Termagant, 1838
Type: Brigantine ; late Brig ; Armament 10, later reduced to 3.
Launched : 1838 ; Disposal date or year : 1845
Notes:

11 Apr 1838 a 10 gun brig altered to Brigantine with a reduced armament, and what weight of bulwarks, top-sides, and top-hamper, is taken off by such alteration is estimated at 6� tons. N. Symonds.

1830 Portsmouth, building

10 Nov 1832 the Buzzard, Termagant, and Lynx are to be cut down to the same degree as the Brisk and Charybdis, for service on the Coast of Africa, amongst other things it would appear that this reduces the cost of operating the vessel by reducing the complement needed to man the vessel.

9 Oct 1838 detained the Portuguese slave schooner Prova, Louren�o Viadonnonte, master, in lat. 2� 15' N., long. 7� 36' W., with 326 slaves on board, sailing under Portuguese colours. The vessel was taken to Sierra Leone for adjudication by the British and Portuguese Mixed Court who dealt with the matter on 24 Nov 1838, where she was condemned for being engaged in the illicit traffic in slaves and the surviving 295 negroes emancipated, 21 having died before adjudication, the schooner and stores to be sold at public auction, and the proceeds paid into the military chest.

21 Jan 1839 detained in lat. 5� 46' N., long. 55� E., off Cape St. Paul, the slave schooner Iago, Adolphus Dupony, master, a U.S. citizen, which was sent for adjudication and on 15 Apr 1839 sentenced to be returned to her master.
In Apr 1839 the problems caused by cases such as this were raised by many of the captains on the West Africa Station and then reported in the newspapers e.g. slave vessels under notional American ownership wearing American colours, probably provided by the American Consul at Havana, who had attested the sale and granted American papers, as he did for the Eagle, arrested by the Lily. The Mixed Commission Court at Sierra Leone refused to take any action in view of her American papers, and the vessel was released accordingly. Similar cases had been reported by the Brisk, Lily, Saracen, Forester and others, and steps were taken to inform the Admiralty before all slave ships flew the American flag and Her Majesty's cruisers off the Coast of West Africa were made redundant. This led to the introduction of the use of Vice-Admiralty Courts to prosecute those cases where the American masters had handed over to Brazilian, Spanish or Portuguese masters once a cargo of slaves had been embarked, when the new masters would invariably throw their papers and flags overboard if it looked as though they were to be arrested in order that their nationality couldn't be identified and the crews sent home for their governments to deal with them accordingly : a few American masters also threw their papers overboard and gave the ships over to the Royal Navy, admitting that the vessels were to be used to carry slaves.

9 Feb 1839 detained in lat. 5� 53' 0" N., long. 0� 57' 0" E., the Spanish slave brig Braganza, alias Vigilante, Manoel de Vascinento Moreira, master, which was sent for adjudication to the British and Spanish Mixed Court of Justice, Sierra Leone, and on 1 Apr 1839 sentenced to be condemned. 15 Jun 1839 Portsmouth, Lieutenant Rowlett, late of the Dolphin, recently arrived from the West Coast of Africa, reports that the Termagant had captured the Spanish slaver Braganza, direct from Corunna, completely fitted for slaving, but having none on board ; she had, however, 530 gold doubloons in her, to pay for a cargo of them.

19 Apr 1839 boarded the American slave schooner Euphrates, Charles A. Molan, master, to check her papers regarding her nationality.

27 Apr 1839 the ship's boats detained the hull of the Spanish slave schooner Catalana, in the River Sinou, which was sent for adjudication, but there being no evidence to support a prosecution the vessel was returned.

19 Sep 1839 detained in lat. 6� 0' N., long. I� 45' E., when running into Lagos, following a passage from Bahia the Brazilian slave brigantine Golfinho / Golphino, D. T. Pinto, master, which was sent for adjudication to the British and Brazilian Court of Mixed Commission, Sierra Leone, and on 20 Oct 1839 sentenced to be condemned.

21 Oct 1839 detained the slave vessel Douglas, Captain Baker, which was sent for adjudication, but was released since she was sailing under the U.S. flag.

28 Nov 1839 detained in lat. 6� 19' N., Long. 2� 3' E., the Brazilian slave brigantine Conceicao, J. P. da Silva, master, which was sent for adjudication to the British and Brazilian Court of Mixed Commission, Sierra Leone, and on 6 Jan 1840 sentenced to be condemned.

29 Nov 1839 detained in lat. 6� 19' 0" N., Long. 2� 3' 0" E., the Brazilian slave vessel Julia, J. M. da Silva, master, which was sent for adjudication to the British and Brazilian Court of Mixed Commission, Sierra Leone, and on 6 Jan 1840 sentenced to be condemned.

Per a report made to Parliament in 1842, at some time during 1840 was involved in combatting the Slave Trade and experienced 3 Deaths.

5 Oct 1840 detained in lat. 5� 40' N., long. 10� 5' W., the Portuguese slave schooner Felicidade, F. Mideiros, master, which was sent for adjudication to the British and Spanish Mixed Court of Justice, Sierra Leone, and on 24 Oct 1840 sentenced to be condemned.

14 Oct 1840 detained in lat. 5� 34' N., long. 9� 45' W., off Grand Bass, the Spanish slave schooner Paquete Vera Cruzano, Antonio Aragon, master, which was sent for adjudication to the British and Spanish Mixed Court of Justice, Sierra Leone, and on 5 Nov 1840 sentenced to be condemned.

Per a report made to Parliament in 1842, at some time during 1841 was involved in combatting the Slave Trade and experienced 3 Deaths in Action, 1 Death by Accident, with a total No of 10 Deaths.

22-27 Jul 1841 arrived at Bathurst from Portendik ; departed on the 29th to leeward : Lieut. Seagram of the Termagant instructed by Cdr. Denman of the Wanderer to take every opportunity to obtain any information regarding the existence of the Slave Trade to the northward of Cape Verde.

3 Mar 1842 at Cape Coast Castle.

7 May 1842 departed Princes Island and Ascension (29th) for England with invalids from the Squadron.

19 Jul 1842 arrived Spithead from the West Coast of Africa.

21 Jul 1842 departed Spithead for Chatham to be paid off. Mr. Henry Hannant, Mate, late of the Termagant, was left on the West Coast of Africa in command of the English brig British Queen, her master having been murdered by the mate, who was said to be insane.