In 1828, 210 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-3796 occurred via the British and Spanish Court of Mixed Commission, Havana
| RegID | LA-E-3796 |
|---|---|
| Case Name | María |
| Year | 1828 |
| Government Department | Courts of Mixed Commission |
| Court | British and Spanish Court of Mixed Commission, Havana |
| Trial Outcome | Condemned |
| Enslaved Total | 233 |
| Liberated Africans Total | 210 |
| Registered Total | 1 |
| Notes | This Spanish schooner, under the command of Francisco Romero, began its voyage at Havana and set sail for West Africa on 21 December 1827. The captain purchased people at both Calabar and the Congo River. In total, 233 people boarded this slave ship and 23 individuals died during the middle passage. At 3:25 in the morning of 29 November 1828, the HMS schooner Skipjack, under the command of James Pulling, observed this ship sailing westward from Havana toward Mariel. When Pulling "fired a gun to bring her to" the ship continued "sweeping and steering for the land." At about 7 a.m., the María ran aground near the Bay of the Jaimanita River, about 9 miles to the west of Havana. Once stranded, a number of boats came out from the shore and removed the majority of the people on board, while simultaneously firing guns at the Skipjack. After, the captain and crew set fire and blew up the María. Pulling and some of his crew boarded the wreck and found some odd papers proving the ship was a slaver. They also rescued a single emaciated male, who "suffered much from sickness... and had several sores on various parts of his body." Pulling returned to Havana with this sole survivor, who then testified during the trial. On 4 December, the court declared the ship had been engaged in the illegal slave trade and issued a single emancipation certificate for this man. |
| Sources | The National Archives, UK, FO 84/81, "Captors Declaration," 29 Nov. 1828, f. 160-162; 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: 753. |
| Cite as |
| X Capture | -9182076.801789 |
|---|---|
| Y Capture | 2643230.107271 |
| 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 | Congo River |
| Capture date at sea or on land, if known. Date of the sentence. Include YYYY-MM-DD, if known. | 1828-11-29 |
| Location | Ran aground near the Bay of the Jaimanita River |
| Navy | Britain |
| Ship | Skipjack |
| Captain | Pulling |
| Supporting Ships | |
| Sentence Date | 1828-12-04 |
| Date of arrival to the place where the trial, purchase, or asylum occurred, resulting in "liberation" and indenture. Includes YYYY-MM-DD, if known. | 1828-11-29 |
| 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 |