection to be a party to slave trading, and informed Turner and his mates that, after their leaving, the vessel called at Tonga. The captain there induced a large company of natives to come on board to trade, and while they were dining on the 'tween decks, closed the hatches upon them, men, women, and children, to the number of about 130, and sailled with them for the Peruvian coast. At this time the crew consisted of fifteen persons, consisting of Maories taken on board at the Chatham Islands — where Turner and the others joined the ship— Portugese, and one Swede. There was also the boy, a native of Tasmania, of the name of Egan, whom the captain would not, allow, to leave, though his apprenticeship had. expired, alleging as his reason that he had not his indentures with him. Bryan having obtained employment ut Upolu, remained there, and.Turner aud his mates ultimately obtained a passage in the Petrel, schooner, of Sydney. On their way they called at the Figi Islands, where the other two left the Petrel, but Turner came with her to Sydney. After being there for some time he obtained a passage by the brig Scotia to Melbourne, and on bis arrival shipped on board the Urania for Hobait Tovvii. Having arrived at the latter place, he called on the owner of the Grecian with respect to his wages, but was told that the vessel not having been heard of since her departure from the Chatham Islands, he could receive no redress. It would thus appear that, in addition to entering the slave trade, the captain has also appropriated the brig. Turner, however, intends, on the return of the Urania to Hobart Town, to take legal steps for the recovery of his claim for wages, having served the full time for which he signed articles, and the vessel being up to that time, so far as he was aware, legitimately employed.