Contributed by Maine Historical Society
Description
This account is directed to the owners of the ship Eagle which included Thomas Robison of Portland, Maine. As a participant in the triangle trade, Robison used sugar and molasses from the West Indies to produce rum in his distil house, located on his wharf at the foot of Ann (now Park) Street in Portland. Rum from New England was often shipped to Africa, where ship captains would collect a cargo of slaves before sailing to the West Indies.
In 1791, Spain's King Charles IV had recently opened the port of Havana, Cuba to foreign trade. The Eagle's Captain Henry Skinner took advantage of this trade opportunity by purchasing goods and services in Havana after selling thirteen slaves from Africa. Most of the proceeds from the sale were put toward the purchase of sugar; other expenses show the cost of feeding, clothing, and transporting human cargo.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts outlawed the slave trade in 1787, and the Eagle's slaving voyage was unlawful. As a result, the Eagle's Captain Henry Skinner and Robison's agent Thomas Hodges were taken to court in Portland in 1792. According to a footnote on page 28 of William Willis's "History of Portland" (1831) Skinner et. al. were fined £200 for fitting out the ship and £50 for each of the thirteen slaves sold.
Transcription
About This Item
- Title: "The Owners Ship Eagle in Account Current with Henry Skinner," 1791
- Creation Date: 1791
- Subject Date: 1791
- Location: Havana, Cuba
- Media: Ink on paper
- Local Code: Coll. 5, Box 7/11
- Collection: Robison family papers
- Object Type: Text
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For more information about this item, contact:
Maine Historical Society485 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101
(207) 774-1822 x230
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Use of this Item is not restricted by copyright and/or related rights, but the holding organization is contractually obligated to limit use. For more information, please contact the contributing organization. However, watermarked Maine Memory Network images may be used for educational purposes.
More to Consider
Item 101784
Thomas Reed to Thomas Robison regarding the Caribbean economy and slave market, Sint Eustatius, 1791
Item 101828
Cargo of Ship Eagle, 1791
Item 102023
Thomas Robison from Thomas Hodges regarding illegal slave trade, Les Cayes, April 6, 1791
Item 102024
Letter from Thomas Hodges to Captain Henry Skinner, Portland, 1791
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