African Slaves on Slave Ship Deck Wildfire Harpers Weekly Complete June 2 1860

Description

Item Description
Details:
Type:
Complete Original Antique Newspaper
Publication:
Harper's Weekly Newspaper
Date:
June 2, 1860
Grade:
Very Good, general age related toning. Paper quite supple.
Size:
11" x 16"
Item Description:
This is a very rare complete HARPER'S WEEKLY Newspaper for the week of June 2, 1860. It is 16 pages filled with news and wood-cut engravings. The frontpage engraving is captioned, "The Japanese Ambassadors in Their State Costume". However, the primary well-known illustration that is much sought after is of the "The Slave Deck on the Bark 'Wildfire' Brought Into Key West on April 30, 1860.”
The text under the engraving reads as follows: “On the morning of the 30th of April last, the United States steamer Mohawk, Lieutenant Craven commanding, came to anchor in the harbor of this place, having in tow a bark ... The bark had on board five hundred and ten native Africans, taken on board in the River Congo, on the west side of the continent of Africa. She had been captured a few days previously by Lieutenant Craven. ... about four hundred and fifty native Africans, in a state of entire nudity, in a sitting or squatting posture ... About fifty of them were full-grown young men, and about four hundred were boys aged from ten to sixteen years. ... Ninety and upward had died on the voyage. But this is considered as comparatively a small loss, showing that they had been better cared for than usual. Ten more have died since their arrival ...”
On the facing page, the text continues with four related engravings, captioned, “The Princess Madia,” "An African," "The Only Baby Among the Africans," and "The Barracoon at Key West Where the Africans Are Confined". Further on in the issue is a lengthy and very detailed article titled, "On Board A Slaver, By One of the Trade". The American vessel Wildfire had sailed from New York on December 16, 1859 and refitted as a slave ship in the West Indies. The Wildfire returned from Africa with more than 500 slaves aboard and was approaching the coast of Cuba when she was captured by the U.S.S. Mohawk, one of the warships
In addition to this significant event, on page 2 there is an entire editorial column titled “The Nomination of Lincoln” which deals with the controversy over the nomination of Lincoln and not Seward.
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