ABSTRACT
In 1855, a slave ship landed in Pernambuco. Most captives were arrested, but fifty disappeared into nearby plantations and the crew escaped after the captain talked to a local plantation owner. This man, who was also a police chief, received praise from the British consul and a liberal leader for the generous way he managed his slaves. Other landowners related to the president of the province and the Cavalcanti senators were indicted, which provoked British protests and a political and diplomatic scandal that reached the parliament and the conciliation cabinet, whose minister of justice, Nabuco de Araújo, had started his career as a Cavalcanti protegée. This case unveils details of the resilient links between slave trade and imperial politics.
Keywords:
slave-trade; management of slaves; saquaremas; guabirus; historiography