Black Tar

In 1808 the West Africa Squadron was established to curtail the trade in slaves from Africa to the Americas. Britain could not stop slavery, except in the lands under her rule, but she could act against the trade on the high seas. The King's navy was unchallenged at sea and the men who had swept Napoleon's ships from the oceans of the world had the task of enforcing the ban on the evil trade. Newly promoted Captain Hudson had command of the Malvern. She was an old twenty-eight gun frigate that the Lords of the Admiralty considered capable of dealing with the merchant ships carrying slaves. The continent of Africa produced greater hazards than lightly armed merchant ships and Hudson had to resort to desperate measures to complete his orders.