![]() ![]() The Zong had been a Dutch vessel, the Zorgue, seized by the British in 1781 off West Africa, along with 244 Africans on board. Most of what we know about the Zong derives from that report. That hearing, which took place on 21–, was recorded at Granville Sharp's request. Two months later, however, they went to Lord Mansfield's Court of King's Bench seeking a second trial and a reversal of the original decision. The jury decided that the underwriters were obliged, under law, to pay. To save the healthy, the sick, (or those who were said to be sick) were killed. ![]() The owners claimed that the Africans had been thrown overboard when – because of poor navigation – the ship had sailed past its destination in Jamaica and had run short of water. Three days earlier, a legal case in London had heard how the Liverpool owners of the ship, the Zong, had sued the ship's underwriters for the value of 132 Africans lost on a voyage from Africa to Jamaica. On 19 March 1783, the African Olaudah Equiano called on anti-slavery campaigner Granville Sharp (see Campaign for abolition with news of an event that, even by the standards of the transatlantic slave trade, was scarcely credible. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |