Letter and Enclosures from Commodore Sir Leopold George Heath on the Slave Trade on the East Coast of Africa and Suggestions for its Suppression [‎95v] (8/12)

Inclosure 1 in No. 3.
The Secretary to Government, Bombay, to Commodore Sir L. Heath.
Sir, Bombay Castle, February 13, 1869.
I AM directed by the Right Honourable the Governor in Council to forward, for the
favour of your remarks, the accompanying copy of a letter, dated the 29th ultimo, from
the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. at Aden.
1 have, &c.
(Signed) C. GONNE.
Inclosure 2 in No. 3.
The Resident at Aden to the Secretary to Government, Bombay.
Sir, Aden, January '^9, 1869.
IN forwarding the manumitted slaves to Bombay, 1 have the honour to inform you
that there are a certain number of th.em who declare themselves domestic slaves, and state
that they were employed as sailors on board the dhows from which they were taken, and
moreover express a wish to return to their homes in the vicinity of Zanzibar. As I have
no means of complying with their wish 1 send them with others to Bombay that Govern
ment may dispose of them as they may deem fit.
2. In bringing this fact to the notice of his Excellency the Governor in Council, I beg
to point out that 1 consider it was impossible for one to act otherwise than to condemn the
dhows trom which these slaves weie captured, owing to the evidence given before me by
Captain de Kantzow and his officers, from which it appears to me they were fully justified
in concluding that their captures were authorized by the law in force; as an instance, I
will quote the case of dhow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. No. 1, which is, however, the only case out of the twenty-four
in which all her slaves, since their landing at this port, have declared themselves as
domestic slaves, employed as sailors, and expressed a wish to return. This vessel, when
detained, had her crew separated from her passengers and slaves (there were only six of
the latter, the men in question) ; the crew and passengers were landed, but six men
detained as slaves, as they stated they were such. Each day they were inspected after their
removal to the " Star," they had an opportunity of bringing forward their claims to have
been landed with the crew, but they failed to move in the matter; nor did any one of
them by word or gesture give any reasons for supposition that he was anything but a slave.
It was not until after their arrival here that they came forward, and during the investi
gation of the cases I had no reason to doubt—from the evidence of one of these men
particularly, and from the amount of intelligence he displayed, and his acquaintance with
the nature and quantity of the cargo of the dhow—but that he was what he stated himself
to be, a domestic slave employed as a sailor, and not a slave for traffic ; all six in fact I
have no hesitation in saying, vere similarly employed. This dhow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. had a crew of nineteen
men besides these six domestic slaves, and was laden with a considerable carao, and the
evidence proved that at the time of capture her principal object was legitimate trade.
3. Seeing that this dhow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. had these six men slaves on board, although they were domestic
ones and that Captain de Kantzow had. given them every opportunity of landing before
the destruction of the dhow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. , and subsequently of declaring their true status • and
moreover that the dhow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. had no papers or colours, and was entering slaves' port where
slaves were being then run, and that the men admitted themselves they were slaves I felt
that I had no alternative but to condemn her and justify the act of Captain de Kantzow
4. In passing judgment in several of the cases, however, I felt that too much discre
tionary power was placed in the hands of Commanders of Her Majesty's cruizers engaged in
suppression of the Slave Trade on the East Coast of Africa, I respectfullv submit to
Governmeni the adv.saM.ty of m,mediate steps being taken for the issne of more stringent
and definite ordeis on the subject, whereby the status of domestic slavery may not be
interfered with and legl .mate trade paralyzed, and the minds of the Arabs irritated by such
wholesale destruction of their property, on the grounds of some few men being found who
through an interpreter, adm.t that they are slaves, and separated accordingly from the rest
o( he crew, and with a few other suspicious points, legalize the condemnation o" a vesse
of several tons, laden with a legitimate cargo.
• 5 ; Tb l "1®° Sl " eS , which we are determined to put down, 1 presume is that
earned on by dhows carrying large cargoes of these unfortunate creatures, whoTre mostly
ch.ldren and women ; and an order to the effect that no dhow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. should be destroyed except