1872-1875 Interesting Pair of Investigation Reports on African Slaves in Cuba

On offer is a small collection of two manuscripts describing the investigations of two negro slaves in Cuba. 

The first document is dated 1872. It describes an investigation into a negro slave named Julio who was found without a note and is being investigated. His criminal priors (if any) are being assessed to determine his age. The second document is dated 1875. In it, the  "Inspector de Vigilancia" is interrogating a female black slave, she states that she had the permission of the parents to be in possession of their baby black girl.

Taken together, this archive offers insight into the Cuban slavery culture. It provides a view into the communication surrounding slaves deemed to be ‘problems’ and how they were investigated by government officials of the time. 

Cuba had a great need for inexpensive labour to support their sugar industry. While America and Britain signed a treaty in 1814 to abolish the African slave trade, it took many years for complete global abolition. The African slave trade was not ended in Cuba until 1886, despite it being formally abolished in 1867 (Yun & Laremont, 2001). During the Chinese coolie trade (1847-1874) African slaves often worked alongside Chinese indentured labourers. 

The documents measure approximately 6.25x8.25 inches. Both documents exhibit age toning and some have minor rips, tears and folds. Both contain one single sheet folded in half to create four pages. legible and in the Spanish language. Both overall Good.