The Massachusetts Slave Trade.

A few of the negroes, for whom no market could be found in the usual places, were brought up to New Enggland. Most of the New England slaves, however, destined as they were chiefly for house service, were brought a few at a time from the West Indies, where selection might be made from a large amount of choice material. The increase in competition made it impossible to carry on the trade in the haphazard fashion that had been pursued before. In 1736 Captain John Griffen writes from Anamaboe that "slaves is very scarce," and that "those ships that used to carry pryme slaves off is now forsed to take any that comes."¹ This state of affairs led to the systematic arrangements with which we are familiar: factors or agents were established at convenient points; slaves were gathered by natives in the interior and brought bound to the coast, where they were herded in pens erected for the purpose until the ship for which they were intended came to the port. On board ship the slaves were stowed between decks, where the perpendicular space was seldom four feet. In later times this space was reduced to three feet three inches, and only ten to thirteen inches surface room was allowed for each negro. Efforts were made to keep the slaves in good condition) that they might bring as high a price as possible. In good weather they were brought on deck daily and their quarters were cleaned and sprinkled with vinegar. If they were not unruly they were allowed to remain on deck the greater part of fine days. It is probable that vessels were not overloaded as a rule in the first half of the century. From all the data available it appears that the average number of slaves per ton of the ship's burden was not more than one and a half. Later abuses led to a law passed in 1760, restricting the number allowed to two and a half per ton.² The vessels engaged were of moderate size and cost, and were generally sloops, brigantines, schooners and "snows." The Susey, for example, was a snow of 130 tons burden, purchased in Boston in 1759, with her outfit, for £568.³
One of the Boston vessels was the sloop Katherine. Several pages of her accounts, extending from 1727 to 1729, are preserved in the Massachusetts Archives.⁴ These accounts are not complete, but, they give interesting glimpses of several voyages. The sloop was owned in partnership, three-fourths by Peter Papillon and one-fourth by Francis Plaisted. On the first voyage Captain Plaisted was also commander of the expedition. This may be regarded as typical of the voyages to the West Indies which brought back choice slaves for house servants in Massachusetts. The vessel was bound for the Leeward Islands. The "Invoyce of Sundery Marchandise" in her cargo shows that the chief article was "codd"; next in importance came "Bordes, Nailes, Tobacco, Bere, Tarr and Shingales." She returned to Boston in September, 1727, with twenty-nine negroes, several hogsheads of rum, "I bagg Cotton," and twenty-two coils of cordage. Four negroes died before the sale, but after reaching Boston, it would seem, since coffins were required. The items are:

To ye Buriall of foure Negroes, £2 18s. 4d.
To foure Coffines, £1 16s. —

£94, Os., 6d. was paid in import duties. At £4 a head for the twenty-five negroes who were in sufficiently good condition to find purchasers the sum should have been £100; no explanation is given as to the reduction. The surviving slaves were all sold on September 29, for from £30 to £80 apiece. They were chiefly "boyes" and "garles" and no purchaser bought more than one. The rest of the cargo did not meet with so eager a demand, for some of it was not disposed of

¹ Am. Hist. Rec., I, 312.
² Ibid., p. 345.
³ Am. Hist. Rec., I, 314.
⁴ Mass. Arch., CXXXVI, 45-8O.

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