Thomas was the ship Sally that James Jones acquired in 1785. Thomas made seven voyages from Bristol as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved persons. On her fourth such voyage,Thomas and five other enslaving ships, bombarded Calabar for more than three hours to force the local native traders to lower the prices they were charging for captives. The French captured her in 1794 as she was on her way for her eighth voyage.
Career
Thomas first appeared in Lloyd's Register (LR) in 1786, the volume for 1785 being unavailable online, if it even exists. Her entry noted that she had been Sally. Unfortunately, it is ambiguous as to which Sally she was.
1st enslaving voyage (1785–1786): Captain William Vicars sailed from Bristol on 27 April 1785, bound for West Africa. Thomas acquired captives at New Calabar and then at Bonny. She arrived at St Vincent on 20 December. She had embarked 415 captives and she arrived with 373, for a 10% loss rate. She sailed for Bristol on 4 February 1786 and arrived there on 22 April.
Her owner, James Jones, testified to Parliament that on her first voyage Thomas had acquired 414–415 captives, and had buried some 10 or 12. She had left Bristol with 35 crew members and had returned with 15. She had arrived at St Vincent with 30 crew members and discharged 15 there. She enlisted one more crew member and had one crew member die on the voyage home.
2nd enslaving voyage (1786–1787): Captain Vicars sailed from Bristol on 1 June 1786. She acquired her captives at Bonny, and arrived at Tobago on 8 March 1787. She had embarked 410 captives and she arrived with 401, for a loss rate of 2%. Thomas arrived back at Bristol on 1 May.
Thomas had sailed from Bristol with 37 crew members and arrived at Tobago with 30. There she discharged three crew members.
3rd enslaving voyage (1787–1788): Although Captain Vicars was mentioned on the sailing clearance, Captain Thomas Phillips sailed from Bristol on 13 June 1787. Thomas acquired her captives at New Calabar. She embarked 409 captives and sailed to Barbados and St Vincent, arriving at St Vincent on 22 February 1788 with 402 captives, for a loss rate of 2%. She sailed for Bristol on 25 March and arrived there on 16 May.
Thomas sailed from Bristol with 35 crew members and arrived at Barbadoes with 16. There she discharged 14 and enlisted four. She arrived at St Vincent with 20 crew members. At St Vincent she discharged three crew members and enlisted three before sailing for Bristol. She arrived at Bristol with 20 crew members.
4th enslaving voyage (1788–1789): Captain Thomas Phillips sailed from Bristol on 8 July 1788. Thomas arrived at Cape Coast Castle on 29 August and sailed two days later for Calabar. She acquired captives at New Calabar and arrived at St Vincent on 28 February 1789 with 349 captives. She sailed for Bristol on 24 March and arrived there on 15 May.
Thomas had left Bristol with 36 crew members and she returned with 25. She had reached St Vincent with 27 of her original crew, discharged three there, and enlisted one additional man before sailing for Bristol.
This voyage and the subsequent ones took place under the provisions of Dolben's Act. Dolben's Act limited the number of enslaved people that British slave ships could transport, based on the ships' tons burthen. It was the first British legislation passed to regulate shipping of captives. At a burthen of 240 tons, the cap would have been 379 slaves. After the passage of Dolben's Act, masters received a bonus of £100 for a mortality rate of under 2%; the ship's surgeon received £50. For a mortality rate between two and three per cent, the bonus was halved. There was no bonus if mortality exceeded 3%. Dolben's Act apparently resulted in some reduction in the numbers of slaves carried per vessel, and possibly in mortality.
In 1788–1789, James Jones, Thomass owner, had nine enslaving vessels at sea or on the coast of Africa. He estimated that the Act reduced the number of captives his vessels were allowed to carry by a number equivalent to 23% of the pre-Act total. For Thomas, the estimate was a reduction of 130 captives, from 520 to 290, or 31%.
5th enslaving voyage (1789–1790): Captain Phillips sailed from Bristol on 28 October 1789. Thomas acquired captives at New Calabar. She arrived at St Vincent and then Jamaica, with John Smith, master, on 25 May 1790, with 305 captives. She sailed for Bristol on 13 July and arrived there on 30 August.