The Cape Squadron, Admiral Baldwin Walker and the suppression of the slave trade (1861-4)

This dissertation is a study of the Royal Navy's campaign against the slave trade from their base at the Cape of Good Hope from 1861-4. During this period the Cape Squadron (which included the West African Station at this point) was under the command of Rear Admiral Sir Baldwin Walker. Under his command the first major successes against the East African slave trade were achieved. The study comprises of three main sections. The first gives background information about the Royal Navy, international relations and the state of the slave trade suppression at the time. The second examines the actions of the Cape Squadron under Walker's command. The third section gives detail of the cruises of specific Royal Navy ships and evaluates their success ( or otherwise) in suppressing the slave trade. Themes explored in this dissertation include the international nature of the slave trade, the policy of substituting legitimate trade for the slave trade, the influence of naval technology and how interactions between 'men on the spot' affected the success of suppression. Also explored is Britain's motivation for undertaking so difficult and expensive a task. Conclusions drawn are that the international nature of the slave trade and the lack of treaties (regarding the right to search shipping) with some powers, particularly France, greatly hindered the Royal Navy's suppression efforts. The substitution of legitimate trade for the slave trade worked successfully on the West African Coast but many of the legitimate enterprises relied upon slave labour, a fact which the British and other European powers chose to ignore. The personal interaction between men on the spot proved to be an important factor in determining the success (or failure) of the slave trade suppression efforts. New naval technologies were not as effective as they could have been in suppressing the slave trade due to the poor quality of ships assigned to the slave patrol (although this was remedied somewhat during Admiral Walker's tenure as Commander-in-Chief of the Cape Squadron). Britain's motivation for undertaking the suppression of the slave trade is shown to have been a combination of humanitarian concerns and political and economic expediency.

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Department of Historical Studies

Year dc:date.issued

2003

Author dc:creator

• Chiswell, Matthew

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Penn, Nigel

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/11427/10236

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/10236