OUR COMMERCE WITH AFRICA. 365 



from the rate of insurance charged in the Ha- 

 vanna upon slave-vessels, including the risk of 

 capture ; being only twelve and a half per cent, 

 or one-eighth of the value; — the cruelty from 

 the mortality on board the slave-vessels after 

 capture, far exceeding that of the regular pass- 

 age to the West Indies and Brazil. 



One great cause of the impunity with which 

 the slave-trader visits the coast of Africa is the 

 system pursued of paying head-money for the 

 number of slaves captured. This acts in the fol- 

 lowing way : — At the principal slave-ports, there 

 are frequently six or eight slave-vessels lying 

 with their cargoes ready to be shipped on board 

 at an hour's notice. It is evident that the most 

 effective plan of preventing the shipment of these 

 slaves would be for the British cruiser to an- 

 chor off the entrance of the port and prevent the 

 escape of the slaver ; but with the present system, 

 there is neither credit, promotion, nor prize- 

 money, (though I am far from supposing that the 

 latter has any influence with officers of the British 

 navy when employed in the cause of humanity,) 

 to be got by thus effectually stopping the trade. 

 Everything, unfortunately, is made to depend 

 upon the slaves being shipped and then captured. 



