By Alexander Falconbridge

Alexander Falconbridge was a surgeon on slave ships that carried African slaves from the West African Coast to the Caribbean. In An Account of the Slave Trade on the Coast of Africa he describes the many and varied aspects of this despicable trade that was legally undertaken for centuries. The description starts from when the mostly English and French ships first dock along the West African coast and the captains go ashore to acquire Africans. He then explains how the slaves were captured and brought to the coast to be sold. The process is explained, including their treatment during the Middle Passage across the Atlantic Ocean, to when they were sold into hereditary bondage in the Caribbean.

An excerpt from An Account of the Slave Trade on the Coast of Africa:
The slave ships generally lie near a mile below the town, in Bonny River, in seven or eight fathom water. Sometimes fifteen sail, English and French, but chiefly the former, meet here together. Soon after they cast anchor, the captains go on shore, to make known their arrival, and to inquire into the state of the trade.