of Jamaica, had been landed by the steamer Brother Jonathan at Norfolk in Virginia, on her way from this port to New York. Among magistrates and other intelligent persons to whom I communicated your letter of the 12th instant, inclosing a copy of a letter (October 9, 1851) from Mr. Barclay, the British Consul at New York, was Captain Cooper, the harbour-master of this port, who knows every vessel that enters and leaves this port, and consequently is well acquainted with all the American steamers. He says she was not bound to Norfolk, but was obliged to touch there on her way to New York, and his belief is, that she did not land any of those persons at Norfolk, and laughs at the possibility of that vessel selling any person son at that port as a slave. I inclose herewith Mr. Harrison's, the American Consul, letter to me of 15th instant, in answer to mine of the same date on that subject, and which incloses a copy of a letter from him of the 13th instant, to Captain Windle, of the steamer Cherokee. My own belief, in regard to that matter, after all the reflection I am capable of giving it, is that those persons of colour were not landed at Norfolk; nor do I think that such a proceeding could take place at the present day, whether clandestinely or not, without detection. The means of easy conveyance from [sic] by post and otherwise to a British Consul, and from Consul to Consul, would, in my humble opinion, make concealment absolutely impossible. I would be too glad to promote a discovery of the persons concerned in such delinquency. T. F. Pilgrim, Esq. SIR, I have, &c. H. MITCHELL. (Inclosure 7.)- The Mayor of Kingston to Mr. Harrison. Kingston, November 13, 1851. I HAVE, on several occasions, been applied to by parents to know how they could get back their children or grown young men, who were carried away from the island in some of the American steamers; but the poverty of those people has usually been an insurmountable difficulty in the way. Information has been received of some of these persons having been landed in a slave State, and great apprehensions are entertained that they may have been sold into slavery. Some more of them have been sent back to this island. With the knowledge of these circumstances before me, and especially by having the subject brought to my attention by his Excellency the Governor, I think it becomes my duty to draw your attention to the conduct of all persons on board those steamers, whether captains, officers, or passengers, and to show them the danger that may result from kidnapping or enticing those youths, to the unhappiness of their families and society. Besides a violation of the rules of society, where everything is done to favour and expedite the American vessels, with a full reliance in their integrity, I would hope that everything that can be done on your part to remedy the above evil will not be neglected. R. M. Harrison, Esq. I have, &c. H. MITCHELL. (Inclosure 8.)-Mr. Harrison to Captain Windle. SIR, Kingston, Jamaica, November 13, 1851. I DO myself the honour to acquaint you, for the information of the commanders of steam-vessels as well as others visiting this port, that the masters of said vessels have been most unjustly accused of abducting and kidnapping negroes and other coloured persons, and carrying them to The United States, to be sold, in consequence of 2 boys of that description having secreted themselves on board the Illinois, on her first voyage from this port to New York. Under these circumstances I most earnestly recommend in future, that all commanders of American steamers and other vessels should, before leaving this port, examine every part of the vessel, and see that no persons such as I have described are stowed away. Captain Windle. I have, &c. ROBERT MONROE HARRISON. (Inclosure 9.)- The Governor of Jamaica to Consul Barclay. Jamaica, December 4, 1851. SIR, I HAVE had the honour to receive your letter of the 9th October, and I am much obliged to you for the information it contained, and for the trouble you have taken in restoring the 2 boys mentioned in your letter to their parents. I have been for some time in communication with the Mayor of Kingston on the subject of your letter; and Mr. Harrison, The United States' Consul, has been applied to, and has shown a laudable desire to prevent, if possible, the recurrence of such a case. From all the inquiries which the Mayor of Kingston and myself have made, and from the assurances of Mr. Harrison, we are led to hope that the report of any persons having been taken by the steamer Brother Jonathan to Norfolk, and sold there as slaves, must be untrue; but I shall be thankful for any further information which can be obtained. A. Barclay, Esq. I have, &c. CHARLES EDWD. GREY. (Inclosure 10.) - Mr. Harrison to the Mayor of Kingston. SIR, Kingston, November 15, 1851. I DO myself the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 13th instant, which would have been earlier attended to but for illness on my part. I regret therein to observe that you have had applications from parents to get back children who are stated to have been carried away in the American steamers; that information has been received of some having been landed in a slave State; and that there are great apprehensions they may have been sold into slavery, while some have been sent back to this island; and that this subject has been brought to your attention by his Excellency the Governor. That it is therefore your wish to draw my attention to the conduct of all persons on board those steamers, and to show them the danger that may result from kidnapping or enticing these youths, and hoping that everything will be done on my part to remedy the above evil. I beg to state in reply thereto, that I have for a considerable time past taken great pains to prevent my countrymen from allowing youths to go on board their vessels, and in many instances with success; but that in others, the parents and friends of such boys, as well as the boys themselves, have insisted on their right to go with any one who would be willing to take them from the starvation which they were here suffering. I have also, since the receipt of your letter of the 13th, addressed a letter to Captain Windle, of the Cherokee, to the copy of which I beg to refer, and which I shall address to all the captains of American vessels arriving in this port; but I cannot believe that it is possible for any free person to be sold into slavery in The United States, where the laws on the subject are so severe, and in every part of which country there are persons who would prevent it. To guard, however, as far as possible any more youths from leaving in the American steamers, as well as to prevent the intrusion of these and other persons from the shore, who are constantly trespassing on board, to the great annoyance and injury of the ship and the officers, I have to beg your Honour will direct that on the arrival of such steamers, that there may be constables placed at the gangways, which it is hoped may remedy the evil which the officers themselves find it impracticable to combat with. The Mayor of Kingston. I have, &c. ROBERT MONROE HARRISON. (Inclosure 11.) - Earl Grey to the Governor of Jamaica. (Extract.) I HAVE to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch of the 27th ultimo, transmitting copies of a correspondence with Her Majesty's Consul at New York, and with the Mayor of Kingston, in relation Downing Street, January 31, 1852. to the abduction of young persons of colour in Jamaica, on board United States' steam-vessels. I transmit to you herewith, for your information, a copy of a letter addressed to this department, by direction of Earl Granville, inclosing a copy of a despatch from Her Majesty's Minister at Washington on this subject. I shall await with great anxiety the result of the further investigation which I gather from your despatch was to be made into this matter, especially as I observe in the letter of the Mayor of Kingston to The United States' Consul, which you inclose, that application had been made to the Mayor by the parents of children and grown men taken away in American steamers, to get them back; a fact which tends to corroborate the suspicions communicated by the British Consul at New York. With reference to the statement respecting the steamer Brother Jonathan, it would be desirable that the course of that steamer should be traced, and the British Consuls at every port where she touched, or whither she proceeded, should be requested by you to make inquiry respecting the 14 persons said to have been carried away in her; and these Consuls should each be furnished with all the information which can be gathered from the parents, who are stated to have applied to the Mayor, if the applications had reference to persons missing about the time when the steamer Brother Jonathan sailed; and every further detail which can be collected tending to identify the persons missing, should be communicated to the Consuls. The Governor of Jamaica. GREY. UNITED STATES (BALTIMORE). CONSULAR. No.677.-Consul McTavish to Visc'. Palmerston. - (Rec. Jan. 20,1852.) I HAVE this day had the honour to receive your Lordship's despatch of the 5th instant, informing me that the attention of Her Majesty's Government had lately been called to a system of decoying away young negro lads for the purpose of selling them as slaves in The United States; a practice which appears to have been for some time extensively carried on by passengers in United States' vessels touching at the Island of Jamaica. In obedience to your Lordship's instructions, I shall carefully watch, in order to discover any abductions of this kind from the ports of Her Majesty's West India possessions to those of this consulate; and should I detect any cases of the sort I shall not fail to observe your Lordship's directions. Viscount Palmerston, G.C.B. I have, &c. JOHN MOTAVISH. UNITED STATES (CHARLESTON). CONSULAR. No. 678. Consul Mathew to Viscount Palmerston. - (Rec. Feb. 5.) I HAVE the honour to acknowledge your Lordship's despatch of the 5th instant, and in reply, to express my belief that of late years, at least, no instance of coloured British subjects being decoyed into these States for the purpose of being sold into slavery, has occurred. The existing law of South Carolina respecting the ingress of persons of colour must prove a sufficient obstacle to such an No. 679.-Consul Lynn to Viscount Palmerston. - (Rec. Feb. 16.) MY LORD, Galveston, January 17, 1852. I HAVE had the honour to receive your Lordship's despatch of the 5th December last, relative to the nefarious practice of kidnapping negro lads in the West India Islands, for the purpose of selling them as slaves in The United States, and I have to assure your Lordship that this subject shall receive my unremitting attention. I have, however, to remark, that as there is no direct trade between this port and the West India Islands, a victim to this detestable crime, if within this district, will have difficulty in making his position known to me, owing to the constant and jealous care with which the slaves are guarded, and which would necessarily be increased in this instance, where the penalty inflicted for the crime " of selling or stealing a free person for a slave" is death. The cautious severity with which slavery is protected by the laws of this State would certainly justify the local authorities at the ports in the West India Islands in adopting similar measures to bar this system of kidnapping; and as an evidence of such severity, I have the honour to transmit to your Lordship two of the ordinances of this city. |