In 1826, 212 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-3767 occurred via the British and Spanish Court of Mixed Commission, Havana
| RegID | LA-E-3767 |
|---|---|
| Case Name | Orestes |
| Year | 1826 |
| Government Department | Courts of Mixed Commission |
| Court | British and Spanish Court of Mixed Commission, Havana |
| Trial Outcome | Condemned |
| Enslaved Total | 285 |
| Liberated Africans Total | 212 |
| Registered Total | 212 |
| Notes | This Spanish brigantine, under the command of José Ramon Mutio, began its voyage at Havana on 20 July 1825 and set sail for Ouidah. On 9 January 1826, this ship sailed from Africa with 285 people on board and 26 individuals died during the middle passage. On 28 February, the Orestes ran aground near the Grasscut Keys on the Great Bahama Bank around 24°40'0" N. and 77°20'0" W. Stranded for several days without water, this ship was stuck on the reef and could not be set afloat. On 5 March, the HMS schooner Speedwell, under the command of James C. Bennett, found this vessel and rescued the surviors by taking them back to Havana to await trial. During the trial, Mutio died, along with another 47 enslaved Africans likely from dehydration and poor health. On 15 March 1826, the court declared the ship abandoned and issued emancipation certificates for the surviving 212 people. |
| Sources | "Extract of the Evidence in the Case of the Brigantine Orestes," 15 Mar. 1826, in “Class A. Correspondence with the British Commissioners at Sierra Leone, the Havannah, Rio de Janeiro, and Surinam, relating to the Slave Trade, 1827,” in T. P. O'Neill, T. F. Turley, et al., eds., Irish University Press Series of British Parliamentary Papers: Slave Trade, vol. 11 (Shannon: Irish University Press, 1968-1969), 106-107; 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: 557. |
| Cite as |
| X Capture | -8608707.288013157 |
|---|---|
| Y Capture | 2834857.3403555816 |
| 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. | Western 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 | Ouidah |
| Capture date at sea or on land, if known. Date of the sentence. Include YYYY-MM-DD, if known. | 1826-03-05 |
| Location | 24°40'0" N., 77°20'0" W. |
| Navy | Britain |
| Ship | Speedwell |
| Captain | Bennett |
| Supporting Ships | |
| Sentence Date | 1826-03-15 |
| Date of arrival to the place where the trial, purchase, or asylum occurred, resulting in "liberation" and indenture. Includes YYYY-MM-DD, if known. | |
| 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 |