No. 173.
General Schenck to Mr. Fish.
London, July 16, 1873. (Received July 30.)
Sir: Your No. 411, with copies of two official dispatches from the consuls of the United States at Malta and Tripoli, and of an unofficial [Page 400] communication from the former relating to the traffic in slaves between Tripoli and the Levant ports, via Malta, and sent to me for my information, was received on the 7th instant.
Although not instructed to approach Earl Granville on the subject, yet a convenient occasion presenting itself, in an interview with him a few days since, the continued existence of such a slave traffic and the circumstances under which it is carried on were casually discussed between us. I thought it might be well to ascertain how far attention here had been given to the matter.
His lordship said it had been much under consideration and was a subject of frequent instruction to, and correspondence with, British officials. He assured me that Her Majesty’s government desired always to do all that is possible to put an end to such trade. With this view they were glad to know of any supposed evasions of British law, or any lack of vigilance at Malta, that might interfere with any discovery or suppression of the practice on the part of illicit traders. He remarked that one great difficulty encountered was the consenting spirit with which many of the women from Tripoli were ready to go into Turkish slavery.
I gave his lordship afterward, confidentially, some extracts from the official statements of our consuls at Malta and Tripoli, taking care, however, to confine what was furnished him to those portions only of their reports which related to the manner of smuggling the slaves past Malta.
I have, &c.,