Nine years ago I did a post on Captain George Cannon: Logbook of the Iris. I had transcribed the logbook and we were looking at having the logbook published by an academic journal. That never panned out. Then we were finding new and exciting information about Captain Cannon and were thinking of doing a website or a book, and that never panned out. We learned that Captain Cannon captured several ships as prizes and found records of a prize tribunal in Jamaica, among other things. I haven't done any further research on Captain Cannon in quite a few years and decided I ought to get out what I have done so that other family members can access it and do further research if they would like. So over the next few posts, I will share a timeline I've developed relating to the voyage of the Ship Iris, using sources described below, then when that is complete, I'll share the transcribed logbook. For further information on the logbook, including photos, look at the link above. For further information on Captain Cannon, check this link.
Sources
A
logbook with writing within designating it as a “Journal of a Voyage of Ship
Iris, from Liverpool to Bonney in Africa. Commencing the 8th June
1798 by George Cannon” is in the possession of a descendant of George Cannon.
The logbook has periodic daily entries beginning June 9, 1798 and ending August
3, 1800, relating to two voyages of the ship Iris to Africa to pick up slaves
and then to Jamaica to sell them. In addition to the logbook, we have been able
to find other information relating to the voyages of the Iris. Other
information includes: (a) letters from Ralph Fisher, the owner of the Iris, to
various merchants relating to the Iris voyages; (b) Liverpool muster rolls
showing the crew members on the Iris and what happened to them on the voyages
(whether they died, ran, were impressed by the Royal Navy or returned back to
Liverpool); (c) entries in Lloyd’s List, a commercial shipping periodical, that
details the comings and goings of commercial ships; (d) court records in
Jamaica from the Court of Vice Admiralty relating to two prizes captured by the
Iris near Jamaica, namely, the ship North America and the ship Uncle Toby; (e)
court records in London from the Lords Commissioners of Appeals in Prize Causes
relating to an appeal by the ship North America of the court decision in
Jamaica; and (f) a court case in the U.S. District Court in New York relating
to a dispute between some sailors on the Uncle Toby and the Uncle Toby owners.
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| Beginning of Logbook for the Iris in Captain Cannon's handwriting. |
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| The logbook was pre-printed with space for daily entries. |
Purpose
The
purpose of these posts is to take the information from the various sources,
synthesize them, and put together as complete a picture as possible of voyages
of the Iris and indirectly, part of the life of Captain George Cannon.
Great Britain at War with
France and Spain
The
French revolutionary government guillotined King Louis XVI in Paris on January
21, 1793 and shortly after, France declared war on Great Britain on February 1,
1793. Spain was also at war with France, but in August 1796 entered into the
Treaty of San IIdefonso and became an ally with France and agreed to combine
its forces with France against the British Empire.[1]
Therefore, Great Britain was at war with both France and Spain at the time
George Cannon sailed on the Iris and it appears that the Iris had a Letter of
Marque for both French and Spanish ships.
Letter of Marque
A Letter of Marque
was a document issued by the government during time of war giving the captain
of a ship the legal right to seize a ship belonging to an enemy country as a prize.
The prize, which included both the ship and its goods, could be sold and the
proceeds distributed among the owners and the crew, giving them a potentially
lucrative source of revenue. Slave ships which were usually well armed and had
a high ratio of crews per ton, often obtained Letters of Marque for their
slaving voyages.[2]
The Ship Iris, her Crew, her
Intended Voyage, and her Owner
The
Iris was a 285 ton ship built and registered in Liverpool and owned by a
Liverpool resident, Ralph Fisher.[3] She
had 18 guns,[4] at least
twelve of which were fortified four pounders,[5]
and was to carry a crew of 40 men, including Captain John Spencer. The Iris was
cleared to leave Liverpool on June 1, 1798 carrying a cargo consisting, in
part, of guns, gunpowder and cutlasses[6] for
Bonny in what is now Nigeria, Africa. There the goods of the Iris would be
bartered for a load of 420 Eboe slaves, the maximum allowed under rules
established by Parliament, ivory and palm oil with an insured value of £1,300.[7] From
Africa, the Iris would sail to Kingston, Jamaica, and use the merchants Lindo
Lake & Co. to market the slaves and obtain a cargo for the Iris to take
back to Liverpool. Ralph Fisher wanted half the African cargo to be sold for
produce and half for short bills, not to exceed an average duration of 9 months,
but which could include bills for 6, 9 and 12 months. Fisher also wanted the
Iris to have a full cargo on the way back to England, to the extent that he
even suggested cotton could be stored on deck. He also directed the Iris to
sail home cheaply, which probably meant to carry as few crew members as
possible.[8]
John
Spencer, the captain, had captained seven prior slave voyages. His last three
voyages had all been on ships owned by Ralph Fisher. On the Iris, from 1797 to
1798, he had gone to Angola, on the Thomas, from 1795 to 1796, he had gone to
Cabinda, and on the Mary, from 1794 to 1795, he had gone to Angola. All three
trips had delivered the slaves to Kingston, Jamaica. Prior to that he had obtained slaves in Bonny,
New Calabar, Calabar and Jacmel, delivering slaves to Dominica twice and
Grenada. He had also been captured by the French on a voyage in 1793.
The
rest of the crew, from the muster roll, included (the number in parenthesis is
the rank of the crewman on the ship):
George Cannon (2), 1st Mate
Ritchard Stasbrick, aka Rich Scaristrick (3), 2nd Mate
Mahlon Stacy (4)
Charles Gelling (5)
Erick Ohm (6) , Doctor
Ritchard (or Richard) Warbrick (7), Clerk
Samuel Landor (or Sander) (8)
George Kirkim (9)
Thomas Lucas (10
John Pickering (11)
Patrick McVay (12)
Jac (or Isaac) Broom (13)
Barny Collins (14)
John Stimson (15)
James Lanham (16)
John Emery (17)
William Layton (18)
William Gray (19)
Anthony Creeds (20)
Thomas Shannon (21)
Matthias (or Mathias) Richardson (22)
Mathew (or Mathias) Fisher (23)
Alexander Alanson, aka Alex Manson (24)
Antony Joseph (25)
Willliam Charlton (26)
James Savens (27)
George Ledwith (28)
Edward Murry (29)
Owen Costons (or Collins)
(30)
Patrick Graham (31)
Petter Petters, aka Peter Peters (32)
Thomas Gordon (33)
John Backhouse (34)
Hendrick Farmor (35)
Duncan McGloughlin (36)
John Sanith (37)
Jonathan Howard (38)
James Tomay (39)
Bourd Taylor (40)
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| Muster Record for the Ship Iris. George Cannon is the second entry. |
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| George Cannon's signature on an oath that accompanied the muster record. |
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| A closer view at George Cannon's name on the muster record. |
The Ship Martha
Ralph
Fisher owned another, smaller ship, the Martha, 250 tons, with 34 crew under
Captain Thomas Taylor. It, too, was headed to Bonny for slaves. However, Fisher
made arrangements to sell the Martha’s slaves through a different merchant. Captain
Taylor was first to go to David Miller Esq. & Company in St. Vincents, and
if he was not able to provide a good price, then go to Thomas Aspinall in
Kingston, Jamaica. The Iris and Martha left Liverpool the same date and sailed
together to Bonny and then left Bonny at the same time for the Caribbean.[9]
Iris and Martha
A
letter from Ralph Fisher, owner of the ship Iris, to Dimsdale and Clays in London,
dated May 12, 1798, states: “I wish you to push forward the Martha and Iris’s
Insurance by choice Men, wish you to strike of[f] £100 on each Order, as I have
that further gum pone here, say £100 on Iris and £ 100 on Martha”. A letter the
same date, from Ralph Fisher to George Baillie Esq. and Co. in London: “Can you
make it convenient to give me a specific Guarantee for my Ship Iris, for any of
the Windward or Leeward Islands,[10]
the Iris, Spencer will sail hence in 2 or 3 Weeks for Bonny[;] wish to finally
fit for her ere she Departs if possible, if this agreeable to you, please say
the shortest Dated Bills you possibly can give; I beg your reply as early as
possible”.
A
letter, dated May 16, 1798, from Ralph Fisher to Higinsen Bernard & Wheler
in London: “The Iris and Martha are both ready waiting for your Goods. I hope
they are on the Road.”
The Ship Uncle Toby
May 18, 1798, the
ship Uncle Toby left Hamburg up the River Elbe toward the North Sea with the
ultimate destination of New York. Thomas Cottrel was captain. Henry Martin, a
seaman, was on board. The Uncle Toby sailed first to Yarmouth, England, and
then to St. Ubes. [The next entry for the Uncle Toby is August 25, 1798]
Iris
A
letter dated May 23, 1798, from Ralph Fisher to Henry and John Whately in
Birmingham: “I am exceeding sorry in being obliged to relinquish the Iris’s
Order for Guns. Captn Spencer went yesterday to choose them out, but
found they would not answer, particularly the Spanish Guns; they will answer
for Angola; I desired him to take two Bonny Capts with him, who,
declare they will not pass[.] Captn Spencer dare not undertake the
Voy[age] with them[. T]herefore [I am] under the disagreeable necessity of
getting them at another Place, as the Ships are ready [and] I can’t wait[. A]s
the Cutlasses you say are procured on purpose; I will take them if ready. [I] am
truly sorry for the Disapointment, but our Voy[age]: chiefly depends on those
Articles.”
A
letter dated May 28, 1798, from Ralph Fisher to Aspinall & Hardy in
Jamaica: “I am in general unfortunate in making lower averages at Jamaica than
other Ships from some fatality[.] I observe Mr Aspinall draws out of
business the 1st Augt and the new firm will be Hardy
Pinock and Britain; beg leave to observe to that firm the Iris is now in the
Preference with you[. I]f you sell her [cargo, I] wish her sold for short Bills
not to exceed 9 Mos Average or at most 12; which please pay
attention to. If you can’t take her on those Terms I wish Mr.
Aspinall to put her into other Hands on those Terms; I expect you’ll procure
her a full freight home as soon as possible”. A letter the same date, from
Ralph Fisher to Thomas Aspinall in London: “Aspinall & Hardy informs me you
drew out of business the 1st Augt next. I hope you mean
to come to L[iver]pool this Year, or early the next Crop; beg leave to refer
you to their Letter, as Increase the Iris to sell for as short Bills as
possible. I shall address her to you to put her into the Hands of Hardy, Pinock & Britain; Shaw &
Inglis, or Lindo or Lake, the first House no doubt having the preference. I expect you’ll procure her a full fre[ight]
home; she made a shamefull Freight the last Year not being ½ stowed[;] that I
can’t blame any Body for but the Captn and Mate. As you informed me
Eboe negroes have the preference with you [of] some [additional] Pounds before
Angola [negroes, the Iris…] is intended [to go] there [Bonny]…”[11]
On June 8,
1798, the Iris, with Captain John Spencer and George Cannon as first mate, left
Liverpool with a crew of 40[12]
for Africa.
[1]
Liverpool Privateers, pp. 303-304; Wikipedia “Anglo-Spanish War (1796-1808)”,
“French Revolutionary Wars” and “Second Treaty of San IIdefonso”.
[2]
Williams, Gomer, History of the Liverpool Privateers and Letters of Marque
with an Account of the Liverpool Slave Trade 1744-1812 (McGill-Queen’s
University Press, Montreal: originally published in 1897), Introduction by
David Eltis, pp. xvii-xviii (hereafter “Liverpool Privateers”); Sandown, n. 91,
p. 20; Donald A. Petries, The Prize Game: Lawful Looting on the High Seas in
the Days of Fighting Sail (Berkley Publishing Group, New York: 1999), pp.
2-3.
[3]
She was built in 1783, registered in 1790 and almost completely rebuilt in 1794
(Lloyd’s Register, 1799 and 1800). We
have records of her being on four previous slave voyages: (a) two to Bonny
under Captain George Greaves, one in 1790 delivering 401 slaves to Montego Bay,
Jamaica and one in 1791 delivering 345 slaves to Montego Bay, Jamaica; (b) one
in 1792 to 1793 to the Gold Coast under Captain Thomas Huson and delivering 338
slaves to St. Vincent; and (c) one in 1797 to Angola under Captain John
Spencer, the current captain, and delivering 414 slaves to Kingston, Jamaica.
She was about 50 tons above average, size-wise, for ships leaving Liverpool in
1798 for the slave trade (the average was 233.6 for the 144 ships which listed
tonnage).
[4]
British slaving ships generally carried cannons or “guns”. The cannon was
muzzle-loaded: powder and shot was loaded from the front and rammed down and
then touched off with a “match,” a rope on a long stick. They were named
according to how much the cannon ball weighted. For example, a “four-pounder”
had an iron ball weighing four pounds. Cannon shot was used to batter the
wooden hulls of opposing ships and as a long-range anti-personnel weapon.
[5]
Letters of Marque issued March 29, 1797 to John Spencer of the Iris, for his
prior Angola voyage, show that the Iris had 12 guns using 4 pound shot. Letters
of Marque issued June 17, 1799 to George Cannon of the Iris, for the next
voyage, show that the Iris had 20 guns using 6 and 9 pound shot. The Iris had
18 guns for the 1798 voyage as indicated in a letter from Ralph Fisher to Bland
& Ratterthwaite in London, dated September 20, 1798. In letters from Ralph
Fisher to William Dinwiddie in Manchester, dated May 20 and June 25, 1799 and
to Bland & Ratterthwaite, dated May 22, 1799, Fisher indicated he added two
more 9 pound guns to the Iris, for a total of 20, and that her guns were
“double fortified fours and nine pounders.” Therefore, it appears that the
first 12 guns were double fortified four pounders and the last two guns added
were nine pounders, leaving six guns unknown. The reference to six pounders in
the 1799 Letter of Marque appears to be a mistake.
[6]
House of Commons 1802, p.10; Letter from Ralph Fisher to Henry and John Whately
in Birmingham, dated Mary 23, 1798 and to Edmund Hill in London, dated November
26, 1798.
[7]
Letter from Ralph Fisher to Bland and Ratterthwaite in London, dated September
20, 1798. The Iris appears to have only been allowed a maximum of 419 slaves
(Parliamentary Papers 1806), but Ralph Fisher intended for her to obtain 420
slaves and she did obtain 420 slaves.
[8]
Fisher originally intended to use the merchant house of Hardy, Pinnock &
Britain, then Shaw & Inglis, and then Lindo & Lake, in that order, but
subsequent unspecified events apparently changed the preference to Lindo Lake
& Co. Letters from Ralph Fisher to Aspinall & Hardy in Jamaica, dated
May 28, 1798, to Thomas Aspinall in London, dated May 28, 1798, and to Lindo
Lake & Co. in Jamaica, dated July 12, 1798. Of the 40 crew on the original
muster roll, only 6 remained to be discharged when the Iris returned to
Liverpool on April 12, 1799.
[9]
Letter from Ralph Fisher to David Miller Esq. & Co. in St. Vincent, dated
June 10, 1798 and to Captain Thomas Taylor, care of David Miller Esquire and
Co., dated July 12, 1798. The Iris logbook mentions seeing the Martha on June
16 and 17, 1798 on the way to Bonny, and September 5, 1798, after leaving
Bonny.
[10]
The Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles chain of islands are the northern
islands, including the U.S. Virgin Islands (including St. Croix), the British
Virgin Islands (including Tortola), Saint Eustatius, Saint Kitts, Nevis,
Barbuda and Antigua. The Windward
Islands are the southern islands of the Lesser Antilles, including Martinique,
St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada and Trinidad and Tobago.
[11] Bonny
is the area in Africa where the Eboe negroes are located.
[12]
Of the ships that left Liverpool for Africa in 1798, the average was 38.2 crew
members per ship (out of 135 ships listing crew numbers).
This is incredible, Bob thanks for sharing your latest research. Your relative - Chad Cannon
ReplyDeleteWow.. thank you
ReplyDeleteAs a descendant of John Spencer I would like to thank you for sharing this wealth of information and research. It's fascinating!
ReplyDelete