Foreign ships intended to be employed in the slave trade

shall not be

equipped in

any port of the United Kingdom.

Penalties.

whatsoever or wheresoever, or any person concerned for or on account of any foreign ship or vessel or factory, or for or on account of any island, colony, plantation, or territory belonging to or under the dominion of any foreign sovereign, state or power; and every such ship or vessel which shall be so employed, engaged, or used, or the boats, officers, or mariners whereof, by and with the consent and approbation or direction of the owners thereof, shall be so employed, engaged, or used contrary to the true intent and meaning of his act, shall, with all her boats, guns, furniture, ammunition, tackle, and apparel, be forfeited, and shall and may be seized and prosecuted as is herein-after mentioned and provided; and the master or other person having or taking the charge and command of such ship or vessel shall forfeit and pay the sum of one hundred pounds of lawful money of Great Britain.

IX. And be it further enacted, That, from and after the expiration of one calendar month, to be computed from the time of the passing of this act, it shall not be lawful for any foreign ship or vessel employed or intended to be employed in the African slave trade, to be fitted out, equipped, manned, or dispatched at or from any port of this United Kingdom, or any other part of his Majesty's dominions, for a voyage to Africa, whether that be the place of immediate destination, or such ship or vessel before pro ceeding thither is destined to touch at some other port or place; nor shall it be lawful for any of his Majesty's subjects, or any other person or persons whatsoever, to ship, lade, or put on board in any foreign ship or vessel when destined directly or indirectly to Africa, at any port in this United Kingdom, or any other part of his Majesty's dominions, any goods, wares, merchandize, or commodities whatsoever, with intent that the same shall be carried to Africa, to be there bartered for slaves, or otherwise employed in the African slave trade; and if any such foreign ship or vessel shall be so unlawfully fitted out, equipped, manned, or dispatched, or if any goods, wares, merchandize, or commodities shall be s unlawfully shipped, laden, or put on board in any such ship of vessel with such intent as aforesaid, at any port of his Majesty's dominions, such ship or vessel, with all her boats, guns, tackle, apparel, and furniture, and all the goods, wares, merchandize, and commodities so shipped, laden, or put on board, shall be forfeited, and shall and may be seized and prosecuted as herein-after is mentioned and provided; and if any of his Majesty's subjects, or any person or persons resident within his Majesty's dominions, shall knowingly and wilfully fit out, equip, man, or dispatch any such foreign ship or vessel fors he purposes aforesaid, or knowingly and wilfully furnish the same with any goods, wares, merchandize, or commodities as aforesaid, with the intent and for the purpose aforesaid, or be knowingly and wilfully aiding, abetting, or assisting in any such offence, every person or persons so offending, aiding, abetting, or assisting, shall forfeit and pay for every such offence the sum of one hundred pounds; and every ship or vessel shall be deemed and taken to be a foreign ship or vessel for the purposes aforesaid, although owned in whole or in part by British

subjects,

subjects, which shall not be registered, navigated, and cleared out in such manner as to entitle her to import slaves into a British colony, according to the laws of navigation, and to an act made in the thirty-ninth year of the reign of his present Majesty, intituled, An act for better regulating the manner of carrying slaves in British vessels from the coast of Africa.

X. And be it further enacted, That it shall not be lawful for Slave'ships, on any ship or vessel clearing out from any British port after the said clearing out, first day of January one thousand eight hundred and seven, to to give bond not to trade export, transport, carry, or convey any slave or slaves from in slaves to Africa, or the coast thereof, to the islands, colonies, plantations, foreign ports. or territories belonging to or under the dominion of his Majesty, unless the owner, master, or other person having the charge of such ship or vessel shall, on her clearing out from Great Britain, or some one of the said islands, colonies, plantations, or territories, for Africa or the coast thereof, have certified to the collector or principal officer of the customs at the port of clearance, that the intent of the voyage is to take in, and to transport, carry and convey slaves from Africa and the coast thereof to the islands, colonies, plantations, and territories only belonging to or under the dominion of his Majesty, and shall have entered into a bond, in the penal sum of one thousand pounds, with one or more good and sufficient sureties, to the commissioners of the customs in London, or to the chief officer of the customs in other ports respectively, with condition that such ship or vessel shall proceed from the coast of Africa to some port or place in some island, colony, plantation, or territory belonging to and under the dominion of his Majesty, and that no slave or slaves which shall be taken on board the said ship or vessel in Africa, or on the coast thereof, shall be landed or disposed of in any port or place in any island, colony, plantation, or territory belonging to or under the dominion of any foreign sovereign, state, or power, or (except with such licence as aforesaid) in any of the aforesaid settlements, islands, colonies, or plantations which have been surrendered to his Majesty's arms during the present war, nor shall on any pretence whatsoever be sold or disposed of to the ships or vessels of. any foreign sovereign, state, or power, or to any person whatever concerned for or on account of the same, or directly or indirectly in supplying the same with slaves, either on the coast of Africa, or the high seas, or any port, harbour, or place wheresoever situated; and the said bond shall not be void and discharged until the due and faithful performance of all and every the several conditions therein contained shall have been proved or ascertained by the production of the ship's log-book and the surgeon's journal duly verified, and also by a certificate or certificates from the chief officer of the customs of each and every port or place in the islands, colonies, plantations, or territories belonging to or under the dominion of his Majesty, where the said ship or vessel shall have touched, setting forth that the several injunctions hereinafter contained have been duly complied with: Provided

always,

On arrival from Africa at British colo.

nies, ships to report and declare.

accounts of

always, that the said bond shall be void if not prosecuted within three years after the return of the said ship or vessel.

any

XI. And be it further enacted, That when and as often as British ship or vessel which shall have cleared out from any British port after the day last aforesaid, and which shall, during the voyage in which she was engaged, have transported, carried, or conveyed any slaves from Africa, or the coast thereof, shall arrive at any port or place, in any island, colony, plantation, or territory belonging to or under the dominion of his Majesty, the master, or other person having the charge or command of such ship or vessel, shall immediately repair to the custom-house af or nearest to the port or place where he shall arrive, and there give in a written account, to the collector or chief officer of the cus toms, of the total number of slaves which he brought in the said ship or vessel from Africa, or the coast thereof, and shall declare that since his departure from thence he hath not caused to be unshipped or landed, or sold or disposed of, any slave or slaves in any island, colony, plantation, or territory belonging to or under the dominion of any foreign sovereign or state, or into any ship or vessel at sea, or otherwise, and shall confirm such declaration by the production of the ship's log-book and surgeon's journal, and also by producing the surgeon and chief mate of such ship or vessel, if living, and on board the same, or if otherwise, then the two next officers in point of station on board, to be examined by the said collector or chief officer on oath (which oath the said collector or chief officer is hereby authorised and required to ad minister), touching the truth and fairness of the said account.

XII. And whereas it may frequently happen that the slaves brought in any ship or vessel from Africa, or the coast thereof, or some of them, may not be sold at the first port or place at which the ship or vessel shall arrive in any island, colony, plantation, or territory belonging to or On proceed- under the dominion of his Majesty; be it therefore farther enacted, ing with cargo That any such ship or vessel, the whole cargo of which shall not of slaves, or part thereof, have been disposed of at the port at which she shall first arrive to any other in the said islands, colonies, plantations, or territories belonging port or ports, to or under the dominion of his Majesty, from Africa or the coast slaves to be thereof, shall be permitted to proceed with her slaves, or the retaken, and mainder thereof, to such other port or place, ports or places, certificates to within any of the islands, colonies, plantations, or territories bebe given. longing to or under the dominion of his Majesty, into which slaves from Africa may be lawfully imported, as the master of other person having or taking the charge or command of such ship or vessel shall think fit: Provided always, that at every such port or ports where any slave or slaves shall be unshipped or landed, the master or other person having or taking the command of such ship shall take from the collector or other chief officer of the customs, a certificate of the number of slaves which shall have been so unshipped and landed out of his ship or vessel, at the said port or place; which certificate, with the account of the original number brought from Africa, or the coast thereof, and

also

also an account of the number remaining on board, and the journal of the surgeon of the said ship or vessel, expressing the num ber of slaves who shall have died during the said voyage, shall be by the said master, or other person having or taking the charge or command of such ship or vessel, exhibited to the collector or chief oficer of the customs of every other port or place in the said islands, colonies, plantations, or territories belonging to or under the dominion of his Majesty, at which such ship or vessel shall afterwards touch; and the collector or chief officer of the customs of such other port or place, ports or places, shall and he is hereby required, to compare the said accounts; and if there shall appear to be any deficiency in the number of slaves which such master, or person having or taking the charge or command of such ship or vessel, shall not be able lawfully to account for, every such master or other person shall forfeit the sum of fifty pounds for every slave which shall be so found deficient and unaccounted for: Provided always, that no such ship or vessel shall transport or carry away from any such port or place, on pain of forfeiture of ship and cargo as aforesaid, any other slave or slaves than such as shall have been entered, as part of her cargo from Africa, or the coast thereof, in the same voyage.

from one Bri

bond given,

XIII. And be it further enacted, That, from and after the said Slaves not to first day of January one thousand eight hundred and seven, no be exported person shall embark, ship, export, or carry upon the seas, any tish colony to slave or slaves from any island, colony, plantation or territory another, till belonging to or under the dominion of his Majesty, to any other licence obisland, colony, plantation, or territory belonging to or under the tained and dominion of his Majesty, in any ship or vessel whatever (except nor to carry as before mentioned, in British ships, from Africa or the coast them to thereof), until the owner or exporter thereof shall make applica- foreign ports. tion in writing to the governor of the said island, colony, plantation, or territory, or to the collector or chief officer of the customs of the port from whence it shall be intended to export or embark the said slave or slaves, which said application shall express the number and quality of the slaves he shall be desirous to export, transport, carry, or convey, and the place to which he means to carry them (such place being always some island, colony, plantation, or territory belonging to or under the dominion of his Majesty, into which such slaves may be lawfully imported without any special licence, or else some or one of the said settlements, islands, colonies, or plantations which have surrendered to his Majesty's arms during the present war, for importing the said slaves into which some such special licence as aforesaid shall have been obtained), and until such owner or exporter shall obtain a licence in writing for the exportation of such slaves from such island, colony, territory, or plantation wherein such application is made, specifying the place of destination; which licence under his hand and seal the said governor, collector, or chief officer, is hereby authorized and required to grant; but previous thereto every such owner or exporter shall also give bond to his Majesty, his heirs and successors, in a penal

sum

sum equal to the sum of fifty pounds lawful money of Gre Britain for every slave so to be carried, and deliver the same the said governor, or the collector or chief officer of the custom of the port or place from which such slave or slaves shall be ca ried, the condition of which bond shall be, that the said own or proprietor shall faithfully and truly land or deliver the sa slaves at the place to which he shall be so authorised to expo or convey the same, and shall, within a time to be in the sai condition limited, having respect therein to the ordinary leng of the said intended voyage, produce a certificate from the co lector or chief officer of the customs of the port or place t which the said slave or slaves shall be so permitted to be e ported or conveyed, or, in case there be in that place no colle tor or chief officer of the customs, from two of the most em nent British merchants or inhabitants, certifying that the sa slave or slaves shall have been landed and left in the said port place, death or other inevitable impediment, to be proved by oa of two credible witnesses, excepted; and if any such slave slaves so exported shall not be so landed and left according the condition of any such bond, or such certificate as aforesa shall not be duly returned, the said bond shall become forfeite and the said governor or collector, or chief officer, may cause t same to be put in suit, and the said owner or exporter shall n be relieved from the penalty thereof but on payment of the su of fifty pounds lawful money aforesaid, for every slave not landed or left, or not so certified to have been landed and left aforesaid, nor shall the party be thereby discharged from a penalty or forfeiture incurred by the sending or conveying su slaves to any foreign territory or place contrary to the prohit tion in this act, or the said order in council contained: Provid always, that the said bonds shall be void, unless prosecut Not to extend within three years from the date thereof: Provided also, th nothing herein contained shall prevent or be construed to pr vent any slave from being employed either in navigation, fishin or any other his ordinary business or occupation upon the sea Provided also, that nothing in this act contained shall extend, tending their be construed to extend, to prevent any slave who shall be real masters to sea and truly the domestick servant of any person residing in at on voyages to island, colony, plantation, or territory belonging to or under th foreign parts; dominion of his Majesty, from attending such his owner

to negro

sailors and fishermen ;

nor to domestic slaves at

master, or any part of his family, by sea to any place whateve whether under the dominion of his Majesty or of any foreig sovereign, state, or power; but if any slave or slaves employed navigation, or any fishermen or domestic slave or slaves shall so employed, embarked, or carried in any ship or vessel on voyage from any British island or colony to any foreign colon plantation, or territory, or to any other British island or colon or to any of the said settlements, islands, colonies, or plantation which have been surrendered to his Majesty's arms during present war, the names and occupations of every such slave slaves (except domestic slaves attending on the person of ar

passeng