5148. Captain Bosanquet stated that he was, at two periods, on the coast, and that at the last period he found the slave trade going on with much more violence than at the first?—The effect of the suppression of the slave trade in the bights was to drive the slave trade both north and south, and it increased in the north and south, but I should say that the whole extent of the slave trade had decidedly decreased during the last two years.
5149. Do you think that it is a very material decrease?—I do.
5150. Do you know any particular places on the coast to which slavers have resorted, more especially since it has been so much checked on the west coast north of the Line?—It increased to the south; there have been many more Brazilian captures made in the rivers immediately south of the Line, of late years, than there were before; but the great diminution in the bights has not been made up by the increased slave trade either north or south.
5151. Mr. Stuart Wortley.] Will you explain what period you refer to when you use the expression, “of late years”?—In the years 1835 and 1836, it began to diminish, and in 1837 there was hardly any slave trade at all in the bights.
5152. Then, I understand you to say that there has been an increase of captures south of the Line since the years 1835 and 1836?—Yes, there has been.
5153. Could the capture of vessels under Portuguese colours have taken place till 1836?—It could have taken place if the same rule had been applied then as was applied in 1838.
5154. But in fact were there any captures made?—No, the rule was not applied till 1838.
5155. Then when you speak of the increase of captures since 1835, you mean that the practice of making captures south of the Line has been introduced since that period?—Yes; and I would observe with respect to that, that the Act of Parliament for the suppression of the Portuguese slave trade really did very little good. I am alluding to the Act which was passed in order to catch vessels south of the Line, because we already dealt with them in the way I have mentioned, and the only trade the Act could possibly affect, was the trade carried on between the Portuguese islands off the coast and the main-land.
5156. Sir T. D. Acland.] Do you mean Prince’s Island?—Prince’s Island and St. Thomas.
5157. Mr. W. Patten.] Seeing that the sale of those goods at auctions conduces in some degree to the continuance of the slave trade on that coast, can you point out any other means by which those goods can be disposed of without contributing to the encouragement of that trade?—I do not see how it is possible to form regulations which shall follow the goods through all the hands into which they pass.