FOREIGN RELATIONS.


well that on board the steamers plying betwreen this place and.Malta, it
is but with the greatest difficulty that a man can talk to a Mussulman
woman, under the most favorable circumstances, I judged it better to
send Mejbura to Malta, so that she could, during the voyage, have an
opportunity to inform those among the black passengers who were
slaves that on the moment of their arrival in Malta they could be free
if they so chose.
  I decided at the same time that Lueschi, the intelligent and devoted
janissary of the consulate, who can speak good or bad Arabic, English,
French, Greek, Italian, Maltese, and Turkish, and who had already been
in Malta, should accompanythat woman to the island, to act as her pro-
tector and interpreter.

  I sent them off on the 7th of August last by the Ottoman steamer
Trabulus Gharb.
  My inclosure No. 1, which is a translation of the statements made
under oath on the 16th of August by Lueschi and Mejbura, immediately
after they were back at this port, will show the Department that they
would have succeeded in their undertaking had it not been for the in-
difference exhibited in that case by the Ottoman consul at Malta, as
well as the unwarrantable interference of the brother of the Tunisian
consul, who is in no way an official person, and had no business to med-
dle with the case, and more than all the scandalous and very extraordi-
nary partiality shown by the Malta police in favor of those passengers
engaged in the unlawful traffic.
  It will be sufficient to call the Departments attention to the following
facts mentioned in Lueschi's paper:
  There were fifteen or sixteen black women on board the steamer, eight
of whom were examined before they landed. However, seven hours
later, when the examination was resumed on shore, there were but twelve
negroes present, among whom are to be counted the eight women already
examined. What had become of the four. other ones ? They were
probably poor creatures whb, having decided to claim their liberty in
spite of the threats and promises of their mistresses, were prudently
withheld from the police's eyes.
  The inn where the examination was resumed is the general resort of
Mussulman people in Malta, and most of the time one is sure to find
there eastern travelers with their servants. Who can know whether the
four negroes who were examined there were the same ones who were on
board the Trabulus Gharb, or servants of other guests, borrowed to play
a part in that.criminal farce l
  The Department will please notice the strange proceeding of the Malta
police-officer. As long as the negroes would declare that they were not
slaves, he was satisfied with that answer; but the moment one of them
stated that she was a slave and would rather die than go along with her
mistress, he stopped the examination and left the unfortunate being for
seven long hours among her mistresses, instead of rescuing her at once
and taking her ashore. What right had he to prevent that negro from
landing the very minute she wanted to leave ?

  It was my intention to make another trial, with the hope I would have
better luck next time. However, I soon found a solace to my disap-
pointment in the knowledge that I had so far succeeded in being the
instrument to prevent, at least for a time, the exportation of more slaves.
For the Pasha Governor of this regency, and probably some gentlemen
in t+e Constantinople foreign office were led to suspect, when they were


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