5. That as this took place where no Portuguese authorities were established, the French barque was captured, and conducted to Mozambique on the 27th November, and there subjected to an inquiry by a Committee, who at last found on board the above-mentioned number of 110 negroes, 59 of whom were embarked at Quitangonha; it was also found that they were not volunteers, but had been sold to the captain, and some of them even stolen from their masters, a few of whom belonged to the city of Mozambique.

6. That in consequence of the report of the said Committee, the matter was referred to the Crown Lawyer and to the Government Council, and the case was to be ultimately given into the hands of the judicial courts, to be dealt with according to the laws of the country.

Besides what precedes, it is further stated, that there was on board the said barque a delegate of the administration of the Island of Réunion, who, on being requested to produce the contracts that he might have drawn up, could not show a single one; nor could he do so, for, instead of contracts with the negroes, he had made deeds of purchase from their masters, or from those who represented themselves to be their masters, for slaves can be stolen as well as anything else.

No. 3*-Mr. Howard to the Earl of Clarendon.†—(Rec. March 8.)
MY LORD,
Lisbon, February 27, 1858.

WITH reference to my despatch of the 17th ultimo, transmitting a copy of a note which, in compliance with your Lordship's instructions, I addressed, on the 16th of that month, to the Marquis de Loulé, calling the serious attention of the Portuguese Government to the traffic in slaves, which, as reported by Mr. McLeod, Her Majesty's Consul at Mozambique, is carried on from the Portuguese possessions on the east coast of Africa, with the sanction of the Portuguese authorities, I have the honour of inclosing a translation of a note of the 24th instant, which I yesterday received from his Excellency, sending me, in reply to that, note, a copy of a despatch from the Minister of Marine, dated the 11th instant, together with a copy of the "Jornal do Commercio," of the 24th, containing the article reporting the capture of the French vessel Charles et Georges, at Conducia, in the Province of Mozambique, of which a translation is annexed to my preceding despatch of the 24th instant. From the accompanying translation of Viscount de Sá da Bandeira's above-mentioned despatch, your Lordship will perceive that his Excellency replies, seriatim, to the various points contained in my note, expresses his regret that it should be found

+ Laid before Parliament, with Correspondence relative to the Slave Trade,

1858.

that the Portuguese authorities in the Province of Mozambique do not carry out the instructions of the Government in respect to the suppression of the Slave Trade, and refers to the Portaria issued in December last, to the new Governor-General of that Province, Colonel Tavares d'Almeida, in whose zeal great confidence is placed, directing him to see to the punishment of the offenders, and suggesting to him the removal, without exception, of all the authorities of Inhambane.

His Excellency further refers to the dismissal of Captain Leotte, the Governor of that place, and to the instructions sent to Colonel Almeida to inquire into the case of the slave-vessel Minnetonka.

His Excellency then mentions the instructions which have, at different times, been sent to the Governor-General to prevent the exportation of negroes as free labourers from the province; but states that it cannot be a matter of much surprise that the Governor-General should have refused to dismiss the Governor of Ibo, upon the demand of Her Majesty's Consul, inasmuch as such a demand was irregular, the proper course being to indict the Governor to his trial, if sufficient motives existed for such a proceeding.

His Excellency afterwards states that it appears that proceedings were about to be instituted against the ex-Governor of Inhambane, and the commander of the schooner Zambesi; and that two officers had been named to proceed on an inquiry to Inhambane and Ibo respectively; but that no intelligence has been received of the interference of the judicial authorities alluded to by Mr. McLeod; and, in regard to the opinion expressed by the latter gentleman, that one of the authorities who thus interfered was interested in concealing the truth, his Excellency observes that he is about to instruct the Governor-General to proceed to a minute inquiry into the subject, and that he hopes Mr. McLeod will furnish the Governor-General with the information which led him to bring forward so serious a charge.

His Excellency proceeds to repeat the regret of His Most Faithful Majesty's Government to see that, according to Mr. McLeod's report, the Slave Trade should have been carried on so largely in the Portuguese possessions on the Eastern Coast of Africa, especially as Mr. McLeod affirms it to be by the connivance of the Portuguese authorities. His Excellency adds, that he will again enjoin upon the Governor-General the execution of the Portaria sent to him on this subject, and will point out to him this assertion of the British Consul; but expresses his regret that Mr. McLeod should not have been more explicit in naming the authorities he accuses.

His Excellency concludes his despatch by saying that, with reference to the conveyance of slaves to the Comoro Islands, to be

afterwards sold to French traders, this matter is already provided for in the instructions given to the Governor-General Almeida relating to the exportation of negro labourers.

As I have already had the honour, in my above-named despatch, of transmitting to your Lordship a translation of the article from the "Jornal do Commercio," reporting the capture of the French vessel Charles et Georges, with slaves on board, a copy of which journal has now been forwarded to me by the Marquis de Loulé, I will confine myself to inclosing it herewith in original, and to reporting that the Marquis de Loulé yesterday expressed to me his opinion that, supposing the circumstances of this case to be such as had been reported, the capture, having been effected in Portuguese waters, was perfectly justifiable. I have, &c. HENRY F. HOWARD.

The Earl of Clarendon.

(Inclosure 1.)—The Marquis de Loulé to Mr. Howard. (Translation.)

Palace, February 24, 1858. In answer to the note which you were pleased to address to me under date of the 16th of January last, relating to the Slave Trade transactions said to be effected on the East Coast of Africa, with the connivance of the Portuguese authorities established there, and in spite of the orders and efforts of His Majesty's Government, I have the honour to transmit to you the inclosed copy of a despatch which I received from the Minister of Marine, dated the 11th instant, from the contents of which you will perceive what measures have been adopted by that Department, and also those proposed by his Excellency to be adopted upon this subject, and with reference to the information contained in your above-mentioned note.

As a corroboration of what I have stated, I have the honour likewise to transmit to you the inclosed copy of the "Jornal do Commercio" of this day, transcribing the advices lately received from Mozambique, from which it appears that, in December of last year, the capture of the French barque Charles et Georges took place, this vessel being engaged in the Slave Trade; and it is my duty to add, that His Majesty's Government were informed of this capture, and that, although the news was of a private nature, it deserves some degree of credit, owing to the source from whence it proceeds. I renew, &c.

H. F. Howard, Esq.

MARQUIS DE LOULE.

(Inclosure 2.)—The Minister of Marine and the Colonies to the Marquis de Loulé.

(Translation.)

ILLUSTRIOUS AND EXCELLENT SIR,

Marine and Colonial Department,

February 11, 1858.

WITH the despatch which I had the honour to receive from your

Excellency, dated the 25th of January last, I received a translation. of the note of the 16th of the same month, which Her Britannic Majesty's Minister at this Court addressed to your Excellency by order of his Government, and to which you request to be enabled to reply.

The above-mentioned note treats :

1. Of the apparent connivance of the Portuguese authorities in the Slave Trade, said to be carried on on the East Coast of Africa.

2. Of what, according to the report of Her Britannic Majesty's Consul at Mozambique, had taken place between the American barque Minnetonka, and the Portuguese war-schooner Zambesi, at Inhambane, on board of which latter vessel, Leotte, the ex-Governor of Inhambane, was going as passenger.

3. Of shipments of slaves referred to by the said Consul, as affected from Ibo to the Havana in Spanish vessels, as well as of negroes, under the name of free labourers, to the Island of Réunion, in French vessels, and of the request of the said Consul to the Governor-General for the dismissal of the Governor of Ibo, who, it was said, had allowed these shipments to take place.

4. Of the report of these occurrences, made by the said Consul to the Governor-General of Mozambique, and the statement of the latter, to the effect that the Commander of the Zambesi, and Leotte, would be arrested and tried by the proper tribunals, but that it appears that only the Commander of the Zambesi had been arrested.

5. Of the statement made by the Governor-General to that Consul, that he had appointed officers to institute an inquiry into the occurrences of Inhambane and Ibo, and, with reference to this, of his having subsequently said that they had not proceeded on their mission, in consequence of letters which he had received from the Crown Lawyer and from the Judge. And, relative to this, a question is put in the said note as to the motives of the interference of these authorities with the mission of these officers, adding that, upon the affirmation of the Consul, there was reason for supposing that one of the said authorities was interested in suppressing the truth with regard to the cases of Slave Trade at Ibo.

6. Of the report of Her Britannic Majesty's Commissioner at the Cape of Good Hope, that the barque Minnetonka, under the American flag, had touched at Natal on the 21st of June, it being supposed that she had sailed from Ibo in July, with 1,200 slaves, and that Her Britannic Majesty's Consul-General at Havana had reported, on the 30th of November, the arrival of this same barque, and the landing of her cargo at the Island of Cuba, from whence she had again sailed for the East Coast of Africa for a similar purpose.

7. Of the statement of the Consul at Mozambique, that not less

than 14,000 slaves had been sent out of that province during the 3 months preceding the date of his despatch, affirming that this had taken place with the connivance of the Portuguese authorities; the note, however, stating the conviction of Her Britannic Majesty's Government that such had happened in opposition to the orders of the Portuguese Government.

And, finally, Her Britannic Majesty's Minister requests that an inquiry may be instituted into what has taken place at Mozambique with reference to the Slave Trade, calling at the same time the attention of the Portuguese Government to the circumstance referred to by Admiral Sir F. Grey, of the transfer of slaves in dhows, from the coast of Mozambique to the Comoro islands and other places, a practice which the Governor-General Menezes stated he had not sufficient means to prevent, these slaves being afterwards sold to French dealers, and requesting that instructions may be sent to Governor-General Almeida for the suppression of this traffic.

In complying, then, with the request contained in your Excellency's above-mentioned despatch, I now reply by stating, with reference to the paragraphs of the said note:

1. That I cannot but regret that, notwithstanding the instructions and efforts of His Majesty's Government, to the effect that the authorities may put a stop to the Slave Trade, it should be found that some of the local authorities still exhibit a doubtful proceeding in the suppression of this traffic, and that they do not comply with the wishes of His Majesty's Government, who having taken into consideration reports which have reached them, issued through this Department a Portaria, dated 28th December last, to the present Governor-General of the Province of Mozambique, Colonel Tavares d'Almeida, charging him to look well into what is passing in his province with reference to the Slave Trade, in order that offenders may be punished with the rigour of the law, and suggesting to him. the removal, without exception, of all the authorities of Inhambane, and that even the troops forming the garrison should be relieved if he, the Governor-General, considered that these measures were opportune; and it is undoubted that the said Governor-General in his zeal will not fail to make use of every means for arriving at the truth, and for causing the guilty parties to be punished in accordance with the law.

2. That His Majesty's Government, by a Decree dated the 24th of August of last year, dismissed Captain Antonio Corrêa da Silva Leotte from the post of Governor of Inhambane, but had subsequently learnt that the said Governor, when a passenger on board the Portuguese war-schooner Zambesi, had frightened away a barque under American colours, and taken one of her boats with 5 Spanish