Sathurday Octobor 20th [1798]:
Pleasent Breezes and Clear all
this 24 Hours:-- All Necessary Sails Sett Broatched one Barrell Pork:--- At
Midnight in top Mast Stearing sails and top Gallan Sail At ½ Past 5 A.M. Sett Stearingsails and all
Small Sails Needefull:-- Expended 173
yams and 4666 remains 8 of Bains, & 242.
Distd. 152 Miles Lattd. Obsd.
12..20 No.
Dist. 152 Course N.78W. Diff. Lat. 31 Dep. 148
Lat. in Long. in 151 Diff
Long. 64..8
Sunday Octobor 21st [1798]:
Fresh Breezeis and Cloudy
weather: all Necessary Sails Sett to the Best ad[vantage]. At 9 P.M. In
Stearingsails fore and aft. At 6 A.M. Sett Ditto. Steady and Clear:--- Expended 176 yams and 4490 remains 8 of Bains
234 remains 2 ½ rice:-- Slaves all in Good
Spirrits Lattd. Obsd. 12..31 No.
Dist. 152 Course N.86W Diff Lat. 11 Dep.
151
Lat. in. Long.
in. 66..42 Diff. Long. 154 Mer.
Dist.
Monday Octobor 22d. [1798]:
First Part Gentle Breezeis and
Cloudy Weather:--- At 1 P.M. Blowing fresh Breeze the foretopsail yard Gave way
in the Middle It. Being Sprung Before
Got another up and Bent the Sail
At ½ Past 2. Sett Ditto. At ½ Past 4 A.M. Hove too Head to the No.ward
At ½ past 5 Boreaway:--- At 9 A.M. Hauld [hauled] up to the NWrd Expended 168 yams and 4322 remains 8 of Bains
226 remains Observed in 12..34 No.
Dist. 123 Course N.88W. Diff Lat. 3 Dep.
123.
Lat. in Long.
in 68..48 Diff Long. 126. Mer. Dist.
Tuesday Octobor 23d. [1798]:
Fresh Breezeis and Squally with
rain undor Doble reeft topsails:--- At
Midnight Ditto. weather. At 5 A.M.
Heavey Squalls:-- with rain; Latter Part faer Sett top Gallansails:--Expended
155 yams and 4169 remains 8 of Bains 218 remains Distd. 166 Miles No. Observation
Dist. 166 Course N.62W. Diff Lat. 147 Dep.
78
Lat. in. 15..01No. Long. in. 70..09 Diff. Long. 81 Mer.
Dist.
Wedinsday Octobor 24th.
[1798]:
First Part of this 24 Hours Thick
Cloudy weather with Shower of rain Midd. And Latter Part Steaddy and Clear. At
5 A.M. Sett royals and Staysails:-- People Imployed in Sundryes as Most.
Needeful Several Slaves complaining of Sore Eyes and Some Got Better. Expended
175 yams and 3992; 8 of Bains and 210 remains.
Lattd. Obsd. 17..32 No.
Dist. 172
Thursdsday Augost[1]
25th. 1798:
Steaddey Breezes and Clear
weather all this 24 Hours:- At 6 A.M.
Boreaway:- All Necessary Sails Sett.
Expended 17[0] yams and 3822 remains 8 of Bains and 202 remains Distd. 133 Miles Lattd. Obsd. 18..17 No.
The
Iris appears to have traveled from Africa to St. Vincent’s and then headed
toward Jamaica where it arrived on November 7, 1798.[2]
Friday [October] 26th [1798]:
Light Breezes and Clear weather;
Expended 180 yams. At Midnight Saw the Island of Berbuded [Barbuda][3]
Being S.W. Distand about 2 Legues Saim time B[ore] away for St. Christophers.[4]
Bore S.W. Dist. 5 Lgs. At Meridian Past By Between St. Christopher and
Steustatie[5]:--.
Latter Part Pleasent and Clear weather:-- Expended 180 yams and 3642
remains Burried one Famale Slave
Sathurday Octobor 27th.
[1798]:
At 3 P.M. St. Eustatia Bore
N.B.E. Distand 8 Legues:-- From whitch I take My Departure Middle Part Light Breezes and Fair – all
Necessary Sails Sett. Several Slaves complaining of there Eyes and 2 with Sore
Mouths.:--- Burried one Man Slave
Expended 170 and 3472 remains 8 of Bains and 194 remains: Distd. 94 Miles Lattd. Obsd Sun Obscure
Dist. 100 Course S.57W. Diff. Lat. 54 Dep. 84
Lat. in 16..35 Long. in. 64..32 Diff. Long. 88 Mls
Sunday Octobor 28th.
1798:
First Part of this 24 Hours Light
Squalls with rain. Middle and Latter Light Breezes and clear weather – all
Sails Sett to the Best advantage:---
People Employed in tending Ship and Slaves Mending the Quartor Deck Arvening
&c. Expended 180 yams and 8 Crues of Bains 2 ½ rice:--- 3392 yams remaining
186 Bains:--- Lattd. Obsd. 16..48:
North
Dist. 113 Course N.83W. Diff. Lat. 13 Dep. 112
Lat. in 16..48 Long. in
117 Diff. Long.
66..29
Monday Octobor 29 1798 S.
Iris:
First Part Light Eairs and
Clear:-- Expended 170 yams 8 Crues of Bains 2 ½ rice Remains 3222 yams 178
Bains:--- Middle Part Ditto. weather:-- Slaves all in Good Spirrits there Eyes
Nearly Better. Distd. 126
Miles Lattd. Observed 16..56 No.
Dist. 126 Course N.86W. Diff. Lat. 8 Dep. 125
Lat. in. Long. in. 68.40 Diff.
Long. 131
Tuesday Octobor 30th.
17[98]:
Light Breezes and Clear --
Expended 181 yams and 3041 8 of Bains
and 170 remains Middle and Latter part
Ditto. weather People Employed Making
Platt for the Cal… Cleaning the Bens &c:-- Distd. 103 Miles Lattd. Obsd. 17..08 No.
Dist. 103 Course N.83 W. Diff. Lat. 12 Dep. 102
Lat. in Long. in 107 Diff.
Long. 70.27
Wedinsday Octobor 31st.
[1798]:
Light Ears Inclinable to Calm –
Middle and Latter Part Ditto. weather
People Employed repairing the Awning Doing Several about the riggon.
Expended 164 yams and 2877 remains 8 of Bains and 162 remains:--- Dist. Per Loog 45 Ml. Lattd. Obsd. 16..50 N:--
Dist. 45 Course S.66W. Diff. Lat. 18 Dep. 41
Lat. in Long. in. 71..10 Diff.
Long. 43
Thurdsday November 1 [1798]:
Light Eairs and Clear w. All
Small Sails Seet to the Best Advantage:--
Enclining to Calm. --- At 6 A.M. Saw two Ships to Leeward Standing to
the Westward; At 11 A. M. Brought them too one of them prooved to bee the the
North American British Built from St. Domingo Loaded with Mehogony and
Brisetelo Bound to a Mexico Lattd.
Obsd. 16..58 N.
Dist. 44 Course N.80W. Diff. Lat. 8 Dep. 43
Lat. in Long. in 71..55 Diff.
Long. 45
Friday November 2 [1798]:
At one Hove too at 2 Boreaway:--
First Part of this 24 Hours Light Breezes and Clear weather:--- At Meridian
Borded the Ship uncle Toby[6] of
Newyork from St. Ubis Bound to Philidelphia Loaded with S[laves?] offered Mee 50 Joes to Convoy them in to Kingston
the People also agreed to Give one Eighth only one Man the told Mee that the
were taking By the french and that the[y] Put them to Death; the Both Ships
Said the[y] were Bound to Kingston for Provisions; P. ton P. an offecer [officer] and one Man on Bord [board]
Eatch [each] Ship Expended 170 yams and remains 80 Bains and remains Slight Observation 17..12 No.
Dist. 81 Course. N.80W. Diff. Lat. 14 Dep. 80
Lat. in Long. in. 73..19 Diff.
Long. 84
Sathurday [November 3 1798]:
First Part of this 24 Hours Light
Eairs of wind the Before Menchined Ships in Company:--- At 4 P.M. Saw the Land Soposed [supposed] to
Bee the Saddle Mountains Bearing NB… Distand About 12 Legues:-- Sett and took in Sails Acationaly
[occasionally] so to Keep Company with the Ships:--- At 6 A.M. Cape Tebroor[7]
Bore NBE Distd. abt. 7 Lgs. Slaves all
in Good Spirrets Expended 160 yams
remains 8 Crues Bains and Distd. 95
Miles Lattd. Obsd. 17..52 No.
Dist. 92 Course N.64W. Diff. Lat. 40 Dep. 85
Lat. in Long. in 74..49 Diff.
Long. 90
Sunday [November 4 1798]:
First Part of this 24 Hours –
Light Eares of wind the Before Menchined Ships In Company At ½ Past 3 A.M. Hove to Head to the
Northward:-- At ½ Past 5 wore Ship to
the S.E.ward:--- At 6 Saw the Land the
S. E. End of Jamica [Jamaica] Bore S.W.B.W. Distand 5 Legues:-- At 11 In top
sails The Ship Uncle Toby Some Distance astaren: Expended 170 yams and remains
8 of Bains Lattd. Obsd. 17..58 No.
The Iris landed in Kingston, Jamaica on November 4,
1798 with 414 slaves.[8]
The
Iris left Jamaica on February 12, 1799, after a layover of more than three
months.[9]
Sathurday ay [Martch] 2 [1799
]: [Although the
entry “ay” looks like “May,” it appears is should be March (or “Martch” in
George Cannon’s handwriting). March 2nd was a Saturday in 1799 and
the latitude and longitude are consistent with later entries in March of that
year.]
[sideways on page]: North Key
Crooked Island[10] Lattd.
23..14 No. Longtd. 74..02 W. From
whitch I take My Departure: ---
[regular on page]: Seaddy
Breezeces and Clear Pleasent weather:-- At 4 P.M. Hove too the fleet. Getting
up with the Commadore[11]
at 5 Ditto. made Sail At 8 Ditto. the
S.W. End of Long Island[12]
Bore E.N.E. Distd. abt. 3 Miles:-- At 2
A.M. the North Keay of Crooket Island bore East Distand 5 Miles:-- Latter Part Pleasent & Clear Employed
variously Lattd. Obsd. 23..31 No.
Dist. 20 Course. N.32E. Diff Lat. 17 Dep. 11
Lat. in. Long. in. 73..50 Diff.
Long. 12
[1] Even
though the entry reads “Augost” it appears to be October as the number of yams
remains consistent with surrounding entries and the latitude is in the same
vicinity.
[2]
Lloyd’s List, December 28, 1798. Captain Spencer, rather than Captain Cannon,
is mentioned. However, Lloyd’s, as to the name of the captain and owner, was
often out of date. See http://www.mariners-1.co.uk. /reslloydsregister.htm.
[3]
Barbuda is an island in the Caribbean located north of Antigua and east of St.
Kitts. (Wikipedia Encyclopedia: Barbuda).
[4]
St. Christopher is now known as St. Kitts and is an island located in the
Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean. (Wikipedia Encyclopedia: Saint Kitts and
Nevis and Leeward Islands).
[5]
St. Kitts is 6 miles south of St. Eustatius and 2 miles north of Nevis.
(Wikipedia Encyclopedia: Saint Kitts). This appears to be a reference to
St. Eustatius, particularly because the next day references “St. Eustatia”
which is also known as Statia. St. Eustatius is located at longitude 63.04 and
latitude 17.00. (www.statiatourism.com/map.html)
[6]
Captain Hugh Crow, of the Will, in his memoirs, mentioned the following
incident taking place off the coast of Africa, in late 1803 or 1804, after
passing Cape Palmas and before reaching Bonny: “The ship was the Marquis
Cornwallis, an Indiaman of the first class, carrying fifty-six guns and a crew
of between four and five hundred men. This vessel and another [British]
Indiaman had, some time before, fallen in with a French corvette the ‘Uncle
Toby,’ which had captured the latter vessel, and the commander’s excuse for
firing upon us, though he must have seen our colours, was that he did not like
our appearance, and apprehended we were French.” Memoirs of the Late Captain
Hugh Crow of Liverpool: Comprising a Narrative of his Life Together with
Descrpitve Sketches of the Western Coast of Africa, Particularly of Bonny, the
Manners and Customs of the Inhabitants, the Production of the Soil, and the Trade
of the Country, to Which are Added Anecdotes and Observations Illustrative of
the Negro Character, (Frank Cass and
Company Limited, London: First edition 1830, New impresson 1970), pp. 82-83
(hereafter “Crow Memoirs”). The name “Uncle Toby” does not show up on the Slave
Trade cd and is unusual enough that it may have some connection, particularly
because both references relate to ships attacked by a French ship. George
Cannon’s log is a contemporaneous account and is more likely to be accurate,
whereas Hugh Crow’s account was written later in his life.
[7]
The “Saddle Mountains” and cape were likely on the Island of Hispaniola which
was north of them. Today, the western third of Hispaniola is Haiti and the
eastern two-thirds is the Dominican Republic. The most southern point of
Hispaniola, Punta Beata on the Barahona Peninsula in the Dominican Republic,
could be the referenced cape. The West Indies are islands, sorted into size and
location, as the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles and the Lesser Antilles. The Greater
Antilles are Jamaica, Hispaniola, Cuba and Puerto Rico, located in the
Caribbean Sea and the largest of the Antilles islands. The Lesser Antilles are
a long chain of islands, east and south of the Greater Antilles, that wrap
around the eastern end of the Caribbean Sea bordering on the Atlantic Ocean and
can be divided into the Windward islands in the south and the Leeward islands
in the north. Included in the Lesser Antilles are St. Eustatius, St. Kitts and
Barbuda. The Bahamas are an archipelago of 700 islands and cays (small islands)
in the Atlantic Ocean located north of Cuba and east of Florida. (Wikipedia
Encyclopedia: Greater Antilles, Lesser Antilles, Bahamas)
[8] First
Iris Voyage.
[9]
Cambridge Slave CD.
[10]
Crooked Island is in the Bahamas, southeast of Nassau. It is one of a group of
islands in a shallow lagoon called the Bight of Acklins, with Crooked Island in
the north and Acklins in the south east. In about 1783, American loyalists
began to settle there and brought slaves to start a short-lived cotton
industry. By the beginning of the 19th Century, there were more than
40 plantations and 1,200 slaves. Columbus visited the island and called it
“Isabella” after his queen. (Wikipedia Encyclopedia: Crooked Island, Bahamas; www.geographia.com/bahamas/bsacin01.htm).
Captain Hugh Crow notes visiting St. Vincent’s and Crooked Island “for orders”
on his way to Kingston, Jamaica to deliver slaves. He also notes leaving
Kingston, Jamaica with a fleet of 12 ships. “We got through Crooked Island
passage on the sixth day after we sailed…” Crow Memoirs, pp. 81 and 132.
[11]
Captain Hugh Crow, in the summer of 1799, noted an engagement with a French
schooner, involving cannon fire, off the coast of Bonny, and “intelligence that
three French frigates had been seen on the coast…” He later had an engagement
with the schooner and “three large ships” that “began to blaze away with their
long guns, and we at them, and we thus maintained the action for about two
hours, until slack water, when we cut the cable and got back to Bonny,
fortunately without having any material damage. The captains of the [nine]
vessels then in the harbour, having heard my report, called a meeting, at which
it was agreed, for mutual safety, to sail in company, and we appointed Captain
Latham of the Lottery to act as commodore.” (Crow Memoirs, pp. 68-69). The
fleet Captain Cannon is traveling with is probably similar, with a commodore
appointed among the ship captains and traveling together for safety from the
French. In fact, the ship Lottery, whose captain was the commodore in Captain
Crow’s fleet (the Slave Trade CD refers to him as Captain Roger Leathom), was
also in the same fleet with Captain Cannon, under a different captain, Captain
John Whittle (Captain Crow was with the Lottery on its next voyage). A group of
seven ships arrived in Liverpool in April 1799, all having traveled from
Jamaica. (See Lloyd’s List, dated April 16, 1799 and journal entries for March
31, 1799 and April 12, 1799).
[12]
Long Island in the Bahamas is 60 miles long and no more than four miles wide at
its widest point. It is northwest of Crooked Island.
(www.geographia.com/bahamas/bsliin01.htm)
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