In 1836, 412 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-3103 occurred via the British and Spanish Court of Mixed Commission, Havana
| RegID | LA-E-3103 |
|---|---|
| Case Name | Empresa |
| Year | 1836 |
| Government Department | Courts of Mixed Commission |
| Court | British and Spanish Court of Mixed Commission, Havana |
| Trial Outcome | Condemned |
| Enslaved Total | 450 |
| Liberated Africans Total | 412 |
| Registered Total | 407 |
| Notes | This Spanish smack, under the command of Andres Colomar, began its voyage at Havana and set sail for Luanda on 20 May 1836 loaded with an unspecified cargo. On 20 August, this ship sailed from Africa with 450 people on board and 16 individuals died during the middle passage. On 28 September, the HMS schooner Vestal, under the command of William Jones, detained this ship between Tobago and Grenada around 11°10'0" N. and 62°15'0" W. On the way to Havana, the ship was forced to land at Montego Bay, Jamaica to replenish provisions and water. After the capture and during the trial, another 27 people died. On 7 November, the court condemned this slave vessel for sale and issued emancipation certificates for 407 people. The decision to remove people from the Empresa from Havana to Nassau in the Bahamas occurred on 10 November. All of the people who survived were cleared to resettle, but another 1 person died shortly after registration. The barque Cuba of Hamburg, under the command of Julius Gutschow, was commissioned to take 406 Liberated Africans - 357 males and 47 females - to the Bahamas. On 19 November, 393 Liberated Africans arrived at Nassau because 11 died during this voyage. According to the death reports, these individuals can be identified through the register numbers. |
| Sources | The National Archives, UK, FO 84/197, "Captor's Declaration," 28 Sep. 1836, f. 326-327; 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: 1469. |
| Cite as |
| X Capture | -6929638.301881279 |
|---|---|
| Y Capture | 1251012.6779932887 |
| 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. | West Central Africa North |
| 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 | Luanda |
| Capture date at sea or on land, if known. Date of the sentence. Include YYYY-MM-DD, if known. | 1836-09-28 |
| Location | 11°10'0" N., 62°15'0" W. |
| Navy | Britain |
| Ship | Vestal |
| Captain | Jones |
| Supporting Ships | |
| Sentence Date | 1836-11-07 |
| Date of arrival to the place where the trial, purchase, or asylum occurred, resulting in "liberation" and indenture. Includes YYYY-MM-DD, if known. | 1836-03-21 |
| 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 |