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A Sailor Boy's Experience Aboard a Slave Ship
This book details the first-hand true life story of an boy apprentice aboard a slave ship.
From inside the book:
This little volume contains the record of the principal occurrences witnessed by me during two voyages in the African Slave Trade, in the course of the first four years of the present century. The facts recorded, — which were in substance communicated at the time in letters to friends at home, — were fully extended in my journals, and are here given at length —the epistolary style being retained.
In giving publicity to these facts, I have deferred in some measure to the expressed desire of many friends, to whom the manuscript has been submitted, or the principal incidents contained therein detailed — though I fear that, as is often the case, friendship has led to a partial, and too favourable opinion. I must, however, in all candour, say that the chief motive by which I have been actuated in the course I have thus taken arises from the fact that throughout the many years that have passed since the incidents recorded in the letters took place, I have heard so many gross mis-statements respecting West Indian slavery, and the horrors of the ‘ ‘Middle Passage,’ ’ that I formed the resolution, should time be allowed me, to give the result of my own experience with as much candour and as little prejudice as I could, in order to disabuse the minds of well-meaning people, who may have seen only one side of this question. This leisure, in the evening of a long, laborious, and uneventful life, it has pleased the wise Disposer of all events to allow me; and the recalling to my mind, and the recording on paper, of some of the joys and sorrows of my early days, has relieved the tedium of many an hour of my leisure time; and I hope the simple tale of truth will have a similar effect on an indulgent reader. Besides, I am inclined to think that some facts recorded in the following pages may be new to many readers. Young folks will perhaps find something that may prove instructive, and worth their notice — especially in connection with natural history, — besides much that may tend to their amusement: while I trust that nothing will be discovered hurtful to the feelings of anyone.
It may give a little interest to the narrative to state, if it be true, as I believe it is, that I am the only man alive who served an apprenticeship to the slave trade. I entered that service in the spring of 1800, and was compelled to abandon it in consequence of an accident, the particulars of which are told in the letters, in the summer of 1804; while in accordance with the united voice of a generous and philanthropic people, the Emancipation Bill became law immediately thereafter.
It is doubtless the opinion of many that I put myself into a wrong position, and incurred blame and obloquy by entering into this obnoxious trade at all. It may be so; I will not dispute the matter. I certainly did not feel myself comfortable or at home in the service. But let it be remembered in my favour that the trade was then a lawful one; whilst, at the same time, I was induced to enter it by what is called an accidental circumstance, which the narrative will explain; and an irresistible desire for a seafaring life so completely carried me away, that it became a matter of perfect indifference to me where the ship went, if not to the bottom, provided I was aboard of her — or in what trade engaged, if not a pirate. .
It is perhaps expected that I should tender apology for the style of language used throughout the letters. No one can be more sensible than I am of much shortcoming in this respect. I have not aimed — for the very sufficient reason that I felt it utterly beyond my reach — at elegance or sublimity of expression.
From inside the book:
This little volume contains the record of the principal occurrences witnessed by me during two voyages in the African Slave Trade, in the course of the first four years of the present century. The facts recorded, — which were in substance communicated at the time in letters to friends at home, — were fully extended in my journals, and are here given at length —the epistolary style being retained.
In giving publicity to these facts, I have deferred in some measure to the expressed desire of many friends, to whom the manuscript has been submitted, or the principal incidents contained therein detailed — though I fear that, as is often the case, friendship has led to a partial, and too favourable opinion. I must, however, in all candour, say that the chief motive by which I have been actuated in the course I have thus taken arises from the fact that throughout the many years that have passed since the incidents recorded in the letters took place, I have heard so many gross mis-statements respecting West Indian slavery, and the horrors of the ‘ ‘Middle Passage,’ ’ that I formed the resolution, should time be allowed me, to give the result of my own experience with as much candour and as little prejudice as I could, in order to disabuse the minds of well-meaning people, who may have seen only one side of this question. This leisure, in the evening of a long, laborious, and uneventful life, it has pleased the wise Disposer of all events to allow me; and the recalling to my mind, and the recording on paper, of some of the joys and sorrows of my early days, has relieved the tedium of many an hour of my leisure time; and I hope the simple tale of truth will have a similar effect on an indulgent reader. Besides, I am inclined to think that some facts recorded in the following pages may be new to many readers. Young folks will perhaps find something that may prove instructive, and worth their notice — especially in connection with natural history, — besides much that may tend to their amusement: while I trust that nothing will be discovered hurtful to the feelings of anyone.
It may give a little interest to the narrative to state, if it be true, as I believe it is, that I am the only man alive who served an apprenticeship to the slave trade. I entered that service in the spring of 1800, and was compelled to abandon it in consequence of an accident, the particulars of which are told in the letters, in the summer of 1804; while in accordance with the united voice of a generous and philanthropic people, the Emancipation Bill became law immediately thereafter.
It is doubtless the opinion of many that I put myself into a wrong position, and incurred blame and obloquy by entering into this obnoxious trade at all. It may be so; I will not dispute the matter. I certainly did not feel myself comfortable or at home in the service. But let it be remembered in my favour that the trade was then a lawful one; whilst, at the same time, I was induced to enter it by what is called an accidental circumstance, which the narrative will explain; and an irresistible desire for a seafaring life so completely carried me away, that it became a matter of perfect indifference to me where the ship went, if not to the bottom, provided I was aboard of her — or in what trade engaged, if not a pirate. .
It is perhaps expected that I should tender apology for the style of language used throughout the letters. No one can be more sensible than I am of much shortcoming in this respect. I have not aimed — for the very sufficient reason that I felt it utterly beyond my reach — at elegance or sublimity of expression.
111 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 11, 1867
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