According to your experience some vessels do carry commodities to a great extent, and receive payment in actual money and sail away?—Yes, those are exceptions, but such cases do occur.
Others would go and carry their goods there and receive slaves?—No, that is not the system. The freight of the vessel is consigned from the Havannah to a slave factor, Rolo, for instance, at Gallinas; she sails again in ballast, the freight is all paid to Havannah; that is the general rule.
From what, according to your sense of the word “slave trade,” do you make out that that vessel was at all engaged in the slave trade?—I do not say that vessel is of necessity engaged in the slave trade, for I do not think it is of necessity that persons know what they are about, but I say that the consequence of it is the slave trade.
You mean that those merchants and mercantile persons are carrying on the slave trade?—Precisely so.
A person living any where else, and exporting produce there, might very well export it and get his money for it, without at all knowing to what purpose that should be applied?—Certainly, that is very possible.
With respect to this place, called the Gallinas, I am quite sure that you have given the account of the place as you believe it to exist; had you not a hand in destroying the factories there, which is the subject of one or two actions against you at this moment?—There are actions brought against me for the destruction of slave factories.
When did the event take place? I do not ask whether you had any thing to do with it of course, but when did the event take place?—About November, 1840.
Has your experience led you to various other parts of the coast of Africa, where the slave trade is carried on?—Yes.
Are not there certain parts of the coast where there is a lawful trade as well as an unlawful trade?—In almost all places, the Gallinas is the exception.
Is your knowledge, that the Gallinas is the exception, obtained from your personal presence on the spot?—It is obtained from my personal presence on the spot.