In 1835, 341 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-3086 occurred via the British and Spanish Court of Mixed Commission, Havana
| RegID | LA-E-3086 |
|---|---|
| Case Name | María |
| Year | 1835 |
| Government Department | Courts of Mixed Commission |
| Court | British and Spanish Court of Mixed Commission, Havana |
| Trial Outcome | Condemned |
| Enslaved Total | 368 |
| Liberated Africans Total | 341 |
| Registered Total | 340 |
| Notes | This Spanish schooner, under the command of Francisco Garcia and Ananias Rodriguez, began its voyage at Cádiz on 28 July 1834 loaded with a cargo of spirits, but purchasing cotton goods, fowling and gunpowder at Gibraltar on the way to West Africa. On 25 November, this ship sailed from Africa with 368 people on board and 22 individuals died during the middle passage. On 14 January 1835, the HMS sloop Cruiser, under the command of James Vashon Baker, detained this ship off Salt Key in the Old Bahama Channel around 22°10'0" N. and 75°50'0" W. On 18 January, Baker arrived to Havana, where another 6 people died during the trial. On 26 January, the court condemned this slave vessel for sale and issued emancipation certificates for 340 people. The decision to remove people on the María from Havana to Trinidad ties into the case of the Julita, which arrived to Havana. There was a discussion to send off all "the Females of the Carlota, María and Julita with an equal number of males." Nobody from the Carlota went to Trinidad because they were suffering from "choleric symptoms." On 24 February, 304 people boarded the Spanish ketch Moratin and went to Trinidad. This convoy included 60 females and 60 males from the María, as well as 91 females and 93 males from the Julita. They arrived to Trinidad on 11 March in "tolerable health." The sick were sent to the hospital and two people died during the passage. At this time, the Governor of Trinidad approved the resettlement of other Liberated Africans from Cuba. He stated that he "shall be glad to receive many more Africans [and he ] should not have the least difficulty in locating several thousands, to whom would be secured humane and kind treatment in return for moderate and habitual labor, by which this interesting colony would be much benefited." |
| Sources | The National Archives, UK, FO 84/171, "Captor's Declaration," no date, f. 58-59; 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: 1355. |
| Cite as |
| X Capture | -8441728.051823245 |
|---|---|
| Y Capture | 2531547.354100647 |
| 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. | Eastern Bight |
| 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 | Bonny |
| Capture date at sea or on land, if known. Date of the sentence. Include YYYY-MM-DD, if known. | 1835-01-14 |
| Location | 22°10'0" N., 75°50'0" W. |
| Navy | Britain |
| Ship | Cruiser |
| Captain | Baker |
| Supporting Ships | |
| Sentence Date | 1835-01-26 |
| Date of arrival to the place where the trial, purchase, or asylum occurred, resulting in "liberation" and indenture. Includes YYYY-MM-DD, if known. | 1835-01-18 |
| 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 |