LETTER from the Intendant to the Lieutenant of the Amirauté of the Cap, concerning the nègres coming from vessels seized for interloping

I have had occasion to observe, Monsieur, in connection with the nègres coming from vessels seized for interloping, a practice very harmful to the interests of the King, and liable even to the greatest inconveniences through the little precaution that has been taken up to now. It has been the custom to have them landed and to hold them in the Jail. This practice, besides being very costly, exposes the places where they land to the contagion with which they may be infected, and exposes the nègres themselves to the diseases that often reign in prisons. I therefore believe it necessary, and I ask you, Monsieur, when seizures of this kind are reported to your Seat, to order that the nègres who are found embarked on them be held there until the outcome of the proceedings, under the guard of the person put in charge of the vessel, who shall be obliged to furnish them subsistence at a price to be set with economy. They shall be given such provisions as may be aboard, of which you will have a statement shown to you, so as to be able to order it thus, at the expense of whomever it belongs.