Sketchbook of watercolours depicting places visited by Francis Meynell while on a Royal Navy anti-slavery patrol off the west coast of Africa and includes several ship portraits

You may need to log in to continue. Access the full document and its details.

Reference

MEY/2

Collection

Document Type

Date

1870

Description

This sketchbook contains watercolours, which show slaves above and below deck. They were painted on board the ‘ALBANOZ’, a captured Spanish slave ship in 1846, so the people shown had in fact been liberated though not yet landed and released. They nevertheless provide a rare eyewitness view of conditions in the hold of a slave ship. Those shown are not chained - and there are no signs of chains- but rather imprisoned in a confined space. During the Middle Passage, the enslaved were usually not kept constantly below deck, unless the weather was particularly bad or there was a serious threat of revolt on board. In order that as many Africans should reach the Americas with some of their health intact, they were allowed out of the fetid holds and to exercise on deck. There are entries regarding the famous action between BLACK JOKE and the Spanish slave ship EL ALMIRANTE, wherein the latter vessel was captured. These include a list of the officers and crew on board BLACK JOKE during the action and a description of the damage the vessel sustained. Downes provides two transcriptions of letters between himself, Collier and the Admiralty in regards to the capture of EL ALMIRANTE as well as one between the Captain of EL ALMIRANTE and his Mate. An account of the action is included entitled “Memoranda. Observations and Information collected from Crew of "EL ALMIRANTE" after the action" followed by a song commemorating the bravery of the BLACK JOKE’s crew entitled "Song by Thomas Eason one of the Black Joke's crew on 1 February 1829". A table entitled "Specimen of slave trade by Spanish brig EL ALMIRANTE at Sagos commencing August 25 28" lists types of slaves and values in dollars.

Theme