The West-African Slave Trade: Suggestions for Its Gradual Extinction, by a Late Senior Officer of the West-African Squadron

The West-African Slave Trade: Suggestions For Its Gradual Extinction, By A Late Senior Officer Of The West-African Squadron. The booklet surveys the history and current state of the West African Slave Trade, highlighting Britain’s long abolitionist effort and the international treaties aimed at ending the traffic. It traces the traffic’s peak along the Gulf and coastlines—Benin, Angola, the Congo—and describes how enforcement gaps, including patterns of American, Spanish, and Portuguese participation, impeded complete suppression. The author argues that final extinction requires a multifaceted approach: fostering legitimate commerce (notably palm oil and cotton), establishing consulates and commercial treaties, providing subsidies to Dahomey to deter slave-trading, promoting Christian missions, and employing native seamen and lighter-draught vessels to police inland waters. While noting Spain and other powers must honor treaties for decisive results, the text urges sustained naval presence and coordinated policy to transform economies toward lawful trade and civilization.