For three years, Lieutenant Thomas Waters Sr. worked aboard H.M.S. Maidstone, 42 guns, bearing Commodore Bullins Broad Pendant, against the Slaver’s Coast of Guinea, West Africa.
From January 7, 1824 to September 17, 1827, Maidstone cruised on and off in search of slave ships. Through compilation from various sources, including some of Thomas’ own diary logs, it can be documented with good certainty that Maidstone and its tender boats intercepted at least 23 ships, thus preventing between 4,000-5,000 Africans from being sold into slavery.
| DATE | SHIP CAPTURED | WEIGHT | # OF SLAVES | NOTES |
| Sept 23 or 26, 1824 | Aviso/Avizo | 231 tons | 456 (ASTD cites 421) | Brazilian brig sold for 340£ |
| Dec 2, 1824 | Harriet | 328 | Brig Condemned; received 32 dollars prize money | |
| May 19, 1825 | Bey | N/A | Dutch brig; sent to Sierra Leone | |
| July 31, 1825 | Z (late Pauline and Amanda) | N/A | ||
| Sept 29, 1825 | Segunda Gallega | 120 tons | 290 (ASTD cites 276) | Took a Spanish schooner |
| Jan. 3, 1826 | Hoop | N/A | Dutch schooner | |
| March 18, 1826 | Perpetuo Defensor | 57 (ASTD cites 366; according to Lambert math it’s 375) | Brazilian brig; Had lost 424 slaves in 12 days Nelson Lambert says, “was enroute to Rio de Janeiro with 424 slaves, 49 of which were so sick they died on the trip to Freetown…The situation here was complicated as slave trading wasn’t actually illegal in Brazil, so that a joint commission ruled the ship should be returned to her master, but the slaves were released.” | |
| “ “ “ | Unnamed | 60 | Dutch schooner; condemned and bought for a tender at 770£; Sailed leaving on board 45 men and 15 women Africans, some of the liberated Africans sent on shore and the rest back by the “Edward” Transport. | |
| “ “ “ | Fortunee | 127 (ASTD cites 198) | Dutch schooner Had lost 118 of 245 slaves on passage | |
| May 18, 1826 | Nicanor | 173 (ASTD cites 180) | Spanish schooner | |
| June ?, 1826 | Nuevo Campeador | 263 | Spanish schooner | |
| Aug 6, 1826 | Prince of Guinea (or “Principe de Guinea”)_ | 573 (ASTD cites 579) | Brazilian brig, 28-hour chase and 2 hr 40 min battle by Hope, tender to Maidstone. Condemned; Sold for 450£. Diary notes say: “sold for 1200£” | |
| Oct 17, 1826 | Heroina / Hiroina | N/A | Brazilian | |
| Dec 6, 1826 | Paulita | 230 (ASTD cites 191) | ||
| Jan 26, 1827 | Polcitta, Poleitta? | 221 | Spanish schooner – Note: Given the closeness of dates and garbled spelling of original handwriting, it’s possible this is the same as the “Paulita” | |
| “ “ “ | Black Nymph | N/A | Sold for 580£ | |
| March 7 | Toyan | N/A | Brazilian | |
| Mar 14 | Tenterdora Or Tentadora | In previous year, this ship held 446 slaves | Brazilian | |
| “ “ “ | Venturoso | N/A | Brazilian | |
| “ “ | Trajano | 410 | Brazilian | |
| “ “ “ | Carlotta | 358 | Brazilian | |
| Mar 16 | Providencia | In previous year, this ship held 246 slaves | Brazilian | |
| Conceicao Paquete do Rio | 100 | Brazilian sloop | ||
| Apr 11 | Creola or Crioula | 85 tons | 308 (ASTD cites 289) | Brazilian brig; condemned |
| TOTAL | 23 ships | 4,127 slaves |
NOTES
This chart was compiled from multiple sources.
SOURCES CONSULTED:
- About 2428 Slave Trade Vessels detained by RN Vessels &c
Rootsweb.com
http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~pbtyc/genealogy/SlaveTrade/STReport1.htm
- Nelson Lambert Blog – HMS Maidstone
http://nelsonlambert.blogspot.com/2011/06/africa-hms-maidstone-part-2.html
- The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database
https://www.slavevoyages.org/voyage/database
Diary Notes of Thomas Waters Sr. (1824-1827 – Maidstone Voyages)
Believed to have been transcribed by TW’s daughter May Waters. handwritten. Typed transcription by Suzanne Paschall (2021).
1824
January 7, 1824 –Embarked at Woolwich
March 3 – arrives at Greenbrythe (?)
May 2 – Anchored in Sierra Leone harbour
June 3-4 – Anchored at Accra
June 10 – anchored in NW Bay Fernanda
Jun 4 – Sailed on a cruise, sent 3 boats to the Bonny and other rivers near, launched the pinnace*, returned after they had lost the barge and 10 of her crew in the sea.
Sept 13 – Arrived at Accra
Sept 23 – Sailed detained the Brazilian Brig Aviso
Nov 19 – Aviso condemned sold for 340£
Dec 2 – Brig Harriet condemned received 32 dollars prize money.
*a pinnace is a small boat, with sails or oars, forming part of the equipment of a warship or other large vessel. Carried on a large ship, pinnaces are used to carry goods and people from the ship to the shore.
–Collins Dictionary Online. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/pinnace.
1825
May 16 – Sailed and sent to Sierra Leone the Dutch brig “Bye”
May 24 – Anchored at NW Bay. “Princes” detained the Second Brig under Dutch colours
Sept 29 – took a Spanish schooner
1826
Jan 1 – Sierra Leone. Out of l9 messmates together this time last year, only 3 remain in the ship. 750 European soldiers have died on this coast in the last year from a complement of 1000 men.
Our Tender the Ellen came in with a Dutch Schooner the “Hope” and condemned and bought for a tender at 770£. Sailed leaving on board 45 men and 15 women Africans, some of the liberated Africans sent on shore and the rest back by the “Edward” Transport.
Mar 18 – took the Brazilian Brig “Pepetus Defendo”. She had lost 424 slaves in 12 days – 57 slaves released.
“Ellen” sold for 200 dollars.
The “Hope” was sent in and condemned.
The Spanish Schooner “Vicamor” – 173 slaves
A Dutch Schooner “Fortunee” captured by the “Brazen”(?) lost 118 slaves out of 245 during her passage up.
Aug 5 – The tender “Hope” captured the Brazilian Brig “Prince of Guinea”, 573 slaves.
Sept 17 – sent up the “Heroine” [probably “Hiroina”]
Oct 28 – The Prince of Guinea is condemned. Sold for 450£.
Nov 21 – Arrived at Ana de Chaves St. Thomas [Bay in Gulf of Guinea] Hope tender sold for 520£.
1827
Jan 6 – Arrived the Spanish Schooner Polcitta [sp?] – 221 slaves detained by the tender Prince of Guinea. “Black Nymph” sold for 580£, and the Prince of Guinea for 1200£. The 2 last prices taken are condemned.
Mar 7 – Arrived Accra- detained the Brazilian “Brig Toyan”
Mar 14 – At Badayaree – detained the Tentedores, Ventmores & Carloto
15th – From Lagos the Providentia and Brazilian sloop Conceacesso (sp?)
Apr 11 – took a Brazilian brig the Creole [also sp. Crioula]– 85 tons- 308 slaves
May 24 – Arrived at Sierra Leone – HMS Sybelle to relieve us.
Remaining on island.
Colonel Nicolls Commandant. Captain Langden ED [sp?]
Sept 15 – Paid off and disembarked
The Blockade of Africa & the West Africa Squadron
The Blockade of Africa began in 1808 after the United Kingdom outlawed the Atlantic slave trade, making it illegal for British ships to transport slaves. The Royal Navy immediately established a presence off Africa to enforce the ban, called the West Africa Squadron. Although the ban initially applied only to British ships, Britain negotiated treaties with other countries to give the Royal Navy the right to intercept and search their ships for slaves.[1] The 1807 Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves abolished the intercontinental slave trade in the United States but the ban was not widely enforced.
From 1819, some effort was made by the United States Navy to prevent the slave trade. This mostly consisted of patrols of the shores of the Americas and in the mid-Atlantic, the latter being largely unsuccessful due to the difficulty of intercepting ships mid-ocean. As part of the Webster–Ashburton Treaty of 1842, it was agreed that both countries would work together on the abolition of the slave trade, which was deemed piracy, and to continue the blockade of Africa.
US Navy involvement continued until the beginning of the US Civil War in 1861; the following year the Lincoln administration gave the UK full authority to intercept US ships. Slavery was not abolished in the United States until 1865 when Congress ratified the 13th Amendment.
The Royal Navy squadron remained in operation until 1870.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blockade_of_Africa
Between 1808 and 1860 the West Africa Squadron captured 1,600 slave ships and freed 150,000 Africans.[12] Around 2,000 British sailors died on their mission of freeing slaves with the West Africa Squadron.[13][14]
By 1818 the squadron had grown to six ships with a naval station established in 1819 at what is now Freetown and a supply base at Ascension Island, later moved to Cape Town in 1832.
The resources were further increased; in the middle of the 19th century there were around 25 vessels and 2,000 personnel with a further 1,000 local sailors.[11]
Being posted to the Freetown or Ascension Island Stations
The Royal Navy considered the West Africa Station one of the worst postings due to the high levels of tropical disease.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Africa_Squadron
Thomas Waters Sr. Diary Leaves
(January 7, 1824 to September 17, 1827)
Maidstone Tour 1824-27
(from the Nelson Lambert Blog)
After languishing in London for several years, at the end of 1823 HMS Maidstone was reported to be fitting out for a new mission, joining Sir Charles Bullen’s squadron on the West African Station in Freetown. Her mission was to stop the Atlantic slave trade.
In some respects, the Maidstone was an obvious choice, being relatively new (launched in 1811) and of a design shown to be effective in hunting privateers off the North American coast, a very similar assignment.
There were three main markets for slaves, the British and Spanish Caribbean, the United States and Brazil. Most European nations had banned the maritime transport of African slaves after the Napoleonic wars, under pressure from Britain, but slavery itself was not illegal and wouldn’t end in British territories until 1838, and in the US until after the Civil War. This demand was supplied mostly from West Africa, prisoners or captives sold by the Asanate or Damhomey empires or many little kingdoms along the coast. Brazil’s slaves had formerly come from the Portuguese colonies of Angola and Mozambique, but after independence in 1822, they too joined the West African trade. To make things more complicated, slave trading was not made illegal by Brazil until 1831.
West Africa
Britain’s response to the slave trade had been to set up the West African Squadron, based in Freetown, Sierra Leone. It was an awful, disease ridden place with a mortality rate of over 5x a European or Mediterranean posting. But it did offer adventure, and one more advantage. Ships captured were taken before a joint Commission of Britain and the country who owned the vessel, after which the vessel was valued, and the crew who captured her got a cut. This doubtless increased motivation considerably.
The first recorded slave transport detained by the Maidstone serves as an example. On the 26th of September 1824 the Portuguese brig Aviso was detained with 465 slaves on board bound for Bahia in Brazil. The British and Portuguese Court of Mixed Commission in Sierra Leone sentenced the boat to be destroyed. But who exactly detained the Aviso? Captain Bullen of the Maidstone and Captain Courtney of HMS Bann both claimed the prize, so it went before an Admiralty court. Courtney argued that he was operating with Bullen so he deserved a share, and anyway it was the Bann who had discovered the Aviso. Bullen argued that it was the Maidstone who had actually captured the Aviso and so took all the risks, being a faster ship than the Bann, and anyway this counted as a peacetime rather than wartime action, in which case only the captor has prize rights. The Admiralty found for Courtney.
By February 1825 nearly 2,000 men women and children had been released from captured vessels. Further examples from 1825 include two Dutch vessels, the Bey and Pauline & Amanda, the Master of the former actually onshore purchasing slaves, and a Spanish schooner, the Segunda Gallego, bound for Havana with 285 slaves.
Now the British had a trading settlement called Bathurst at the mouth of the River Gambia which also, in theory, levied tolls on merchants using the river for the local tribe, the Niumi, ruled by Burunki Sonko. However, the guns at Bathurst could only control half the wide river, which meant vessels could easily pass into the interior unmolested, both slave hunters and, almost as bad, merchants visiting the French settlement upstream. The British requested permission to build a fort on the other side of the river, but Sonko, unwilling to cede both sovereignty and a large source of income, refused. He was probably confident, as commanders at Bathurst had backed down in the face of threats before. T
his time the balance of power had changed, the Maidstone and the steamer HMS Africa were sent in. Having nothing that could match their firepower Sonko backed down, and ceded a mile long stretch of coast, together with all custom duties, for “time immemorial” in return for 400 Spanish dollars per quarter (French vessels were exempt). The British immediately started fortifying the area and establishing a fort, Fort Bullen named after the commander, and garrisoned with 30 troops from Sierra Leone.
Things didn’t end there however, Sonko realised that he had effectively lost his main source of income, and tensions increased, he stormed Fort Bullen and war ensued. English and French ships bombarded the coast and 450 British troops marched on the capital, Essau. Despite a fierce resistance the end was never in doubt, and the Niumi effectively became a British protectorate, requiring British permission before selecting new rulers.
But back in 1826 the Maidstone was still cruising the coast hunting slavers. In January yet another Dutch ship was captured, the Hoop, and in April the Brazilian brig Perpetuo Defensor, under Antonio Mauricio de Mendonca. The Perpetuo Defensor, was en route to Rio de Janeiro with 424 slaves, 49 of which were so sick they died on the trip to Freetown. The situation here was complicated as slave trading wasn’t actually illegal in Brazil, so that a joint commission ruled the ship should be returned to her master, but the slaves were released. Two Spanish ships, the Nicanor and Nuevo Campeador were caught heading for Havana in May and June.
Whilst the Maidstone could outgun any slaver afloat, much of the work was done by her boats, and this could be much hairier. On 6th August 1826 the Hope, the tender to the Maidstone, sighted the Brazilian brig Principe de Guinea, and gave chase. After a 28-hour chase, she caught and attacked the brig, despite being worse armed and having half the crew, and although it took a “desperate action” of 2 hours and 40 minutes, she succeeded.
In another example in 1827, the official report read….”10-11 Apr 1827 in the afternoon a suspicious vessel was seen from the mast-head between the ship and the Island of Fernando Po. We lost sight of her in the dark, but about 10 p.m. by aid of the moon, she was seen about seven or eight miles distant, but the wind being light there was little chance of coming up with her and Lieutenant Morton, first of the ship, volunteered to take the cutter and gig, to intercept her, and by midnight had detained the Brazilian slave brigantine Creola, 85 tons, M. J. de Suza Guimareas, Master, with 308 slaves on board, two days out from the Old Calabar River, which was sent for adjudication to the British and Portuguese Court of Mixed Commission, Sierra Leone, and on 9 Jun 1827 sentenced to be condemned for illicitly trading in slaves.”
Incidentally, the Perpetuo Defesa affair notwithstanding, the vast majority of slavers apprehended in 1826 and 27 were Brazilian (though Bullen did complain that Portuguese ships seemed to be carrying a lot of “domestic servants” all of a sudden). The Hiroina, Trajano, Tenterdora, Venturoso, Carlotta, Providencia, Conceicao Paquete do Rio were all taken. These were not tried by Brazilian, but rather Portuguese commissioners, and were invariably condemned, indicating a much harder line being taken.
In the end of August, after a four-year tour, the Maidstone was back in Portsmouth.