Description:

From ships’ muster roll book, 1793 – 1795; Society of Merchant Venturers’ archive. Muster roll no: SMV 178.
Articles of Agreement for the ship, the African Queen , 1792.
The African Queen sailed from Bristol for Old Calabar, West Africa, with over £5,000 worth of trade goods. 21 of the 37 crew died at the African coast of fever or dysentery. A large number of slaves died at the coast and during the Atlantic crossing, with reports varying from 142 to 116. The survivors were not in good condition.

See also muster roll for the ship, the African Queen .

The muster roll is a list of all crew signed on for all or part of a voyage, which was used to calculate the money each man should pay to the Sailors Hospital Fund (insurance).

Articles of agreement set out the terms and conditions of a voyage. The Articles was a standard printed form, listing the food rations and financial arrangements the crew would receive.

The Society of Merchant Venturers is a Bristol-based organisation, which was formed in 1552 as an elite body of merchants involved in overseas trade. The Society still exists today.

Date: 1792

Copyright: Copyright The Society of Merchant Venturers