338 
with nostalgia (i. €. A PASSIONATE DB- 
SIRE TO REVISIT THEIR NATIVE LAND) 
threw themselves into the sea, loched in 
each other’s arms. 
The disease which had spread itself 
so rapidly and frightfully among the 
Africans, soon began to infect all on- 
board, and to, create alarms for the 
crew. The sufferings of the people, 
and the number of the blind aug- 
mented every day; so that the crew-- 
previously alarmed by the apprehension 
of a revolt among the negroes, were 
seized with the farther dread of not 
being able to make the West Indies, if 
the only sailor who had hitherto es- 
caped the contagion, and on whom 
their whole hope rested, should become 
blind like the rest.* The Rodeur 
reached Guadaloupe on the 21st of 
June, 1819, her crew being in a most 
deplorable condition. Threedays after 
her arrival, the only man who, during 
the voyage, had withstood the influence 
of the contagion, was seized with the 
same malady, Of the negroes, thirty- 
nine had become perfectly blind, 
twelve had lost an eye, and fourteen 
were affected with blemishes more or 
less considerable. Of the crew, twelve 
lost their sight entirely, among whom 
was the surgeon ; five became blind of 
one eye, one of them bein; the captain ; 
and four were partially injured, 
It is stated among othor things, that 
the captain caused several of the ne- 
groes who were prevented iv the at- 
tempt to throw themselves overboard, 
to be shot and hung, in the hope that 
the example might deter the rest from 
a similar conduct. But even this se- 
verity proved unavailing, and it became 
necessary to confine the slaves entirely 
to the hold during the remainder of the 
voyage. It is further stated, that up- 
wards of thirty of the slaves who be- 
came blind were thrown into the sea 
and drowned, upon the principle that, 
had they been landed at Guadaloupe, 
no one would have bought them, and 
* This calamity had actually befallen 
the Leon, .a Spanish vessel which the Ro- 
deur met with on her passage, and the 
whole of whose crew, having become blind, 
were under the necessity of altogether 
abandoning the direction of their ship. 
They entreated the charitable interference 
of the Rodeur; but the seamen of this 
vessel could not either quit her to go, on- 
board the Leon, on account of the cargo 
of negroes, nor receive the crew of the 
Leon on-board the Rodeur, in which there 
was scarcely room for themselves, 
Proceedings of Public Societies. 
[May 1, 
that the proprietors would conse- 
quently have incurred the expense of 
maintaining them, without the cliance 
of any return! 
The Rodeuwr having afterwards re- 
tured to Havre, was refitted by the 
same owners, and dispatched early in 
the last year on a second slave voyage ; 
and the command of her has been given 
to the same captain who had her in 
charge on the former voyage ! 
In 1820 the French slave-trade had 
swelled to a more enormous extent 
than at any former period.* During 
the first six or seven months of that 
year, the coast of Africa is described as 
having actually swarmed with French 
slave-ships. The French flag is ea- 
gerly sought after, not only by Spa- 
niards, but by Americans and Portu- 
guese, in order to protect their criminal 
traflic, it being the opprobrious dis- 
tinction of France, that her flag alone 
can now be safely resorted to for the 
protection of slave-ships to the norih- 
ward of the equator. ‘ 
On the 4th of March, 1820, after a 
long chase, a vessel was boarded by the 
boats of his majesty’s ship Tartar, com- 
manded by Sir George Collier, which 
proved to be la Jeune Estelle, of 
Martinique, M. ——-—— master... On 
being boarded he declared he had been 
plundered of his slaves, and that none 
remained on-board. His agitationand 
alarm however excited suspicion, and 
led to an examination of the yessel’s 
hold. During this examination a sai- 
lor, who struck a cask which was 
tightly closed up, heard a faint voice 
issue from it, as of a creature expiring. 
The cask was immediately opened, 
when two girls of about twelve or four- 
teen years of age, in the last stage of 
suffocation, were found to be inclosed 
in it, and by this providential interpo- 
sition. were probably rescued from a 
miserable death. Sir George Collier, 
conceiving that other slaves might still 
be secreted, ordered a fresh search. 
The result was, that a negro man Was 
rescued from death. A platform of 
loose boards had been raised on. the 
water-casks of the yessel, so as to form 
an entre-pont, or between-decks, of 
twenty-three inches in height, which 
was the only space allotted for the ac- 
commodation of this unfortunate cargo 
of human. beings. .. Beneath this plat- 
* That is, under that pious. member. of 
the holy alliance, Louis, by the grace of 
God, his most Christian Majesty! 
form, 
