THE OURAGAN (1830) Slave brick. Authorised during three centuries, the slave trade was officially condemned by certain European countries in 1815 under the Vienna Treaty (England had abolished slavery in 1807). In spite of legal prohibition, severe punishment, and a very strict control, the slave trade went on nevertheless during half a century. To avoid being caught, the slave traders altered their ships which became faster. The number of sails were increased and the tonnage decreased to enable them to sail up African rivers which provided more discreet anchorage than the coastal shelters. Frigate Captain R. Javault wrote: "With her slim hull and her highmasts, the OURAGAN is a fine specimen of those slave bricks of the first half of the XlXth Century famed for their speed".