Page:The American Slave Trade (Spears).djvu/188

 

 Story of the Half-hearted, Wholly Futile Work of Blockading the African Coast — Reward of an Officer Who Earnestly Strove to Stop the Trade — An Interesting Period in the Career of Commodore M, C. Perry — American and British Squadrons Compared — The Sham Work of the Buchanan Administration.

first act of Congress to connect our navy in any way with the slave-trade was that of 1800. Section 4 provided "That it shall be lawful for any of the commissioned vessels of the United States to seize and take any vessel employed in carrying on trade, business or traffic, contrary to the true intent and meaning of this, or the said act, to which this is in addition."

Nothing to attract public attention was done by the navy under this act until 1811, when Captain H. G. Campbell, senior officer at Charleston, was ordered by Secretary Paul Hamilton to "hasten" to the St. Mary's River as already noted, to stop the smuggling trade. A similar use of the navy was made in the trouble with Aury.

After the act of March 3, 1819, several ships were sent to the coast of Africa. The Cyane, Captain