Canot, Theodore (1804-1860) to Thomas T. Craven
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC00815.02 Author/Creator: Canot, Theodore (1804-1860) Place Written: Newflorence Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 13 September 1844 Pagination: 2 p. ; 29 x 19.5 cm Order a Copy
Writes to Lieutenant Commodore Craven about the building and rigging of ship to be named 'Le Pauvre Diable.' Asks to borrow a book on shipbuilding if possible, and asks for advice on how to rig his ship in "the American stile."
Thomas Tingey Craven (1808-1887) was a career naval officer. During 1843-1844 he aided Commodore Matthew C. Perry's suppression of the African slave trade, part of the time as commander of the schooner Porpoise. He would subsequently be appointed as a Commodore of the U.S. Navy, serving on the Union side during the Civil War. Theodore Canot was a prominent slave trader originally from Italy who often sailed between Cuba and West Africa. During the 1840s, Canot attempted to turn to legitimate business, working as a planter at Cape Mount in Liberia; this may be why he was able to correspond with Craven, who would otherwise be interested in apprehending him for being a slaver. Canot ultimately failed as a planter and returned to the slave trade. He would subsequently publish a narrative of his journeys, entitled "Captain Canot, or Twenty Years of an African Slaver."
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