In 1826, 263 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-3769 occurred via the British and Spanish Court of Mixed Commission, Havana
| RegID | LA-E-3769 |
|---|---|
| Case Name | Nuevo Campeador (a) Argus |
| Year | 1826 |
| Government Department | Courts of Mixed Commission |
| Court | British and Spanish Court of Mixed Commission, Havana |
| Trial Outcome | Condemned |
| Enslaved Total | 303 |
| Liberated Africans Total | 263 |
| Registered Total | 211 |
| Notes | This Spanish schooner, under the command and ownership of Juan Botel, began its voyage at Santiago de Cuba and set sail for Calabar in early 1826. In total, 303 people boarded this slave ship and 40 individuals died during the middle passage. On 29 August 1826, the HMS frigate Aurora, under the command of John Austin, detained this vessel in the immediate vicinity of Santiago de Cuba around 19°26'0" N. and 75°56'0" W. At the time of capture, there were 36 enslaved Africans in deplorable health and the surgeon of the Aurora insisted they land these people immediately. The Governor of Santiago de Cuba took charge of these people. While in the harbor, Botel, "giving his solemn promise to return," convinced the British captain that he had to go ashore to see his wife, whom he claimed was dying. At the first instance, he disappeared into Cuba's interior along with the greater part of his crew. The Nuevo Campeador, along with the six remaining crew members, was escorted to Havana to await trial on 20 September. Between Santiago de Cuba and Havana, 8 more people passed away and then another 8 people died during the trial. On 27 September, the court condemned and sold this ship. It also issued emancipation certificates for 211 people, excluding 36 people who remained in eastern Cuba. |
| Sources | "Declarations of the Captor," 27 Sep. 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), 146-148; 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: 561. |
| Cite as |
| X Capture | -8452860.000902573 |
|---|---|
| Y Capture | 2206020.9267885075 |
| 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 | Calabar |
| Capture date at sea or on land, if known. Date of the sentence. Include YYYY-MM-DD, if known. | 1826-08-29 |
| Location | 19°26'0" N., 75°56'0" W. |
| Navy | Britain |
| Ship | Aurora |
| Captain | Austen |
| Supporting Ships | |
| Sentence Date | 1826-09-27 |
| Date of arrival to the place where the trial, purchase, or asylum occurred, resulting in "liberation" and indenture. Includes YYYY-MM-DD, if known. | 1826-08-29 |
| 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 |