| Q |
A [with the aid of an interpreter] |
| Is the above your name as you have written it ? |
Yes |
| Of what country are you a subject ? |
I am African, but a Portuguese subject, born at Princes [Island]. |
| What is the name of the vessel you command ? |
Donna Francisca |
| Of what nation is she ? |
Portuguese |
| Where were you bound and from whence did you come, when detained by the Water Witch ? |
I was sailing from Princes [Island] to St Thomas [Island] and from thence to Benguala. |
| What was the object of your
voyage ?
|
I had a cargo for Benguala.
|
| Of what ?
|
Ivory, wax and fish
|
| When did you take the cargo in ?
|
I took it in on the Coast of
Cana after I left St Thomas’
|
| What did you go to St Thomas’
for ?
|
To land passengers.
|
| Were they passengers in your
passport ?
|
No.
|
| Where did you take the
passengers in your passport ?
|
At Princes Island, I landed 3 at
St Thomas’ and took 3 from there.
|
| What did you go to Cana for ?
|
I went for Ivory and wood, and I
also bought mats.
|
| Did you lay in anything else
there ?
|
No.
|
| How many water casks did you
take in ?
|
8 only, of 28 gallons each, and
four of 60 gallons each, and a small on for deck.
|
| Of what tonnage is the Donna
Francisca ?
|
15 tons
|
| What was the object of buying
mats ?
|
Because they are the best market
for Benguala
|
| What are they generally used for
?
|
Vessels of all nations buy them.
|
| How many days had you left
Princes when detained by the Water Witch ?
|
I left Princes on the 8 Aug ; I
stopped 10 days at St Thomas’ ; and 8 at Cana.
|
| How long is the passage from
Cana to Benguala ?
|
A month and a half.
|
| Is this the first voyage of the
Donna Francisca ?
|
The first voyage, she was built
at Princes and finished about 5 months ago.
|
| Who is the owner of the vessel ?
|
Donna Francisca, my wife’s
mother, who resides at Princes.
|
| Were you trading on your own
account ?
|
For Donna Francisca.
|
| Why did you take the farinha out of the bags and stow it in the interstices of the vessel ?
|
It was intended for the sailors.
|
| What made you take in so many water casks & why were they made in such manner as to fit exactly the hold of the vessel ?
|
To ballast the vessel, and for
room for the men to sleep on the vessel being very sharp she has
stone ballast under – I had no cargo.
|
| What cargo did you intend taking at Benguala ?
|
Fish, wax and ivory.
|
| Were you bound to Cana when you left Princes ?
|
No.
|
| Were you going to Benguala without a cargo ?
|
Yes, but my brother sent for me
to Benguala to bring fish and ivory.
|
| Did your brother direct you to buy the mats ?
|
No.
|
| Are there other vessels like yours building at Princes ?
|
Two, but not like this having
more beam & larger.
|
| Have you ever been taken prisoner before ?
|
No.
|
| Did you not go to Sierra Leone I the Fair Rosamonde ?
|
Yes, I was a passenger in a
vessel taken by the Fair Rosamonde.
|
| Was that vessel condemned at Sierra Leone ?
|
Yes, because she had slaves.
|
| What others besides yourself were taken to Sierra Leone ?
|
Only the Captain, myself and the
cook, who later died.
|
| Are you a mariner yourself ?
|
No, I’m a merchant.
|
| Have you made any other voyage in a slave ship ?
|
Only the one taken to Sierra
Leone.
|
| Were you examined before the Court at Sierra Leone ?
|
Yes.
|
| What became of the rest of the crew belonging to the vessel
taken by the Fair Rosamonde ?
|
They were left at Princes.
|
| Why were you taken being only a passenger ?
|
Because I was the supercargo
engaged in the Slave Trading, this was about 3 years ago.
|
| Who sailed you vessel the Donna
Francisca ?
|
The pilot.
|
| Are you aware the mats are always used for Slave Vessels ?
|
Yes, but not in such a large
quantity as I have.
|
| Are you not aware that you are liable to seizure for having a
large quantity of mats and water casks on board ?
|
No.
|
| Why were you so far out from the Coast when captured ?
|
The mate said that we should be
becalmed if too close to the land.
|
Antonio
Barrete d'Almeide, being asked if he had anything to offer in
defence, stated that he positively was not engaged in the Slave
Trade.
