In 1829, 335 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-3890 occurred via the British and Spanish Court of Mixed Commission, Havana
| RegID | LA-E-3890 |
|---|---|
| Case Name | Voladora (a) Mulata |
| Year | 1829 |
| Government Department | Courts of Mixed Commission |
| Court | British and Spanish Court of Mixed Commission, Havana |
| Trial Outcome | Condemned |
| Enslaved Total | 367 |
| Liberated Africans Total | 335 |
| Registered Total | 330 |
| Notes | This Spanish schooner, under the command of Ignacio Domingo del Corral, began its voyage at Havana and set sail for Little Popo on 1 October 1828 loaded with aguardiente and money. On 29 April 1829, this ship sailed from Africa with 367 people on board and 32 individuals died during the middle passage. On 5 June, the HMS schooner Pickle, under the command of J.B.B. MacHardy, observed this ship off the coast of Cuba near Puerto de Naranjo, but then was chased for an entire day. At 11 p.m., the two ships engaged in heavy combat which "lasted an hour and twenty minutes within pistol shot." The Voladora surrendered only after having the masts destroyed. The artist, John Moore, depicted this maritime battle in a painting called "Boladora," which is housed at the Maritime Museum Greenwich. The painting shows a night scene with the event being lit by the flash of guns from the Pickle and by the moon seen rising low over the ‘Bolodora’s stern. The Pickle towed this ship into Gibara "to rig jury masts." At the time of capture, there were sufficient water and provisions on board for three days and MacHardy bought more at Gibara for the trip to Havana. During the trial, another 5 people died. On 30 June, the court condemned this ship for sale and issued emancipation certificates for 330 people. |
| Sources | The National Archives, UK, FO 84/92, "Declaration of Captor," 22 Sep. 1829, f. 36-38; 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: 776. |
| Cite as |
| X Capture | -8447683.018292 |
|---|---|
| Y Capture | 2415712.622836 |
| 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 | Little Popo |
| Capture date at sea or on land, if known. Date of the sentence. Include YYYY-MM-DD, if known. | 1829-06-05 |
| Location | Spotted near Puerto de Naranjo, but then was chased for an entire day |
| Navy | Britain |
| Ship | Pickle |
| Captain | MacHardy |
| Supporting Ships | |
| Sentence Date | 1829-06-30 |
| Date of arrival to the place where the trial, purchase, or asylum occurred, resulting in "liberation" and indenture. Includes YYYY-MM-DD, if known. | 1829-06-22 |
| 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 |