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 British legislation forbade ships under British registry to engage in the
slave trade, but the restriction was applied generally to all flags and was
intended to shut down all traffic in slaves coming out of West African ports.
Other countries more or less hesitantly followed the British lead. The United
States, for example, also prohibited the slave trade in 1807 (Denmark actually
was the first country to declare the trade illegal in 1792). Attitudes changed
slowly, however, and not all countries cooperated in controlling the activity of
their merchant ships. American ships, for instance, were notorious for evading
the prohibition and going unpunished under United States law. It should be
noted, moreover, that the abolition movement concentrated on the transatlantic
trade for more than five decades before eventually becoming a full-fledged
attack on slave trading within Africa itself.
The Royal Navy maintained a prevention squadron to blockade the coast, and a
permanent station was established at the Spanish colony of Fernando Po, off the
Nigerian coast, with responsibility for patrolling the West African coast. For
several decades, as much as one-sixth of all British warships were assigned to
this mission, and a squadron was maintained at Fernando Po from 1827 until 1844.
Slaves rescued at sea were usually taken to Sierra Leone, where they were
released. British naval crews were permitted to divide prize money from the sale
of captured slave ships. Apprehended slave runners were tried by naval courts
and were liable to capital punishment if found guilty.
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