It can be said that the discovery of America by Cristopher Columbus set the stage for the slave trade by European nations.

As the population of the New World dwindled, the development of their new possessions by Spain and the other European countries led to ever increasing manpower needs which could only be filled by the slave trade from Africa from the beginning of the 16th century to the abolition of slave traffic by the Treaty of Paris in 1814.

But this abolition was not followed until the middle of the nineteenth century when the July Monarchy imposed it in April 1848 in the French colonies.

Slave traders of the Nineteenth century adapted their transport capacities to the controls that were established and used smaller vessels with a lot of sail, carrying from 250 to 300 slaves in hardship conditions.

The Museum has a model of the clinker-built hull Ouragan, who was a typical representative of these brigs famous for their speed under sail.

Specifications :

Model building : medium difficulty

Scale of drawing: 1/100th ,
one plan , two photographs, one notice (french).