intercourse between the Foulah country and Sierra Leone was lately established. That path is now stopped.

In the middle division of the Coast, between Sierra Leone and Cape Coast Castle, much Slave Trade has been carried on. The principal resort of these Traders is the Rio Gallinas. The Vessels employed in this Trade have been chiefly French; but some of all the Countries concerned in the Trade have been occasionally seen there. We have been informed that Krause, the Master and part Owner of the Schooner Joseph, lately condemned in the British and Spanish Court of Mixed Commission, has a Factory at the Gallinas, and has been for some years a constant Slave Trader there.

According to the information which we have received at various times from Individuals who had opportunities of personal observation, or of communicating with those who had such opportunities, the Station of the Gallinas has scarcely at any time been free from Slave Traders, and generally from three to five Vessels may be found there in search of Slaves.

In the range of Coast southward from Cape Coast Castle to the Equator, which is the third division in the apportionment made in our former Reports, a remarkable change has taken place, by the transfer of the Portuguese Slave Trade from its recent favourite haunts in the Bight of Biafra to the Bight of Benin.

After the Capture of the French and Spanish Slave Ships in the River Bonny, on the 7th of April, by the Boats of His Majesty's Ships Iphigenia and Myrmidon, under the command of Lieutenant Mildmay, Captain Leeke proceeded in the Myrmidon to examine the Calabar.

The Calabar was examined on the 27th and 28th of April by the Boats of the Myrmidon and Iphigenia, under the command of Lieutenant Elliot. The Portuguese Schooner Defensora da Patria, having 100 Slaves on board, bound to Princes Island and Bahia, was taken by Lieutenant Elliot. The Vessel being found not seaworthy was destroyed: the Slaves were brought to Sierra Leone, and emancipated by the British and Portuguese Mixed Court. A French Vessel called La Tamise, of Marseilles, belonging to Rougemont and Co. was in the River at the time, and had come for a cargo of 400 Slaves. She was boarded by Lieutenant Elliot, who ascertained these facts from her Papers.

No other Slave Ships had been in the Calabar during the four months preceding. This information Lieutenant Elliot received from the Masters of the English Vessels trading for palm oil. A Tender belonging to one of those Vessels arrived from the Cameroons a short time before Lieutenant Elliot visited the Calabar: the information derived from the Crew of the Tender was, that no Slave-trading Vessel had been in the Cameroons during the last five or six months. In consequence of this information, Lieutenant Elliot did not proceed to the

Cameroons. That River was formerly a Station of great resort for the Slave Trade.

Leiutenant Hagan visited the Calabar in the end of the month of June, and learned that no Slave Trade had taken place in the interval since the visit of the Boats of the Iphigenia and Myrmidon, with the exception of a shipment of 30 Slaves on board of a very small Vessel called the San José Xalaça. This Vessel put to Sea with a short supply of provisions and water, in the expectation of arriving speedily at Princes Island. The number of Slaves was, in the same expectation, greatly overproportioned to her means of accommodation. Contrary winds drove her unfortunately out of her course, and, after extreme suffering, she returned to Duke Ephraim's Town at Calabar. Ten of the Negroes died of their sufferings, either on board or after the return to the Calabar. The others were delivered up to Lieutenant Hagan and brought to Sierra Leone, with the exception of three, whose exhausted state surpassed the humane efforts of Leiutenant Hagan for their recovery. For the further details of this shocking case, we refer to the particular Despatch respecting it.

In the River Bonny, no Slave-trading Vessel had arrived since the Capture of the Vecuu and Icanam by the Boats of the Iphigenia and Myrmidon. The Captain of the Vecua, and her Crew, as well as the Crews of the French Vessels taken at the same time, were still at King Peppel's Town at Bonny, no opportunity for their departure thence having occurred.

Lieutenant Hagan noticed, as a happy result of the check given to the Slave Trade in the Rivers Bonny, Calabar, and Cameroons, the improved state of the legitimate commerce. The George Canning, a Ship of 700 tons, from Liverpool, come for palm oil, had completed her cargo in four months. While the Slave Trade was in full vigour, this would have been a business of nearly twelve months.

In the Bight of Benin, Lieutenant Hagan took the Portuguese Brig Estrella, having on board a cargo of Slaves. For the details of that Case, we beg leave to refer to the particular statement respecting it. We have only to add here, that the letter of instructions from the Owner, indicates an intention of taking a number of Slaves beyond the regular proportion to the tonnage of the Vessel, for each of which extraordinary Slaves, an additional freight was to be charged.

Lieutenant Hagan could have taken another Vessel with a cargo of Slaves, if the strength of his Crew had been sufficient to allow him to man two Prizes, with due regard to their security and that of the Thistle. He saw no less than nine Vessels, under the Portuguese Flag, all come for Slaves. He considered the Portuguese Slave-traders to have transferred themselves entirely to the Bight of Benin from their former haunts in the Bight of Biafra. Lieutenant Hagan conceived that the motives of this change were, the depth of water along the shore in the

Bight of Benin and the vicinity of the Slave-trading Stations to the Sea, by means of which the Slave-trading Vessels are enabled to get away rapidly on the approach of a Ship of War, and to attain a safe distance in a short time, after they have taken advantage of a favourable opportunity to embark their Slaves.

In the Rivers of the Bight of Biafra, they had hoped that they would be inaccessible to attack, or capable of resisting with success the attacks of boats. But events have proved that they are accessible, and that the attacks by boats are not to be successfully resisted by them, while they are disabled from escape by flight, being so completely land-locked.

We have had occasion to notice, particularly in our Reports of many of the Cases brought before the British and Portuguese Courts of Mixed Commission, the undue facilities given to the illegal Traffick by those in authority at Prince's Island, and the perversion of the liberty to call at that Island, and at St. Thomas's, in voyages from Brazil, to the purposes of Slave Trade in the Stations North of the Line. In the Cases of the Defensora da Patria, of the Nymfa del Mar, and some others, the collusion to this illegal purpose was most foul and glaring, as the particular Reports of those Cases, and the parts of the evidence especially noticed in those Reports, will shew in a more decisive manner.

The Papers of all Vessels cleared out from the Ports of Brazil for the Coast of Africa, are perfectly regular. If the destination be avowedly for the Coast, North of the Equator, the objects of the voyage are distinctly limited to legal commerce, with an express prohibition against meddling in any way with the Slave Trade. In the Case of the Des de Ferreiro, these Documents were coupled with private Letters of the same tenor, so numerous, so uniform, and so strong, that nothing short of the positive proofs found, of her being actually engaged in obtaining a cargo of Slaves, could efface the impression of innocent and laudable commerce, made by the contents of these Papers. Subsequent Cases of the same description, although without the same combination of private as well as public Papers, have shewn that Papers of that description are used as common means of deception.

The Vessels that clear out avowedly for the Slave Trade have Papers of express destination to Molembo or Cabinda, South of the Line, sometimes with liberty adjoined to call at Princes Island, or at the Island of St Thomas, the uniform abuse of which permission, for the purpose of inlet to the Slave-trading Stations North of the Line, has already been noticed.

The general practice of keeping the Slaves on shore until the whole cargo is collected in readiness for embarkation, causes many Vessels so engaged to be left unmolested; and in the cases in which Vessels found in such circumstances have been detained, on the ground

U

of having had one Slave, or more, actually on board, for the purposes of the Traffick, the proofs have been found in some instances deficient, as in the Case of the Rosalia, Spanish Schooner, taken in the Rio Pongos, in January last, by His Majesty's Brig, Thistle; in some imperfect, as the Case of the Estrella, Spanish Schooner, Prize to His Majesty's Ship Morgiana, Captain Knight, taken in the month of March, off Trade Town; in others very difficult, as in the Joseph, Spanish Schooner, Prize to the detachment from the Iphigenia, placed under Lieutenant Clarkson, on board of the American Schooner, Augusta; the Des de Fevreiro, Portuguese Brig, Prize to His Majesty's Ship Iphigenia, Commodore Sir Robert Mends; and the Nymfa del Mar, also Prize to the Iphigenia.

If we may presume to recommend to Your Lordship the amendment of any particular deficiency in the existing Treaties, otherwise than in our usual manner of presenting to your Lordship's notice the circumstances that furnish the suggestion, we would entreat that, if Vessels having Slave-trading outfit, cannot,—at least, this crying abuse of having cargoes of Slaves collected on shore should,—be made equivalent to having them on board, and that Vessels in such circumstances should be made liable to detention and condemnation.

With respect to the state of foreign co-operation; since the date of our last Report, we have to mention merely the appearance of the French Corvette La Diane, off this harbour, on Sunday the 17th of May. She cruized off and on during the whole of the day, but did not come in, nor communicate with any of the small Vessels or Boats in the Offing; and when the Harbour-master approached her in his boat, for the purpose of offering his services to bring her in, she made all sail from him. No account has been received of her proceedings on the Coast.

No Vessel of force belonging to The United States of America has appeared on the Coast We have the honour to be, &c.

The Marquess of Londonderry, K. G.

E. GREGORY.
EDWARD FITZGERALD.

(Inclosure )—Notes on the Rio Pongos and its Slave-trading Factories. In compliance with your request, I commit to paper the observations that I had opportunity to make in my recent visit to the Rio Pongos. I had, for some time, been desirous to see that River, and the extraordinary Persons that reside on its banks. On the 7th of May, I accompanied Mr.— who was going to the Factory of Mr. Lightburn, one of the principal resident Merchants of that River, on a commercial expedition. We sailed from Crawford's, in the Schooner belonging to Mr. on the 7th, but as there was not any breeze, we made so little way, that it was not until three. P. M. of the 8th that we arrived off the Bar of the Rio Pongos. About eight o'clock in the evening of that day, we came to an anchor off a Place

called Dominge, situated on the left, a short distance within the Bar, where we went on shore.

Mr. William Lawrence, the owner of this place, received us very kindly, and we had some interesting conversation with him.

In the course of this conversation, Mr. Lawrence informed us that he had finally relinquished the Slave Trade, as he had for a considerable time found it unprofitable and dangerous, and was subject to endless trouble and vexation in consequence of it. The situation of Dominge is high, and apparently healthy. There are not either hills or swamps in the immediate neighbourhood, yet the inhabitants are sometimes subject to intermittents.

On the 9th at 5 A. M. we proceeded up the River, passing by Devil's Island, where it was divided into two principal branches. That which we followed, lies to the left in passing upwards; its position is to the northward and eastward. This branch is larger than the other, and possesses more advantages for commerce. On our left, we saw the ruins of two or three deserted Factories, one of these had belonged to a Gentleman of the medical profession (Dr. Botifeur,) who, as we were informed, had made a considerable fortune by the Slave Trade, and by his professional services to Slave Traders. He is said to be now living in affluence, in one of the Foreign West India Islands.

One of the others had been in the possession of the Curtises, who were obliged to retire from this part of the River by the other Chiefs, in consequence of the expedition from Sierra Leone, sent to avenge the murder of Mr. Inman, Master's Mate of His Majesty's Brig, Thistle, and the Seamen of the Boat's Crew who accompanied him. This ex-pedition raised in the other Chiefs an apprehension of being made victims to the hostility excited by that barbarous act of the Curtises, and all the members of that Family were compelled to withdraw from the main branch of the River. A little beyoud, on the same side, is the Factory of a Trader named Puck: this also appears to be in a state of decay.

After we had passed these Factories, we did not see any thing remarkable, until we arrived in front of Bangalan, the place of Ormond, of which I will speak more particularly hereafter, as we did not at this time stop there.

Off Bangalan we left the Schooner, which could not conveniently proceed higher up, in consequence of the small depth of water: we went up the remainder of our way in a small boat. The banks on both sides are overgrown with mangrove swamps. There are many Creeks branching off in every direction.

About seven miles above Bangalan, we found the Factory of Mr. Lightburn. The position is to the right of Bangalan, as you go upwards; it is on the same side of the River, and Passengers sometimes go from one place to the other on foot, in the dry season, when the