HMS Morgiana

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Morgiana, 1812
Type: Sloop ; Armament 16
Taken : 1812 ; Disposal date or year : 1825
Notes:

10 Feb 1811 was reported to have been launched at Bermuda and commissioned by Capt. Scott, late Flag Officer to Admiral Sawyer, when the Halifax departed for Spithead.

Kingston, Jamaica, 23 Jan 1813 departed on the 9th on a cruise : returned yesterday.

21 Oct 1813, the Belvidera, Capt. Byron, and Morgiana, Capt. Scott, arrived Halifax.

6 Oct 1814, arrived Halifax, with a small convoy from the W Indies, via Bermuda, 12 days from the latter place.

11 Oct 1814, Tonnant departed Halifax, flag of V.-Adm. Sir A. Cochrane, with the Calliope, Newcastle, and Morgiana.

13 Apr 1815, the sloop Morgiana, and brig Escort arrived Halifax, from Newport, R.I.

16 Apr 1815, departed Halifax for England.

Portsmouth 17 May 1815 Came into harbour.

11 Aug 1815 Has departed as a part of the Northumberlands' squadron, for St Helena.

16 Oct 1815 arrived Portsmouth, reportedly from Quebec, having delivered specie?

Portsmouth 23 Oct 1815 arrived from Havre.

10 Aug 1819, detained in lat. 4� 43' N. long. 9� 3' W., the Spanish slave vessel Neustra Senora de Regia, with 1 slave on board when detained, which was sent for adjudication to the British and Spanish Mixed Court of Justice, Sierra Leone and sentenced to be condemned on 13 Sep 1819.

15 Aug 1819 detained a slave schooner, Name Unknown, under Dutch colours, run on shore and wrecked, with about 204 slaves.

18 Sep 1819, detained in lat. 4� 10' N. long. 7� 52' W., the Spanish slave Fabiana, with 13 slaves on board when detained, which was sent for adjudication to the British and Spanish Mixed Court of Justice, Sierra Leone and sentenced to be condemned on 7 Oct 1819.

Sierra Leone Sep 1819 the colony is reported to be unhealthy.

26 Oct 1819, detained in lat. 6� 29' N. long. 11� 12' W., the Portuguese slave Cintra, with 26 slaves on board when detained, which was sent for adjudication to the British and Portuguese Court of Mixed Commission, Sierra Leone and was liberated on 3 Jun 1820.

10 Dec 1819, detained in lat. 5� 49' N. long. 9� 57' W., the Spanish slave Esperanza, with 40 slaves on board when detained, which was sent for adjudication to the British and Spanish Mixed Court of Justice, Sierra Leone and sentenced to be condemned on 27 Dec 1819. The following report also appeared in some of the newspapers:
Sierra-Leone, Dec. 30, 1819.
On the 22d December his Majesty's ship Morgiana, Captain Strong, arrived at Sierra-Leone with the Spanish schooner Esperanza, mounting one long gun on a swivel, amidships, and a complement of 25 men, and having on board 40 slaves. She was captured by the gig and cutter of the Morgiana, in a calm, after a very sharp action, in which two of the Spaniards were killed, the Captain, and four of her crew severely wounded. The boats, under the command of Lieut. Head and Messrs. Mansel and Williamson (Admiralty midshipmen), rowed up to her in the most gallant and spirited manner, under a fire from her long gun and musketry : when the long gun, from its situation, could not be brought to bear on the boats the Spaniards threw cold shot at and into the boat, in hopes of sinking them. In this attack, Lieut. Head and Mr. Mansel, and four men, were wounded (two severely). Such has been the result of an affair which is rather unusual in time of peace ; but these vile dealers in human flesh combine the two most detestable of crimes - piracy and slave-dealing : the latter is carried on by the Spaniards and Portuguese to an extent hitherto unknown.

11 Dec 1819, detained in lat. 7� 0' N. long. 12� 0' W., the Spanish slave Neustra Senora de Regia, with 122 slaves on board when detained, which was sent for adjudication to the British and Spanish Mixed Court of Justice, Sierra Leone and sentenced to be condemned on 2 Jan 1820.

18 Sep 1819 detained the Spanish slave schooner Fabiana, mounting 4 long guns, and 20 men, with slaves.

18 Sep 1819 detained a Spanish slave schooner, Name Unknown, under Spanish colours, run on shore and wrecked, full of slaves, and immediately plundered by the natives.

3 Oct 1819 detained the slave schooner Cinta / Cintra, mounting 4 long guns ; captured off Cape Mount by the boats under Lieut. Ryves.

26 Oct 1819 off Cape Mount. Having learnt from different quarters that there were generally vessels heading for slaves about Cape Mount, who upon the appearance of a man of war or any square rigged vessel, instantly weigh, confident in their superior sailing that sees few ships come up with them, and thinking it might be a good idea to surprise them at their anchorage a night and therefore dispatched Lieut Ryves with the boats for that purpose, and after a long pull got on board an English ship who advised Lieut Ryves that three or four vessels who were probably loading slaves were some miles to the northward. After giving the crews a rest they put off again and eventually found himself close in with 4 schooners, 2 with Portuguese colours were boarded with the greatest dispatch to prevent their getting under weigh, but the first one, not having any slaves on board could no be interfered with - however it was a different story with the second one as she was the Cintra, with 26 slaves embarked earlier that evening, mounting 2 guns and a crew of 15. The vessel appeared quite new, and was probably of American build, and it was understood that they had hoped to take 200 slaves to Trinidad de Cuba. The other two schooners, one with French and the other with Spanish colours weighed and headed out to sea, neither of them having any slaves on board. The Cintra was sent with a prize crew to Sierra Leone, whilst the Morgiana headed for the Cape Coast to provision and water, the ship being on short rations for bread and spirits.

10 Dec 1819 off Petty Bassa, when standing along shore this morning observed 2 schooners under the land standing out to sea and made sail accordingly with a good breeze, and was coming up with them when the wind dropped away, and had to put men in the cutter and gig, with a view to catching up with the schooners and inspecting them. They were observed closing on one of the schooners, who, in answer to our colours hoisted a French flag. The men were observed resting on their oars for a quarter of an hour before chasing after the other schooner, who displayed Spanish colours and when the boats approached Lieut Head, in command of the boats, prepared for action. As well he did as the vessel fired 2 midship guns, using grape and canister, and at the same time placed the crew around the ship to prepare for borders. As the boats came up men on the schooner threw shot into the boats, which badly bruised Lt Head and one of the seamen of the cutter, whilst the bowman received a severe wound when hooking on, but within a couple of minutes the men from the boats were on board and had driven the slaver's crew below, having killed the captain and 2 of the crew, with 3 wounded. Mr Wm Mansell, who was in command of the gig, and the first on board, being attacked by the Captain and two men, and certainly must have fallen had not the former been cut down by Wm Harris, one of the gig's crew, and Capt Strong noted that he felt great pleasure in acquainting Their Lordhips that Wm Mansell is a promising young man ; his conduct since he has been with me in this ship has been always most exemplary and creditable - it is therefore my duty, Mr M having passed his regular examination for Lieutenant upwards of 3 years ago, to recommend him strongly to Their Lordships for promotion. With respect to Lieut Head's conduct, I feel happy in saying that it deserves credit in every way in this little affair, for he fore bore firing until he found that the orders he had been given could not be carried into effect without recourse to arms & gallantly boarded and carried the vessel. She proved to be the Spanish schooner Esperanza, of 137 tons, employed in an illegal traffic of slaves, having forty on board who had been shipped at Petty Bassa, Grand Bassa, and Trade Town, belonging to Porto Mico, and was to have taken 325 slaves. Besides Michael Murley, bowman ; mentioned earlier, Wm Green, Wm Harris, and John Geary, seamen, also received cutlass wounds, but will be at duty again in a few days. Lieut Head speaks highly of the good conduct of Mr Charles S Williamson, who was with him in the cutter, and who has passed for Lieutenant upwards of two years. The conduct of all the different vessels chased, captured or destroyed by this ship since she has been on the Windward Coast has convinced me that the slave vessels will oppose any force, either ship or boats, where they think there is a chance of escaping by so doing. Capt C B Strong.

10 Dec 1819 detained a schooner, Name Unknown, deserted by her master, crew, and slaves, after a long chase ; no papers, colours, or any thing on board.

11 Dec 1819 detained the schooner Esperanza, after a sharp action, under Spanish colours.

1820 for National Archives source for captures of slave vessels in 1919 see FO 84-4 Sierra Leone Commissioners Gregory and FitzGerald, and D M Hamilton.

25 Jan 1820 the Myrmidon, when in company with the Morgiana, detained off the River Manna the Portuguese slave vessel San Salvador, with one slave on board, which was sent for adjudication to the British and Portuguese Court of Mixed Commission, Sierra Leone, but sentence was delayed since the Portuguese Commissioners hadn't arrived, and when they did arrive, because the Act only used the word slaves and not slave, they decreed that the vessel couldn't be condemned, and it was therefore released.

25 Jan 1820 off the Gallinas. Capt Sandilands informed that a person of the name of J. O. Kearney, resident at the Gallinas, is in the habit of visiting Sierra Leone, and have the honour of transmitting to your Excellency, the Copy of a Contract entered into by him and others, with the Captain of the French Schooner La Marie, detained for adjudication by His Majesty's Sloop Morgiana ; also a Letter of Instructions issued by him to the said Captain, which will, I have no doubt, clearly point out to your Excellency the interest he has in the Vessel, and the active and direct part he has taken in procuring and putting her Slaves on board, thereby subjecting himself to all the penalties of the Acts of Parliament prohibiting His Majesty's Subjects being engaged in the Slave-trade. See British & Foreign State Papers 1820-21.

17 Feb 1820 Capt Strong, lately promoted to the rank of Post, from the command of the Morgiana, returns to England, having been replaced by Capt Sandilands.

11 Oct 1820 the Admiralty announced that the commanding officers of the following vessels now cruising on the West Coast of Africa, ie the Tartar, Capt Collier ; Pheasant, Capt Kelly ; Morgiana, Capt Wm Finlaison ; Capt Locke, Myrmidon ; Lieut R Nash, Snapper ; Lieut R Hagan, have been supplied with their instructions, should the right circumstances arise, authorising them to detain Portuguese or Spanish vessels in accordance with the several Treaties with foreign powers for preventing the Illegal Traffic in slaves with those countries.

The Morgiana has lost Mr. Carpue, surgeon, from yellow fever, which is now subsiding.

14 Feb 1821, detained the slave schooner Emilia, Severo Leonardo, master, which was sent for adjudication to the Portuguese and English Mixed Commission at Rio Janeiro and sentenced to be condemned on 31 Jul 1821.

Sierra Leone 17 Jun 1921 Is reported to have arrived at Rio Janeiro, with a slave trader.

From an a affidavit made by Krooman, Sam Quashie, formerly of the Pheasant, dated 7 Mar 1822, it is reported that the Pheasant captured the slave ship Vulcano circa Oct 1819, and put on board a prize crew under a Midshipman Castles, to take the ship to Sierra Leone, keeping some of the original crew to man the ship. After some days the former crew killed the prize crew, bar the Krooman, put onboard as a part of the prize crew, and departed the ship to Bahia where the cargo of slaves was sold, including the Krooman. After a couple of years Sam Quashie managed to escape and find his way back on board the British man of war Morgiana, at Bahia, to tell the above story.

14 Feb 1821 detained the slave schooner Emilia, which was sent for adjudication to Portuguese and English Mixed Commission at Rio Janeiro, and sentenced on 31 Jul 1821.

27 Nov 1821 off the Coast of Africa.

17 Mar 1822 detained in lat 5� 44 N., long 9� 50 W, off Trade Town the Spanish slave schooner Dichosa Estrella, 1 gun, 100 tons, 20 men, with 34 slaves on board when detained, which was sent to Sierra Leone for adjudication, but was wrecked off Cape Medurado en route, however, the British and Spanish Mixed Court of Justice, Sierra Leone and sentenced the vessel to be condemned on 18 Jun 1822.

15 Apr 1822, detained at the entrance of the River Lagos, in lat. 6� 27' N. long. 3� 32' E., the Portuguese slave brig Esperanca, 2 guns, 189 tons, 29 men, with 149 slaves on board when detained, which was sent for adjudication to the British and Portuguese Court of Mixed Commission, Sierra Leone and sentenced to be condemned on 8 Jun 1822.