Tortola October 1st 1814
Previous to stating the nature of the diseases under
which the poor Africans lately imported into this Island have suffered, it
appears to us, to be requisite to refer to their situation while on the middle
passage, as we cannot for a moment doubt that the origin of their complaints is
to be traced to the treatment they then experienced. From examining the Vessels
in which they were imported, we find that these poor unfortunates must every
night have been literally stowed away as an American would place Slaves, or as
it is emphatically expressed in a Pamphlet lately published on the Slave Trade,
spoon wise, so close to each other that, if during the night one was by
exertion unable to change his situation so as to obtain a little respite from
almost suffocation, it was impossible to resume it for the night. From the Log
Book of the Manuella, it appears that the weather on the middle passage was in
general bad, this must have added to the distress of the Negroes, as in that
case the Tarpaulins, by night and day are kept over the Gratings to prevent the
rain getting below and unhappily the Manuella’s passage was eighty days.
To Medical Gentlemen, to any enlightened Man, we would
appeal as to the probable consequences of such a situation, so long continued
upon the human frame. As to their food on the passage, it is impossible for us
to state in what proportion it was given, if we are to form our opinion as to
its quantity we must say that from the emaciated state in which we first saw
them it was inadequate for they appeared to be more than half starved. About
one hundred and twenty six were lost on board the Manuella alone, on the middle
passage as we are informed from disease. A considerable time elapsed between
the arrival of the Manuella and the Venus in this Port, and the trial of the
Ships during the time they were under the care of the Agents for the Claimants,
the food was very improper – Corn boiled with Rice – if the former was
sufficiently cooked the latter was destroyed, if the Rice only was properly
dressed, the Corn was not in a state for people so circumstanced; indeed Corn,
we are well aware from experience, is not a food for Africans labouring under
Dearrhoea or Dysentery on enquiring into the medical treatment in the case of
the Manuella we were surprised to find that Bleeding, powerful Emetics and
Cathartics had been employed. In the Venus the Surgeon who was also Super Cargo
and Second Officer candidly acknowledged he had given no medicine whatever.
From the time of our being called to examine and
prescribe for these people to the day on which the Manuella was condemned, two
hundred and twenty six of her cargo were under our care. The whole suffering
under the last state of dysentery. The modes of treatment were varied, placing
them under different classes and administering to each class such medicines as
different writers on that disease have recommended, that we might discover
which mode of practice was most beneficial, all efforts however, proved
ineffectual except where Calomel was used, so many as lived to take a
sufficient quantity of this medicine as to affect their gums became
convalescent; unhappily compared with the many, these were but few. Wishing to
obtain every possible information as to the seat and internal ravages of this
disease up of twenty bodies were opened, the appearances these exhibited were
such as to give us the melancholy information that medical aid could avail
nothing. In a paper annexed those appearances are described. Of those returned
convalescent from the hospital, the large part has again been sent in, with
those complaints necessarily conseq[uent] upon such a disease under such
circumstances viz. Anatarca and the various forms of dropsy, many also who had
not been previously afflicted with dysentery have been attacked by these
complaints are referr[ed] to the sufferings experienced on the middle passage
and the subsequent treatment. Of these debilitated as they are we cannot expect
many to survive. The general depression of spirits, the carelessness as to life
or death (peculiarly among the Eboes) joined to the obstinacy evinced by most
of them render the expectation of their recovery very low in our estimat[ion].
The state of debility in which all these poor people were before the Anatarca [?]
state evinced itself has rendered ineffectual those topical applications which
in general are had recourse to. Where the scrotum and penis have been distended
nearly to bursting, in these instances we scarified, the consequences were,
mortification of the parts and death. Those who have been long enough in the
hospital to derive advantage from the more liberal food, wine etc there given,
have lately borne these scarifications and blisters, from which they have
derived great benefit. Those who have been tapped for dropsy we fear have small
chance of recovery.
It is decidedly our opinion that the sooner the
removal of those takes place who are selected for His Majesty’s service the
better. The barrack in which they have been placed, since under the care of the
Collector of His Majesty’s Customs are commodious and sufficiently large to
contain two hundred and fifty more, but they stand on the side of a lagoon into
which all the filth of the harbour drifts, and twice in each day the tide
leaves that filth exposed so as to give out its noxious qualities which must
prove prejudicial and unhappily neither the town or its vicinity offers any
preferable situation.
We feel ourselves bound to state that since these poor
Africans have been under the care of the Collector every possible attention has
been paid to their nourishment and comfort which could possibly have been
adopted and that the requisitions we have made in aid of these ends which could
be complied with have been most promptly attended to.
We think it necessary to observe that a large
proportion of the deaths occurred previous to our being called in. The Africans
on board the Venus we did not see until after her condemnation. Never were the
ravages of famine more distressingly evident than in the appearance of the poor
sick creatures brought on shore from that ship. Even had no disease existed
among them we are of opinion that they could not have survived, for nature was
quite exhausted.
Signed
G. R. Porter
J. Gent
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