Captain Fitzgerald

Captain's Duties in Her Majesty's Navy

• Patrol the Ivory Coast

  • Primary focus on intercepting illegal slave ships.

  • Rationale: Slavery banned under British law, yet illegal abductions from Sierra Leone occur.

Account of Sink's Ordeal

• Believability of Claims

  • Description of Slave Fortress:

    • Acknowledged as a real place despite lack of direct evidence.

  • Circumstantial Evidence:

    • Cited overwhelming evidence based on rumors and reports of existence.

Cold-Blooded Murder Claims

• Sink's Testimony on the Takora

  • Describes significant murders aboard the ship.

  • Paradox highlighted by Mr. Hird: Why engage in such brutality?

Drowning of Slaves

• Response to Mr. Hird's Paradox

  • Actions of Slavers:

    • When intercepted, slavers may throw prisoners overboard to conceal crimes.

    • Although it seems contradictory to their business, drowning many eliminates traces of illegal activities.

Inventory of the Takora

• Significance of Inventory Notation

  • Discrepancy in noted number of slaves on board reflects potential foul play.

  • Notation corrections raise suspicion about mistreated slaves.

    • Inference: Reduction by 50 slaves suggests they were thrown overboard due to miscalculation in supplies.

Analysis of Evidence

• Captain's Commentary

  • Challenges conventional interpretation of inventory data.

  • Proposes that cargo weight might represent overboard bodies rather than legitimate cargo.

Conclusion on Slave Fortress Existence

• Final Acknowledgment

  • Captain admits that the fortress in Sierra Leone does not exist, demonstrating irony in the situation and highlighting the challenges in addressing slavery.