Contributed by Maine Historical Society
Description
In 1791, Thomas Hodges left his father-in-law's ship, the Eagle, in the care of its captain at Îles De Los, Guinea. He traveled to Aux Cayes, Hispaniola (Les Cayes, Haiti), where he sold a cargo of African slaves and wrote a letter to his father-in-law, Thomas Robison of Portland, Maine.
This letter sheds some light on the decisions made by Thomas Hodges as he skirted the law in order to sell slaves on Robison's behalf. Since the French colony of Hispaniola did not accept slaves from American ships, Hodges chartered a French vessel to gain access to the port of Aux Cayes. After selling the slaves, Hodges hesitated to return to America with the cash proceeds. He had to decide whether to invest the money in expensive sugar or cheap coffee. West Indian sugar would be used to produce rum at Robison's distillery in Portland, while coffee could be sold to Portland's residents.
Hodges letter includes a postscript referring to his wife Jane, who was Thomas Robison's second daughter.
Transcription
About This Item
- Title: Thomas Robison from Thomas Hodges regarding illegal slave trade, Les Cayes, April 6, 1791
- Creator: Thomas Hodges
- Creation Date: 1791-04-06
- Subject Date: 1791
-
Locations:
- Portland, Cumberland County, ME
- Les Cayes, Haiti
- Media: Ink on paper
- Local Code: Coll. 5, Box 2/7
- Collection: Robison family papers
- Object Type: Text
Cross Reference Searches
Standardized Subject Headings
- Coffee industry
- Eagle (Ship)
- Rum
- Slave trade--Caribbean Area
- Slavery
- Smuggling--Caribbean Area
- Sugar trade
- West Indies
People
Other Keywords
For more information about this item, contact:
Maine Historical Society485 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101
(207) 774-1822 x230
Website
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.
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"The Owners Ship Eagle in Account Current with Henry Skinner," 1791
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Cargo of Ship Eagle, 1791
Item 102024
Letter from Thomas Hodges to Captain Henry Skinner, Portland, 1791
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