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Brick négrier Voltigeur de Bordeaux

Message Publié : 13 Septembre 2007 20:42
par max
Dear Sir
I work at the Western Australian Maritime Museum. I was the Director there from 1992-2005, and now I am writing books for the Museum. Currently I am writing a book on the French built slave brig Voltigeur. The Voltigeur was Built at Bordeaux in 1835 by Gabriel Giron, captured by the British in 1837 with a cargo of 433 slaves from Ouidah, off the Caribbean island of Dominica, and wrecked in 1841 at Fremantle in Western Australia, with emigrants on board.

I conducted an intensive survey of the underwater wreck, and it is my understanding that the hull timbers are the most comprehensive remains known of a slave vessel of the illegal period. The survey has enabled the development of accurate lines for the Voltigeur, the only lines developed by underwater archaeologists of a slave vessel. My research has revealed that some of the Africans liberated from the Voltigeur were enlisted in the British army, mutinied, and were executed.

I have noticed with great interest your web site and the reference to your project on the slave trade ‘The Sunken Memory of the Slave Trade’, integrated into the UNESCO program ‘The Slave Trade’, launched in 1994 at Ouidah. I would like to make contact with your project. You may also have some interest in the results of my work, given that it deals with a French vessel. I am also interested in knowing whether there are port records for the Port of Bordeaux, or newspapers, that might give me a closer background of the building of the Voltigeur in 1835, or its builder and initial owner, Gabriel Giron, sometimes known as Gabriel Giraud.

I look forward very much to hearing from you, and I do apologise for my lack of French language.

Yours sincerely

Graeme Henderson

Message Publié : 13 Septembre 2007 20:49
par max
Dear G. Henderson,
I receive your message through Robert Veccella, who is chief of our Antenna in French Polynesia.
I knew very well part of your work concerning the excavation of the James Mathews
You can read the following text in our website at the heading “Slave Route” / navires négriers retrouvés :

« .James Matthews, ex-négrier portugais coulé au large de Freemantle en Australie en 1841.
Le Don Francisco, un navire négrier appartenant au célèbre négrier portugais Francisco Felis de Souza, installé à Ouidah au Dahomey (actuel Benin) fut capturé en 1837 au large de l'île de la Dominique (Caraïbes) avec une cargaison de 433 esclaves venant d'Afrique. Selon la procédure habituelle le navire aurait dû être conduit à Freetown en Sierra Leone pour y être condamné puis détruit. Il fut cependant vendu dans les Caraïbes et il reprit la mer sous le nom de James Matthew, un brick de 107 tonnes enregistré à Londres. Il quitta Londres pour Freemantle (Australie) en mars 1841 avec une cargaison de 7000 tuiles, du matériel agricole, des marchandises diverses et trois passagers, en plus de son équipage de 15 marins. Arrivé à bon port à Freemantle il fut jetté à la côte par un coup de vent au large de Woodman's Point, avant d'avoir eu le temps de débarquer sa cargaison. L'épave fut localisée en 1973 par une équipe de plongeurs à 3 mètres de profondeur. Sous la direction de Graeme Henderson, quatre campagnes de fouille eurent lieu entre 1973 et 1976. Une remarquable collection d'outils agricoles, de matériel nécessaire à l'installation des colons fut mise au jour. Les structures du navires suffisamment bien conservées permirent de reconstituer en partie des lignes du navire. Les objets sont exposés au Western Australian Museum.

- Bibliographie -
- Henderson, Graeme, James Matthews excavation, summer 1974, Interim Report, I.J.N.A., 5, 3, 245-251, 1976
- Henderson, Graeme, Baker, Patrick, James Matthews excavation, A second interim report, I.J.N.A., 8, 3, 225-244, 1979.
- Henderson, G., Unfinished Voyages : Western Australian Shipwrecks 1622-1850, Nedlands, 1980. »

I don’t knew your work concerning the slave brig Voltigeur, and I am very interested by this work.
I have found at home very few information concerning the Voltigeur.

The ship is only briefly mentioned in Eric Saugera book : Bordeaux port négrier – XVII e– XIX e siècle, Biarritz, 1995 , page 362 where it is said it have been seized in the Antilla.

Voltigeur is also mentioned in the book of Serge Daget, Répertoire des expéditions négrières françaises à la traite illégale (1814 – 1850), Nantes , 1988, page 551 :

« 1837
Le Voltigeur, 1837
I – Armement : brick, de Bordeaux ( ?)
II – Traite : Noirs à bord.
IV – Lieu d’arrivée : île de la Dominique.
V – Repression : capturé par le HMS Griffon
VII – Informations : navire soupçonnable.

Le 12 mai 1838, l’Ambassadeur de France à Londres indiquait à Lord Palmerston qu’une information s’instruisait à Bordeaux contre l’armateur et ‘équipage du brick Le Voltigeur, pour participation à la traite des Noirs. D’après les déclarations de deux matelots, le navire était sous pavillon portugais lorsqu’il transportait à la Havane un chargement de Noirs. Il avait été arrêté par la goélette de guerre britannique en juin 1837 et conduit à la Dominique. L’Ambassadeur réclamait des renseignements. Le 2 août, il était informé que l’Amirauté n’avait pas d’informations sur ce cas mais qu’une enquête était ouverte.

Daget source : PRO/FO 84/224 ff° 71-72 ; 94 »

I can ask to Eric Saugera if he feels that archives are available in the archives of Bordeaux.
It is also possible to have a search in the archives, I can help you for that.

If you could send us a short notice concerning the study of Voltigeur I would put it on our heading ”Slave Route”, I would also pleased if you can give me the authorization to insert your message and my answer in our forum.
Best regards
Max Guérout

Brick Voltigeur (suite)

Message Publié : 13 Septembre 2007 20:54
par max
Dear Max Guerout

Thanks very much for your answer.
The Voltigeur was built at Bordeaux by the French slave trader Gabriel Giraud, who sometimes went under the name Giron. It was launched at Bordeaux on 1st January 1835. Giraud sold the Voltigeur to the Brazilian slave trader Francisco de Souza, who renamed it Don Francisco. The British anti-slave-trade vessel Griffon captured the Don Francisco with a load of slaves off the island of Dominica. The Don Francisco was re-registered as a British trader, re-named James Matthews, and took a group of emigrants to Western Australia, where it was wrecked.
I am aware of Serge Daget’s mention of the vessel, and I followed up the PRO source, but Palmerston told the French Ambassador nothing. I am hoping that there is some further details of the building of the Voltigeur in the Bordeaux newspapers of 1834-35, and the port registration records for Bordeaux. The annual Registre Veritas did not have it, perhaps because it was destined for the illegal trade.
I also wonder about the background of the owner, Giraud or Giron. I have references to other Frenchmen with those surnames, involved in the slave trade, and it would be interesting to know whether they were an established business family in Bordeaux. Would there be archival sources to look at such a family?
Another aspect of the vessel that interests me is how the ship design fits into the French shipbuilding tradition. The sources I have read on illegal period slave traders are primarily American – Chapelle’s Baltimore Clipper and Search for Speed Under Sail - and emphasise the Baltimore clippers dominant influence. I have seen Paris’ and some of Boudriot’s work. I found the L’Ouragan plans done by the Association of Friends of the Musees de la Marine interesting.
The book I am writing focuses on two voyages of the Voltigeur/Don Francisco/James Matthews – the slaving voyage of 1837 and the emigrant voyage of 1941. The ongoing analysis of the archaeology of the French brig – the vessel itself - will I am sure continue beyond the book, and it seems to me to be a good area for collaboration between France and Western Australia.
You are welcome to insert this information in your forum.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Regards

Graeme Henderson

Brick Voltigeur (suite)

Message Publié : 13 Septembre 2007 21:00
par max
Dear Graeme,

I have phoned this morning to the archives of the department of Gironde (Archives Départementales de Gironde) where are kept the archives of the admiralty of Guyenne (Amirauté de Guyenne), these archives run from 1490 to 1790 then the admiralty was cancelled and the matitime affairs involved the Chamber of commerce (Chambre de commerce de Bordeaux). But it is not possible to see the Chamber of commerce archives for more than 1 year (perhaps 2 years).
It is also possible to find information in the archives of the harbour of Bordeaux (exit and entrance of ships).
I would ask if it is possible to find information on the family Giraud/Giron directly in archives or through some genealogist association.
It is also possible to find information in the “Notarial archives”, (for instance contract of construction or sale of the ship) but this type of archives are nominative and we need if possible to know the name of the usual notary of Giraud

The curator accepts to make a search for you as the date is precise but I think we cannot expect he would accept to search in notarial archives. I send to him a message with precise informations.

Voici des informations sur le fond “Amirauté de Guyenne” :

Ce fonds provient de l’ancienne Amirauté de Guyenne créée en 1490 et supprimée par le titre XII de la loi du 16 août 1790. Remplacée par le tribunal de commerce de Bordeaux , c’est cette juridiction qui hérite des documents et en assure la conservation jusqu’en 1889 date à laquelle le fonds a été transféré dans sa totalité aux Archives départementales. Classé et inventorié les années suivantes, il a fait l’objet d’un inventaire publié en 1913.

6B 1-21
édits et arrêts

6B 22-611
attributions administratives (passeports, soumissions, visites, entrées et sorties de navires, rôles d’équipage)

6B 612-2088
attributions judiciaires (sentences et dossiers, appointements, procédures)


Langue des documents : français, anglais, néeerlandais, espagnol
Importance matérielle : 2088 liasses ou registres, 103 m. l., supplément non classé 20 liasses
Référence : FRAD033, 6B

Modalités d’entrée : versement

Conditions d’accès : aucune restriction de communication

Conditions de reproduction : soumise à l’autorisation préalable des Archives

Bibliographie : Guide de recherche…Amirauté de Guyenne, source de l’histoire de la Nouvelle-France par Christine Turgeon sous la direction de Raymonde Litalien. Bordeaux, 1984, 80 p. dactyl.

Instrument de recherche : Répertoire numérique des fonds de l’Amirauté de Guyenne et de la juridiction consulaire par Maurice Oudot de Dainville, Bordeaux, 1913, 39 p.

Lieu de conservation : Archives départementales de la Gironde (France)
Tel 33 5 56 52 14 66
Courriel archives.gironde@cg33.fr

Best regards

Max Guérout