In 1836, 287 enslaved African(s) were “liberated” in a state-run scheme usually resulting in involuntary indentures, conscription, or re-enslavement. Under the jurisdiction of 4, Case ID LA-E-3104 occurred via the British and Spanish Court of Mixed Commission, Havana
| RegID | LA-E-3104 |
|---|---|
| Case Name | Preciosa |
| Year | 1836 |
| Government Department | Courts of Mixed Commission |
| Court | British and Spanish Court of Mixed Commission, Havana |
| Trial Outcome | Condemned |
| Enslaved Total | 295 |
| Liberated Africans Total | 287 |
| Registered Total | 290 |
| Notes | This Spanish schooner, under the command of Santiago Comas, began its voyage at Puerto Rico and set sail for Rio Pongo on 4 December 1835 loaded with a cargo of liquors, gunpowder, guns, looking glasses and tobacco. On 12 June 1836, this ship sailed from Africa with 295 people on board, excluding 5 "Kroomen" employed as interpreters and crew. During the middle passage, 9 people died. On 13 July, the HMS schooner Pincher, under the command of George Byng, detained this ship off the coast of Cuba around 23°37'0" N. and 81°11'0" W. During the trial, 1 person died. On 23 July, the court condemned this slave vessel for sale and issued emancipation certificates for 290 people, including the Kroomen. The decision to remove people from the Preciosa from Havana to Belize or British Honduras occurred according to Article 2 of Annex C to the 1835 Amendments of 28 June 1835. The decision to resettle these people using the Preciosa took place during the trial. A health report was provided, whereby the sick and injured were separated from the main group. Due to health reasons, there were upwards of 29 people who were unable to make leave Cuba. On 28 July, 198 males and 63 females left Cuba and landed in Belize on 7 August. At their arrival, 17 males and 1 female were "in a very debilitated state" and 10 people died during this voyage. There is no specific register for those people who went to Belize. |
| Sources | The National Archives, UK, FO 84/197, "Declaration of the Captor," no date, f. 36-37; Henry B. Lovejoy, “The Registers of Liberated Africans of the Havana Slave Trade Commission: Implementation and Policy, 1824-1841,” Slavery & Abolition 37, no. 1 (2016): 23-44; Henry B. Lovejoy, “The Registers of Liberated Africans of the Havana Slave Trade Commission: Transcription Methodology and Statistical Analysis,” African Economic History 38 (2010): 107-135; SlaveVoyages, www.slavevoyages.org (accessed 2020), Voyage ID: 1479. |
| Cite as |
| X Capture | -9037287.32756726 |
|---|---|
| Y Capture | 2706766.3594000977 |
| Ship Status | Liberated Africans |
| Date of departure from a place or port in Africa generally following the purchase of enslaved people. Include YYYY-MM-DD, if known. | |
| Region of departure from Africa. Required entry. For more information about the geographical hierarchy used in this digital resource, please refer to AfricanRegions.org. | Rivers of West Africa |
| Place or port of departure from Africa, if known. A controlled vocabulary for place names are associated with geographic coordinates using Google Maps Global Mercator EPSG:900913. See https://epsg.io/transform#s_srs=4326&t_srs=900913&x=NaN&y=NaN | Rio Pongo |
| Capture date at sea or on land, if known. Date of the sentence. Include YYYY-MM-DD, if known. | 1836-07-13 |
| Location | 23°37'0" N., 81°11'0" W. |
| Navy | Britain |
| Ship | Pincher |
| Captain | Byng |
| Supporting Ships | |
| Sentence Date | 1836-07-23 |
| Date of arrival to the place where the trial, purchase, or asylum occurred, resulting in "liberation" and indenture. Includes YYYY-MM-DD, if known. | 1836-07-15 |
| Region of arrival around the world. Required field. For more information about the geographical hierarchy used in this digital resource, please refer to AfricanRegions.org. Other regions outside of Africa include, Western Europe, East Coast of North America, etc. | Caribbean |
| Place or port of arrival around the world. Required field. A controlled vocabulary for place names are associated with geographic coordinates using Google Maps Global Mercator EPSG:900913. See https://epsg.io/transform#s_srs=4326&t_srs=900913&x=NaN&y=NaN | Havana |