The Liberator

From the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Reporter.

Tidings from Cuba.

HAVANA, 10th March, 1841,

Vessels of the first class are continually arriving here from Baltimore, and are sold to men notorious as slave-dealers. They are publicly fitted out at the celebrated wharf of the Casa Blanca, and, under the eye of the whole community, receive on board all the apparatus and implements appertaining to the slave-trade, which proves them to be slavers bound to the coast of Africa. In many instances, these vessels commence their voyage under what one should suppose ought to be considered a highly honorable flag; and return with their load of victims bearing another. In almost every case, such as are destined for this port are landed on the coast a very few miles from the city, thence conducted to the public barracones, a short distance beyond the walls, where 1215 of the survivors have been disposed of within the last two months, to the planters and others, at from 300 dollars to 425 dollars each.

At one of these barracones, or Spanish marts for the vending of our fellow men, the following affecting circumstance took place a short time since; and it was witnessed by many of a class of society in this country bearing the image of God, but without the feelings of man. I shall relate the circumstance in the words of an eye-witness. On the occasion of one of the voyages to the coast of Africa of the celebrated slave ship Maria de la Gloria, alias Socorro, an interesting young woman was kidnapped and taken on board. Her mother, having learned the fate of her darling and only daughter, and aware of the utter hopelessness of having her restored to her arms, came voluntarily forward and gave herself up to the monsters on board, supplicating by all they held dear on earth, (alas! poor woman, how little didst thou know that that all was gold,) that they should not be separated. In due course of time they arrived at their destination, the barracones—were put on sale, and sold to different masters, residing far apart. The dreadful and heart-rending cries of the unfortunate victims were of course unheeded. The wretched mother, driven to despair by the cruelty of her fellow-man, whilst grovelling on the earth, implored aloud, in the language of nature, that mercy which she never received: and the agonizing separation was effected by the slaveholder without one single pang of remorse.—Report says, and I believe truly, that the mother only survived her cruel fate a few days. Scenes such as these are of frequent occurrence in this purple land, where law secures not life.

In the course of the last week, two highly respectable American gentlemen, General Talmadge of New-York, and Mr. King of Albany, were impelled by curiosity to visit one of the barracones, (where were deposited several hundred Africans who had just been landed,) in order to judge for themselves of the calamities attendant on the slave-trade. On their arrival at the place, they were refused admittance, on the supposition of their being Englishmen, to which they replied that they were Americans, and requested permission to see the negroes; they were then asked to what part of the U. States they belonged, and on having answered that they were from New-York, admission was immediately and peremptorily refused, with the observation that, had they been from New Orleans, their request would have been granted.

There is another class of negroes in this island, called emancipadoes, or manumitted Africans, who have been brought into this port by her Britannic Majesty's cruisers, have been regularly emancipated, and placed under the immediate protection of this government. These unfortunate and deluded people, thousands in number, continue in abject slavery, without even a hope of ever being made free; toiling day and night for the benefit of a ruthless master, who, when called upon to produce the emancipado, (who has been sold to him for a term of five years for 85 dollars,) produces in his stead a certificate from the Comisario de Barrio and Tribunal de Difuntos, proving the person to have died! This certificate is easily obtained by those who can afford to pay for it, and thus the ends of justice are evidently frustrated by the imbecility and cupidity of those whose duty it is to protect the much injured and unfortunate African, whose only crime is that of having a black skin.

From the knowledge of this affecting subject that I have been able to glean during my residence here, I am disposed to believe that the final putting down of the slave-trade will have to be effected solely on the part of the British government. I think I may venture to state, with safety as to truth, that there never will be any effective co-operation on the part of this government; notwithstanding the well known fact that there are many very respectable natives of the island, who, although unfortunately without the power, are extremely anxious to see it terminate.

The new Governor-General of this island, his Excellency Don Geronimo Valdez, arrived here on the 6th instant, and landed on the morning of the 7th. It is said of him that he is an upright and honorable man, and that he brings with him orders from his government to do every thing possible for the suppression of the slave-trade. Time alone can prove whether this be true.

HAVANA, 20th March, 1841.

It is positively asserted, on good authority, that the new Captain-General, Don Geronimo Valdez, has caused to be given to him a list of the vessels engaged in the African slave trade: and has declared that such vessels as are already out will not be interfered with, if they succeed in arriving and disembarking safely their cargoes of victims; but that no vessel shall be allowed to leave the port on a slave-trading expedition; and that, being vested with the power to do so, he is fully resolved to suppress effectually this inhuman and self-condemning traffic. I may add, as a proof of the purity of his intentions, that, only the day before yesterday, he positively refused to receive the blood-stained perquisite of two hundred half-ounces that was tendered to him for 200 unfortunate Africans just landed, being the customary bribe paid to his predecessors for their toleration of the deed.