454. WEST AFRICAN SLAVERS AND SLAVE TESTIMONY An historic,most important grouping of three documents concerning the trade of slaves offthe coast of Sierra Leone (later Liberia) by British slavers, their attack on aBritish warship, and the signed testimony of a slave describing the slavers'"factory", all documenting events occurring years after the enactment of theSlave Trade Act of 1807 which halted the trade in slaves within the BritishEmpire. The first document is a bill of sale for slaves sold off the coast ofSierra Leone, 1p. 7 1/2" x 5", Cape Monserado, June, 1813, reading in full:"Received from Mr. Bostick [Bostock] and Mr. McQuin [McQueen] of St. Pauls[on the Guinea/Liberia border] in June 1813 payment for Twenty prime Slavesbeing purchased from Bostick and McQuin viz: 2 Hhds Tobacco 1 Pipe and half ofRum and some Trade goods which slave[s] I undertake to have ready when Bostickhas ship ready to send them of the Coast. Cape Monserrado June 1813. [Signed]John Stirling Mill Witness Edw. Neede". Two names on the document have beenobliterated, trimmed at top and bottom, otherwise very good. The second documentis an affidavit, 1p. legal folio, Sierra Leone, July 11, 1813, a statement takenby Judge of the Vice Court of Admiralty Robert Purdie from Navy Lt. JohnWilkins. Wilkins testifies that on June 27th of that year, Capt. Edward Scobellof HMS Thais had ordered him to take under his command: "...four armed Boats,and proceed to examine the vicinity of Cape Monsurado and detect the SlaveTrade...said to be carried on in that neighborhood...by persons named RobertBostock and John MacQueen. That proceeding under the English Ensign to theFactory of said Bostock and MacQueen, he was from thence assailed and fired at,which wounding two of his Majesty's subjects, one of whom is since dead, and theprobability of many more falling, the said Deponent was compelled to act on theoffensive, and in so doing, captured three Boats or small craft with Two hundredand Thirty Three Slaves, who were surrendered as the property of the concern ofthe aforesaid Robert Bostock". The third document is the most striking, 2pp.legal folio, "Colony of Sierra Leone", July 9, 1813, an ex-slave'sdeposition before the same Judge Purdie concerning his services for slaversBostock and McQueen. In small part: "...appears before me...Tom Bau, a NativeMan of Africa, about three or four and twenty years...he has been the Slave ofRobert Bostock since he was a little Boy, first living with him at the Gallinas,then came with him to Saint Pauls Mensurado on the settling of the Factory atthat place about two years and a half ago...he has had the charge of feeding theSlaves, many of whom have been occasionally set off in Irons to ships coming forthem. A year and a half ago Mason, a white man with whom Bostock lived atGallinas came in a Brig...and filled her Belly with Slaves...the slaves weresent off in boats in Irons, about four months ago was the last time a vesseltook Slaves...she was a schooner and took a good many...when the Man of Warcame...Bostock had a great many slaves ready for being shipped off...Bostocksent to him to put the Slaves in the three Boats...this Deponent embarked in thesmall craft...seventy nine slaves were captured by the Man of War whom name hedoes not know...there were more Slaves of Bostock's removed that morning byother people, and also captured...does not know what afterward past at theFactory. John McQueen a white man has lived with Bostock at Saint Paul's for twoyears, has helped Bostock to buy and send off Slaves, and when Bostock wasabsent a year ago, McQueen had charge of the Factory, bought Slaves, put them inIrons and Deponent fed them when kept in the Factory in Irons...". Signed byslave Tom Bau with his "mark" at bottom. Near fine. Following the enactment ofthe Slave Trade Act of 1807, the British Navy declared that ships transportingslaves were the same as pirates, and so ships carrying slaves were subject todestruction and any men captured were (potentially) subject to execution. In1808, Freetown, capital of Sierra Leone, became a British Crown Colony, hencethe British felt that their intervention in the slave trade in offshore waterswas perfectly justified. Between 1808 and 1860, the West Africa Squadron aloneseized approximately 1,600 slave ships and freed 150,000 Africans who were foundaboard. According to news reports of the period, both Bostock and McQueen werecaptured, transported to England aboard the Thais and tried, and were ultimatelysentenced to be transported for 14 years. A most important set of documents, thefirst of this type we've ever encountered! $7,000 - 9,000