1775-Sept.-08: A man held captive on the ship Susanne Marguerite died of smallpox after being ill for eight days at the Ouidah roadstead.

1775-Sept.-08: A man held captive on the ship Susanne Marguerite died of smallpox after being ill for eight days at the Ouidah roadstead. Although he had initially given the crew hope for recovery, a sudden relapse or “revolution” in the disease carried him off in a short time. He was identified by the brand “LSM” on his right arm, a standard mark used by the merchants of La Rochelle to track their human property. Such deaths were a frequent occurrence, as infectious diseases like smallpox spread rapidly through the crowded and unsanitary conditions of slaving vessels.