the navy
show that in only four of the eight years mentioned was the fleet, at
the time of report, at the stipulated size of eighty guns; and at times
it was much below this, even as late as 1848, when only two vessels are
reported on duty along the African coast.[29] As the commanders
themselves acknowledged, the squadron was too small and the
cruising-ground too large to make joint cruising effective.[30]

The same story comes from the Brazil station: "Nothing effectual can be
done towards stopping the slave trade, as our squadron is at present
organized," wrote the consul at Rio Janeiro in 1847; "when it is
considered that the Brazil station extends from north of the equator to
Cape Horn on this continent, and includes a great part of Africa south
of the equator, on both sides of the Cape of Good Hope, it must be
admitted that one frigate and one brig is a very insufficient force to
protect American commerce, and repress the participation in the slave
trade by our own vessels."[31] In the Gulf of Mexico cruisers were
stationed most of the time, although even here there were at times
urgent representations that the scarcity or the absence of such vessels
gave the illicit trade great license.[32]

Owing to this general negligence of the government, and also to its
anxiety on the subject of the theoretic Right of Search, many officials
were kept in a state of chronic deception in regard to the trade. The
enthusiasm of commanders was dampened by the lack of latitude allowed
and by the repeated insistence in their orders on the non-existence of a
Right of Search.[33] When one commander, realizing that he could not
cover the trading-track with his fleet, requested English commanders to
detain suspicious American vessels until one of his vessels came up, the
government annulled the agreement as soon as it reached their ears,
rebuked him, and the matter was alluded to in Congress long after with
horror.[34] According to the orders of cruisers, only slavers with
slaves actually on board could be seized. Consequently, fully equipped
slavers would sail past the American fleet, deliberately make all
preparations for shipping a cargo, then, when the English were not near,
"sell" the ship to a Spaniard, hoist the Spanish flag, and again sail
gayly past the American fleet with a cargo of slaves. An English
commander reported: "The officers of the United States' navy are
extremely active and zealous in the cause, and no fault can