The "Vaste Machine" of the Atlantic

The Yatch Rolha on the Fluminense Coast (1850)

Abstract

This paper explores the seizure of the slave ship Rolha in the port of Macaé, in northern Rio de Janeiro province, based on the process initiated by the Auditoria Geral de Marinha. Theincident sheds light on the complex sequence of events involved in the operation of a slave ship during the illegal period of the slave trade, especially with regard to the Africans in its hold. The documentation also provides information about, the port, the points of departure and arrival, the city, the multiple persons involved and the infrastructure for receiving the ship, as well as those involved in repression, crimes and penalties, with the Africans caught between improbable freedom and disputes over property. In sum, the incident provides a window into the workings of the Atlantic machine and its clandestine codes of activity.