Murray, Stirling. Diary of Stirling Murray, a fragment from 1816 dealing with the slave trade in Havana
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About the electronic version


Diary of Stirling Murray, a fragment from 1816 dealing with the slave trade in Havana
Murray, Stirling

Creation of machine-readable version: Jan Horner, University of Manitoba

Creation of digital images: Special Collections, University of Virginia

Conversion to TEI.2-conformant markup: Jan Horner, University of Manitoba ca. 5 kilobytes
This version available from the University of Virginia Library
Charlottesville, Va.

http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/modeng/modeng0.browse.html

   Text and images © Copyright 1995 by The Rector and Visitors of The University of Virginia. All rights reserved.


July 1995
Note: Images of the manuscript pages have been included.
Note: Some periods were added at the end of sentences where they would logically occur but were not evident in the manuscript.
About the print version


Diary of Stirling Murray, a fragment from 1816 dealing with the slave trade in Havana
Stirling Murray
Note: id: 8557-a; box 16; folder date 1812-1816; heading Diary of Stirling Murray

   Prepared for the University of Virginia Library Electronic Text Center during course no.16, Electronic Texts, Rare Book School, July 1995

   Verification made against manuscript text.


Published: [1816]


English non-fiction; prose African American Special Collections manuscript 24-bit color, 300 dpi
Revisions to the electronic version
June 27, 1996 corrector Jennifer Hanna
Proofed and corrected against original text.



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-1-


   


   The Slave [ trade] was prosecuted very successfully
whilst I was at Havana. Numbers of fast
sailing vessels were [constantly] fitting out for the
coast of Africa & several Cargoes of the horrible
merchandize arrived. The slaves were taken
out & carried to [ houses constructed expressly for them] [what were] called the barracoons
just without the walls of the city where they
are well treated until restored to health & spirits.

   A public date is then made the terms of which
are that the highest bidders have successively a
choice amongst the whole Cargo.

   The poor wretches are almost constantly dancing
to a drum with [ the] dreadful sound of which they mingle
their wild yells. I saw the remnant of a
cargo which consisted of such as were too sick or feeble
to work. Many of them were mere skeletons, the
most miserable objects that can be immagined . Some
particular nations were distinguished by marks, such as
having [ one or two] [some] of the front teeth knocked out [unclear: -- ] a large
scar over the whole forehead [unclear: too ] .




-2-


   



A prime slave is a boy under [ & near] 20 years of age.
[They are] [ he is] then more tractable & learns to work with less trouble.
The Men are frequently Stubborn & stupid & are quite
apt to commit suicide. Four hundred dollars
was about the highest price that was paid for them.

   During my stay a brig returned from the coast
without a cargo the whole stock which she carried out
having been seized & held by one of the African cheifs
[who] in retaliation for the loss of some of his soldiers
who had been stolen from him & carried as slaves to Hava.

   He sent ambassadors by the Brig to the governor to make
a representation of the affair & to offer to restore the Merchandize
he had seized as soon as his subjects were given up.

   The Spaniards appear to be fond of public spec
-tacles & amusements. I saw several religious processions
one at Easter when an image of our Saviour [ was ]
[carried] laid on a bed was carried thro the streets with
a long train of preists & monks after it. The Virgin