1-150-208 - The Cartoon Collector/Heritage-Images

'Poor Consolation', 1858. A Parisian in chains speaking to a slave: Courage, Mon Ami; 'Am I not a Man and a Brother?' The Portuguese colony of Angola abolished the slave trade during this year. From Punch, or the London Charivari, November 13, 1858.A Frenchman, in chains, kneels beside a slave who is similarly chained. On the wall is a poster, and behind the two men is the figure of Louis Napoleon. This cartoon relates to two French ships, 'Charles' and 'Georges', which were apparently carrying a cargo of free African emigrants (who were in all but name, slaves). The ships had been taken by Portugal in Conducia Bay on the 29th November 1857. They were then sent to Lisbon and condemned as slavers. In the year since this happening, Portugal had referred the matter to Britain for arbitration. Lord Derby's government, however, acted more with prudence than with dignity. The French government protested and eventually resorted to sending two warships. This resulted in the two slavers being surrendered, although reluctantly. Punch went on to report that France was resuming her slave-trade. In another way, the Frenchman in chains has as little freedom as his Black brother in view of Napoleon's control of the press.