tenant-Governors placing theirs in the Revenue Offices of the district, within the same period. Said deposits shall be accompanied simply by a statement setting forth in classes the documents issued and those which may be reserved in their possession, deferring the furnishing of a formal account until the periods designated in paragraphs 3 and 6. 11. When any Commissary, "Celador," or Captain shall have been discontinued from his employment before the arrival of the period fixed for the furnishing of the accounts, he shall deliver up to the Governor or Lieutenant-Governor under whose authority he may be, all that may be remaining in his possession, accompanied by a proper account, as specified in the preceding paragraphs, without further difference than that instead of transmitting the documents which remain over and those which are useless, they shall remit a receipt for the same signed by the person who may have taken charge of the employment. The Governors and Lieutenant-Governors in like case shall deliver what may remain, if there should be any, into their respective Revenue Office, and shall furnish their account to the Superior Civil Government in the form laid down in this paragraph. 12. In conformity with the resolution of this Government, dated 20th August, the captitation books must not go out of the Civil Government Office; such measures being adopted by the "Superintendencia" as may be necessary to conciliate this with the rendering of accounts on the part of the administration of the revenue in due form. JOSE DE LA CONCHA. No. 45.-Her Majesty's Acting Comm3. Judge to the Earl of Clarendon. (Received March 5.) (Extract.) Havana, January 14, 1856. THE Slave Trade during the past year has been carried on with more than its ordinary activity. Notwithstanding the denial by the Spanish authorities of several of the disembarkations which it has been my duty to denounce, I have no reason for doubting the correctness of the information upon which I acted in bringing those infractions of the Treaty under the notice of the Captain-General. I have the honour of laying before your Lordship a statement of the slaves landed, and the numbers captured by the authorities, during the year 1855; by which it appears that 4,806 Bozals were got on shore at various places, of whom 125 were captured, and adding the usual proportion of one-third as a prudent allowance for those imported respecting whom we have had no information, it results that no less than 6,408 have been introduced during the last 12 months, and are held here in slavery. Besides that number of Africans, 3,012 Chinese, and 416 Yucatan Indians have arrived, so that the labouring hands in Cuba have had an accession, during 1855, of 6,408 slaves, and of 3,428 under contract, making a total of 9,836 available for the agriculture, or on other service, of the island. For the current year 1856, no less than four of the most powerful houses of Havana have engaged in bringing over Chinese, so that, as I understand, at least 10,000 colonists from China may be expected here. The project has again been agitated, and is being discussed, of importing free negro labourers from Africa, females if possible, and to the extent of 10,000 or 50,000. With regard to this, as well as with regard to the continuing and encouraging the importations of Chinese, the opinions of the best informed of the proprietors are diverse, and most of them are apprehensive of danger arising, whether from the one or from the other alternative being had recourse to for supplying labourers. There is always that great difficulty to be surmounted, the combining of free and slave labour, and then the almost impossibility of avoiding the mixture of negro free colonists with the slaves of the same African nations, which would give rise to the latter becoming apprised, by degrees, of the difference of their condition and the discontent which would be consequent of awakening them to so lively a sense of their misery could hardly fail to produce effects of the most dangerous description from excited passions which it would be impossible to control. Upon the other hand, the cunning and superior intelligence of the Chinese, it is apprehended, may produce the most serious consequences, should they accumulate to the extent of giving them room for resisting their masters under any grievance or pretext, since it would be easy for them to induce the slaves to make common cause with them, and bring about such an insurrection of the negroes as it is terrifying to think of here, where their numbers are so predominant. Under these circumstances, nothing has been decided upon; but the high price of sugar is so strong an inducement to the extending of the culture of cane, that every effort is being made for obtaining hands to form new estates; and if they have not recourse to one or other of the alternatives I have mentioned, the Slave Trade will be carried on with increased activity. I have no reason for thinking that the expeditions to the coast of Africa during the year 1855 have proceeded from Cuba, as formerly. This has in a great measure been rendered unnecessary, by the facilities the slave-traders have found in fitting out their vessels in The United States, where the craft employed are to be [1855-56.] 30 met with cheap and suitable, as well as their fittings and stores much more reasonable in price than here in Cuba; added to which they are subjected to less observation, and run less risk of detection -the masters and crews being easily found to proceed under the direction of an agent or supercargo (usually an experienced slavetrader) their cargoes being ready waiting their appearance at the given point of embarkation-they arrive there under the American flag, take on board their miserable cargo, and are off so very quickly from the coast that they are seldom fallen in with by the cruizers, or, if they were, they would be found, like the Grey Eagle, without papers of any kind, should there be evidence on board of their slavetrading character. Such slavers generally, however, escape capture on the coast of Africa, and they arrive at some place on that of Cuba where advice is waiting them as to the point of landing their cargoes. The parties here who are interested, in the meantime have made arrangements, and the slaves are introduced safely and with impunity. Your Lordship will be able to form some idea of the nature of such arrangements, by the details I am enabled to furnish of what was effected at Santa Cruz, on the south side of the island, when 500 bozals were landed near that place in August last, viz : This arrangement was made upon 468 slaves, the rest being weak, and sickly (rather over 40 dollars a-head), which must be considered a remarkably cheap bargain of its kind. All this is well known to have taken place, and General Concha superseded the whole of those employés, placing them for trial before the Royal Audiencia for criminal punishment in terms of the Penal Law; but I understand there are not proofs to convict them: his Excellency the present Captain-General has no power to do more than he has done, marking his moral conviction of their infamous conduct by their destitution from the offices they held under his Government. The measures of the Marquis de la Pezuela at Sancti Spiritus gave a death-blow to the Slave Trade at Zarza, which port being, in consequence, closed to foreign commerce, since that time not one cargo has been run there. There are numerous slavers to arrive. His Excellency General Concha informs me that he has information of more than one; but that as to one, he has given the most peremptory orders to be on the look-out for her in all directions. I have information that there is a cargo on the coast (south side of the island), which has not been landed already, owing to the parties interested not having been able to obtain the required number of "cedulas" for the protection of the slaves after they have been got safe on shore. I wish that I could convey to your Lordship any greater assurance of the Slave Trade being put an end to. The penal law of Spain, as it is at present, does not reach the parties engaged in the detestable traffic; and presuming that General Concha is heartily disposed to put it down, his authority is insufficient to punish those whom he may be morally satisfied have engaged in it, or been aiding and abetting in its being carried on. The Earl of Clarendon. JOS. T. CRAWFORD. (Inclosure.)-Statement of the Slaves landed (6,408), and proportion captured (125), by the Government Officers, in the Island of Cuba, during the year 1855. CAPE OF GOOD HOPE. No. 50.-Her Majesty's Arbitrator to the Earl of Clarendon. (Received January 26, 1856.) Mixed Commission Chambers, Cape Town, MY LORD, The reports, similar in nature to those hitherto transmitted from this Commission, were to the effect that the Boers of the Trans-Vaal territory, whose independence has been recognized by Her Majesty's Government, obtained a supply of labour by seizing the children of the natives when young, and subjecting them to "an involuntary servitude," which is called an apprenticeship, or "inboeking" system, until the age of 25 for a male, and 22 for a female. That provision is made by law of their Volksraad, for the "inboeking" of all captives taken in war, and that the law provides that servants should not be transferred by sale from one master to another, but is constantly disregarded, and that it is a matter of every-day practice and notoriety that a regular sale of these indentured servants takes place, at the rate of 107. to 157. each; and further that the "ingeboekte" is not limited to captives of war; for "that parties of Boers proceed to the Drakenburg, and barter with the native Bushmen at the rate of a cow for a child;" these children being treated similarly to those secured in war. His Excellency informed me that these rumours were not without foundation, and were about to be brought by him before Her Majesty's Government, and he handed me a copy of a proclamation on the subject, lately issued by Pretorius, one of the District Commandants of the Trans-Vaal territory; which document, referring to the fact that kidnapping of natives had taken place, ordered the children so taken to be brought back, and forbade the offence in future. A copy of this proclamation I have the honour to inclose. His Excellency added, that it had been stated that some of Her Majesty's subjects had been engaged in these transactions. Upon this, I pressed strongly the propriety of issuing, both at this colony and at Natal, notifications of the Act of Parliament 6 and 7 Vict., cap. 98, which, extending the provisions of the Consolidated Slave Trade Act, makes it illegal for any British subject to be concerned in Slave Trade, in any part of the world, whether within or without Her Majesty's dominions; and I suggested that some offer of co-operation might be made to the Trans-Vaal Government, with an expression of gratification on the part of the Colonial Government at the proclamation that had been issued. I stated further, that the existence of the Slave Traffic in the Trans-Vaal territory would necessarily be known in the Portuguese possessions of the Mozambique; and its effects would tend to strengthen the Slave Trade interest there, and thus, in a great measure, nullify the efforts made by Her Majesty's Government to put an end, not only to Slave Trade, but slavery, in pursuance of the recommendation made by the Portuguese Chamber of Peers, for which a project of law in Portugal had been attempted to be passed. I need scarcely assure your Lordship that Sir George Grey is most fully alive to the importance of the subject, and desirous to deal with it; but unfortunately it is attended with many difficulties. It appears that his Excellency is advised that, however disgraceful the system in question is, it is not such a traffic as is provided for by the Slave Trade Acts, or could be suppressed under their enactments; and consequently, he is unwilling to call attention to the Slave Trade Acts in connexion with a traffic for which they provide * Vol. XXXIII. Page 888. |