145 A. D. 1788. 



confinement below, with fcarcely any frefli air, and confequently the 

 mortality at fuch times is very great. 



Mr. Dalzell, who had been a furgeon and captain in the flave trade, 

 eftimated the mortality, allowing two flaves for every tun of the veflel's 

 burthen, at from three to teti per cent*, according to the different parts 

 of the coaft, wher'", they are taken in. But he mentioned two voyages 

 made by himfelf, in one of which he loft about a fourth, and in the 

 other near a third, of his cargo of flaves : and he afcribes the great 

 mortality on thefe voyages to being long detained upon the coaft, before 

 he could complete his cargo ; a circumftance, which clearly points out 

 a great advantage in employing fmall veflels, which may foon be filled, 

 in fuch a trade f. It is evident, that a tedious pafiage, whether occafi- 

 oned by calms (during which the air in the tweendecks muft be fuffo- 

 cating) or by bad weather, muft alfo prove very deftrudive to the 

 flaves. 



On their arrival in the Weft-Indies the flaves are carefully made up 

 for fale by the furgeon of the fliip, by rubbing their flcins with oil, and 

 clofing their wounds and fears by mercurial ointments and repellent 

 drugs, in confequence of which their difeafes break out afterwards with 

 Tcdoubied virulence, whereby vaft numbers of thofe devoted vidims 

 perifii foon after their arrival in the iflands. As foon as they are made 

 'fit for exhibition, they are fortedinto clafl^es, containing — i) the healthy 

 and prime flaves ; 2) the weak and puny with thofe under age and 

 the fuperannuated ; and 3) the refufe, confifting of the emaciated, and 

 thofe whom no art can drefs up to appear pafl^able ; and of thefe the 

 largeft fliips have generally the largeft proportion. A Guinea fador, 

 to whom the cargo is configned, then advertifes the fale, and difpofes 

 of them to the beft advantage, the payments being generally made in 

 bills of exchange upon England. The refufe Negroes are often fold fo 



* According to a (latement given in to the their report, that out of 7,873 flaves, configned to 



board of trade by the African company, the num- Mr. Lindo, a Guinea factor, in the years 1786- 



bers of Negroes, delivered between the years 1679 1788, and reported at the cullom-houfe as arrived, 



and 1688, were (hort of the numbers Ihipped, fiom 363 periftied in the harbour of Kingllon before the 



J 4f to 29 per cent. [Report on the Jlaiic trade, lales j and of the whole number of Negroes brought 



part iv, M. 5.] The advanced price of /iaves, and to Jamaica from the year 1655 to 1787 inclufive, 



the advanced experience of the dealers, have pra- being 676,276 who were reported at the cuftom- 



duced belter metliods of managing the cargoes of houfe, 31,181 had died in the harbour. The ex- 



hurtian flefli: for in fix voyages made by Captain traordinary mortality in that concluding part of 



Penny, between the years 1775 and 1786, he Hat- paflage muft, apparently, be imputed to the noxi- 



td his lofs to be 1 10 out of 2,576 ; and in five ous quality of the drugs employed in making thein 



voyages made by Captain Norris ( 1 769- 1 7 77) up for fale. [^Report on the Jlaiii trade, part iii, 



liis lafs was only 78 out of J, 175. But there _/»«•/ R.] 



ieems veafon to believe, that thefe gentlemen and j- Mr. DalEell gave in evidence, that he made 



Captain Dalzell have, in their accounts of the mort- one voyage in a vcffel of only 50 tuns, wherein, 



ality of their flnves, omitted the deaths in harbour thougli he packed ic6 flaves into her, he loft only 



after their arrival; for the lofs in that fhort Rage three. And Mr. Edwards obferves, that a fchooncr 



of the bufincfs appears to have amounted to four (which could not be a large vefiel) carried a cargo 



fl«</yf'Ui' ^■^•/'/.(v per cent, neareft, in Jamaica. The of Negroes to Jamaica 'zy;V/;oa//2/f/;^ff«f. [_Hjfl. of 



^committee of the aflembly of that ifiand flated ui the JFrfl Indies, F. ii,p. 123] 



