[The following illustration and text appeared in the December 1849 Illustrated London News. Using ABBYY FineReader software, I have produced the text from the page images in the Internet Archive's web version of the original volume in the University of Michigan Library. Thanks to both of them! — George P. Landow]
Capture of a Arab slave show by H. M. S. “Penguin” off the Gulf of Aden. [Click on image to enlarge it.]
The screw gun-vessel Penguin, under Lieutenant Commander E. St. John Garforth, on the East Indies station, has captured nine Arab dhows engaged in the slave trade of the east coast of Africa, during the last three years, and liberated a great number of slaves. On May 20, having returned from the Persian Gulf, where she had been occupied about a month, she observed off the Gulf of Aden a dhow, to which she gave chase, and, having captured her, found on board 216 slaves, chiefly boys and girls, closely stowed, and all bound for Muscat, in the Persian Gulf. The dhow was hauled alongside, and, the slaves having been taken on board the Penguin, the dhow was then cast adrift and a crew sent to cut away her masts and rigging; they finally set fire to her, as shown in our Illustration, from a sketch taken at the time. The Arab captain, although apparently dying from fever when he first came on board, quickly rallied under simple treatment, for which he was very thankful and seemed to appreciate a kindness which he had very likely least expected to receive at the hands of his captors. The next day he and his orew (about fifteen) were put on board another dhow boarded by the Penguin, which proved to be a legal trader bound for Maculla, in the Gulf. The liberated slaves while on board the Penguin were well-behaved and kind to each other, sharing everything which was given them. Some of the youngest were much emaciated, but most were healthy and in good condition. They were conveyed to Aden — a passage of three days — and there disembarked. This is the largest number of slaves liberated by the Penguin out of any one of the dhows she has taken on this station.
Related Material
- Gallant capture of a Slaver by H.M.S “Rattler” (1849)
- The Anti-Slavery Campaign in Britain
- Web Resources
“H.M.S. Penguin in the Gulf of Aden” Illustrated London News 50 (19 June 1867): 648 Internet Archive web version of the original volume in the University of Michigan Library. Web. 16 December 2015.
Last modified 1 June 2014