(Enclosure 2.)—Mr. Consul Hesketh to the President of the Province of Maranham. MOST EXCELLENT AND ILLUSTRIOUS SIR, Maranham, Aug. 14, 1826. A BRAZILIAN Brig, called the Pedro Primeiro, Jacinto Joze da Silva, Master, having arrived at this Port yesterday with Slaves, and having been this morning reported at the Custom-house as only touching here on her voyage to Para; I am called upon to acquaint your Excellency, that I am possessed of information which induces me to declare that this Vessel's Voyage is not a legal one. My publick duty having required me to make this communication to your Excellency, also forces me to solicit that your Excellency may be pleased to refer at once this Vessel's Case to the proper Judicial Authorities in this Port, that the Laws applicable to the infractions of the Slave-trade Treaties may be allowed to take their course. I have, &c. H. E. Pedro Joze da Costa Barros. ROBERT HESKETH. (Enclosure 3.)—The President of the Province of Maranham to Mr. Consul Hesketh.-(Translation.) SIR, Maranham, August 15, 1826. Ir may be half an hour since the Aide-de-Camp, Joao Carlos Machado, who is on duty this week, delivered to me the Letter you signed under yesterday's date; and, on my asking him the reason why its delivery was delayed, he answered, that he received it from a Noncommissioned Officer, and that, as he knew I was unwell, and did not suppose the Letter of much consequence, he deferred the delivery of it until to-day, which he did about 8 o'clock this morning, as is customary when the Bearer does not require its immediate delivery. I much regret not to be able to prevent the departure of the Brazilian Brig Pedro Primeiro, she having sailed early this morning for Para, the Port of her destination, according to her Passport from Cabinda, in order that I might satisfy you respecting your suspicions of her Voyage. Nevertheless, it is to be presumed, that His Excellency the President of that Province will not omit doing, on his part, all which behoves him to preserve unimpeached the faith of those Treaties which we so much respect, and are so anxious to attend to. Robert Hesketh, Esq. God preserve you. PEDRO JOZE DA COSTA BARROS. (Enclosure 4.)—Mr. Consul Hesketh to the President of the Province of Maranham. MOST EXCELLENT AND ILLUSTRIOUS SIR, Maranham, Aug. 17, 1826. On the 15th instant, I had the honour to receive your Excellency's reply to my Letter, respecting the Brig Pedro Primeiro, which Letter was dated the 14th instant, and delivered on that day about 4 o'clock in the afternoon to a Serjeant, the only Person in the Saloon, where all the Letters which I have had the honour to address to your Excellency have been hitherto left. It is with the most deep-felt regret that I state to your Excellency, that the Case of the above-mentioned Vessel is a greater infraction of Treaty and of Law than I could have supposed would ever have fallen to my lot to complain of. It becomes my duty now to report this Case to the proper Departments at the respective Courts of Rio de Janeiro and London, particularizing in that Report all the extraordinary occurrences which took place, and protesting against your Excellency. I have, &c. H. E. Pedro Joze da Costa Burros. ROBERT HESKETH. No. 87.-Mr. Consul Hesketh to Mr. Sec". Canning.-(Rec. Nov. 15.) (Extract.) Maranham, September 15, 1826. IN reference to my last Despatch of this Series, dated the 25th ultimo, respecting the Brig Pedro Primeiro, an illegal Slave-trader, I have now to make known that this Vessel, instead of proceeding to Pară, has been taken into the Bay of Tury, on the confines of the neighbouring Province of Para, where the Slaves have been landed, contrary to all the Revenue Laws of this Country. The fact of smuggling the Slaves into the District of Tury is an undeniable confirmation of a total violation of the Law and Treaty affecting the Case. The District of Tury being in the Province of Para, any application to the President of Maranham, in His Excellency's present determination, would be only attended with the declaration, that the Offenders were beyond His Excellency's Jurisdiction. I therefore addressed the enclosed Despatches to the President of Para, and the British Vice-Consul at that Port. I shall communicate these events to His Majesty's Consul-General at Rio de Janeiro by the first opportunity. I do not expect to receive an answer from Pară before the middle of October. The Right Hon. George Canning. ROBERT HESKETH. (Enclosure 1.)-Mr. Consul Hesketh to the President of the Province SIR, of Para. Maranham, September 11, 1826. A BRAZILIAN Brig, called the Pedro Primeiro, Jacinto Joze da Silva, Master, having arrived at this Port on the 13th ultimo, from the Coast of Africa, with Slaves on board, and it being known to me that the Voyage of this Vessel was illegal, it became my duty to apply to His Excellency the President of this Province, calling His Excellency's attention to that infraction of the Slave-trade Treaties. For your Excellency's information, I beg leave to enclose a Copy of the Correspondence which took place on this Case, between His Excellency the Most Illustrious Snr. Pedro Joze da Costa Barros and myself. From that Correspondence your Excellency will learn, that the Brig Pedro Primeiro left this Port bound direct to that of Para, and also that none of the Slaves in question were landed here through the Custom-house, nor any of the customary Duties paid. I am this morning informed that, instead of proceeding to Para, all the Slaves have been landed at Tury, from the Brig Pedro Primeiro. As Tury is within your Excellency's Jurisdiction, I am transmitting to the British Vice-Consul residing at the Seat of your Excellency's Government, every particular of the information I have received respecting the proceedings at that Place, with instructions to communicate the same to your Excellency. From those Proceedings your Excellency will find that the Parties concerned in them have retreated into the Province of Para, for the purpose of committing there those violations of the Law, which they could not carry into effect in Maranham; but I am confident that this aggravated Case will, on being thus brought under your Excellency's observation, at once feel the full weight of that energy and zeal which have always distinguished the exercise of your Excellency's high functions. The publick duty of this Consulate extending to the Port of Para, and an Official, and, I may add, serious Report of the Case of the Brig Pedro Primeiro having been already transmitted to our respective Courts, I deem it a duty of respect and attention towards your Excellency thus to address myself, independent of my Communications on the subject to the British Vice-Consul at that Port. I have the honour to be, &c. H. E. Joze Felix Pereira de Burgos. ROBERT HESKETH! (Enclosure 2.)-Mr. Consul Hesketh to Mr. Vice-Consul Hesketh. SIR, Maranham, September 11, 1826. IN reference to the contents of the enclosed Copy of my Despatch, dated 19th ultimo, respecting the Brig Pedro Primeiro, I have now to acquaint you, that this illegal Slave-trader has put into the Bay of Tury, instead of proceeding to Pará, and all the Slaves have been landed there in the two following Plantations, viz. in the Fazenda of Captain Joze Gonçalves in Sao Joao, either 20 or 40 Slaves, and in that of Bento Roque da Silva at Ponta Grossa, the remainder of the Slaves. As the District of Tury is under the Jurisdiction of the President of Pará, I cannot here take any steps; but I have to call your attention to this infraction of the Treaties, and also of the Custom-House Regu lations of this Country, and I doubt not that your representations to His Excellency the President will be attended with success. I enclose a Despatch which I addressed to His Excellency on this subject, referring His Excellency to you for every particular of this glaring instance of disregard to all Law, which Despatch you will lose no time in delivering. I also transmit enclosed a Maranham Newspaper, in which is mentioned, in the last page, the report made here of the number of Slaves on board the Pedro Primeiro, but I doubt whether even the number reported was correct. John Hesketh, Esq. I have, &c. ROBERT HESKETH. No. 88. Mr. Consul Hesketh to Mr.Sec. Canning.—(Rec. Nov. 15.) I HAD yesterday the gratification to receive the Despatch, of the Slave-trade Series, dated June 22, in which I am honoured with your most flattering commendation for the manner in which I discharged my duty on the arrival of the Schooner Carolina. The treatment experienced by the Negroes landed from that Vessel still continues to be most cruel and shameful, these unfortunate Persons being still Slaves under peculiar hardships. I have already reported their situation to His Majesty's ConsulGeneral at Rio de Janeiro; and, in obedience to your Orders, shall, in repeating that Report, detail at length the most effectual steps to remedy such abuses, transmitting a Copy thereof according to your Instructions; and only now remarking, that those guilty of the past abuses of the Law ought to be severely punished, and some respectable Person, independent of the Local Authorities, authorized to act as Guardian or Superintendent of the Free Negroes. I have, &c. The Right Hon. George Canning. ROBERT HESKETH. No. 89.-Mr. Consul Hesketh to Mr. Sec". Canning.-(Rec. Dec. 22.) (Extract.) Maranham, October 14, 1826. dated September 15, made Slaves were landed on this HAVING, in a Despatch of this Series, known the illegal manner in which the Coast from the Brig Pedro Primeiro, I have now the honour further to state, in reference to the said Despatch, that some of the Slaves in question were brought to this City; and that, although every particular of this occurrence was detailed by me to His Excellency the President, soliciting redress for such transgressions, nothing but an evasive answer was returned. From the enclosed Copy of my Letter to His Excellency, every particular of this occurrence can be seen; and, by His Excellency's Reply, it appears that every step for the investigation of this affair is evaded, ROBERT HESKETH The Right Hon. George Canning. (Enclosure 1.)-Mr. Consul Hesketh to the President of the Province of Maranham. MOST EXCELLENT AND ILLUSTRIOUS SIR, Maranham, Oct. 7, 1826. THE Brig Pedro Primeiro, regarding which I have already had the honour to correspond with your Excellency, was, I much regret to state, taken into the Bay of Tury, on her departure from hence, and the Slaves landed on the Confines of the Province of Pará, in defiance of all Law. I have represented that Proceeding to His Excellency the President of Pará, declaring it to be one as much at variance with the Laws of this Empire, as with the Stipulations of the Slave-trade Treaties; and I enclose, for your Excellency's information, a Translation of that Representation. Much as I lament the determined disregard of Law manifested by those concerned in the Brig Pedro Primeiro, I equally regret that there should exist any necessity for soliciting your Excellency's attention to Proceedings in this Port, notoriously connected with such illegal acts. The Slaves who were clandestinely landed at Tury from the Brig Pedro Primeiro, are now beginning to appear in this City. By the Sumaca Leopoldina, Joze da Maia, Master, which arrived from Tury on the 4th instant, 14 of those Slaves were brought, and reported as sick Negroes requiring medical relief: but the fact is, that these 14 Negroes are all Cacheo Blacks, landed at Tury from the said Brig; 5 of them were taken to the House of Antonio Martins da Silva; 1 to that of Manoel da Silva Povoas, and the remainder were concealed by the said Master in some place of which I am ignorant. I also fear that many others have been brought by the different Coasters occasionally arriving from the neighbourhood of Tury. Your Excellency being now in possession of every particular of my Representation to Pará, of the illegal proceedings at Tury, and of the name of the Person who brought from thence some of the Negroes in question, will, I doubt not, take the needful steps to give due course to the Laws which uphold the Stipulations of the Slave-trade Treaties. I have the honour to be, &c. H. E. Pedro Joze da Costa Barros. ROBERT HESKETH. (Enclosure 2.)—The President of the Province of Maranham to Mr. Consul Hesketh.—(Translation.) SIR, Maranham, October 9, 1826. I HAVE before me the Letter which you addressed to me on the 7th instant, respecting the affair of the Brig Pedro Primeiro, to which I have to answer the following. After highly praising your zeal in the discharge of your duty in that respect, it behoves me to declare to you that, until the decision of the first question, whether or not those Slaves were obtained to the |