In 1788, Parliament sought to regulate the slave trade by imposing restrictions on the number of Africans that a ship could carry across the Atlantic. This famous diagram shows the slave ship 'Brookes' carrying 454 Africans, which was its regulated number. Abolitionists used this image to expose the appallingly cramped conditions below deck. In fact, the 'Brookes' had carried as many as 609 Africans on earlier voyages. Despite the government's intervention in the trade, the new restrictions were not actively enforced.

Text from: Port Cities London.

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© Douglas Kornfeld 1992 - unless otherwise noted.


The slave ship Brookes.  © National Maritime Museum, London