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THE    HISTORY 

OF    THE 

RISE,  PROGRESS,  AND  ACCOMPLISHMENT 

OF    THE 

ABOLITION 

OF    THE 


AFRICAN    SLAVE-TRADE, 


BY    THE 


BRITISH  PARLIAMENT. 


BY    THOMAS    CLARKSON,  M.  A 


IN  THREE    VOLUMES, 

VOL.    I. 


NEW-YORK: 
PUBLISHED   BY    JOHN    S.TAYLOR, 

CORNER  OF  PARK-ROW  AND  NASSAU-STREET, 
OPPOSITE    THE    CITY    HALL. 

1836. 


* 


CONTENTS  OF  THE  FIRST  VOLUME. 


FAGS. 

CHAPTER  I. 

Estimate  of  the  evil  of  the  Slave-trade — and  of  the  blessing 
of  the  Abolition  of  it. — Usefulness  of  the  contemplation 
of  this  subject. 9 

CHAPTER  II. 

Those  who  favored  the  cause  of  the  Africans  previously  to 
1787,  were  so  many  necessary  forerunners  in  it — Cardinal 
Ximenes — and  others 30 

CHAPTER  III. 

Forerunners  continued  to  1787 — divided  now  into  four  classes 
— First  consists  of  persons  in  England  of  various  descrip- 
tions, Godwyn,  Baxter,  and  others.          ....      40 

CHAPTER  IV. 
Second,  of  the  Quakers  in  England,  George  Fox,  and  his 
religious  descendants 89 

CHAPTER  V. 
Third,  of  the  Quakers  in  America — Union  of  these  with 
individuals  of  other  religious  denominations  in  the  same 
cause 104 

CHAPTER  VI. 
Facility  of  junction  between  the  members  of  these  three  dif- 
ferent classes.  149 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Fourth  consists  of  Dr.  Peckard — Then  of  the  Author — Author 
wishes  to  embark  in  the  cause — Falls  in  with  several  of  the 
members  of  these  classes.         ,        .        .        .        .        .156 


Vlll  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Fourth  class  continued — Langton — Baker — and  others — Au- 
tlior  now  embarks  in  the  cause  as  a  business  of  his  life.       .     16? 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Fourth  class  continued — Sheldon — Mackworth — and  others 
— Author  seeks  for  further  information  on  the  subject — 
and  visits  members  of  Parliament  ....     177 

CHAPTER  X. 

Fourth  class  continued — Author  enlarges  his  knowledge — 
Meeting  at  Mr.  Wilberforce's — Remarkable  junction  of  all 
the  four  classes,  and  a  Committee  formed  out  of  them,  in 
May,  1787,  for  the  Abolition  of  the  Slave-trade.        .        .     186 

CHAPTER  XI. 

History  of  the  preceding  classes,  and  of  their  junction,  shown 
by  means  of  a  map.  .......     197 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Author  endeavors  to  do  away  the  charge  of  ostentation  in 
consequence  of  becoming  so  conspicuous  in  this  work.       .     203 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
Proceedings  of  the  committee — Emancipation  declared  to  be 
no  part  of  its  object — Wrongs  of  Africa  by  Mr.  Roscoe.      .     209 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Author  visits  Bristol  to  collect  information — 111  usage  of  sea- 
men in  the  Slave-trade — Articles  of  African  produce — 
Massacre  at  Calebar 220 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Mode  of  procuring  and  paying  seamen  in  that  trade — Their 
mortality  in  it — Construction  and  admeasurement  of  Slave- 
ships — Difficulty  of  procuring  evidence — Cases  of  Gardi- 
ner and  Arnold 241 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
Author  meets  with  Alexander  Falconbridge — Visits  ill-treated 
and  disabled  seamen — takes  a  mate  out  of  one  of  the  Slave- 
vessels — and  puts  another  in  prison  for  murder.          .        .    259 


PROSPECTUS 


OF    THE 


CABINET    OF   FREEDOM 


To  all  who  note  the  signs  of  the  times,  it  must  be  ob- 
vious that  the  character  and  consequences  of  American 
slavery,  the  plans  proposed  for  its  removal,  and  the  in- 
fluence of  those  plans  on  the  union  and  prosperity  of  the 
nation,  are  to  become  topics  of  general  and  absorbing 
interest.  It  is  natural  and  proper  that  the  citizens  of  a 
free  country  should  carefully  investigate  the  nature  of  an 
institution  necessarily  affecting  the  moral  and  political 
welfare  of  themselves  and  their  posterity,  and  should 
anxiously  inquire  what  conduct  respecting  it  is  required 
by  duty  and  prudence.  Discussion  has  been  excited 
and  will  not  and  cannot  be  suppressed.  In  the  social 
circle,  and  in  the  crowded  assembly,  in  the  pulpit,  and  in 
the  legislative  hall,  slavery  is  the  theme  of  frequent  and 
earnest  inquiry  ;  and  the  press  is  pouring  forth  its  mul- 
titudinous publications  on  the  same  momentous  topic. 

The  subscriber  flatters  himself  that  by  collecting  in  a 
cheap  but  neat  form,  the  most  valuable  and  instructive 
works  relating  to  the  great  subject  that  is  now  agitating 
the  whole  country,  he  will  not  only  gratify  the  prevailing 
thirst  for  information,  but  also  promote  the  cause  of 
truth  and  justice. 

The  Cabinet  will  comprise  both  original  and  select- 
ed articles,  embracing,  among  other  topics,  the  history 


2  PROSPECTUS. 

of  the  legal  abolition  of  the  African  Slave-trade — the 
history  and  consequences  of  emancipation  in  the  British 
West  India  Islands — the  past  and  present  state  of  St. 
Domingo — discussions  on  the  lawfulness  of  slavery — 
the  actual  condition  of  the  slaves  in  the  United  States, 
and  an  examination  of  the  various  modes  of  emancipating 
them  which  have  been  recommended. 

The  selections  will  from  time  to  time  be  made  by 
gentlemen  whose  names  will  be  given  to  the  public,  and 
who  will  be  responsible  for  the  general  character  of  the 
articles,  but  not  for  all  the  opinions  and  assertions  they 
may  contain. 

As  the  Cabinet  of  Freedom  will  be  devoted  to 
subjects  connected  with  slavery,  its  name  may  be  thought 
singularly  inappropriate  to  its  contents.  The  incon- 
gruity, however,  is  only  apparent,  since  the  subscriber 
trusts  that  the  Cabinet  will  exert  an  influence  favorable 
to  the  cause  of  immediate  and  universal  emancipation. 

The  Cabinet  will  appear  regularly  every  two  weeks, 
commencing  in  March,  1836.  Each  number  will  con- 
tain 48  pages  duodecimo,  and  will  be  sold  in  numbers, 
if  required,  at  6~  cents,  except  when  illustrated  with  en- 
gravings, the  price  of  such  numbers  will  be  increased 
according  to  the  expense  of  the  engraving. 

Terms  two  dollars  per  annum,  payable  in  advance. 
The  Hon.  Wm.  Jay,.  Rev.  Prof.  Bush,  of  the  New- 
York  University,  and  Gerrit  Smith,  Esq.,  have  consented 
to  select  the  articles  for  the  Cabinet  until  further  notice. 
All  communications  for  the  Cabinet  of  Freedom,  to  be 
addressed  to 

JOHN  S.  TAYLOR, 

Bookseller,  New  York. 


ADVERTISEMENT. 


It  has  been  thought  that  no  work  could  be  selected 
more  appropriate  for  the  commencement  of  the  Cabinet, 
than  Clarkson's  celebrated  History  of  the  Abolition  of 
the  Slave-Trade.  Its  accuracy  has  never  been  question- 
ed, and  the  importance  of  the  subject  to  the  cause  of 
humanity  is  almost  unparalleled.  The  examples  af- 
forded by  this  history,  of  the  combined  strength  of  self- 
ishness and  prejudice,  and  of  the  still  greater  strength  of 
Christian  truth,  zeal,  and  perseverance,  are  not  only  in- 
structive in  themselves,  but  are  peculiarly  interesting  and 
useful  at  the  present  moment,  when  the  same  great 
principles  and  motives  of  action  which  distinguished  the 
struggle  for  the  Abolition  of  the  African  Slave-trade,  are 
employed  in  assailing  and  defending  American  slavery. 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  subjoined  extract  from  the 
journals  of  Congress,  how  respectfully  the  donation  of 
this  work  to  the  National  Library  was  received ;  and  it 
affords  matter  for  serious  and  humiliating  reflection,  that 
the  same  legislature  which  has  pronounced  the  African 
trade  to  be  piracy,  should  pertinaciously  sanction  an 


ADVERTISEMENT. 

American  traffic,  in  many  respects,  scarcely  less  atro- 
cious than  the  other. 

House  of  Representatives,  18th  Feb.,  1809. 
"  Resolved,  That  the  Speaker  be  requested  to  ac- 
knowledge the  receipt  and  acceptance  of  Clarkson's 
History  of  Slavery  presented  by  the  American  Conven- 
tion for  promoting  the  abolition  of  slavery,  and  improving 
the  condition  of  the  Africans,  and  that  the  said  work  be 
deposited  in  the  library." 


THE 

HISTORY   OF   THE    ABOLITION 

OF  THE 

SLAVE-TRADE. 


CHAPTER  I. 

no  subject  more  pleasing  than  that  of  the  removal  of  evils. — 
Evils  have  existed  almost  from  the  beginning  of  the  world-*- 
but  there  is  a  power,  in. our  nature  to  counteract  them. — this 
power  increased  by  christianity. — of  the  evils  removed  by 
Christianity  one  of  the  greatest  is  the  Slave-trade. — The  joy 
WE  OUGHT  to  feel  ON  ITS  abolition  from  a  contemplation  of  the 
nature  of  it— and  of  the   extent   of   IT — AND  of  the  difficulty 

OF  SUBDUING  IT.— USEFULNESS    ALSO    OF    THE    CONTEMPLATION   OF  THIS 
SUBJECT. 

I  scarcely  know  of  any  subject,  the  contem- 
plation of  which  is  more  pleasing  than  that  of 
the  correction  or  of  the  removal  of  any  of  the 
acknowledged  evils  of  life  ;  for  while  we  rejoice 
to  think  that  the  sufferings  of  our  fellow-creatures 
have  been  thus,  in  any  instance,  relieved,  we  must 
rejoice  equally  to  think  that  our  own  moral  con- 
dition must  have  been  necessarily  improved  by 
the  change. 

That  evils,  both  physical  and  moral,  have  ex- 
isted long  upon  earth  there  can  be  no  doubt.  One 
of  the  sacred  writers,  to  whcm  we  more  imme- 
diately appeal  for  the  early  history  of  mankind, 


10  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

informs  us  that  the  state  of  our  first  parents  was 
a  state  of  innocence  and  happiness,  but  that,  soon 
after  their  creation,  sin  and  misery  entered  into 
the  world.  The  poets  in  their  fables,  most  of 
which,  however  extravagant  they  may  seem,  had 
their  origin  in  truth,  speak  the  same  language. 
Some  of  these  represent  the  first  condition  of  man 
by  the  figure  of  the  golden,  and  his  subsequent  de- 
generacy and  subjection  to  suffering  by  that  of  the 
silver,  and  afterwards  of  the  iron,  age.  Others 
tell  us  that  the  first  female  was  made  of  clay ; 
that  she  was  called  Pandora,  because  every  ne- 
cessary gift,  qualification,  or  endowment,  was 
given  to  her  by  the  gods,  but  that  she  received 
from  Jupiter  at  the  same  time,  a  box,  from  which, 
when  opened,  a  multitude  of  disorders  sprung, 
and  that  these  spread  themselves  immediately 
afterwards  among  all  of  the  human  race.  Thus 
it  appears,  whatever  authorities  we  consult,  that 
those  which  may  be  termed  the  evils  of  life  ex- 
isted in  the  earliest  times.  And  what  does  sub- 
sequent history,  combined  with  our  own  expe- 
rience, tell  us,  but  that  these  have  been  continued, 
or  that  they  have  come  down,  in  different  degrees, 
through  successive  generations  of  men,  in  all  the 
known  countries  of  the  universe,  to  the  present 
day? 

But  though  the  inequality  visible  in  the   dif 
ferent  conditions  of  life,  and  the  passions  inter 
woven  into  our  nature,   (both  which  have  been 
allotted  to  us  for  wise  purposes,  and  without  which 
we  could  not  easily  afford  a  proof  of  the  existence 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  11 

of  that  which  is  denominated  virtue,)  have  a  ten- 
dency to  produce  vice  and  wretchedness  among 
us,  yet  we  see  in  this  our  constitution  what  may 
operate  partially  as  preventives  and  correctives 
of  them.  If  there  be  a  radical  propensity  in  our 
nature  to  do  that  which  is  wrong,  there  is  on  the 
other  hand  a  counteracting  power  within  it,  or  an 
impulse,  by  means  of  the  action  of  the  Divine 
Spirit  upon  our  minds,  which  urges  us  to  do  that 
which  is  right.  If  the  voice  of  temptation,  clothed 
in  musical  and  seducing  accents,  charms  us  one 
way,  the  voice  of  holiness,  speaking  to  us  from 
within  in  a  solemn  and  powerful  manner,  com- 
mands us  another.  Does  One  man  obtain  a  vic- 
tory over  his  corrupt  affections  1  an  immediate 
perception  of  pleasure,  like  the  feeling  of  a  reward 
divinely  conferred  upon  him,  is  noticed.  Does 
another  fall  prostrate  beneath  their  power  ?  a 
painful  feeling,  and  such  as  pronounces  to  him 
the  sentence  of  reproof  and  punishment,  is  found 
to  follow.  If  one,  by  suffering  his  heart  to  be- 
come hardened,  oppresses  a  fellow-creature,  the 
tear  of  sympathy  starts  up  in  the  eye  of  another, 
and  the  latter  instantly  feels  a  desire,  involun- 
tarily generated,  of  flying  to  his  relief.  Thus 
impulses,  feelings,  and  dispositions  have  been  im- 
planted in  our  nature  for  the  purpose  of  preventing 
and  rectifying  the  evils  of  life.  And  as  these 
have  operated  so  as  to  stimulate  some  men  to 
lessen  them  by  the  exercise  of  an  amiable  charity, 
so  they  have  operated  to  stimulate  others,  in 
various  other  ways,  to  the  same  end.     Hence  the 


12  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

philosopher  has  left  moral  precepts  behind  him 
in  favor  of  benevolence,  and  the  legislator  has 
endeavored  to  prevent  barbarous  practices  by  the 
introduction  of  laws. 

In  consequence  then  of  these  impulses  and 
feelings,  by  which  the  pure  power  in  our  nature 
is  thus  made  to  act  as  a  check  upon  the  evil  part 
of  it,  and  in  consequence  of  the  influence  which 
philosophy  and  legislative  wisdom  have  had  in 
their  respective  provinces,  there  has  been  always, 
in  all  times  and  countries,  a  counteracting  energy, 
which  has  opposed  itself  more  or  less  to  the  crimes 
and  miseries  of  mankind.  But  it  seems  to  have 
been  reserved  for  Christianity  to  increase  this 
energy,  and  to  give  it  the  widest  possible  domain. 
It  was  reserved  for  her,  under  the  same  Divine 
influence,  to  give  the  best  views  of  the  nature, 
and  of  the  present  and  future  condition  of  man ; 
to  afford  the  best  moral  precepts,  to  communicate 
the  most  benign  stimulus  to  the  heart,  to  produce 
the  most  blameless  conduct,  and  thus  to  cut  off 
many  of  the  causes  of  wretchedness,  and  to  heal 
it  wherever  it  was  found.  At  her  command, 
wherever  she  has  been  duly  acknowledged,  many 
of  the  evils  of  life  have  already  fled.  The  pris- 
oner of  war  is  no  longer  led  into  the  amphitheatre 
to  become  a  gladiator,  and  to  imbrue  his  hands 
in  the  blood  of  his  fellow-captive  for  the  sport  of 
a  thoughtless  multitude.  The  stern  priest,  cruel 
through  fanaticism  and  custom,  no  longer  leads 
his  fellow-creature  to  the  altar,  to  sacrifice  him  to 
fictitious  gods.     The  venerable  martyr,  courage- 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  13 

ous  through  faith  and  the  sanctity  of  his  life,  is 
no  longer  hurried  to  the  flames.  The  haggard 
witch,  poring  over  her  incantations  by  moon- 
light, no  longer  scatters  her  superstitious  poison 
among  her  miserable  neighbors,  nor  suffers  for  her 
crime. 

But  in  whatever  way  Christianity  may  have 
operated  towards  the  increase  of  this  energy,  or 
towards  a  diminution  of  human  misery,  it  has 
operated  in  none  more  powerfully  than  by  the 
new  views,  and  consequent  duties,  which  it  intro- 
duced on  the  subject  of  charity,  or  practical  be- 
nevolence and  love.  Men  in  ancient  times  looked 
upon  their  talents,  of  whatever  description,  as  their 
own,  which  they  might  use  or  cease  to  use  at  their 
discretion.  But  the  author  of  our  religion  was  the 
first  who  taught  that,  however  in  a  legal  point  of 
view  the  talent  of  individuals  might  belong  exclu- 
sively to  themselves,  so  that  no  other  person  had  a 
right  to  demand  the  use  of  it  by  force,  yet  in  the 
Christian  dispensation  they  were  but  the  stewards 
of  it  for  good ;  that  so  much  was  expected  from 
this  stewardship,  that  it  was  difficult  for  those  who 
were  intrusted  with  it  to  enter  into  his  spiritual 
kingdom  ;  that  these  had  no  right  to  conceal  their 
talent  in  a  napkin  ;  but  that  they  were  bound  to 
dispense  a  portion  of  it  to  the  relief  of  their  fel- 
low-creatures ;  and  that  in  proportion  to  the  mag- 
nitude of  it  they  were  accountable  for  the  exten- 
siveness  of  its  use.  He  was  the  first,  who  pro- 
nounced the  misapplication  of  it  to  be  a  crime,  and 
to  be  a  crime  of  no  ordinary  dimensions.     He  was 

VOL.  I.  2 


14  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

the  first,  who  broke  down  the  boundary  between 
Jew  and  Gentile,  and  therefore  the  first,  who 
pointed  out  to  men  the  inhabitants  of  other  coun- 
tries for  the  exercise  of  their  philanthropy  and 
love.  Hence  a  distinction  is  to  be  made  both  in 
the'principle  and  practice  of  charity,  as  existing  in 
ancient  or  in  modern  times.  Though  the  old  phi- 
losophers, historians,  and  poets,  frequently  incul- 
cated benevolence,  we  have  no  reason  to  conclude 
from  any  facts  they  have  left  us,  that  persons  in 
their  days  did  any  thing  more  than  occasionally 
relieve  an  unfortunate  object,  who  might  present 
himself  before  them,  or  that,  however  they  might 
deplore  the  existence  of  public  evils  among  them, 
they  joined  in  associations  for  their  suppression,  or 
that  they  carried  their  charity,  as  bodies  of  men, 
into  other  kingdoms.  To  Christianity  alone  we 
are  indebted  for  the  new  and  sublime  spectacle  of 
seeing  men  going  beyond  the  bounds  of  individual 
usefulness  to  each  other  ;  of  seeing  them  associate 
for  the  extirpation  of  private  and  public  misery ; 
and  of  seeing  them  carry  their  charity,  as  a  united 
brotherhood,  into  distant  lands.  And  in  this  wider 
field  of  benevolence  it  would  be  unjust  not  to  con- 
fess, that  no  country  has  shone  with  more  true 
lustre  than  our  own,  there  being  scarcely  any  case 
of  acknowledged  affliction,  for  which  some  of  her 
Christian  children  have  not  united  in  an  attempt 
to  provide  relief. 

Among  the  evils,  corrected  or  subdued,  either 
by  the  general  influence  of  Christianity  on  the 
minds   of  men,  or   by  particular  associations   of 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  IS 

Christians,  the  African*  Slave-trade  appears  to 
me  to  have  occupied  the  foremost  place.  The 
abolition  of  it,  therefore,  of  which  it  has  devolved 
upon  me  to  write  the  history,  should  be  accounted 
as  one  of  the  greatest  blessings,  and,  as  such, 
should  be  one  of  the  most  copious  sources  of  our 
joy.  Indeed  I  know  of  no  evil,  the  removal  of 
which  should  excite  in  us  a  higher  degree  of  plea- 
sure. For  in  considerations  of  this  kind,  are  we 
not  usually  influenced  by  circumstances  1  Are  not 
our  feelings  usually  affected  according  to  the  situ- 
ation, or  the  magnitude,  or  the  importance  of  these  - 
Are  they  not  more  or  less  elevated  as  the  evil  unde . 
our  contemplation  has  been  more  or  less  produc- 
tive of  misery,  or  more  or  less  productive  of  guilt  % 
Are  they  not  more  or  less  elevated,  again,  as  we 
have  found  it  more  or  less  considerable  in  extent  % 
Our  sensations  will  undoubtedly  be  in  proportion  to 
such  circumstances,  or  our  joy  to  the  appreciation 
or  mensuration  of  the  evil  which  has  been  removed. 
To  value  the  blessing  of  the  abolition  as  we 
ought,  or  to  appreciate  the  joy  and  gratitude  which 
we  ought  to  feel  concerning  it,  we  must  enter  a 
little  into  the  circumstances  of  the  trade.  Our 
statement,  however,  of  these  needs  not  be  long. 
A  few  pages  will  do  all  that  is  necessary !  A  glance 
only  into  such  a  subject  as  this  will  be  sufficient  to 
affect  the  heart ;  to  arouse  our  indignation  and 
our  pity ;  and  to  teach  us  the  importance  of  the 
victory  obtained. 

*  Slavery  had  been  before  annihilated  by  Christianity,  I  mean  in 
the  west  of  Europe,  at  the  close  of  the  twelfth  century. 


16  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

The  first  subject  for  consideration,  towards  ena- 
bling us  to  make  the  estimate  in  question,  will 
be  that  of  the  nature  of  the  evil  belonging  to  the 
Slave-trade.  This  may  be  seen  by  examining  it 
in  three  points  of  view  :  First,  As  it  has  been 
proved  to  arise  on  the  continent  of  Africa  in  the 
course  of  reducing  the  inhabitants  of  it  to  slavery  ; 
Secondly,  In  the  course  of  conveying  them  from 
thence  to  the  lands  or  colonies  of  other  nations  ; 
And,  Thirdly,  In  continuing  them  there  as  slaves. 

To  see  it  as  it  has  been  shown  to  arise  in  the 
first  case,  let  us  suppose  ourselves  on  the  Continent 
just  mentioned.  Well  then  :  we  are  landed  ;  Ave 
are  already  upon  our  travels  ;  we  have  just  passed 
through  one  forest ;  we  are  now  come  to  a  more 
open  place,  which  indicates  an  approach  to  habita- 
tions. And  what  object  is  that,  which  first  obtrudes 
itself  upon  our  sight  ?  Who  is  that  wretched 
woman,  whom  we  discover  under  that  noble  tree, 
wringing  her  hands,  and  beating  her  breast,  as  if 
in  the  agonies  of  despair  ?  Three  days  has  she 
been  there  at  intervals  to  look  and  to  watch,  and 
this  is  the  fourth  morning,  and  no  tidings  of  her 
children  yet.  Beneath  its  spreading  boughs  they 
were  accustomed  to  play  :  but  alas  !  the  savage 
manstealer  interrupted  their  playful  mirth,  and 
has  taken  them  for  ever  from  her  sight. 

But  let  us  leave  the  cries  of  this  unfortunate 
woman,  and  hasten  into  another  district :  and  what 
do  we  first  see  here  1  Who  is  he  that  just  now 
started  across  the  narrow  pathway,  as  if  afraid  of 
a  human  face  1     What  is  that  sudden  rustling 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  17 

among  the  leaves'?  Why  are  those  persons  flying 
from  our  approach,  and  hiding  themselves  in  yon 
darkest  thicket  ]  Behold,  as  we  get  into  the  plain, 
a  deserted  village  !  The  rice-field  has  been  just 
trodden  down  around  it.  An  aged  man,  venerable 
by  his  silver  beard,  lies  wounded  and  dying  near 
the  threshold  of  his  hut.  War,  suddenly  insti- 
gated by  avarice,  has  just  visited  the  dwellings 
which  we  see.  The  old  have  been  butchered, 
because  unfit  for  slavery,  and  the  young  have  been 
carried  off,  except  such  as  have  fallen  in  the  con- 
flict, or  have  escaped  among  the  woods  behind  us. 

But  let  us  hasten  from  this  cruel  scene,  which 
gives  rise  to  so  many  melancholy  reflections.  Let 
us  cross  yon  distant  river,  and  enter  into  some 
new  domain.  But  are  we  relieved  even  here  from 
afflicting  spectacles  ?  Look  at  that  immense  crowd, 
which  appears  to  be  gathered  in  a  ring.  See  the 
accused  innocent  in  the  middle.  The  ordeal  of 
poisonous  water  has  been  administered  to  him,  as 
a  test  of  his  innocence  or  his  guilt.  He  begins  to 
be  sick,  and  pale.  Alas  !  yon  mournful  shriek  of 
his  relatives  confirms  that  the  loss  of  his  freedom 
is  now  sealed. 

And  whither  shall  we  go  now  ?  The  night  is 
approaching  fast.  Let  us  find  some  friendly  hut, 
where  sleep  may  make  us  forget  for  a  while  the 
sorrows  of  the  day.  Behold  a  hospitable  native 
ready  to  receive  us  at  his  door  !  Let  us  avail  our- 
selves of  his  kindness,  And  now  let  us  give  our- 
selves to  repose.     But  why,  when  our  eyelids  are 

but  just  closed,  do  we  find  ourselves  thus  suddenly 
vol.  i.  2  * 


18  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

awakened  ?  What  is  the  meaning"  of  the  noise 
around  us,  of  the  trampling  of  people's  feet,  of 
the  rustling  of  the  bow,  the  quiver,  and  the  lance  ? 
Let  us  rise  up  and  inquire.  Behold  !  the  inhabit- 
ants are  all  alarmed!  A  wakeful  woman  has 
shown  them  yon  distant  column  of  smoke  and 
blaze.  The  neighboring  village  is  on  fire.  The 
prince,  unfaithful  to  the  sacred  duty  of  the  pro- 
tection of  his  subjects,  has  surrounded  them.  He 
is  now  burning  their  habitations,  and  seizing,  as 
saleable  booty,  the  fugitives  from  the  flames. 

Such  then  are  some  of  the  scenes  that  have 
been  passing  in  Africa  in  consequence  of  the  exist- 
ence of  the  Slave-trade  ;  or  such  is  the  nature  of 
the  evil,  as  it  has  shown  itself  in  the  first  of  the 
cases  we  have  noticed.  Let  us  now  estimate  it  as 
it  has  been  proved  to  exist  in  the  second  ;  or  let 
us  examine  the  state  of  the  unhappy  Africans, 
reduced  to  slavery  in  this  manner,  while  on  board 
the  vessels,  which  are  to  convey  them  across  the 
ocean  to  other  lands.  And  here  I  must  observe  at 
once,  that,  as  far  as  this  part  of  the  evil  is  con- 
cerned, I  am  at  a  loss  to  describe  it.  Where  shall 
I  find  words  to  express  properly  their  sorrow,  as 
arising  from  the  reflection  of  being  parted  for  ever 
from  their  friends,  their  relatives,  and  their  coun- 
try ]  Where  shall  I  find  language  to  paint  in 
appropriate  colors  the  horror  of  mind  brought  on 
by  thoughts  of  their  future  unknown  destination, 
of  which  they  can  augur  nothing  but  misery  from 
all  that  they  have  yet  seen  ?  How  shall  I  make 
known  their  situation,  while  laboring  under  pain- 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  19 

ful  disease,  or  while  struggling  in  the  suffocating 
holds  of  their  prisons,  like  animals  inclosed  in  an 
exhausted  receiver  *?  How  shall  I  describe  their 
feelings  as  exposed  to  all  the  personal  indignities, 
which  lawless  appetite  or  brutal  passion  may  sug- 
gest %  How  shall  I  exhibit  their  sufferings  as 
determining  to  refuse  sustenance  and  die,  or  as 
resolving  to  break  their  chains,  and,  disdaining  to 
live  as  slaves,  to  punish  their  oppressors  1  How 
shall  I  give  an  idea  of  their  agony,  when  under 
various  punishments  and  tortures  for  their  reputed 
crimes  1  Indeed  every  part  of  this  subject  defies 
my  powers,  and  I  must  therefore  satisfy  myself 
and  the  reader  with  a  general  representation,  or  in 
the  words  of  a  celebrated  member  of  Parliament, 
that  "  Never  was  so  much  human  suffering  con- 
densed in  so  small  a  space." 

I  come  now  to  the  evil,  as  it  has  been  proved  to 
arise  in  the  third  case  ;  or  to  consider  the  situation 
of  the  unhappy  victims  of  the  trade,  when  their 
painful  voyages  are  over,  or  after  they  have  been 
landed  upon  their  destined  shores.  And  here  we 
are  to  view  them  first  under  the  degrading  light 
of  cattle.  We  are  to  see  them  examined,  handled, 
selected,  separated,  and  sold.  Alas  !  relatives  are 
separated  from  relatives,  as  if,  like  cattle,  they  had 
no  rational  intellect,  no  power  of  feeling  the  near- 
ness of  relationship,  nor  sense  of  the  duties  belong- 
ing to  the  ties  of  life  !  We  are  next  to  see  them 
laboring,  and  this  for  the  benefit  of  those,  to  whom 
they  are  under  no  obligation,  by  any  law  either 
natural  or  divine,  to  obey.     We  are  to  see  them^ 


20  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

if  refusing  the  commands  of  their  purchasers,  how- 
ever weary,  or  feeble,  or  indisposed,  subject  to  cor- 
poreal punishments,  and,  if  forcibly  resisting  them, 
to  death.  We  are  to  see  them  in  a  state  of  general 
degradation  and  misery.  The  knowledge,  which 
their  oppressors  have  of  their  own  crime  in  having 
violated  the  rights  of  nature,  and  of  the  disposi- 
tion of  the  injured  to  seek  all  opportunities  of 
revenge,  produces  a  fear  which  dictates  to  them 
the  necessity  of  a  system  of  treatment  by  which 
they  shall  keep  up  a  wide  distinction  between  the 
two,  and  by  which  the  noble  feelings  of  the  latter 
shall  be  kept  down,  and  their  spirits  broken.  We 
are  to  see  them  again  subject  to  individual  perse- 
cution, as  anger,  or  malice,  or  any  bad  passion  may 
suggest.  Hence  the  whip  ;  the  chain  ;  the  iron 
collar.  Hence  the  various  modes  of  private  tor- 
ture, of  which  so  many  accounts  have  been  truly 
given.  Nor  can  such  horrible  cruelties  be  discov- 
ered so  as  to  be  made  punishable,  while  the  testi- 
mony of  any  number  of  the  oppressed  is  invalid 
against  the  oppressors,  however  they  may  be 
offences  against  the  laws.  And,  lastly,  we  are  to 
see  their  innocent  offspring,  against  whose  personal 
liberty  the  shadow  of  an  argument  cannot  be 
advanced,  inheriting  all  the  miseries  of  their  pa- 
rents' lot. 

The  evil  then,  as  far  as  it  has  been  hitherto 
viewed,  presents  to  us  in  its  three  several  depart- 
ments a  measure  of  human  suffering  not  to  be 
equalled;  not  to  be  calculated  ;  not  to  be  described, 
But  would  that  we  could  consider  this  part  of  the 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  21 

subject  as  dismissed !  Would  that  in  each  of  the 
departments  now  examined  there  was  no  counter- 
part left  us  to  contemplate  !  but  this  cannot  be. 
For  if  there  be  persons,  who  suffer  unjustly,  there 
must  be  others,  who  oppress.  And  if  there  be 
those  who  oppress,  there  must  be  to  the  suffering, 
which  has  been  occasioned,  a  corresponding  portion 
of  immorality  or  guilt. 

We  are  obliged  then  to  view  the  counterpart  of 
the  evil  in  question,  before  we  can  make  a  proper 
estimate  of  the  nature  of  it.  And,  in  examining 
this  part  of  it,  we  shall  find  that  we  have  a  no  less 
frightful  picture  to  behold  than  in  the  former  cases ; 
or  that,  while  the  miseries  endured  by  the  unfor- 
tunate Africans  excite  our  pity  on  the  one  hand, 
the  vices,  which  are  connected  with  them,  provoke 
our  indignation  and  abhorrence  on  the  other.  The 
Slave-trade,  in  this  point  of  view,  must  strike  us 
as  an  immense  mass  of  evil  on  account  of  the  crim- 
inality attached  to  it,  as  displayed  in  the  various 
branches  of  it,  which  have  already  been  examined. 
For,  to  take  the  counterpart  of  the  evil  in  the  first 
of  these,  can  we  say,  that  no  moral  turpitude  is  to 
be  placed  to  the  account  of  those,  who  living  on 
the  continent  of  Africa,  give  birth  to  the  enormities 
which  take  place  in  consequence  of  the  prosecution 
of  this  trade  1  Is  not  that  man  made  morally 
worse,  who  is  induced  to  become  a  tiger  to  his 
species,  or  who,  instigated  by  avarice,  lies  in  wait 
in  the  thicket  to  get  possession  of  his  fellow-man  1 
Is  no  injustice  manifest  in  the  land,  where  the 
prince,  unfaithful  to  his  duty,  seizes  his  innocent 


22  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

subjects,  and  sells  them  for  slaves  ]  Are  no  moral 
evils  produced  among  those  communities,  which 
make  war  upon  other  communities  for  the  sake  of 
plunder,  and  without  any  previous  provocation  or 
offence  ]  Does  no  crime  attach  to  those,  who 
accuse  others  falsely,  or  who  multiply  and  divide 
crimes  for  the  sake  of  the  profit  of  the  punishment, 
and  who  for  the  same  reason  continue  the'use  of 
barbarous  and  absurd  ordeals  as  a  test  of  innocence 
or  guilt  1 

In  the  second  of  these  branches  the  counterpart 
of  the  evil  is  to  be  seen  in  the  conduct  of  those, 
who  purchase  the  miserable  natives  in  their  own 
country,  and  convey  them  to  distant  lands.  And 
here  questions,  similar  to  the  former,  may  be  asked. 
Do  they  experience  no  corruption  of  their  nature, 
or  become  chargeable  with  no  violation  of  right, 
who,  when  they  go  with  their  ships  to  this  conti- 
nent, know  the  enormities  which  their  visits  there 
will  occasion,  who  buy  their  fellow-creature  man, 
and  this,  knowing  the  way  in  which  he  comes  into 
their  hands,  and  who  chain,  and  imprison,  and 
scourge  him  %  Do  the  moral  feelings  of  those  per- 
sons escape  without  injury,  whose  hearts  are  hard- 
ened ]  And  can  the  hearts  of  those  be  otherwise 
than  hardened,  who  are  familiar  with  the  tears  and 
groans  of  innocent  strangers  forcibly  torn  away 
from  every  thing  that  is  dear  to  them  in  life,  who 
are  accustomed  to  see  them  on  board  their  vessels 
in  a  state  of  suffocation  and  in  the  agonies  of  de- 
spair, and  wTho  are  themselves  in  the  habits  of  the 
cruel  use  of  arbitrary  power  ? 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  23 

The  counterpart  of  the  evil  in  its  third  branch 
is  to  be  seen  in  the  conduct  of  those,  who,  when 
these  miserable  people  have  been  landed,  purchase 
and  carry  them  to  their  respective  homes.  And 
let  us  see  whether  a  mass  of  wickedness  is  not 
generated  also  in  the  present  case.  Can  those 
have  nothing  to  answer  for,  who  separate  the  faith- 
fid  ties  which  nature  and  religion  have  created  % 
Can  their  feelings  be  otherwise  than  corrupted, 
who  consider  their  fellow-creatures  as  brutes,  or 
treat  those  as  cattle,  who  may  become  the  temples 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  in  whom  the  Divinity  dis- 
dains not  himself  to  dwell  1  Is  there  no  injustice 
in  forcing  men  to  labor  without  wages  1  Is  there 
no  breach  of  duty,  when  we  are  commanded  to 
clothe  the  naked,  and  feed  the  hungry,  and  visit 
the  sick  and  in  prison,  in  exposing  them  to  want, 
in  torturing  them  by  cruel  punishment,  and  in 
grinding  them  down  by  hard  labor,  so  as  to  shorten 
their  days  1  Is  there  no  crime  in  adopting  a  sys- 
tem, which  keeps  down  all  the  noble  faculties  of 
their  souls,  and  which  positively  debases  and  cor- 
rupts their  nature  1  Is  there  no  crime  in  perpetu- 
ating these  evils  among  their  innocent  offspring  ? 
And  finally,  besides  all  these  crimes,  is  there  not 
naturally  in  the  familiar  sight  of  the  exercise,  but 
more  especially  in  the  exercise  itself,  of  uncon- 
trolled power,  that  which  vitiates  the  internal  man? 
In  seeing  misery  stalk  daily  over  the  land,  do  not 
all  become  insensibly  hardened  1  By  giving  birth 
to  that  misery  themselves,  do  they  not  become 
abandoned  ]     In  what  state  of  society  are  the  cor- 


24  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

rupt  appetites  so  easily,  so  quickly,  and  so  fre- 
quently indulged,  and  where  else,  by  means  of 
frequent  indulgence,  do  these  experience  such  a 
monstrous  growth  1  Where  else  is  the  temper  sub- 
ject to  such  frequent  irritation,  or  passion  to  such 
little  control  1  Yes  ;  if  the  unhappy  slave  is  in  an 
unfortunate  situation,  so  is  the  tyrant  who  holds 
him.  Action  and  reaction  are  equal  to  each  other, 
as  well  in  the  moral  as  in  the  natural  world.  You 
cannot  exercise  an  improper  dominion  over  a  fel- 
low-creature, but  by  a  wise  ordering  of  Providence 
you  must  necessarily  injure  yourself. 

Having  now  considered  the  nature  of  the  evil  of 
the  Slave-trade  in  its  three  separate  departments 
of  suffering,  and  in  its  corresponding  counterparts 
of  guilt,  I  shall  make  a  few  observations  on  the 
extent  of  it. 

On  this  subject  it  must  strike  us,  that  the  misery 
and  the  crimes  included  in  the  evil,  as  it  has  been 
found  in  Africa,  were  not  like  common  maladies, 
which  make  a  short  or  periodical  visit  and  then  are 
gone,  but  that  they  were  continued  daily.  Nor 
were  they  like  diseases,  which  from  local  causes, 
attack  a  village  or  a  town,  and  by  the  skill  of  the 
physician,  under  the  blessing  of  Providence,  are 
removed,  but  they  affected  a  whole  continent. 
The  trade  with  all  its  horrors  began  at  the  river 
Senegal,  and  continued,  winding  with  the  coast, 
through  its  several  geographical  divisions  to  Cape 
Negro ;  a  distance  of  more  than  three  thousand 
miles.  In  various  lines  or  paths  formed  at  right 
angles  from  the  shore,  and  passing  into  the  heart 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  25 

of  the  country,  slaves  were  procured  and  brought 
down.  The  distance,  which  many  of  them  trav- 
elled)  was  immense.  Those,  who  have  been  in 
Africa,  have  assured  us,  that  they  came  as  far  as 
from  the  sources  of  their  largest  rivers,  which  we 
know  to  be  many  hundred  miles  inland,  and  the 
natives  have  told  us5  in  their  way  of  computation, 
that  they  came  a  journey  of  many  moons. 

It  must  strike  us  again,  that  the  misery  and  the 
crimes,  included  in  the  evil,  as  it  has  been  shown 
in  the  transportation,  had  no  ordinary  bounds. 
They  were  not  to  be  seen  in  the  crossing  of  a  river, 
but  of  an  ocean.  They  did  not  begin  in  the  morn- 
ing and  end  at  night,  but  were  continued  for  many 
weeks,  and  sometimes  by  casualties  for  a  quarter 
of  the  year.  They  were  not  limited  to  the  pre- 
cincts of  a  solitary  ship,  but  were  spread  among 
many  vessels  ;  and  these  were  so  constantly  pass- 
ing, that  the  ocean  itself  never  ceased  to  be  a 
witness  of  their  existence. 

And  it  must  strike  us  finally,  that  the  misery 
and  crimes,  included  in  the  evil  as  it  has  been 
found  in  foreign  lands,  were  not  confined  within 
the  shores  of  a  little  island.  Most  of  the  islands 
of  a  continent,  and  many  of  these  of  considerable 
population  and  extent,  were  filled  with  them.  And 
the  continent  itself,  to  which  these  geographically 
belong,  was  widely  polluted  by  their  domain. 
Hence,  if  we  were  to  take  the  vast  extent  of  space 
occupied  by  these  crimes  and  sufferings  from  the 
heart  of  Africa  to  its  shores,  and  that  which  they 
filled  on  the  continent  of  America  and  the  islands 

VOL.  I.  3 


26  i     THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

adjacent,  and  were  to  join  the  crimes  and  sufferings 
in  one  to  those  in  the  other  by  the  crimes  and  suf- 
ferings which  took  place  in  the  track  of  the  vessels 
successively  crossing  the  Atlantic,  we  should  be- 
hold a  vast  belt  as  it  were  of  physical  and  moral 
evil,  reaching  through  land  and  ocean  to  the  length 
of  nearly  half  the  circle  of  the  globe. 

The  next  view,  which  I  shall  take  of  this  evil, 
will  be  as  it  relates  to  the  difficulty  of  subduing  it. 

This  difficulty  may  be  supposed  to  have  been 
more  than  ordinarily  great.  Many  evils  of  a  pub- 
lic nature,  which  existed  in  former  times,  were  the 
offspring  of  ignorance  and  superstition,  and  they 
were  subdued  of  course  by  the  progress  of  light 
and  knowledge.  But  the  evil  in  question  began 
in  avarice.  It  was  nursed  also  by  worldly  interest. 
It  did  not  therefore  so  easily  yield  to  the  usual 
correctives  of  disorders  in  the  world.  We  may 
observe  also,  that  the  interest  by  which  it  was  thus 
supported,  was  not  that  of  a  few  individuals,  nor 
of  one  body,  but  of  many  bodies  of  men.  It  was 
interwoven  again  into  the  system  of  the  commerce 
and  of  the  revenue  of  nations.  Hence  the  mer- 
chant ;  the  planter ;  the  mortgagee  ;  the  manu- 
facturer ;  the  politician ;  the  legislator ;  the  cabinet 
minister  ;  lifted  up  their  voices  against  the  anni- 
hilation of  it.  For  these  reasons  the  Slave-trade 
may  be  considered,  like  the  fabulous  hydra,  to 
have  had  a  hundred  heads,  every  one  of  which  it 
Was  necessary  to  cut  off  before  it  could  be  subdued. 
And  as  none  but  Hercules  was  fitted  to  conquer 
the  one,  so  nothing  less  than  extraordinary  pru- 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  %7 

dence,  courage,  labor,  and  patience,  could  over- 
come the  other.  To  protection  in  this  manner  by 
his  hundred  interests  it  was  owing-,  that  the  mon- 
ster stalked  in  security  for  so  long  a  time.  He 
stalked  too  in  the  open  day,  committing  his  mighty 
depredations.  And  when  good  men,  whose  duty 
it  was  to  mark  him  as  the  object  of  their  destruc- 
tion, began  to  assail  him,  he  did  not  fly,  but 
gnashed  his  teeth  at  them,  growling  savagely  at 
the  same  time,  and  putting  himself  into  a  posture 
of  defiance. 

We  see  then,  in  whatever  light  we  consider  the 
Slave-trade,  whether  we  examine  into  the  nature 
of  it,  or  whether  we  look  into  the  extent  of  it,  or 
whether  we  estimate  the  difficulty  of  subduing  it, 
we  must  conclude  that  no  evil  more  monstrous 
has  ever  existed  upon  earth.  But  if  so,  then  we 
have  proved  the  truth  of  the  position,  that  the 
abolition  of  it  ought  to  be  accounted  by  us  as  one 
of  the  greatest  blessings,  and  that  it  ought  to  be 
one  of  the  most  copious  sources  of  our  joy.  In- 
deed I  do  not  know,  how  we  can  sufficiently  ex- 
press what  we  ought  to  feel  upon  this  occasion. 
It  becomes  us  as  individuals  to  rejoice.  It  becomes 
us  as  a  nation  to  rejoice.  It  becomes  us  even  to 
perpetuate  our  joy  to  our  posterity.  I  do  not  mean 
however  by  anniversaries,  which  are  to  be  cele- 
brated by  the  ringing  of  bells  and  convivial  meet- 
ings, but  by  handing  down  this  great  event  so 
impressively  to  our  children,  as  to  raise  in  them, 
if  not  continual,  yet  frequently  renewed  thanks- 
givings, to  the  great  Creator  of  the  universe,  for 


28  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

the  manifestation  of  this  his  favor,  in  having  dis- 
posed our  legislators  to  take  away  such  a  portion 
of  suffering  from  our  fellow-creatures,  and  such  a 
load  of  guilt  from  our  native  land. 

And  as  the  contemplation  of  the  removal  of  this 
monstrous  evil  should  excite  in  us  the  most  pleas- 
ing and  grateful  sensations,  so  the  perusal  of  the 
history  of  it  should  afford  us  lessons,  which  it 
must  be  useful  to  us  to  know  or  to  be  reminded 
of.  For  it  cannot  be  otherwise  than  useful  to  us 
to  know  the  means  which  have  been  used,  and  the 
different  persons  who  have  moved,  in  so  great  a 
cause.  It  cannot  be  otherwise  than  useful  to  us 
to  be  impressively  reminded  of  the  simple  axiom, 
which  the  perusal  of  this  history  will  particularly 
suggest  to  us,  that  "the  greatest  works  must  have 
a  beginning;"  because  the  fostering  of  such  an 
idea,  in  our  minds  cannot  but  encourage  us  to  un- 
dertake the  removal  of  evils,  however  vast  they 
may  appear  in  their  size,  or  however  difficult  to 
overcome.  It  cannot  again  be  otherwise  than 
useful  to  us  to  be  assured  (and  this  history  will 
assure  us  of  it)  that  in  any  work,  which  is  a  work 
of  righteousness,  however  small  the  beginning  may 
be,  or  however  small  the  progress  may  be  that  we 
may  make  in  it,  we  ought  never  to  despair ;  for 
that,  whatever  checks  and  discouragements  we 
may  meet  with,  "no  virtuous  effort  is  ever  ulti- 
mately lost."  And  finally,  it  cannot  be  otherwise 
than  useful  to  us  to  form  the  opinion,  which  the 
contemplation  of  this  subject  must  always  pro- 
duce, namely,  that  many  of  the  evils,  which  are 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVETRADE.  29 

still  left  among  us,  may,  by  an  union  of  wise  and 
virtuous  individuals,  be  greatly  alleviated,  if  not 
entirely  done  away :  for  if  the  great  evil  of  the 
Slave-trade,  so  deeply  intrenched  by  its  hundred 
interests,  has  fallen  prostrate  before  the  efforts  of 
those  who  attacked  it,  what  evil  of  a  less  magni- 
tude shall  not  be  more  easily  subdued?  O  may 
reflections  of  this  sort  always  enliven  us,  always 
encourage  us,  always  stimulate  us  to  our  duty  ! 
May  we  never  cease  to  believe,  that  many  of 
the  miseries  of  life  are  still  to  be  remedied,  or  to 
rejoice  that  we  may  be  permitted,  if  we  will  only 
make  ourselves  worthy  by  our  endeavors,  to  heal 
them !  May  we  encourage  for  this  purpose  every 
generous  sympathy  that  arises  in  our  hearts,  as 
the  offspring  of  the  Divine  influence  for  our  good, 
convinced  that  we  are  not  born  for  ourselves  alone, 
and  that  the  Divinity  never  so  fully  dwells  in  us, 
as  when  we  do  his  will ;  and  that  we  never  do  his 
will  more  agreeably,  as  far  as  it  has  been  revealed 
to  us,  than  when  we  employ  our  time  in  works  of 
charity  towards  the  rest  of  our  fellow-creatures  ! 


vol.  i.  3* 


30  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 


CHAPTER   II. 


AS  IT  IS  DESIRABLE  TO  KNOW  THE  TRUE  SOURCES  OF  EVENTS  IN  HISTORY, 
SO  THIS  WILL  BE  REALIZED  IN  THAT  OF  THE  ABOLITION  OF  THE  SLAVE- 
TRADE. — Inquiry  as  to  those  who  favored  the  cause  of  the  Afri- 
cans  PREVIOUSLY   TO   THE   YEAR    1787. — ALL   THESE   TO   BE   CONSIDERED 

as  necessary  forerunners  in  that  cause. — flrst  forerunners 
were  Cardinal  Ximenes,  the  Emperor  Charles  the  Fifth,  Pope 
Leo  the  Tenth,  Elizabeth  Queen  of  England,  Louis  the  Thir- 
teenth of  France. 


It  would  be  considered  by  many,  who  have  stood 
at  the  mouth  of  a  river,  and  witnessed  its  torrent 
there,  to  be  both  an  interesting"  and  a  pleasing 
journey  to  go  to  the  fountainhead,  and  then  to 
travel  on  its  banks  downwards,  and  to  mark  the 
different  streams  in  each  side,  which  should  run 
into  it,  and  feed  it.  So  I  presume  the  reader  will 
not  be  a  little  interested  and  entertained  in  view- 
ing with  me  the  course  of  the  abolition  of  the 
Slave-trade,  in  first  finding  its  source,  and  then  in 
tracing  the  different  springs  which  have  con- 
tributed to  its  increase.  And  here  I  may  observe 
that,  in  doing  this,  we  shall  have  advantages, 
which  historians  have  not  always  had  in  develop- 
ing the  causes  of  things.  Many  have  handed 
down  to  us  events,  for  the  production  of  which 
they  have  given  us  but  their  own  conjectures. 
There  has  been  often,  indeed,  such  a  distance  be- 
tween the  events  themselves  and  the  lives  of  those 
who  have  recorded  them,  that  the  different  means 
and  motives  belonging  to  them  have  been  lost 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  31 

through  time.  On  the  present  occasion,  however, 
we  shall  have  the  peculiar  satisfaction  of  knowing 
that  we  communicate  the  truth,  or  that  those, 
which  we  unfold,  are  the  true  causes  and  means. 
For  the  most  remote  of  all  the  human  springs, 
which  can  be  traced  as  having  any  bearing  upon 
the  great  event  in  question,  will  fall  within  the 
period  of  three  centuries,  and  the  most  powerful 
of  them  within  the  last  twenty  years.  These  cir- 
cumstances indeed  have  had  their  share  in  inducing 
me  to  engage  in  the  present  history.  Had  I  mea- 
sured it  by  the  importance  of  the  subject,  1  had 
been  deterred  :  but  believing  that  most  readers 
love  the  truth,  and  that  it  ought  to  be  the  object 
of  all  writers  to  promote  it,  and  believing,  moreover, 
that  I  was  in  possession  of  more  facts  on  this  sub- 
ject than  any  other  person,  I  thought  I  was  pecu- 
liarly called  upon  to  undertake  it. 

In  tracing  the  different  streams  from  whence  the 
torrent  arose,  which  has  now  happily  swept  away 
the  Slave-trade,  I  must  begin  with  an  inquiry  as  to 
those  who  favored  the  cause  of  the  injured  Afri- 
cans from  the  year  1516  to  the  year  1787,  at  which 
latter  period  a  number  of  persons  associated  them- 
selves in  England  for  its  abolition.  For  though 
they,  who  belonged  to  this  association,  may,  in 
consequence  of  having  pursued  a  regular  system, 
be  called  the  principal  actors,  yet  it  must  be  ac- 
knowledged that  their  efforts  would  never  have 
been  so  effectual,  if  the  minds  of  men  had  not  been 
prepared  by  others,  who  had  moved  before  them. 
Great  events  have  never  taken  place  without  pre- 


32  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

viously  disposing  causes.  So  it  is  in  the  case  be- 
fore us.  Hence  they,  who  lived  even  in  early  times, 
and  favored  this  great  cause,  may  be  said  to  have 
been  necessary  precursors  in  it.  And  here  it  may 
be  proper  to  observe,  that  it  is  by  no  means  neces- 
sary that  ail  these  should  have  been  themselves 
actors  in  the  production  of  this  great  event.  Per- 
sons have  contributed  towards  it  in  different  ways. 
Some  have  written  expressly  on  the  subject,  who 
have  had  no  opportunity  of  promoting  it  by  per- 
sonal exertions.  Others  have  only  mentioned  it 
incidentally  in  their  writings.  Others,  in  an  ele- 
vated rank  and  station,  have  cried  out  publicly 
concerning  it,  whose  sayings  have  been  recorded. 
All  these,  however,  may  be  considered  as  neces- 
sary forerunners  in  their  day.  For  all  of  them  have 
brought  the  subject  more  or  less  into  notice.  They 
have  more  or  less  enlightened  the  mind  upon  it. 
They  have  more  or  less  impressed  it.  And  there- 
fore each  may  be  said  to  have  had  his  share  in 
diffusing  and  keeping  up  a  certain  portion  of 
knowledge  and  feeling  concerning  it,  which  has 
been  eminently  useful  in  the  promotion  of  the 
cause. 

It  is  rather  remarkable,  that  the  first  forerunners 
and  coadjutors  should  have  been  men  in  power. 

So  early  as  in  the  year  1503  a  few  slaves  had 
been  sent  from  the  Portuguese  settlements  in  Africa 
into  the  Spanish  colonies  in  America.  In  1511, 
Ferdinand  the  Fifth,  king  of  Spain,  permitted  them 
to  be  carried  in  greater  numbers.  Ferdinand,  how- 
ever, must  have  been  ignorant  in  these  early  times 


ABOLITION     OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  33 

of  the  piratical  manner  in  which  the  Portuguese 
had  procured  them.  He  could  have  known  nothing 
of  their  treatment  when  in  bondage,  nor  could  he 
have  viewed  the  few  uncertain  adventurous  trans- 
portations of  them  into  his  dominions  in  the  west- 
ern world,  in  the  light  of  a  regular  trade.  After 
his  death,  however,  a  proposal  was  made  by  Bar- 
tholomew de  las  Casas,  the  bishop  of  Chiapa,  to 
cardinal  Ximenes,  who  held  the  reins  of  the  gov- 
ernment of  Spain  till  Charles  the  Fifth  came  to 
the  throne,  for  the  establishment  of  a  regular  sys- 
tem of  commerce  in  the  persons  of  the  native 
Africans.  The  object  of  Bartholomew  de  las  Casas 
was  undoubtedly  to  save  the  American  Indians, 
whose  cruel  treatment  and  almost  extirpation  he 
had  witnessed  during  his  residence  among  them, 
and  in  whose  behalf  he  had  undertaken  a  voyage 
to  the  court  of  Spain.  It  is  difficult  to  reconcile 
this  proposal  with  the  humane  and  charitable  spirit 
of  the  bishop  of  Chiapa.  But  it  is  probable  he 
believed  that  a  code  of  laws  would  soon  be  estab- 
lished in  favor  both  of  Africans  and  of  the  natives 
in  the  Spanish  settlements,  and  that  he  flattered 
himself  that,  being  about  to  return  and  to  live  in 
the  country  of  their  slavery,  he  could  look  to  the 
execution  of  it.  The  cardinal,  however,  with  a 
foresight,  a  benevolence,  and  a  justice,  which  will 
always  do  honor  to  his  memory,  refused  the  pro- 
posal, not  only  judging  it  to  be  unlawful  to  consign 
innocent  people  to  slavery  at  all,  but  to  be  very 
inconsistent  to  deliver  the  inhabitants  of  one  coun- 
try from  a  state  of  misery  by  consigning  to  it  those 


34  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

of  another.  Ximenes  therefore  may  be  considered 
as  one  of  the  first  great  friends  of  the  Africans 
after  the  partial  beginning  of  the  trade. 

This  answer  of  the  cardinal,  as  it  showed  his 
virtue  as  an  individual,  so  it  was  peculiarly  honor- 
able to  him  as  a  public  man,  and  ought  to  operate 
as  a  lesson  to  other  statesmen,  how  they  admit 
any  thing  new,  among  political  regulations  and 
establishments,  which  is  connected  in  the  smallest 
degree  with  injustice.  For  evil,  when  once  sanc- 
tioned by  governments,  spreads  in  a  tenfold  degree, 
and  may,  unless  seasonably  checked,  become  so 
ramified,  as  to  affect  the  reputation  of  a  country, 
and  to  render  its  own  removal  scarcely  possible 
without  detriment  to  the  political  concerns  of  the 
state.  In  no  instance  has  this  been  verified  more 
than  in  the  case  of  the  Slave-trade.  Never  was 
our  national  character  more  tarnished,  and  our 
prosperity  more  clouded  by  guilt.  Never  was 
there  a  monster  more  difficult  to  subdue.  Even 
they,  who  heard  as  it  were  the  shrieks  of  oppres- 
sion, and  wished  to  assist  the  sufferers,  were  fearful 
of  joining  in  their  behalf.  While  they  acknowl- 
edged the  necessity  of  removing  one  evil,  they 
were  terrified  by  the  prospect  of  introducing  an- 
other ;  and  were  therefore  only  able  to  relieve  their 
feelings,  by  lamenting  in  the  bitterness  of  their 
hearts,  that  this  traffic  had  ever  been  begun  at  all. 

After  the  death  of  cardinal  Ximenes,  the  em- 
peror Charles  the  Fifth,  who  had  come  into  power, 
encouraged  the  Slave-trade.  In  1517  he  granted 
a  patent  to  one  of  his  Flemish  favorites,  contain- 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  35 

ing  an  exclusive  right  of  importing  four  thousand 
Africans  into  America.  But  he  lived  long  enough 
to  repent  of  what  he  had  thus  inconsiderately 
done.  For  in  the  year  1542  he  made  a  code  of 
laws  for  the  better  protection  of  the  unfortunate 
Indians  in  his  foreign  dominions  ;  and  he  stopped 
the  progress  of  African  slavery  by  an  order,  that 
all  slaves  in  his  American  islands  should  be  made 
free.  This  order  was  executed  by  Pedro  de  la 
Gasca.  Manumission  took  place  as  well  in  His- 
paniola  as  on  the  continent.  But  on  the  return  of 
Gasca  to  Spain,  and  the  retirement  of  Charles  into 
a  monastery,  slavery  was  revived. 

It  is  impossible  to  pass  over  this  instance  of  the 
abolition  of  slavery  by  Charles  in  all  his  foreign 
dominions,   without   some    comments.     It   shows 
him,  first,  to  have  been  a  friend  both  to  the  Indians 
and  the  Africans,  as  a  part  of  the  human  race. 
It  shows  he  was  ignorant  of  what  he  was  doing 
when  he  gave  his  sanction  to  this  cruel  trade.     It 
shows  when  legislators  give  one  set  of  men  an 
undue  power  over  another,  how  quickly  they  abuse 
it ;  or  he  never  would  have  found  himself  obliged 
in  the  short  space  of  twenty-five  years  to  undo 
that  which  he  had  countenanced  as  a  great  state- 
measure.     And  while  it  confirms  the  former  lesson 
to  statesmen,  of  watching  the  beginnings  or  prin- 
ciples of  things  in  their  political  movements,  it 
should  teach  them  never  to  persist  in  the  support 
of  evils,  through  the  false  shame  of  being  obliged 
to  confess  that  they  had  once  given  them  their 
sanction,  nor  to  delay  the  cure  of  them  because, 


36  THE    HISTORY    OP    THE 

politically  speaking,  neither  this  nor  that  is  the 
proper  season  ;  but  to  do  them  away  instantly,  as 
there  can  only  be  one  fit  or  proper  time  in  the  eye 
of  religion,  namely,  on  the  conviction  of  their 
existence. 

From  the  opinions  of  cardinal  Ximenes  and  of 
the  emperor  Charles  the  Fifth,  I  hasten  to  that 
which  was  expressed  much  about  the  same  time, 
in  a  public  capacity,  by  pope  Leo  the  Tenth.  The 
Dominicans  in  Spanish  America,  witnessing  the 
cruel  treatment  which  the  slaves  underwent  there, 
considered  slavery  as  utterly  repugnant  to  the 
principles  of  the  gospel,  and  recommended  the 
abolition  of  it.  The  Franciscans  did  not  favor 
the  former  in  this  their  scheme  of  benevolence ; 
and  the  consequence  was,  that  a  controversy  on 
this  subject  sprung  up  between  them,  which  was 
carried  to  this  pope  for  his  decision.  Leo  exerted 
himself,  much  to  his  honor,  in  behalf  of  the  poor 
sufferers,  and  declared  "  That  not  only  the  Chris- 
tian religion,  but  that  Nature  herself  cried  out 
against  a  state  of  slavery."  This  answer  was  cer- 
tainly worthy  of  one,  who  was  deemed  the  head 
of  the  Christian  church.  It  must,  however,  be  con- 
fessed that  it  would  have  been  strange  if  Leo,  in 
his  situation  as  pontiff,  had  made  a  different  reply. 
He  could  never  have  denied  that  God  was  no  re- 
specter of  persons.  He  must  have  acknowledged 
that  men  were  bound  to  love  each  other  as  breth- 
ren. And,  if  he  admitted  the  doctrine,  that  all 
men  were  accountable  for  their  actions  hereafter, 
he  could  never  have  prevented  the  deduction,  that 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  37 

it  was  necessary  they  should  be  free.  Nor  could 
he,  as  a  man  of  high  attainments,  living  early  in 
the  sixteenth  century,  have  been  ignorant  of  what 
had  taken  place  in  the  twelfth  ;  or  that,  by  the 
latter  end  of  this  latter  century,  Christianity  had 
obtained  the  undisputed  honor  of  having  extirpated 
slavery  from  the  western  part  of  the  European 
world* 

From  Spain  and  Italy  I  come  to  England.  The 
first  importation  of  slaves  from  Africa  by  our  coun- 
trymen was  in  the  reign  of  Elizabeth,  in  the  year 
1562.  This  great  princess  seems  on  the  very  com- 
mencement of  the  trade  to  have  questioned  its 
lawfulness.  She  seems  to  have  entertained  a  reli- 
gious scruple  concerning  it,  and,  indeed,  to  have 
revolted  at  the  very  thought  of  it.  She  seems  to 
have  been  aware  of  the  evils  to  which  its  continu- 
ance might  lead,  or  that,  if  it  were  sanctioned,  the 
most  unjustifiable  means  might  be  made  use  of  to 
procure  the  persons  of  the  natives  of  Africa.  And 
in  what  light  she  would  have  viewed  any  acts  of 
this  kind,  had  they  taken  place,  we  may  conjec- 
ture from  this  fact ;  that  when  captain  (afterwards 
Sir  John)  Hawkins  returned  from  his  first  voyage 
to  Africa  and  Hispaniola,  whither  he  had  carried 
slaves,  she  sent  for  him,  and,  as  we  learn  from 
Hill's  Naval  History,  expressed  her  concern  lest 
any  of  the  Africans  should  be  carried  off  without 
their  free  consent,  declaring  that  "  It  would  be 
detestable,  and  call  down  the  vengeance  of  Heaven 
upon  the  undertakers."  Captain  Hawkins  prom- 
ised to  comply  with  the  injunctions  of  Elizabeth 

VOL.  I.  4 


38  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

in  this  respect.  But  he  did  not  keep  his  word ; 
for  when  he  went  to  Africa  again,  he  seized  many 
of  the  inhabitants,  and  carried  them  off  as  slaves, 
which  occasioned  Hill,  in  the  account  he  gives  of 
his  second  voyage,  to  use  these  remarkable  words  : 
"  Here  began  the  horrid  practice  of  forcing  the 
Africans  into  slavery,  an  injustice  and  barbarity 
which,  so  sure  as  there  is  vengeance  in  heaven  for 
the  worst  of  crimes,  will  sometime  be  the  destruc- 
tion of  all  who  allow  or  encourage  it."  That  the 
trade  should  have  been  suffered  to  continue  under 
such  a  princess,  and  after  such  solemn  expressions 
as  those  which  she  has  been  described  to  have 
uttered,  can  be  only  attributed  to  the  pains  taken 
by  those  concerned  in  it  to  keep  her  ignorant  of 
the  truth. 

From  England  I  now  pass  over  to  France.     La- 
bat,  a  Roman  missionary,  in  his  account  of  the 
isles  of  America,  mentions,  that  Louis  the  Thir- 
teenth was  very  uneasy  when  he  was  about  to 
issue  the  edict,  by  which  all  Africans  coming  into 
his  colonies  were  to  be  made  slaves,  and  that  this 
uneasiness  continued,  till  he  was  assured,  that  the 
introduction  of  them    in   this   capacity  into   his 
foreign  dominions  was  the  readiest  way  of  convert- 
ing them  to  the  principles  of  the  Christian  religion. 
These,  then>  were  the  first  forerunners  in  the 
great  cause  of  the   abolition  of  the  Slave-trade. 
Nor  have  their  services  towards  it  been  of  small 
moment.     For,  in  the  first  place,  they  have  ena- 
bled those,  who  came  after  them,  and  who  took 
an  active  interest  in  the  same  cause,  to  state  the 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  39 

great  authority  of  their  opinions  and  of  their  ex- 
ample. They  have  enabled  them,  again,  to  detail 
the  history  connected  with  these,  in  consequence 
of  which  circumstances  have  been  laid  open,  which 
it  is  of  great  importance  to  know.  For  have  they 
not  enabled  them  to  state,  that  the  African  Slave- 
trade  never  would  have  been  permitted  to  exist  but 
for  the  ignorance  of  those  in  authority  concerning 
it ;  that  at  its  commencement  there  was  a  revolt- 
ing of  nature  against  it ;  a  suspicion  ;  a  caution  ; 
a  fear  ;  both  as  to  its  unlawfulness  and  its  effects'? 
Have  they  not  enabled  them  to  state,  that  false- 
hoods were  advanced,  and  these  concealed  under 
the  mask  of  religion,  to  deceive  those  who  had  the 
power  to  suppress  it  ]  Have  they  not  enabled 
them  to  state,  that  this  trade  began  in  piracy,  and 
that  it  was  continued  upon  the  principles  of  force  1 
And,  finally,  have  not  they,  who  have  been  ena- 
bled to  make  these  statements,  knowing  all  the 
circumstances  connected  with  them,  found  their 
own  zeal  increased,  and  their  own  courage  and 
perseverance  strengthened  ;  and  have  they  not, 
by  the  communication  of  them  to  others,  produced 
many  friends  and  even  laborers  in  the  cause  1 


40  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 


CHAPTER   III. 

Forerunners  continued  to  1787 — divided  from  this  time  into  four 
classes. — First  class  consists  principally  of  persons  in  Great 
Britain  of  various  descriptions— Godwyn — Baxter — Tryon— South- 
ern— Primatt  —  Montesquieu  —  Hutcheson— Sharp — Ramsay — and  a 
multitude  of  others,  whose  names  and  services  follow. 

I  have  hitherto  traced  the  history  of  the  fore- 
runners in  this  great  cause  only  up  to  about  the 
year  1640.  If  I  am  to  pursue  my  plan,  I  am  to 
trace  it  to  the  year  1787.  But  in  order  to  show 
what  I  intend  in  a  clearer  point  of  view,  I  shall 
divide  those  who  have  lived  within  this  period,  and 
who  will  now  consist  of  persons  in  a  less  elevated 
station,  into  four  classes  :  and  I  shall  give  to  each 
class  a  distinct  consideration  by  itself. 

Several  of  our  old  English  writers,  though  they 
have  not  mentioned  the  African  Slave-trade,  or  the 
slavery  consequent  upon  it,  in  their  respective 
works,  have  yet  given  their  testimony  of  condem- 
nation against  both.     Thus  our  great  Milton  : 

"  O  execrable  son,  so  to  aspire 
Above  his  brethren,  to  himself  assuming 
Authority  usurped,  from  God  not  given ; 
He  gave  us  only  over  beast,  fish,  fowl, 
Dominion  absolute  ;  that  right  we  hold 
By  hip  donation ;  but  man  over  men 
He  made  not  lord,  such  title  to  himself 
Reserving,  human  left  from  human  free." 

I  might  mention  bishop  Saunderson  and  others, 
who  bore  a  testimony  equally  strong  against  the 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  41 

lawfulness  of  trading  in  the  persons  of  men,  and 
of  holding  them  in  bondage,  but  as  I  mean  to  con- 
fine myself  to  those,  who  have  favored  the  cause 
of  the  Africans  specifically,  I  cannot  admit  their 
names  into  any  of  the  classes  which  have  been 
announced. 

Of  those  who  compose  the  first  class,  defined  as 
it  has  now  been,  I  cannot  name  any  individual  who 
took  a  part  in  this  cause  till  between  the  years  1670 
and  1680.  For  in  the  year  1640,  and  for  a  few 
years  afterwards,  the  nature  of  the  trade  and  of  the 
slavery  was  but  little  known,  except  to  a  few  indi- 
viduals, who  were  concerned  in  them ;  and  it  is 
obvious  that  these  would  neither  endanger  their 
own  interest  nor  proclaim  their  own  guilt  by  ex- 
posing it.  The  first,  whom  I  shall  mention,  is 
Morgan  Godwyn,  a  clergyman  of  the  established 
church.  This  pious  divine  wrote  a  Treatise  upon 
the  subject,  which  he  dedicated  to  the  then  arch- 
bishop of  Canterbury.  He  gave  it  to  the  world, 
at  the  time  mentioned,  under  the  title  of  "  The 
Negroes  and  Indians  Advocate."  In  this  treatise 
he  lays  open  the  situation  of  these  oppressed  peo- 
ple, of  whose  sufferings  he  had  been  an  eyewit- 
ness in  the  Island  of  Barbadoes.  He  calls  forth 
the  pity  of  the  reader  in  an  affecting  manner,  and 
exposes  with  a  nervous  eloquence  the  brutal  senti- 
ments and  conduct  of  their  oppressors.  This  seems 
to  have  been  the  first  work  undertaken  in  England 
expressly  in  favor  of  the  cause. 

The  next  person,  whom  I  shall  mention,  is 
Richard  Baxter,  the  celebrated  divine  among  the 

vol.  i,  4* 


42  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

Nonconformists.  In  his  Christian  Directory,  pub- 
lished about  the  same  time  as  the  Negroes  and  In- 
dians Advocate,  he  gives  advice  to  those  masters 
in  foreign  plantations,  who  have  Negroes  and  other 
slaves.  In  this  he  protests  loudly  against  this 
trade.  He  says  expressly  that  they,  who  go  out 
as  pirates,  and  take  away  poor  Africans,  or  people 
of  another  land,  who  never  forfeited  life  or  liberty, 
and  make  them  slaves  and  sell  them,  are  the  worst 
of  robbers,  and  ought  to  be  considered  as  the  com- 
mon enemies  of  mankind  ;  and  that  they,  who  buy 
them,  and  use  them  as  mere  beasts  for  their  own 
convenience,  regardless  of  their  spiritual  welfare, 
are  fitter  to  be  called  demons  than  Christians.  He 
then  proposes  several  queries,  which  he  answers  in 
a  clear  and  forcible  manner,  showing  the  great 
inconsistency  of  this  traffic,  and  the  necessity  of 
treating  those  then  in  bondage  with  tenderness 
and  a  due  regard  to  their  spiritual  concerns. 

The  Directory  of  Baxter  was  succeeded  by  a 
publication  called  "  Friendly  Advice  to  the  Plant- 
ers :  in  three  parts."  The  first  of  these  was,  "A 
brief  Treatise  of  the  principal  Fruits  and  Herbs 
that  grow  in  Barbadoes,  Jamaica,  and  other  Plant- 
ations in  the  West  Indies."  The  second  was, 
"  The  Negroes  Complaint,  or  their  hard  Servitude, 
and  the  Cruelties  practised  upon  them  by  divers 
of  their  Masters  professing  Christianity."  And 
the  third  was,  "  A  Dialogue  between  an  Ethiopian 
and  a  Christian,  his  Master,  in  America."  In  the 
last  of  these,  Thomas  Tryon,  who  was  the  author, 
inveighs  both  against  the  commerce  and  the  slavery 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  43 

of  the  Africans,  and  in  a  striking  manner  examines 
each  by  the  touchstone  of  reason,  humanity,  jus- 
tice, and  religion. 

In  the  year  1696,  Southern  brought  forward  his 
celebrated  tragedy  of  Oronooko,  by  means  of  which 
many  became  enlightened  upon  the  subject,  and 
interested  in  it.  For  this  tragedy  was  not  a  repre- 
sentation of  fictitious  circumstances,  but  of  such 
as  had  occurred  in  the  colonies,  and  as  had  been 
communicated  in  a  publication  by  Mrs.  Behn. 

The  person,  who  seems  to  have  noticed  the  sub- 
ject next  was  Dr.  Primatt.  In  his  "  Dissertation 
on  the  Duty  of  Mercy,  and  on  the  Sin  of  Cruelty 
to  Brute  Animals,"  he  takes  occasion  to  advert  to 
the  subject  of  the  African  Slave-trade.  "  It  has 
pleased  God,"  says  he,  "  to  cover  some  men  with 
white  skins,  and  others  with  black  ;  but  as  there  is 
neither  merit  nor  demerit  in  complexion,  the  white 
man,  notwithstanding  the  barbarity  of  custom  and 
prejudice,  can  have  no  right  by  virtue  of  his  color 
to  enslave  and  tyrannize  over  the  black  man.  For 
whether  a  man  be  white  or  black,  such  he  is  by 
God's  appointment,  and,  abstractedly  considered, 
is  neither  a  subject  for  pride,  nor  an  object  of 
contempt." 

After  Dr.  Primatt,  we  come  to  baron  Montes- 
quieu. "  Slavery,"  says  he,  "  is  not  good  in  itself. 
It  is  neither  useful  to  the  master  nor  to  the  slave. 
Not  to  the  slave,  because  he  can  do  nothing  from 
virtuous  motives.  Not  to  the  master,  because  he 
contracts  among  his  slaves  all  sorts  of  bad  habits, 
and  accustoms  himself  to  the  neglect  of  all  the 


44  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

moral  virtues.  He  becomes  haughty,  passionate, 
obdurate,  vindictive,  voluptuous,  and  cruel."  And 
with  respect  to  this  particular  species  of  slavery  he 
proceeds  to  say,  "  It  is  impossible  to  allow  the  Ne- 
groes are  men,  because,  if  we  allow  them  to  be 
men,  it  Avill  begin  to  be  believed  that  we  ourselves 
are  not  Christians." 

Hutcheson,  in  his  System  of  Moral  Philosophy, 
endeavors  to  show  that  he,  who  detains  another 
by  force  in  slavery,  can  make  no  good  title  to  him, 
and  adds,  "  Strange  that  in  any  nation  where  a 
sense  of  liberty  prevails,  and  where  the  Christian 
religion  is  professed,  custom  and  high  prospect  of 
gain  can  so  stupify  the  consciences  of  men  and  all 
sense  of  natural  justice,  that  they  can  hear  such 
computations  made  about  the  value  of  their  fellowr 
men  and  their  liberty  without  abhorrence  and 
indignation  !" 

Foster,  in  his  Discourses  on  Natural  Religion 
and  Social  Virtue,  calls  the  slavery  under  our  con- 
sideration "  a  criminal  and  outrageous  violation 
of  the  natural  rights  of  mankind."  I  am  sorry 
that  I  have  not  room  to  say  all  that  he  says  on  this 
subject.  Perhaps  the  following  beautiful  extracts 
may  suffice  : — 

"  But  notwithstanding  this,  we  ourselves,  who 
profess  to  be  Christians,  and  boast  of  the  peculiar 
advantages  we  enjoy  by  means  of  an  express  reve- 
lation of  our  duty  from  heaven,  are  in  effect  these 
very  untaught  and  rude  heathen  countries.  With 
all  our  superior  light  we  instil  into  those,  whom 
we  call  savage  and  barbarous,  the  most  despicable 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  45 

opinion  of  human  nature.  We,  to  the  utmost  of 
our  power,  weaken  and  dissolve  the  universal  tie, 
that  binds  and  unites  mankind.  We  practise  what 
we  should  exclaim  against  as  the  utmost  excess 
of  cruelty  and  tyranny,  if  nations  of  the  world, 
differing  in  color  and  form  of  government  from 
ourselves,  were  so  possessed  of  empire,  as  to  be 
able  to  reduce  us  to  a  state  of  unmerited  and  bru- 
tish servitude.  Of  consequence  we  sacrifice  our 
reason,  our  humanity,  our  Christianity,  to  an  un- 
natural sordid  gain.  We  teach  other  nations  to 
despise  and  trample  under  foot  all  the  obligations 
of  social  virtue.  We  take  the  most  effectual 
method  to  prevent  the  propagation  of  the  gospel, 
by  representing  it  as  a  scheme  of  power  and  bar- 
barous oppression,  and  an  enemy  to  the  natural 
privileges  and  rights  of  man." 

"  Perhaps  all  that  I  have  now  offered  may  be 
of  very  little  weight  to  restrain  this  enormity,  this 
aggravated  iniquity.  However,  I  shall  still  have 
the  satisfaction  of  having  entered  my  private  pro- 
test against  a  practice,  which,  in  my  opinion,  bids 
that  God,  who  is  the  God  and  Father  of  the  Gen- 
tiles unconverted  to  Christianity,  most  daring  and 
bold  defiance,  and  spurns  at  all  the  principles  both 
of  natural  and  revealed  religion." 

The  next  author  is  Sir  Richard  Steele,  who,  by 
means  of  the  affecting  story  of  Inkle  and  Yarico, 
holds  up  this  trade  again  to  our  abhorrence. 

In  the  year  1735,  Atkins,  who  was  a  surgeon 
in  the  navy,  published  his  voyage  to  Guinea,  Bra- 
zil, and  the  West  Indies,  in  his  majesty's  ships 


46  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

Swallow  and  Weymouth.  In  this  work  he  de- 
scribes openly  the  manner  of  making  the  natives 
slaves,  such  as  by  kidnapping,  by  unjust  accusa- 
tions and  trials,  and  by  other  nefarious  means. 
He  states  also  the  cruelties  practised  upon  them 
by  the  white  people,  and  the  iniquitous  ways  and 
dealings  of  the  latter,  and  answers  their  argument, 
by  which  they  insinuated  that  the  condition  of  the 
Africans  was  improved  by  their  transportation  to 
other  countries. 

From  this  time  the  trade  beginning  to  be  better 
known,  a  multitude  of  persons  of  various  stations 
and  characters  sprung  up,  who  by  exposing  it  are 
to  be  mentioned  among  the  forerunners  and  coad- 
jutors in  the  cause. 

Pope,  in  his  Essay  on  Man,  where  he  endeavors 
to  show  that  happiness  in  the  present  depends, 
among  other  things,  upon  the  hope  of  a  future 
state,  takes  an  opportunity  of  exciting  compassion 
in  behalf  of  the  poor  African,  while  he  censures 
the  avarice  and  cruelty  of  his  master  : — 

"  Lo,  the  poor  Indian  !  whose  untutor'd  mind 
Sees  God  in  clouds,  or  hears  him  in  the  wind ; 
His  soul  proud  Science  never  taught  to  stray 
Far  as  the  solar  walk,  or  milky- way  ; 
Yet  simple  Nature  to  his  hope  has  giv'n 
Behind  the  cloud-topp'd  hill  an  humbler  heav'n ; 
Some  safer  world  in  depth  of  woods  embrac'd, 
Some  happier  island  in  the  watery  waste, 
Where  slaves  once  more  their  native  land  behold, 
No  fiends  torment,  no  Christians  thirst  for  gold." 

Thomson  also,  in  his  Seasons,  marks  this  traffic 
as  destructive   and   cruel,  introducing  the  well- 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  47 

known  fact  of  sharks  following  the  vessels  em- 
ployed in  it : — 

"  Increasing  still  the  terrors  of  these  storms, 
His  jaws  horrific  arm'd  with  threefold  fate, 
Here  dwells  the  direful  shark.     Lur'd  by  the  scent 
Of  steaming  crowds,  of  rank  disease,  and  death ; 
Behold !  he  rushing  cuts  the  briny  flood, 
Swift  as  the  gale  can  bear  the  ship  along; 
And,  from  the  partners  of  that  cruel  trade, 
Which  spoils  unhappy  Guinea  of  her  sons, 
Demands  his  share  of  prey  ;  demands  themselves. 
The  stormy  fates  descend :  one  death  involves 
Tyrants  and  slaves  ;  when  straight,  their  mangled  limbs 
Crashing  at  once,  he  dyes  the  purple  seas 
With  gore,  and  riots  in  the  vengeful  meal." 

Neither  was  Richard  Savage  forgetful  in  his 
poems  of  the  injured  Africans  :  he  warns  their 
oppressors  of  a  day  of  retribution  for  their  barba- 
rous conduct.  Having  personified  Public  Spirit, 
he  makes  her  speak  on  the  subject  in  the  following 
manner  : — 

"  Let  by  my  specious  name  no  tyrants  rise, 
And  cry,  while  they  enslave,  they  civilize ! 
Know,  Liberty  and  I  are  still  the  same 
Congenial — ever  mingling  flame  with  flame! 
Why  must  I  Afric's  sable  children  see 
Vended  for  slaves,  though  born  by  Nature  free, 
The  nameless  tortures  cruel  minds  invent 
Those  to  subject  whom  Nature  equal  meant? 
If  these  you  dare  (although  unjust  success 
Empow'rs  you  now  unpunish'd  to  oppress) 
Revolving  empire  you  and  yours  may  doom — 
(Rome  all  subdu'd — yet  Vandals  vanquish'd  Rome) 
Yes — Empire  may  revolt — give  them  the  day, 
And  yoke  may  yoke,  and  blood  may  blood  repay." 

Wallis,  in  his  System  of  the  Laws  of  Scotland, 


48  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

maintains,  that  "  neither  men  nor  governments 
have  a  right  to  sell  those  of  their  own  species. 
Men  and  their  liberty  are  neither  purchaseable  nor 
saleable."  And  after  arguing  the  case,  he  says, 
"  This  is  the  law  of  Nature,  which  is  obligatory 
on  all  men,  at  all  times,  and  in  all  places.  Would 
not  any  of  us,  who  should  be  snatched  by  pirates 
from  his  native  land,  think  himself  cruelly  abused, 
and  at  all  times  entitled  to  be  free  1  Have  not 
these  unfortunate  Africans,  who  meet  with  the 
same  cruel  fate,  the  same  right  1  Are  they  not 
men  as  well  as  we  1  And  have  they  not  the  same 
sensibility  ]  Let  us  not  therefore  defend  or  sup- 
port a  usage,  which  is  contrary  to  all  the  laws  of 
humanity," 

In  the  year  1750  the  Reverend  Griffith  Hughes, 
rector  of  St.  Lucy,  in  Barbadoes,  published  his 
Natural  History  of  that  island.  He  took  an  op- 
portunity, in  the  course  of  it,  of  laying  open  to  the 
world  the  miserable  situation  of  the  poor  Africans, 
and  the  waste  of  them  by  hard  labor  and  other 
cruel  means,  and  he  had  the  generosity  to  vindi- 
cate their  capacities  from  the  charge,  which  they 
who  held  them  in  bondage  brought  against  them, 
as  a  justification  of  their  own  wickedness  in  con- 
tinuing to  deprive  them  of  the  rights  of  men. 

Edmund  Burke,  in  his  account  of  the  European 
settlements,  (for  this  work  is  usually  attributed  to 
him,)  complains  "  that  the  Negroes  in  our  colonies 
endure  a  slavery  more  complete,  and  attended  with 
far  worse  circumstances,  than  what  any  people  in 
their  condition  suffer  in  any  other  part  of  the  world, 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  49 

or  have  suffered  in  any  other  period  of  time.  Proofs 
of  this  are  not  wanting.  The  prodigious  waste, 
which  we  experience  in  this  unhappy  part  of  our 
species,  is  a  full  and  melancholy  evidence  of  this 
truth,"  And  he  goes  on  to  advise  the  planters  for 
the  sake  of  their  own  interest  to  behave  like  good 
men,  good  masters,  and  good  Christians  ;  and  to 
impose  less  labor  upon  their  slaves,  and  to  give 
them  recreation  on  some  of  the  grand  festivals, 
and  to  instruct  them  in  religion,  as  certain  pre- 
ventives of  their  decrease. 

An  anonymous  author  of  a  pamphlet,  entitled, 
An  Essay  in  Vindication  of  the  Continental  Col- 
onies of  America,  seems  to  have  come  forward 
next.  Speaking  of  slavery  there,  he  says,  "  It  is 
shocking  to  humanity,  violative  of  every  generous 
sentiment,  abhorrent  utterly  from  the  Christian  re* 
ligion ;  there  cannot  be  a  more  dangerous  maxim 
than  that  necessity  is  a  plea  for  injustice,  for  who 
shall  fix  the  degree  of  this  necessity  ?  What  vil- 
lain so  atrocious,  who  may  not  urge  this  excuse, 
or,  as  Milton  has  happily  expressed  it,-*- 

"  and  with  necessity, 
The  tyrant's  plea,  excuse  his  dev'lish  deed  ?" 

"  That  our  colonies,"  he  continues,  "  want  peo- 
ple, is  a  very  weak  argument  for  so  inhuman  a 
violation  of  justice.  Shall  a  civilized,  a  Christian 
nation,  encourage  slavery,  because  the  barbarous, 
savage,  lawless  African  hath  done  it  1  To  what 
end  do  we  profess  a  religion  whose  dictates  we  so 
flagrantly  violate  1     Wherefore  have  we  that  pat* 

vol.  i.  5 


50  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

tern  of  goodness  and  humanity,  if  we  refuse  to 
follow  it  1  How  long  shall  we  continue  a  practice 
which  policy  rejects,  justice  condemns,  and  piety 
revolts  at  3" 

The  poet  Shenstone,  who  comes  next  in  order, 
seems  to  have  written  an  Elegy  on  purpose  to  stig- 
matize this  trade.  Of  this  elegy  I  shall  copy  only 
the  following  parts  : — 

"  See  the  poor  native  quit  the  Lybian  shores, 
Ah !  not  in  love's  delightful  fetters  bound  ! 
No  radiant  smile  his  dying  peace  restores, 
No  love,  nor  fame,  nor  friendship  heals  his  wound. 

"  Let  vacant  bards  display  their  boasted  woes  ; 
Shall  I  the  mockery  of  grief  display  ? 
No ;  let  the  muse  his  piercing  pangs  disclose, 
Who  bleeds  and  weeps  his  sum  of  life  away ! 

"  On  the  wild  heath  in  mournful  guise  he  stood 
Ere  the  shrill  boatswain  gave  the  hated  sign ; 
He  dropp'd  a  tear  unseen  into  the  flood, 
He  stole  one  secret  moment  to  repine. — 

"  Why  am  I  ravish'd  from  my  native  strand  ? 
What  savage  race  protects  this  impious  gain  ? 
Shall  foreign  plagues  infest  this  teeming  land, 
And  more  than  sea-born  monsters  plough  the  main  ? 

"Here  the  dire  locusts'  horrid  swarms  prevail ; 
Here  the  blue  asps  with  livid  poison  swell ; 
Here  the  dry  dipsa  writhes  his  sinuous  mail ; 
Can  we  not  here  secure  from  envy  dwell  ? 

"  When  the  grim  Hon  urg'd  his  cruel  chase, 
When  the  stern  panther  sought  his  midnight  prey, 
What  fate  reserved  me  for  this  Christian  race  ? 
A  race  more  polish'd,  more  severe,  than  they. — 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  51 

"  Yet  shores  there  are,  bless'd  shores  for  us  remain, 
And  favor'd  isles,  with  golden  fruitage  crown'd, 
Where  tufted  flow'rets  print  the  verdant  plain, 
And  ev'ry  breeze  shall  med'cine  ev'ry  wound." 

In  the  year  1755,  Dr.  Hayter,  bishop  of  Nor- 
wich, preached  a  sermon  before  the  Society  for  the 
Propagation  of  the  Gospel,  in  which  he  bore  his 
testimony  against  the  continuance  of  this  trade. 

Dyer,  in  his  poem  called  The  Fleece,  expresses 
his  sorrow  on  account  of  this  barbarous  trade,  and 
looks  forward  to  a  day  of  retributive  justice  on  ac- 
count of  the  introduction  of  such  an  evil. 

In  the  year  1760,  a  pamphlet  appeared,  entitled, 
"  Two  Dialogues  on  the  Man-trade,  by  John  Phil- 
more."  This  name  is  supposed  to  be  an  assumed 
one.  The  author,  however,  discovers  himself  to 
have  been  both  an  able  and  a  zealous  advocate  in 
favor  of  the  African  race. 

Malachi  Postlethwaite,  in  his  Universal  Diction- 
ary of  Trade  and  Commerce,  proposes  a  number 
of  queries  on  the  subject  of  the  Slave-trade.  I 
have  not  room  to  insert  them  at  full  length.  But 
I  shall  give  the  following  as  the  substance  of  some 
of  them  to  the  reader  :  "  Whether  this  commerce 
be  not  the  cause  of  incessant  wars  among  the  Afri- 
cans ;  whether  the  Africans,  if  it  were  abolished, 
might  not  become  as  ingenious,  as  humane,  as  in- 
dustrious, and  as  capable  of  arts,  manufactures,  and 
trades,  as  even  the  bulk  of  Europeans  ;  whether, 
if  it  were  abolished,  a  much  more  profitable  trade 
might  not  be  substituted,  and  this  to  the  very  cen- 
tre of  their  extended  country,  instead  of  the  trifling 


52  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

portion  which  now  subsists  upon  their  coasts  ;  and 
whether  the  great  hindrance  to  such  a  new  and 
advantageous  commerce  has  not  wholly  proceeded 
from  that  unjust,  inhuman,  unchristian-like  traffic, 
called  the  Slave-trade,  which  is  carried  on  by  the 
Europeans.''"  The  public  proposal  of  these  and 
other  queries  by  a  man  of  so  great  commercial 
knowledge  as  Postlethwaite,  and  by  one  who  was 
himself  a  member  of  the  African  Committee,  was 
of  great  service  in  exposing  the  impolicy  as  well  as 
immorality  of  the  Slave-trade. 

In  the  year  1761,  Thomas  Jeffery  published  an 
account  of  a  part  of  North  America,  in  which  he 
lays  open  the  miserable  state  of  the  slaves  in  the 
West  Indies,  both  as  to  their  clothing,  their  food, 
their  labor,  and  their  punishments.  But,  without 
going  into  particulars,  the  general  account  he  gives 
of  them  is  affecting  :  £i  It  is  impossible,*'  he  says, 
'•'for  a  human  heart  to  reflect  upon  the  slavery  of 
these  dregs  of  mankind,  without  in  some  measure 
feeling"  for  their  rniserv.  which  ends  but  with  their 
lives  ;  nothing  can  be  more  wretched  than  the 
condition  of  this  people." 

Sterne,  in  his  account  of  the  Negro  Girl,  in  his 
Life  of  Tristram  Shandy,  took  decidedly  the  part 
of  the  oppressed  Africans.  The  pathetic,  witty, 
and  sentimental  manner,  in  which  he  handled  this 
subject,  occasioned  many  to  remember  it,  and  pro- 
cured a  certain  poition  of  feeling  in  their  favor. 

Rousseau  contributed  not  a  little  in  his  day  to 
the  same  end. 

Bishop  Warburton   preached  a  sermon  in  the 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  53 

year  1766,  before  the  Society  for  the  Propagation 
of  the  Gospel,  in  which  he  took  up  the  cause  of  the 
miserable  Africans,  and  in  which  he  severely  rep- 
robated their  oppressors.  The  language  in  this 
sermon  is  so  striking,  that  I  shall  make  an  extract 
from  it.  "  From  the  free  savages,"  says  he,  "  I 
now  come  to  the  savages  in  bonds.  By  these  I 
mean  the  vast  multitudes  yearly  stolen  from  the 
opposite  continent,  and  sacrificed  by  the  colonists 
to  their  great  idol  the  god  of  gain.  But  what  then, 
say  these  sincere  worshippers  of  mammon  1  They 
are  our  own  property  which  we  offer  up.  Gracious 
God  !  to  talk,  as  of  herds  of  cattle,  of  property  in 
rational  creatures,  creatures  endued  with  all  our 
faculties,  possessing  all  our  qualities  but  that  of 
color,  our  brethren  both  by  nature  and  grace, 
shocks  all  the  feelings  of  humanity,  and  the  dic- 
tates of  common  sense  !  But,  alas  !  what  is  there, 
in  the  infinite  abuses  of  society,  which  does  not 
shock  them  1  Yet  nothing  is  more  certain  in  itself 
and  apparent  to  all,  than  that  the  infamous  traffic 
for  slaves  directly  infringes  both  divine  and  human 
law.  Nature  created  man  free,  and  grace  invites 
him  to  assert  his  freedom. 

"  In  excuse  of  this  violation  it  hath  been  pre- 
tended, that  though  indeed  these  miserable  out- 
casts of  humanity  be  torn  from  their  homes  and 
native  country  by  fraud  and  violence,  yet  they 
thereby  become  the  happier,  and  their  condition 
the  more  eligible.  But  who  are  you,  who  pretend 
to  judge  of  another  man's  happiness  ;  that  state, 
which  each  man  under  the  guidance  of  his  Maker 

VOL.  I.  5* 


54  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

forms  for  himself,  and  not  one  man  for  another  ? 
To  know  what  constitutes  mine  or  your  happiness 
is  the  sole  prerogative  of  him  who  created  us,  and 
cast  us  in  so  various  and  different  moulds.  Did 
your  slaves  ever  complain  to  you  of  their  unhappi- 
ness  amidst  their  native  woods  and  deserts  1  or 
rather  let  me  ask,  did  they  ever  cease  complaining 
of  their  condition  under  you  their  lordly  masters, 
where  they  see  indeed  the  accommodations  of  civil 
life,  but  see  them  all  pass  to  others,  themselves 
unbenefited  by  them  1  Be  so  gracious  then,  ye 
petty  tyrants  over  human  freedom,  to  let  your 
slaves  judge  for  themselves,  what  it  is  which  makes 
their  own  happiness,  and  then  see  whether  they 
do  not  place  it  in  the  return  to  their  own  country, 
rather  than  in  the  contemplation  of  your  grandeur, 
of  which  their  misery  makes  so  large  a  part ;  a 
return  so  passionately  longed  for,  that,  despairing 
of  happiness  here,  that  is,  of  escaping  the  chains 
of  their  cruel  task-masters,  they  console  themselves 
with  feigning  it.  to  be  the  gracious  reward  of  heaven 
in  their  future  state." 

About  this  time  certain  cruel  and  wicked  prac- 
tices, which  must  now  be  mentioned,  had  arrived 
at  such  a  height,  and  had  become  so  frequent  in 
the  metropolis,  as  to  produce  of  themselves  other 
coadjutors  to  the  cause. 

Before  the  year  1700,  planters,  merchants,  and 
others,  resident  in  the  West  Indies,  but  coming  to 
England,  were  accustomed  to  bring  with  them  cer- 
tain slaves  to  act  as  servants  with  them  during 
their  stay.    The  latter,  seeing  the  freedom  and  the 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  55 

happiness  of  servants  in  this  country,  and  consider- 
ing what  would  be  their  own  hard  fate  on  their  re- 
turn to  the  islands,  frequently  absconded.  Their 
masters  of  course  made  search  after  them,  and 
often  had  them  seized  and  carried  away  by  force. 
It  was,  however,  thrown  out  by  many  on  these  oc- 
casions, that  the  English  laws  did  not  sanction 
such  proceedings,  for  that  all  persons  who  were 
baptized  became  free.  The  consequence  of  this 
was,  that  most  of  the  slaves,  who  came  over  with 
their  masters,  prevailed  upon  some  pious  clergyman 
to  baptize  them.  They  took  of  course  godfathers 
of  such  citizens  as  had  the  generosity  to  espouse 
their  cause.  When  they  were  seized  they  usually 
sent  to  these,  if  they  had  an  opportunity,  for  their 
protection.  And  in  the  result,  their  godfathers, 
maintaining  that  they  had  been  baptized,  and  that 
they  were  free  on  this  account  as  well  as  by  the 
general  tenor  of  the  laws  of  England,  dared  those, 
who  had  taken  possession  of  them,  to  send  them 
out  of  the  kingdom. 

The  planters,  merchants,  and  others,  being  thus 
circumstanced,  knew  not  what  to  do.  They  were 
afraid  of  taking  their  slaves  away  by  force,  and 
they  were  equally  afraid  of  bringing  any  of  the 
cases  before  a  public  court.  In  this  dilemma,  in 
1729  they  applied  to  York  and  Talbot,  the  attorney 
and  solicitor-general  for  the  time  being,  and  ob- 
tained the  following  strange  opinion  from  them : 
"  We  are  of  opinion,  that  a  slave  by  coming  from 
the  West  Indies  into  Great  Britain  or  Ireland,  either 
with  or  without  his  master,  does  not  become  free, 


56  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

and  that  his  master's  right  and  property  in  him  is 
not  thereby  determined  or  varied,  and  that  bap- 
tism doth  not  bestow  freedom  on  him,  nor  make 
any  alteration  in  his  temporal  condition  in  these 
kingdoms.  We  are  also  of  opinion,  that  the  mas- 
ter may  legally  compel  him  to  return  again  to  the 
plantations." 

This  cruel  and  illegal  opinion  was  delivered  in 
the  year   1729.      The   planters,  merchants,  and 
others,  gave  it  of  course  all  the  publicity  in  their 
power.   And  the  consequences  were  as  might  easily 
have  been  apprehended.     In  a  little  time  slaves 
absconding  were  advertised  in  the  London  papers 
as  runaways,  and  rewards  offered  for  the  appre- 
hension of  them,  in  the  same  brutal  manner  as  we 
find  them  advertised  in  the  land  of  slavery.  They' 
were  advertised  also,  in  the  same  papers,  to  be  sold 
by  auction,  sometimes  by  themselves,  and  at  others 
with  horses,  chaises,  and  harness.      They  were 
seized  also  by  their  masters,  or  by  persons  employed 
by  them,   in  the  very  streets,  and  dragged  from 
thence  to  the  ships  ;  and  so  unprotected  now  were 
these  poor  slaves,  that  persons  in  nowise  concerned 
with  them  began  to  institute  a  trade  in  their  per- 
sons, making  agreements  with  captains  of  ships 
going  to  the  West  Indies  to  put  them  on  board  at 
a  certain  price.     This  last  instance  shows  how  far 
human  nature  is  capable  of  going,  and  is  an  an- 
swer to  those  persons,  who  have  denied  that  kid- 
napping in  Africa  was  a  source  of  supplying  the 
Slave-trade.     It  shows  as  all  history  does  from  the 
time  of  Joseph,  that,  where  there  is  a  market  for 


ABOLITION    OP    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  67 

the  persons  of  human  beings,  all  kinds  of  enormities 
will  be  practised  to  obtain  them. 

These  circumstances  then,  as  I  observed  before, 
did  not  fail  of  producing  new  coadjutors  in  the 
cause.  And  first  they  produced  that  able  and  in- 
defatigable advocate  Mr.  Granville  Sharp.  This 
gentleman  is  to  be  distinguished  from  those  who 
preceded  him  by  this  particular,  that,  whereas 
these  were  only  writers,  he  was  both  a  writer  and 
an  actor  in  the  cause.  In  fact,  he  was  the  first 
laborer  in  it  in  England.  By  the  words  "  actor" 
and  "  laborer,"  I  mean  that  he  determined  upon  a 
plan  of  action  in  behalf  of  the  oppressed  Africans, 
to  the  accomplishment  of  which  he  devoted  a  con- 
siderable portion  of  his  time,  talents,  and  substance. 
What  Mr.  Sharp  has  done  to  merit  the  title  of  co- 
adjutor in  this  high  sense,  I  shall  now  explain. 
The  following  is  a  short  history  of  the  beginning 
and  of  the  course  of  his  labors. 

In  the  year  1765,  Mr.  David  Lisle  had  brought 
over  from  Barbadoes  Jonathan  Strong,  an  African 
slave,  as  his  servant.  He  used  the  latter  in  a  bar- 
barous manner  at  his  lodgings  in  Wapping,  but 
particularly  by  beating  him  over  the  head  with  a 
pistol,  which  occasioned  his  head  to  swell.  When 
the  swelling  went  down,  a  disorder  fell  into  his 
eyes,  which  threatened  the  loss  of  them.  To  this 
an  ague  and  fever  succeeded,  and  a  lameness  in 
both  his  legs. 

Jonathan  Strong,  having  been  brought  into  this 
deplorable  situation,  and  being  therefore  wholly 
useless,  was  left  by  his  master  to  go  whither  he 


58  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

pleased.  He  applied  accordingly  to  Mr.  William 
Sharp,  the  surgeon,  for  his  advice,  as  to  one  who 
gave  up  a  portion  of  his  time  to  the  healing  of  the 
diseases  of  the  poor.  It  was  here  that  Mr.  Gran- 
ville Sharp,  the  brother  of  the  former,  saw  him. 
Suffice  it  to  say,  that  in  process  of  time  he  was 
cured.  During  this  time  Mr.  Granville  Sharp, 
pitying  his  hard  case,  supplied  him  with  money,  and 
he  afterwards  got  him  a  situation  in  the  family  of 
Mr.  Brown,  an  apothecary,  to  carry  out  medicines. 

In  this  new  situation,  when  Strong  had  become 
healthy  and  robust  in  his  appearance,  his  master 
happened  to  see  him.  The  latter  immediately 
formed  the  design  of  possessing  him  again.  Ac- 
cordingly, when  he  had  found  out  his  residence, 
he  procured  John  Ross,  keeper  of  the  Poultry- 
compter,  and  William  Miller,  an  officer  under  the 
lord  mayor,  to  kidnap  him.  This  was  done  by 
sending  for  him  to  a  public  house  in  Fenchurch 
street,  and  then  seizing  him.  By  these  he  was 
conveyed,  without  any  warrant,  to  the  Poultry- 
compter,  where  he  was  sold  by  his  master,  to  John 
Kerr,  for  thirty  pounds. 

Strong,  in  this  situation,  sent,  as  was  usual,  to 
his  godfathers,  John  London  and  Stephen  Nail,  for 
their  protection.  They  went,  but  were  refused 
admittance  to  him.  At  length  he  sent  for  Mr. 
Granville  Sharp.  The  latter  went,  but  they  still 
refused  access  to  the  prisoner.  He  insisted,  how- 
ever, upon  seeing  him,  and  charged  the  keeper  of 
the  prison  at  his  peril  to  deliver  him  up  till  he  had 
been  carried  before  a  magistrate. 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  59 

Mr.  Sharp,  immediately  upon  this,  waited  upon 
Sir  Robert  Kite,  the  then  lord  mayor,  and  entreated 
him  to  send  for  Strong,  and  to  hear  his  case.  A 
day  was  accordingly  appointed.  Mr.  Sharp  at- 
tended, and  also  William  M'Bean,  a  notary  publics 
and  David  Laird,  captain  of  the  ship  Thames, 
which  was  to  have  conveyed  Strong  to  Jamaica, 
in  behalf  of  the  purchaser,  John  Kerr.  A  long 
conversation  ensued,  in  which  the  opinion  of  York 
and  Talbot  was  quoted.  Mr.  Sharp  made  his 
observations.  Certain  lawyers,  who  were  present, 
seemed  to  be  staggered  at  the  case,  but  inclined 
rather  to  recommit  the  prisoner.  The  lord  mayor, 
however,  discharged  Strong,  as  he  had  been  taken 
up  without  a  warrant. 

As  soon  as  this  determination  was  made  known, 
the  parties  began  to  move  off.  Captain  Laird,  how- 
ever, who  kept  close  to  Strong,  laid  hold  of  him 
before  he  had  quitted  the  room,  and  said  aloud, 
"Then  I  now  seize  him  as  my  slave."  Upon  this, 
Mr.  Sharp  put  his  hand  upon  Laird's  shoulder,  and 
pronounced  these  words  :  "  I  charge  you  in  the 
name  of  the  king,  with  an  assult  upon  the  person  of 
Jonathan  Strong,  and  all  these  are  my  witnesses." 
Laird  was  greatly  intimidated  by  this  charge,  made 
in  the  presence  of  the  lord  mayor  and  others,  and 
fearing  a  prosecution,  let  his  prisoner  go,  leaving 
him  to  be  conveyed  away  by  Mr.  Sharp. 

Mr.  Sharp,  having  been  greatly  affected  by  this 
case,  and  foreseeing  how  much  he  might  be  engaged 
in  others  of  a  similar  nature,  thought  it  time  that 
the  law  of  the  land  should  be  known  upon  this 


60  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

subject.  He  applied  therefore  to  Doctor  Blackstone, 
afterwards  Judge  Blackstone,  for  his  opinion  upon 
it.  He  was,  however,  not  satisfied  with  it  when  he 
received  it ;  nor  could  he  obtain  any  satisfactory 
answer  from  several  other  lawyers,  to  whom  he 
afterwards  applied.  The  truth  is,  that  the  opinion 
of  York  and  Talbot,  which  had  been  made  public 
and  acted  upon  by  the  planters,  merchants,  and 
others,  was  considered  of  high  authority,  and 
scarcely  any  one  dared  to  question  the  legality  of 
it.  In  this  situation,  Mr.  Sharp  saw  no  means  of 
help  but  in  his  own  industry,  and  he  determined 
immediately  to  give  up  two  or  three  years  to  the 
study  of  the  English  law,  that  he  might  the  better 
advocate  the  cause  of  these  miserable  people.  The 
result  of  these  studies  was  the  publication  of  a  book 
in  the  year  1769,  which  he  called  "A  Representa- 
tion of  the  Injustice  and  dangerous  Tendency  of 
Tolerating  Slavery  in  England."  In  this  work  he 
refuted,  in  the  clearest  manner,  the  opinion  of  York 
and  Talbot.  He  produced  against  it  the  opinion 
of  the  Lord  Chief  Justice  Holt,  who  many  years 
before  had  determined,  that  every  slave  coming  into 
England  became  free.  He  attacked  and  refuted  it 
again  by  a  learned  and  laborious  inquiry  into  all  the 
principles  of  Villanage.  He  refuted  it  again,  by 
showing  it  to  be  an  axiom  in  the  British  constitution, 
"  That  every  man  in  England  was  free  to  sue  for 
and  defend  his  rights,  and  that  force  could  not  be 
used  without  a  legal  process,"  leaving  it  to  the 
judges  to  determine,  whether  an  African  was  a  man. 
He  attacked,  also,  the  opinion  of  Judge  Blackstone, 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  61 

and  showed  where  his  error  lay.  This  valuable 
book,  containing  these  and  other  kinds  of  arguments 
on  the  subject,  he  distributed,  but  particularly 
among  the  lawyers,  giving  them  an  opportunity 
of  refuting  or  acknowledging  the  doctrines  it 
contained. 

While  Mr.  Sharp  was  engaged  in  this  work, 
another  case  offered,  in  which  he  took  a  part. 
This  was  in  the  year  1768.  Hylas,  an  African 
slave,  prosecuted  a  person  of  the  name  of  Newton 
for  having  kidnapped  his  wife,  and  sent  her  to  the 
West  Indies.  The  result  of  the  trial  was,  that  dam- 
ages to  the  amount  of  a  shilling  were  given,  and  the 
defendant  was  bound  to  bring  back  the  woman, 
either  by  the  first  ship,  or  in  six  months  from  this 
decision  of  the  court. 

But  soon  after  the  work  just  mentioned  was  out 
and  when  Mr.  Sharp  was  better  prepared,  a  third 
case  occurred.  This  happened  in  the  year  1770. 
Robert  Stapylton,  who  lived  at  Chelsea,  in  conjunc- 
tion with  John  Malony  and  Edward  Armstrong 
two  waterman,  seized  the  person  of  Thomas  Lewis, 
an  African  slave,  in  a  dark  night,  and  dragged 
him  to  a  boat  lying  in  the  Thames ;  they  then 
gagged  him,  and  tied  him  with  a  cord,  and  rowed 
him  down  to  a  ship,  and  put  him  on  board  to  be  sold 
as  a  slave  in  Jamaica.  This  base  action  took  place 
near  the  garden  of  Mrs.  Banks,  the  mother  of  the 
present  Sir  Joseph  Banks.  Lewis,  it  appears,  on 
being  seized,  screamed  violently.  The  servants  of 
Mrs.  Banks,  who  heard  his  cries,  ran  to  his  assis- 
tance but  the  boat  was  gone.     On  informing  their 

VOL.  I.  6 


62  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

mistress  of  what  had  happened,  she  sent  for  Mr. 
Sharp,  who  began  now  to  be  known  as  the  friend  of 
the  helpless  Africans,  and  professed  her  willingness 
to  incur  the  expense  of  bringing  the  delinquents  to 
justice.  Mr.  Sharp,  with  some  difficulty,  procured 
a  habeas  corpus,  in  consequence  of  which  Lewis 
was  brought  from  Gravesend  just  as  the  vessel  was 
on  the  point  of  sailing.  An  action  was  then  com- 
menced against  Stapylton,  who  defended  himself, 
on  the  plea,  "  That  Lewis  belonged  to  him  as  his 
slave."  In  the  course  of  the  trial,  Mr.  Dunning, 
who  was  counsel  for  Lewis,  paid  Mr.  Sharp  a  hand- 
some compliment,  for  he  held  in  his  hand  Mr. 
Sharp's  book  on  the  injustice  and  dangerous  ten- 
dency of  tolerating  slavery  in  England,  while  he  was 
pleading;  and  in  his  address  to  the  jury  he  spoke 
and  acted  thus :  "  I  shall  submit  to  you,"  says  Mr. 
Dunning,  "  What  my  ideas  are  upon  such  evidence, 
reserving  to  myself  an  opportunity  of  discussing  it 
more  particularly,  and  reserving  to  myself  a  right 
to  insist  upon  a  position,  which  I  will  maintain  (and 
here  he  held  up  the  book  to  the  notice  of  those  pres- 
ent) in  any  place  and  in  any  court  of  the  kingdom, 
that  our  laws  admit  of  no  such  property."*  The 
result  of  the  trial  was,  that  the  jury  pronounced  the 
plaintiff  not  to  have  been  the  property  of  the  defen- 
dant, several  of  them  crying  out,  "No  property,  no 
property." 

After  this,  one  or  two  other  trials  came  on,  in 

*  It  is  lamentable  to  think,  that  the  same  Mr.  Duninng,  in  a 
cause  of  this  kind,  which  came  on  afterwards,  took  the  opposite 
side  of  the  question. 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  63 

which  the  oppressor  was  defeated,  and  several  cases 
occurred,  in  which  poor  slaves  were  liberated  from 
the  holds  of  vessels,  and  other  places  of  confine- 
ment, by  the  exertions  of  Mr.  Sharp.  One  of  these 
cases  was  singular.  The  vessel  on  board  which  a 
poor  African  had  been  dragged  and  confined  had 
reached  the  ■  Downs,  and  had  actually  got  under 
weigh  for  the  West  Indies.  In  two  or  three  hours 
she  would  have  been  out  of  sight ;  but  just  at  this 
critical  moment  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus  was  car- 
ried on  board.  The  officer,  who  served  it  on  the 
captain,  saw  the  miserable  African  chained  to  the 
mainmast,  bathed  in  tears,  and  casting  a  last 
mournful  look  on  the  land  of  freedom,  which  was 
fast  receding  from  his  sight.  The  captain,  on  re- 
ceiving the  writ,  became  outrageous ;  but,  knowing 
the  serious  consequences  of  resisting  the  law  of  the 
land,  he  gave  up  his  prisoner,  whom  the  officer 
carried  safe,  but  now  crying  for  joy,  to  the  shore. 
But  though  the  injured  Africans,  whose  causes 
had  been  tried,  escaped  slavery,  and  though  many, 
who  had  been  forcibly  carried  into  dungeons, 
ready  to  be  transported  into  the  Colonies,  had  been 
delivered  out  of  them,  Mr.  Sharp  was  not  easy  in 
his  mind.  Not  one  of  the  cases  had  yet  been 
pleaded  on  the  broad  ground,  "Whether  an  African 
slave  coming  into  England  became  free  V  This 
great  question  had  been  hitherto  studiously  avoided. 
It  was  still,  therefore,  left  in  doubt.  Mr.  Sharp 
was  almost  daily  acting  as  if  it  had  been  deter- 
mined, and  as  if  he  had  been  following  the  known 
law  of  the  land.     He  wished  therefore  that  the 


64  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

next  cause  might  be  argued  upon  this  principle. 
Lord  Mansfield,  too,  who  had  been  biased  by  the 
opinion  of  York  and  Talbot,  began  to  waver  in 
consequence  of  the  different  pleadings  he  had 
heard  on  this  subject.  He  saw  also  no  end  of 
trials  like  these,  till  the  law  should  be  ascertained, 
and  he  was  anxious  for  a  decision  on  the  same 
basis  as  Mr.  Sharp.  In  this  situation  the  follow- 
ing case  offered,  which  was  agreed  upon  for  the 
determination  of  this  important  question. 

James  Somerset,  an  African  slave,  had  been 
brought  to  England  by  his  master,  Charles  Stew- 
art, in  November,  1769.  Somerset,  in  process  of 
time,  left  him.  Stewart,  took  an  opportunity  of 
seizing  him,  and  had  him  conveyed  on  board  the 
Ann  and  Mary,  Captain  Knowles,  to  be  carried 
out  of  the  kingdom,  and  sold  as  a  slave  in  Jamaica. 
The  question  was,  "  Whether  a  slave,  by  coming 
into  England,  became  free  I" 

In  order  that  time  might  be  given  for  ascertain- 
ing the  law  fully  on  this  head,  the  case  was  argued 
at  three  different  sittings.  First,  in  January,  1772 ; 
secondly,  in  February,  1772  ;  and  thirdly,  in  May, 
1772.  And  that  no  decision  otherwise  than  what 
the  law  warranted  might  be  given,  the  opinion  of 
the  Judges  was  taken  upon  the  pleadings.  The 
great  and  glorious  result  of  the  trial  was,  that  as 
soon  as  ever  any  slave  set  his  foot  upon  English 
territory,  he  became  free. 

Thus  ended  the  great  case  of  Somerset,  which, 
having  been  determined  after  so  deliberate  an  in- 
vestigation of  the  law,  can  never  be  reversed  while 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  65 

the  British  constitution  remains.  The  eloquence 
displayed  in  it  by  those  who  were  engaged  on  the 
side  of  liberty,  was  perhaps  never  exceeded  on  any 
occasion  ;  and  the  names  of  the  counsellors  Davy, 
Glynn,  Hargrave,  Mansfield,  and  Alleyne,  ought 
always  to  be  remembered  with  gratitude  by  the 
friends  of  this  great  cause.  For  when  we  consider 
in  how  many  crowded  courts  they  pleaded,  and 
the  number  of  individuals  in  these,  whose  minds 
they  enlightened,  and  whose  hearts  they  interested 
in  the  subject,  they  are  certainly  to  be  put  down 
as  no  small  instruments  in  the  promotion  of  it : 
but  chiefly  to  him,  under  Divine  Providence,  are 
we  to  give  the  praise,  who  became  the  first  great 
actor  in  it,  who  devoted  his  time,  his  talents,  and 
his  substance  to  this  Christian  undertaking,  and 
by  whose  laborious  researches  the  very  pleaders 
themselves  were  instructed  and  benefited.  By 
means  of  his  almost  incessant  vigilance  and  atten- 
tion, and  unwearied  efforts,  the  poor  African 
ceased  to  be  hunted  in  our  streets  as  a  beast  of 
prey.  Miserable  as  the  roof  might  be,  under  which 
he  slept,  he  slept  in  security.  He  walked  by  the 
side  of  the  stately  ship,  and  he  feared  no  dungeon 
in  her  hold.  Nor  ought  we,  as  Englishmen,  to  be 
less  grateful  to  this  distinguished  individual  than 
the  African  ought  to  be  upon  this  occasion.  To 
him  we  owe  it,  that  we  no  longer  see  our  public 
papers  polluted  by  hateful  advertisements  of  the 
sale  of  the  human  species,  or  that  we  are  no  longer 
distressed  by  the  perusal  of  impious  rewards  for 
bringing  back  the  poor  and  the  helpless  into  sla- 
vol.  i.  6  * 


66  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

very,  or  that  we  are  prohibited  the  disgusting- 
spectacle  of  seeing  man  bought  by  his  fellow-man. 
To  him,  in  short,  we  owe  this  restoration  of  the 
beauty  of  our  constitution  ;  this  prevention  of  the 
continuance  of  our  national  disgrace. 

I  shall  say  but  little  more  of  Mr.  Sharp  at  pres- 
ent, than  that  he  felt  it  his  duty,  immediately  after 
the  trial,  to  write  to  Lord  North,  then  principal 
minister  of  state,  warning  him  in  the  most  earnest 
manner,  to  abolish  immediately  both  the  trade  and 
the  slavery  of  the  human  species  in  all  the  British 
dominions,  as  utterly  irreconcilable  with  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  British  constitution,  and  the  estab- 
lished religion  of  the  land. 

Among  other  coadjutors,  whom  the  cruel  and 
wicked  practices  which  have  now  been  so  amply 
detailed  brought  forward,  was  a  worthy  clergy- 
man, whose  name  I  have  not  yet  been  able  to 
learn.  He  endeavored  to  interest  the  public  feel- 
ing in  behalf  of  the  injured  Africans,  by  writing 
an  epilogue  to  the  Padlock,  in  which  Mungo  ap- 
peared as  a  black  servant.  This  epilogue  is  so 
appropriate  to  the  case,  that  I  cannot  but  give  it 
to  the  reader.  Mungo  enters,  and  thus  addresses 
the  audience : — 

"  Thank  you,  my  Massas  !  have  you  laugh  your  fill  ? 
Then  let  me  speak,  nor  take  that  freedom  ill. 
E'en  from  my  tongue  some  heart-felt  truths  may  fall, 
And  outrag'd  Nature  claims  the  care  of  all. 
My  tale  in  any  place  would  force  a  tear, 
But  calls  for  stronger,  deeper  feelings  here  ; 
For  whilst  I  tread  the  free-born  British  land, 
Whilst  now  before  me  crowded  Britons  stand, 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  67 

Vain,  vain  that  glorious  privilege  to  me, 
I  am  a  slave,  where  all  things  else  are  free. 

"Yet  was  I  born,  as  you  are,  no  man's  slave, 
An  heir  to  all  that  lib'ral  Nature  gave ; 
My  mind  can  reason,  and  my  limbs  can  move 
The  same  as  yours ;  like  yours  my  heart  can  love ; 
Alike  my  body  food  and  sleep  sustain ; 
And  e'en  like  yours — feels  pleasure,  want,  and  pain. 
One  sun  rolls  o'er  us,  common  skies  surround ; 
One  globe  supports  us,  and  one  grave  must  bound. 

"  Why  then  am  I  devoid  of  all  to  live 
That  manly  comforts  to  a  man  can  give  ? 
To  live — untaught  religion's  soothing  balm, 
Or  life's  choice  arts  ;  to  live — unknown  the  calm 
Of  soft  domestic  ease  ;  those  sweets  of  life, 
The  duteous  offspring,  and  th'  endearing  wife  ? 
To  live — to  property  and  rights  unknown, 
Not  e'en  the  common  benefits  my  own ! 
No  arm  to  guard  me  from  Oppression's  rod, 
My  will  subservient  to  a  tyrant's  nod ! 
No  gentle  hand,  when  life  is  in  decay, 
To  sooth  my  pains,  and  charm  my  cares  away; 
But  helpless  left  to  quit  the  horrid  stage, 
Harass'd  in  youth ;  and  desolate  in  age ! 

"But  I  was  born  in  Afric's  tawny  strand, 
And  you  in  fair  Britannia's  fairer  land. 
Comes  freedom,  then,  from  color? — Blush  with  shame! 
And  let  strong  Nature's  crimson  mark  your  blame. 
I  speak  to  Britons. — Britons,  then,  behold 
A  man  by  Briton's  snared,  and  seized,  and  sold ! 
And  yet  no  British  statute  damns  the  deed, 
Nor  do  the  more  than  murd'rous  villains  bleed. 

"  O  sons  of  freedom !  equalize  your  laws, 

Be  all  consistent,  plead  the  Negro's  cause ; 

That  all  the  nations  in  your  code  may  see 

The  British  Negro,  like  the  Briton,  free. 
.   But,  should  he  supplicate  your  laws  in  vain, 

To  break,  for  ever,  this  disgraceful  chain, 


68  THE   HISTORY    OP    THE 

At  least,  let  gentle  usage  so  abate 

The  galling  terrors  of  its  passing  state, 

That  he  may  share  kind  Heav'n's  all  social  plan ; 

For  though  no  Briton,  Mungo  is — a  man." 

I  may  now  add,  that  few  theatrical  pieces  had  a 
greater  run  than  the  Padlock  ;  and  that  this  epi- 
logue, which  was  attached  to  it  soon  after  it  came 
out,  procured  a  good  deal  of  feeling  for  the  unfortu- 
nate sufferers,  whose  cause  it  was  intended  to  serve. 

Another  coadjutor*  to  whom  these  cruel  and 
wicked  practises  gave  birth,  was  Thomas  Day, 
the  celebrated  author  of  Sandford  and  Merton,  and 
whose  virtues  were  well  known  among  those  who 
had  the  happiness  of  his  friendship.  In  the  year 
1773  he  published  a  poem,  which  he  wrote  ex- 
pressly in  behalf  of  the  oppressed  Africans.  He 
gave  it  the  name  of  The  Dying  Negro.  The  pref- 
ace to  it  was  written  in  an  able  manner  by  his 
friend,  counsellor  Bicknell,  who  is  therefore  to  be 
ranked  among  the  coadjutors  in  this  great  cause. 

The  poem  was  founded  on  a  simple  fact,  which 
had  taken  place  a  year  or  two  before.  A  poor 
Negro  had  been  seized  in  London,  and  forcibly 
put  on  board  a  ship,  where  he  destroyed  himself, 
rather  than  return  to  the  land  of  slavery.  To  the 
poem  is  affixed  a  frontispiece,  in  which  the  Negro 
is  represented.  He  is  made  to  stand  in  an  atti- 
tude of  the  most  earnest  address  to  Heaven,  in  the 
course  of  which,  with  the  fatal  dagger  in  his  hand, 
he  breaks  forth  in  the  following  words  : — ■ 

"  To  you  this  unpolluted  blood  I  pour, 
To  you  that  spirit,  which  ye  gave,  restore." 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  69 

This  poem,  which  was  the  first  ever  written  ex- 
pressly on  the  subject,  was  read  extensively ;  and 
it  added  to  the  sympathy  in  favor  of  suffering  hu- 
manity, which  was  now  beginning  to  show  itself 
in  the  kingdom. 

About  this  time  the  first  edition  of  the  Essay 
on  Truth  made  its  appearance  in  the  world.  Dr. 
Beattie  took  an  opportunity,  in  this  work,  of  vin- 
dicating the  intellectual  powers  of  the  Africans 
from  the  aspersions  of  Hume,  and  Of  condemning 
their  slavery  as  a  barbarous  piece  of  policy,  and 
as  inconsistent  with  the  free  and  generous  spirit 
of  the  British  nation. 

In  the  year  1774,  John  Wesley,  the  celebrated 
divine,  to  whose  pious  labors  the  religious  world 
will  be  long  indebted,  undertook  the  cause  of  the 
poor  Africans.  He  had  been  in  America,  and  had 
seen  and  pitied  their  hard  condition.  The  work 
which  lie  gave  to  the  world  in  consequence,  was 
entitled  Thoughts  on  Slavery.  Mr.  Wesley  had 
this  great  cause  much  at  heart,  and  frequently 
recommended  it  to  the  support  of  those  who  at- 
tended his  useful  ministry. 

In  the  year  1776,  the  abbe  Proyart  brought  out, 
at  Paris,  his  History  of  Loango,  and  other  king- 
doms in  Africa,  in  which  he  did  ample  justice  to 
the  moral  and  intellectual  character  of  the  natives 
there. 

The  same  year  produced  two  new  friends  in 
England,  in  the  same  cause,  but  in  a  line  in  which 
no  one  had  yet  moved.  David  Hartley,  then  a 
member  of  Parliament  for  Hull,  and  the  son  of 


70  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

Dr.  Hartley,  who  wrote  the  Essay  on  Man,  found 
it  impossible  any  longer  to  pass  over  without  no- 
tice the  case  of  the  oppressed  Africans.  He  had 
long  felt  for  their  wretched  condition,  and,  avail- 
ing himself  of  his  legislative  situation,  he  made  a 
motion  in  the  House  of  Commons^  "  That  the 
Slave-trade  was  contrary  to  the  laws  of  God,  and 
the  rights  of  men."  In  order  that  he  might  in- 
terest the  members  as  much  as  possible  in  his  mo- 
tion, he  had  previously  obtained  some  of  the  chains 
in  use  in  this  cruel  traffic,  and  had  laid  them  upon 
the  table  of  the  House  of  Commons.  His  motion 
was  seconded  by  that  great  patriot  and  philan- 
thropist, Sir  George  Saville.  But  though  I  am 
now  to  state  that  it  failed,  I  cannot  but  consider 
it  as  a  matter  of  pleasing  reflection,  that  this  great 
subject  was  first  introduced  into  Parliament  by 
those  who  were  worthy  of  it ;  by  those  who  had 
clean  hands  and  irreproachable  characters,  and  to 
whom  no  motive  of  party  or  faction  could  be  im- 
puted, but  only  such  as  must  have  arisen  from  a 
love  of  justice,  a  true  feeling  of  humanity,  and 
a  proper  sense  of  religion. 

About  this  time  two  others,  men  of  great  talents 
and  learning,  promoted  the  cause  of  the  injured 
Africans,  by  the  manner  in  which  they  introduced 
them  to  notice  in  their  respective  works. 

Dr.  Adam  Smith,  in  his  Theory  of  Moral  Sen- 
timents, had,  so  early  as  the  year  1759,  held  them 
up  in  an  honorable,  and  their  tyrants  in  a  degrad- 
ing, light.  "  There  is  not  a  Negro  from  the  coast 
of  Africa,  who  does  not,  in  this  respect,  possess  a 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  71 

degree  of  magnanimity,  which  the  soul  of  his  sor- 
did master  is  too  often  scarce  capable  of  conceiv- 
ing. Fortune  never  exerted  more  cruelly  her  em- 
pire over  mankind,  than  when  she  subjected  those 
nations  of  heroes  to  the  refuse  of  the  jails  of 
Europe,  to  wretches  who  possess  the  virtue  nei- 
ther of  the  countries  they  came  from,  nor  of  those 
they  go  to,  and  whose  levity,  brutality,  and  base- 
ness, so  justly  expose  them  to  the  contempt  of  the 
vanquished."  And  now,  in  1776,  in  his  Wealth 
of  Nations,  he  showed  in  a  forcible  manner  (for 
he  appealed  to  the  interest  of  those  concerned)  the 
dearness  of  African  labor,  or  the  impolicy  of  em- 
ploying slaves. 

Professor  Millar,  in  his  Origin  of  Ranks,  fol- 
lowed Dr.  Smith  on  the  same  ground.  He  ex- 
plained the  impolicy  of  slavery  in  general,  by  its 
bad  effects  upon  industry,  population,  and  morals. 
These  effects  he  attached  to  the  system  of  agricul- 
ture as  followed  in  our  islands.  He  showed,  be- 
sides, how  little  pains  were  taken,  or  how  few 
contrivances  were  thought  of,  to  ease  the  laborers 
there.  He  contended  that  the  Africans  ought  to 
be  better  treated,  and  to  be  raised  to  a  better  con- 
dition ;  and  he  ridiculed  the  inconsistency  of  those 
who  held  them  in  bondage.  "  It  affords,"  says 
he,  "  a  curious  spectacle  to  observe  that  the  same 
people,  who  talk  in  a  high  strain  of  political  liberty, 
and  who  consider  the  privilege  of  imposing  their 
own  taxes  as  one  of  the  inalienable  rights  of 
mankind,  should  make  no  scruple  of  reducing  a 
great  proportion  of  their  fellow-creatures  into  cir- 


TZ  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

cumstances,  by  which  they  are  not  only  deprived 
of  property,  but  almost  of  every  species  of  right. 
Fortune  perhaps  never  produced  a  situation  more 
calculated  to  ridicule  a  liberal  hypothesis,  or  to 
show  how  little  the  conduct  of  men  is  at  the  bot- 
tom directed  by  any  philosophical  principles."  It 
is  a  great  honor  to  the  university  of  Glasgow,  that 
it  should  have  produced,  before  any  public  agita- 
tion of  this  question,  three  Professors,*  all  of  whom 
bore  their  public  testimony  against  the  continu- 
ance of  the  cruel  trade. 

From  this  time,  or  from  about  the  year  1776,  to 
about  the  year  1 782,  I  am  to  put  down  three  other 
coadjutors,  whose  labors  seem  to  have  come  in  a 
right  season  for  the  promotion  of  the  cause. 

The  first  of  these  was  Dr.  Robertson.  In  his 
History  of  America,  he  laid  open  many  facts  rela- 
tive to  this  subject.  He  showed  himself  a  w^arm 
friend  both  of  the  Indians  and  Africans.  He  lost 
no  opportunity  of  condemning  that  trade  which 
brought  the  latter  into  bondage  :  "  a  trade,"  says 
he,  "  which  is  no  less  repugnant  to  the  feelings  of 
humanity  than  to  the  principles  of  religion."  And 
in  his  Charles  the  Fifth,  he  showed  in  a  manner 
that  was  clear  and  never  to  be  controverted,  that 
Christianity  was  the  great  cause  in  the  twelfth 
century  of  extirpating  slavery  from  the  West  of 
Europe.  By  the  establishment  of  this  fact  he 
rendered  important  services  to  the  oppressed  Afri- 
cans. For  if  Christianity,  when  it  began  to  be 
felt  in  the  heart,  dictated  the  abolition  of  slavery, 
*  The  other  was  Professor  Hucheson,  before  mentioned  in  p.  44. 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  73 

it  certainly  became  those  who  lived  in  a  Christian 
coimtry,  and  who  professed  the  Christian  religion, 
to  put  an  end  to  this  cruel  trade. 

The  second  was  the  abb6  Raynal.  This  author 
gave  an  account  of  the  laws,  government,  and  re- 
ligion of  Africa,  of  the  produce  of  it,  of  the  man- 
ners of  its  inhabitants,  of  the  trade  in  slaves,  of 
the  manner  of  procuring  these,  with  several  other 
particulars  relating  to  the  subject.  And  at  the 
end  of  his  account,  fearing  lest  the  good  advice 
he  had  given  for  making  the  condition  of  the 
slaves  more  comfortable  should  be  construed  into 
an  approbation  of  such  a  traffic,  he  employed 
several  pages  in  showing  its  utter  inconsistency 
with  sound  policy,  justice,  reason,  humanity,  and 
religion. 

"  I  will  not  here,"  says  he,  "  so  far  debase  my- 
self as  to  enlarge  the  ignominious  list  of  those 
writers,  who  devote  their  abilities  to  justify  by 
policy  what  morality  condemns.  In  an  age  where 
so  many  errors  are  boldly  laid  open,  it  would  be 
unpardonable  to  conceal  any  truth  that  is  interest- 
ing to  humanity.  If  whatever  I  have  hitherto 
advanced  hath  seemingly  tended  only  to  alleviate 
the  burden  of  slavery,  the  reason  is,  that  it  was 
first  necessary  to  give  some  comfort  to  those  un- 
happy beings,  whom  we  cannot  set  free,  and  con- 
vince their  oppressors,  that  they  were  cruel,  to  the 
prejudice  of  their  real  interests.  But,  in  the  mean 
time,  till  some  considerable  revolution  shall  make 
the  evidence  of  this  great  truth  felt,  it  may  not  be 
improper  to  pursue  this  subject  further.     I  shall 

vol.  i.  7 


74  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

then  first  prove"  that  there  is  no  reason  of  state, 
which  can  authorize  slavery.  I  shall  not  be  afraid 
to  cite  to  the  tribunal  of  reason  and  justice  those 
governments,  which  tolerate  this  cruelty,  or  which 
even  are  not  ashamed  to  make  it  the  basis  of  their 
power." 

And  a  little  further  on  he  observes  :  "  Will  it  be 
said  that  he,  who  wants  to  make  me  a  slave,  does 
me  no  injury,  but  that  he  only  makes  use  of  his 
rights  ?  Where  are  those  rights  1  Who  hath 
stamped  upon  them  so  sacred  a  character  as  to 
silence  mine  V9 

In  the  beginning  of  the  next  paragraph  he 
speaks  thus  :  "  He,  who  supports  the  system  of 
slavery  is  the  enemy  of  the  whole  human  race. 
He  divides  it  into  two  societies  of  legal  assassins  ; 
the  oppressors,  and  the  oppressed.  It  is  the  same 
thing  as  proclaiming  to  the  world,  if  you  would 
preserve  your  life,  instantly  take-  away  mine,  for  I 
want  to  have  yours." 

Going  on  two  pages  further,  we  find  these 
words  :  "  But  the  Negroes,  they  say,  are  a  race 
born  for  slavery  ;  their  dispositions  are  narrow, 
treacherous,  and  wicked  ;  they  themselves  allow 
the  superiority  of  our  understandings,  and  almost 
acknowledge  the  justice  of  our  authority.  Yes ; 
the  minds  of  the  Negroes  are  contracted,  because 
slavery  destroys  all  the  springs  of  the  soul.  They 
are  wicked,  but  not  equally  so  with  you.  They 
are  treacherous,  because  they  are  under  no  obli- 
gation to  speak  truth  to  their  tyrants.  They  ac- 
knowledge the  superiority  of  our  understandings 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  75 

because  we  have  abused  their  ignorance.  They 
allow  the  justice  of  our  authority,  because  we 
have  abused  their  weakness. 

"  But  these  Negroes,  it  is  further  urged,  were 
born  slaves.  Barbarians  !  will  you  persuade  me, 
that  a  man  can  be  the  property  of  a  sovereign,  a 
son^'we  property  of  a  father,  a  wife  the  property 
of  a  husband,  a  domestic  the  property  of  a  master, 
a  Negro  the  property  of  a  planter  V9 

But  I  have  no  time  to  follow  this  animated  au- 
thor, even  by  short  extracts,  through  the  varied 
strains  of  eloquence  which  he  displays  upon  this 
occasion.  I  can  only  say,  that  his  labors  entitle 
him  to  a  high  station  among  the  benefactors  to  the 
African  race. 

The  third  was  Dr.  Paley,  whose  genius,  talents, 
and  learning  have  been  so  eminently  displayed  in 
his  writings  in  the  cause  of  natural  and  revealed 
religion.  Dr.  Paley  did  not  write  any  essay  ex- 
pressly in  favor  of  the  Africans.  But  in  his  Moral 
Philosophy,  where  he  treated  on  slavery,  he  took 
an  opportunity  of  condemning,  in  very  severe 
terms,  the  continuance  of  it.  In  this  work  he  de- 
fined what  slavery  was,  and  how  it  might  arise 
consistently  with  the  law  of  nature  ;  but  he  made 
an  exception  against  that  which  arose  from  the 
African  trade. 

"  The  Slave-trade,"  says  he,  "  upon  the  coast  of 
Africa,  is  not  excused  by  these  principles.  When 
slaves  in  that  country  are  brought  to  market,  no 
questions,  I  believe  are  asked  about  the  origin  or 
justice  of  the  venders  title.     It  may  be  presumed. 


76  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

therefore,  that  this  title  is  not  always,  if  it  be  ever, 
founded  in  any  of  the  causes  above  assigned. 

"  But  defect  of  right  in  the  first  purchase  is  the 
least  crime  with  which  this  traffic  is  chargeable. 
The  natives  are  excited  to  war  and  mutual  depre- 
dation, for  the  sake  of  supplying  their  contracts, 
or  furnishing  the  markets  with  slaves.  Witt  '  this 
the  wickedness  begins.  The  slaves,  torn  away 
from  their  parents,  wives  and  children,  from  their 
friends  and  companions,  from  their  fields  and 
flocks  from  their  home  and  country,  are  trans- 
ported to  the  European  settlements  in  America, 
with  no  other  accommodation  on  shipboard  than 
what  is  provided  for  brutes.  This  is  the  second 
stage  of  the  cruelty,  from  which  the  miserable  ex- 
iles-are  delivered  only  to  be  placed,  and  that  for 
life,  in  subjection  to  a  dominion  and  system  of 
laws,  the  most  merciless  and  tyrannical  that  ever 
were  tolerated  upon  the  face  of  the  earth  :  and 
from  all  that  can  be  learned  by  the  accounts  of 
people  upon  the  spot,  the  inordinate  authority, 
which  the  Plantation  laws  confer  upon  the  slave- 
holder, is  exercised  by  the  English  slaveholder, 
especially,  with  rigor  and  brutality. 

"  But  necessity  is  pretended,  the  name  under 
which  every  enormity  is  attempted  to  be  justified ; 
and  after  all,  what  is  the  necessity  ?  It  has  never 
been  proved  that  the  land  could  not  be  cultivated 
there,  as  it  is  here,  by  hired  servants.  It  is  said 
that  it  could  not  be  cultivated  with  quite  the  same 
conveniency  and  cheapness,  as  by  the  labor  of 
slaves  ;  by  which  means,  a  pound  of  sugar,  which, 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  77 

the  planter  now  sells  for  sixpence,  could  not  be 
afforded  under  sixpence-halfpenny  ;  and  this  is  the 
necessity  ! 

"  The  great  revolution,  which  has  taken  place 
in  the  western  world,  may  probably  conduce  (and 
who  knows  but  that  it  was  designed)  to  acceler- 
ate the  fall  of  this  abominable  tyranny  :  and  now 
that  this  contest  and  the  passions  which  attend  it 
are  no  more,  there  may  succeed  perhaps  a  season 
for  reflecting,  whether  a  legislature,  which  had  so 
long  lent  assistance  to  the  support  of  an  institution 
replete  with  human  misery,  was  fit  to  be  trusted 
with  an  empire,  the  most  extensive  that  ever  ob- 
tained in  any  age  or  quarter  of  the  world." 

The  publication  of  these  sentiments  may  be  sup- 
posed to  have  produced  an  extensive  effect.  For 
the  Moral  Philosophy  was  adopted  early  by  some 
of  the  colleges  in  our  universities  into  the  system 
of  their  education.  It  soon  found  its  way  also 
into  most  of  the  private  libraries  of  the  kingdom  ; 
and  it  was,  besides,  generally  read  and  approved. 
Dr.  Paley,  therefore,  must  be  considered  as  hav- 
ing been  a  considerable  coadjutor  in  interesting 
the  mind  of  the  public  in  favor  of  the  oppressed 
Africans. 

In  the  year  1783,  we  find  Mr.  Sharp  coming 
again  into  notice.  We  find  him  at  this  time  taking 
a  part  in  a  cause,  the  knowledge  of  which,  in  pro- 
portion as  it  was  disseminated,  produced  an  earn- 
est desire  among  all  disinterested  persons,  for  the 
abolition  of  the  Slave-trade. 

In  this  year,  certain  underwriters  desired  to  be 

vol.  I.  7* 


78  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

heard  against  Gregson  and  others  of  Liverpool,  in 
the  case  of  the  ship  Zong,  Captain  Collingwood, 
alleging  that  the  captain  and  officers  of  the  said 
vessel  threw  overboard  one  hundred  and  thirty-two 
slaves  alive  into  the  sea,  in  order  to  defraud  them, 
by  claiming  the  value  of  the  said  slaves,  as  if  they 
had  been  lost  in  a  natural  way.  In  the  course  of 
the  trial,  which  afterwards  came  on,  it  appeared, 
that  the  slaves  on  board  the  Zong  were  very  sick- 
ly ;  that  sixty  of  them  had  already  died  ;  and 
several  were  ill  and  likely  to  die  ;  when  the  cap- 
tain proposed  to  James  Kelsall,  the  mate,  and 
others,  to  throw  several  of  them  overboard,  stat- 
ing "  that  if  they  died  a  natural  death,  the  loss 
would  fall  upon  the  owners  of  the  ship,  but  that, 
if  they  were  thrown  into  the  sea,  it  would  fall 
upon  the  underwriters."  He  selected  accordingly 
one  hundred  and  thirty-two  of  the  most  sickly 
of  the  slaves.  Fifty-four  of  these  were  immedi- 
ately thrown  overboard,  and  forty-two  were  made 
to  be  partakers  of  their  fate  on  the  succeeding  day. 
In  the  course  of  three  days  afterwards  the  remain- 
ing twenty-six  were  brought  upon  deck  to  com- 
plete the  number  of  victims.  The  first  sixteen 
submitted  to  be  thrown  into  the  sea  ;  but  the  rest 
with  a  noble  resolution  would  not  suffer  the  offi- 
cers to  touch  them,  but  leaped  after  their  com- 
panions and  shared  their  fate. 

The  plea  which  was  set  up  in  behalf  of  this 
atrocious  and  unparalleled  act  of  wickedness,  was, 
that  the  captain  discovered,  when  he  made  the 
proposal,  that  he  had  only  two  hundred  gallons 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  79 

of  water  -on  board,  and  that  he  had  missed  his 
port.  It  was  proved,  however,  in  answer  to  this, 
that  no  one  had  been  put  upon  short  allowance  ; 
and  that,  as  if  Providence  had  determined  to  af- 
ford an  unequivocal  proof  of  the  guilt,  a  shower 
of  rain  fell  and  continued  for  three  days  immedi- 
ately after  the  second  lot  of  slaves  had  been  de- 
stroyed, by  means  of  which  they  might  have  filled 
many  of  their  vessels*  with  water,  and  thus  have 
prevented  all  necessity  for  the  destruction  of  the 
third. 

Mr.  Sharp  was  present  at  this  trial,  and  procured 
the  attendance  of  a  short  hand  writer  to  take 
down  the  facts,  which  should  come  out  in  the 
course  of  it.  These  he  gave  to  the  public  after- 
wards. He  communicated  them  also,  with  a  copy 
of  the  trial,  to  the  Lords  of  the  Admiralty,  as  the 
guardians  of  justice  upon  the  seas,  and  to  the 
Duke  of  Portland,  as  principal  minister  of  state. 
No  notice,  however,  was  taken  by  any  of  these, 
of  the  information  which  had  been  thus  sent  them. 

But  though  nothing  was  done  by  the  persons 
then  in  power,  in  consequence  of  the  murder  of 
so  many  innocent  individuals,  yet  the  publication 
of  an  account  of  it  by  Mr.  Sharp  in  the  newspa- 
pers, made  such  an  impression  upon  others,  that 
new  coadjutors  rose  up.  For,  soon  after  this,  we 
find  Thomas  Day  entering  the  lists  again  as  the 
champion  of  the  injured  Africans.  He  had  lived 
to  see  his  poem  of  The  Dying  Negro,  which  had 

*  It  appeared  that  they  filled  six. 


80  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

been  published  in  1773,  make  a  considerable  im- 
pression. In  1776,  he  had  written  a  letter  to  a 
friend  in  America,  who  was  the  possessor  of  slaves, 
to  dissuade  him  by  a  number  of  arguments  from 
holding  such  property.  And  now,  when  the  knowl- 
edge of  the  case  of  the  ship  Zong  was  spreading, 
he  published  that  letter  under  the  title  of  Frag- 
ment of  an  Original  Letter  on  the  Slavery  of  the 
Negroes. 

In  this  same  year,  Dr.  Porteus,  bishop  of  Ches- 
ter, but  now  bishop  of  London,  came  forward  as  a 
new  advocate  for  the  natives  of  Africa.  The  way 
in  which  he  rendered  them  service,  was  by  preach- 
ing a  sermon  in  their  behalf,  before  the  Society  for 
the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel.  Of  the  wide  cir- 
culation of  this  sermon,  I  shall  say  something  in 
another  place,  but  much  more  of  the  enlightened 
and  pious  author  of  it,  who  from  this  time  never 
failed  to  aid,  at  every  opportunity,  the  cause  which 
he  had  so  ably  undertaken. 

In  the  year  1784,  Dr.  Gregory  produced  his 
Essays  Historical  and  Moral.  He  took  an  oppor- 
tunity of  disseminating  in  these  a  circumstantial 
knowledge  of  the  Slave-trade,  and  an  equal  abhor- 
rence of  it  at  the  same  time.  He  explained  the 
manner  of  procuring  slaves  in  Africa ;  the  treat- 
ment of  them  in  the  passage,  (in  which  he  men- 
tioned the  case  of  the  ship  Zong,)  and  the  wicked 
and  cruel  treatment  of  them  in  the  colonies.  He 
recited  and  refuted  also  the  various  arguments 
adduced  in  defence  of  the  trade.  He  showed  that 
it  was  destructive  to  our  seamen.     He  produced 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  81 

many  weighty  arguments  also  against  the  slavery 
itself.  He  proposed  clauses  for  an  act  of  Parlia- 
ment for  the  abolition  of  both ;  showing  the  good 
both  to  England  and  her  colonies  from  such  a 
measure,  and  that  a  trade  might  be  substituted  in 
Africa,  in  various  articles,  for  that  which  he  pro- 
posed to  suppress.  By  means  of  the  diffusion  of 
light  like  this,  both  of  a  moral  and  political  nature, 
Dr.  Gregory  is  entitled  to  be  ranked  among  the 
benefactors  to  the  African  race. 

In  the  same  year,  Gilbert  Wakefield  preached  a 
sermon  at  Richmond  in  Surry,  where,  speaking  of 
the  people  of  this  nation,  he  says,  "  Have  we  been 
as  renowned  for  a  liberal  communication  of  our  re- 
ligion and  our  laws  as  for  the  possession  of  them? 
Have  we  navigated  and  conquered  to  save,  to 
civilize,  and  to  instruct ;  or  to  oppress,  to  plunder, 
and  to  destroy  1  Let  India  and  Africa  give  the 
answer  to  these  questions.  The  one  we  have  ex- 
hausted of  her  wealth  and  her  inhabitants  by  vio- 
lence, by  famine,  and  by  every  species  of  tyranny 
and  murder.  The  children  of  the  other  we  daily 
carry  from  off  the  land  of  their  nativity,  like  sheep 
to  the  slaughter,  to  return  no  more.  We  tear 
them  from  every  object  of  their  affection,  or,  sad 
alternative,  drag  them  together  to  the  horrors  of  a 
mutual  servitude  !  We  keep  them  in  the  profound* 
est  ignorance.  We  gall  them  in  a  tenfold  chain, 
with  an  unrelenting  spirit  of  barbarity,  inconceiva- 
ble to  all  but  the  spectators  of  it,  unexampled 
among  former  ages  and  other  nations,  and  unre- 
corded even  in  the  bloody  registers  of  heathen  per- 


82  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

secution.  Such  is  the  conduct  of  us  enlightened 
Englishmen,  reformed  Christians  !  Thus  have  we 
profited  by  our  superior  advantages,  by  the  favor 
of  God,  by  the  doctrines  and  example  of  a  meek 
and  lowly  Saviour.  Will  not  the  blessings  which 
we  have  abused  loudly  testify  against  us  1  Will 
not  the  blood  which  we  have  shed  cry  from  the 
ground  for  vengeance  upon  our  sins  ?" 

In  the  same  year,  James  Ramsay,  vicar  of  Tes- 
ton  in  Kent,  became  also  an  able,  zealous,  and 
indefatigable  patron  of  the  African  cause.  This 
gentleman  had  resided  nineteen  years  in  the  island 
of  St.  Christopher,  where  he  had  observed  the 
treatment  of  the  slaves,  and  had  studied  the  laws 
relating  to  them.  On  his  return  to  England, 
yielding  to  his  own  feelings  of  duty  and  the  solici- 
tations of  some  amiable  friends,  he  publised  a 
work,  which  he  called  An  Essay  on  the  Treat- 
ment and  Conversion  of  the  African  Slaves  in  the 
British  Sugar  Colonies.  After  having  given  an 
account  of  the  relative  situation  of  master  and  slave 
in  various  parts  of  the  world,  he  explained  the 
low  and  degrading  situation  which  the  Africans 
held  in  society  in  our  own  islands.  He  showed 
that  their  importance  would  be  increased,  and  the 
temporal  interest  of  their  masters  promoted,  by 
giving  them  freedom,  and  by  granting  them  other 
privileges.  He  showed  the  great  difficulty  of  in- 
structing them  in  the  state  in  which  they  then 
were,  and  such  as  he  himself  had  experienced  both 
in  his  private  and  public  attempts,  and  such  as 
others  had  experienced  also.     He  stated  the  way 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  83* 

in  which  private  attempts  of  this  nature  might 
probably  be  successful.  He  then  answered  all 
objections  against  their  capacities,  as  drawn  from 
philosophy,  form,  anatomy,  and  observation ;  and 
vindicated  these  from  his  own  experience.  And 
lastly,  he  threw  out  ideas  for  the  improvement  of 
their  condition,  by  an  establishment  of  a  greater 
number  of  spiritual  pastors  among  them  ;  by  giv- 
ing them  more  privileges  than  they  then  possessed ; 
and  by  extending  towards  them  the  benefits  of  a 
proper  police.  Mr.  Ramsay  had  no  other  motive 
for  giving  this  work  to  the  public,  than  that  of  hu- 
manity, or  a  wish  to  serve  this  much  injured  part 
of  the  human  species.  For  he  compiled  it  at  the 
hazard  of  forfeiting  that  friendship,  which  he  had 
contracted  with  many  during  his  residence  in  the 
islands,  and  of  suffering  much  in  his  private  prop- 
erty, as  well  as  subjecting  himself  to  the  ill-will 
and  persecution  of  numerous  individuals. 

The  publication  of  this  book  by  one,  who  pro- 
fessed to  have  been  so  long  resident  in  the  islands, 
and  to  have  been  an  eyewitness  of  facts,  produced, 
as  may  easily  be  supposed,  a  good  deal  of  conver- 
sation, and  made  a  considerable  impression,  but 
particularly  at  this  time,  when  a  storm  was  visibly 
gathering  over  the  heads  of  the  oppressors  of  the 
African  race.  These  circumstances  occasioned 
one  or  two  persons  to  attempt  to  answer  it,  and 
these  answers  brought  Mr.  Ramsay  into  the  first 
controversy  ever  entered  into  on  this  subject,  dur- 
ing which,  as  is  the  case  in  most  controversies, 
the  cause  of  truth  was  spread. 


84  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

The  works  which  Mr.  Ramsay  wrote  upon  this 
subject,  were,  the  Essay,  just  mentioned,  in  1784. 
An  Inquiry,  also,  into  the  Effects  of  the  Abolition 
of  the  Slave-trade,  in  1784.  A  reply  to  personal 
Invectives  and  Objections,  in  1785.  A  Letter  to 
James  Tobin,  Esq.  in  1787.  Objections  to  the 
Abolition  of  the  Slave-trade,  with  Answers  :  and 
an  Examination  of  Harris's  Scriptural  Researches 
on  the  Licitness  of  the  Slave-trade,  in  1788  ;  and 
An  Address  on  the  proposed  Bill  for  the  Abolition 
of  the  Slave-trade,  in  1789.  In  short,  from  the 
time  when  he  first  took  up  the  cause,  he  was 
engaged  in  it  till  his  death,  which  was  not  a  little 
accelerated  by  his  exertions.  He  lived,  however, 
to  see  this  cause  in  a  train  for  parliamentary  in- 
quiry, and  he  died  satisfied,  being  convinced,  as 
he  often  expressed,  that  the  investigation  must 
inevitably  lead  to  the  total  abolition  of  the  Slave- 
trade. 

In  the  next  year,  that  is,  in  the  year  1785, 
another  advocate  was  seen  in  Monsieur  Necker, 
in  his  celebrated  work  on  the  French  Finances, 
which  had  just  been  translated  into  the  English 
language  from  the  original  work,  in  1784.  This 
virtuous  statesman,  after  having  given  his  estimate 
of  the  population  and  revenue  of  the  French  West 
Indian  colonies,  proceeds  thus:  "The  colonies 
of  France  contain,  as  Ave  have  seen,  near  five 
hundred  thousand  slaves,  and  it  is  from  the  num- 
ber of  these  poor  wretches  that  the  inhabitants  set 
a  value  on  their  plantations.  What  a  dreadful 
prospect !  and  how  profound  a  subject  for  reflec- 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  85 

tion !  Alas !  how  little  are  we  both  in  our  morality 
and  our  principles  !  We  preach  up  humanity,  and 
yet  go  every  year  to  bind  in  chains  twenty  thou- 
sand natives  of  Africa  ?  We  call  the  Moors  bar- 
barians and  ruffians,  because  they  attack  the  lib- 
erty of  Europeans  at  the  risk  of  their  own  ;  yet 
these  Europeans  go,  without  danger,  and  as  mere 
speculators,  to  purchase  slaves  by  gratifying  the 
avarice  of  their  masters,  and  excite  all  those 
bloody  scenes,  which  are  the  usual  preliminaries 
of  this  traffic  !"  He  goes  on  still  further  in  the 
same  strain.  He  then  shows  the  kind  of  power 
which  has  supported  this  execrable  trade.  He 
throws  out  the  idea  of  a  general  compact,  by 
which  all  the  European  nations  should  agree  to 
abolish  it.  And  he  indulges  the  pleasing  hope,  that 
it  may  take  place  even  in  the  present  generation. 

In  the  same  year  we  find  other  coadjutors  com- 
ing before  our  view,  but  these  in  a  line  different 
from  that,  in  which  any  other  belonging  to  this 
class  had  yet  moved.  Mr.  George  White,  a  clergy- 
man of  the  established  church,  and  Mr.  John 
Chubb,  suggested  to  Mr.  William  Tucket,  the 
mayor  of  Bridgewater,  where  they  resided,  and  to 
others  of  that  town,  the  propriety  of  petitioning 
Parliament  for  the  abolition  of  the  Slave-trade. 
This  petition  was  agreed  upon,  and  when  drawn 
up,  was  as  follows  : — 

"  The  humble  petition  of  the  inhabitants  of 
Bridgewater  showeth, 

"  That  your  petitioners,  reflecting  with  the 
deepest  sensibility  on  the  deplorable  condition  of 

vol.  i.  8 


86  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

that  part  of  the  human  species,  the  African  Ne- 
groes, who  by  the  most  flagitious  means  are  re- 
duced to  slavery  and  misery  in  the  British  colo- 
nies, beg  leave  to  address  this  honorable  house 
in  their  behalf,  and  to  express  a  just  abhorrence 
of  a  system  of  oppression,  which  no  prospect  of 
private  gain,  no  consideration  of  public  advantage, 
no  plea  of  political  expediency,  can  sufficiently 
justify  or  excuse. 

"  That,  satisfied  as  your  petitioners  are  that  this 
inhuman  system  meets  with  the  general  execration 
of  mankind,  they  flatter  themselves  the  day  is  not 
far  distant  when  it  will  be  universally  abolished. 
And  they  most  ardently  hope  to  see  a  British 
Parliament,  by  the  extinction  of  that  sanguinary 
traffic,  extend  the  blessings  of  liberty  to  millions 
beyond  this  realm,  hold  up  to  an  enlightened 
world  a  glorious  and  merciful  example,  and  stand 
foremost  in  the  defence  of  the  violated  rights  of 
human  nature." 

This  petition  was  presented  by  the  honorable 
Ann  Poulet,  and  Alexander  Hood,  Esq.,  (now 
Lord  Bridport,)  who  were  the  members  for  the 
town  of  Bridgewater.  It  was  ordered  to  lie  on  the 
table.  The  answer  which  these  gentlemen  gave 
to  their  constituents  relative  to  the  reception  of  it 
in  the  House  of  Commons,  is  worthy  of  notice  : 
"  There  did  not  appear,"  say  they  in  their  com- 
mon letter,  "  the  least  disposition  to  pay  any  fur- 
ther attention  to  it.  Every  one  almost  says,  that 
the  abolition  of  the  Slave-trade  must  immediately 
throw  the  West  Indian  islands  into  convulsions, 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  87 

and  soon  complete  their  utter  ruin.  Thus  they 
will  not  trust  Providence  for  its  protection  for  so 
pious  an  undertaking." 

In  the  year  1786,  Captain  J.  S.  Smith  of  the 
royal  navy  offered  himself  to  the  notice  of  the 
public  in  behalf  of  the  African  cause.  Mr.  Ram- 
say, as  I  have  observed  before,  had  become  in- 
volved in  a  controversy  in  consequence  of  his 
support  of  it.  His  opponents  not  only  attacked 
his  reputation,  but  had  the  effrontery  to  deny 
his  facts.  This  circumstance  occasioned  Captain 
Smith  to  come  forward.  He  wrote  a  letter  to  his 
friend  Mr.  Hill,  in  which  he  stated  that  he  had 
seen  those  things,  while  in  the  West  Indies,  which 
Mr.  Ramsay  had  asserted  to  exist,  but  which  had 
been  so  boldly  denied.  He  gave  also  permission 
to  Mr.  Hill  to  publish  this  letter.  Too  much 
praise  cannot  be  bestowed  on  Captain  Smith,  for 
thus  standing  forth  in  a  noble  cause,  and  in  behalf 
of  an  injured  character. 

The  last  of  the  necessary  forerunners  and  coad- 
jutors of  this  class,  whom  I  am  to  mention,  was 
our  much  admired  poet,  Cowper ;  and  a  great 
coadjutor  he  was,  when  we  consider  what  value 
was  put  upon  his  sentiments,  and  the  extraordi- 
nary circulation  of  his  works.  There  are  few 
persons,  who  have  not  been  properly  impressed  by 
the  following  lines  : — 

. "  My  ear  is  pain'd, 


My  soul  is  sick  with  every  day's  report 

Of  wrong  and  outrage  with  which  this  earth  is  fill'd. 

There  is  no  flesh  in  man's  obdurate  heart, 

It  does  not  feel  for  man.     The  nat'ral  bond 


88  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

Of  brotherhood  is  sever'd  as  the  flax 
That  falls  asunder  at  the  touch  of  fire. 
He  finds  his  fellow  guilty  of  a  skin 
Not  color'd  like  his  own,  and  having  pow'r 
T'  inforce  the  wrong  for  such  a  worthy  cause 
Dooms  and  devotes  him  as  his  lawful  prey. 
Lands  intersected  by  a  narrow  frith 
Abhor  each  other.     Mountains  interpos'd 
Make  enemies  of  nations,  who  had  else, 
Like  kindred  drops,  been  mingled  into  one. 
Thus  man  devotes  his  brother,  and  destroys  ; 
And,  worse  than  all,  and  most  to  be  deplor'd 
As  human  nature's  broadest,  foulest  blot, 
Chains  him,  and  tasks  him,  and  exacts  his  sweat 
With  stripes,  that  mercy  with  a  bleeding  heart 
Weeps,  when  she  sees  inflicted  on  a  beast. 
Then  what  is  man  ?  And  what  man,  seeing  this, 
And  having  human  feelings,  does  not  blush 
And  hang  his  head  to  think  himself  a  man  ? 
I  would  not  have  a  slave  to  till  my  ground, 
To  carry  me,  to  fan  me  while  I  sleep, 
And  tremble  when  I  wake,  for  all  the  wealth 
That  sinews  bought  and  sold  have  ever  earn'd. 
No :  dear  as  freedom  is,  and  in  my  heart's 
Just  estimation  priz'd  above  all  price, 
I  had  much  rather  be  myself  the  slave, 
And  wear  the  bonds,  than  fasten  them  on  him. 
We  have  no  slaves  at  home — then  why  abroad  ? 
And  they  themselves  once  ferried  o'er  the  wave 
That  parts  us,  are  emancipate  and  loos'd. 
Slaves  cannot  breathe  in  England  ;  if  their  lungs 
Receive  our  air,  that  moment  they  are  free  ; 
They  touch  our  country,  and  their  shackles  fall.* 
That's  noble,  and  bespeaks  a  nation  proud 
And  jealous  of  the  blessing.     Spread  it  then, 
And  let  it  circulate  through  every  vein 
Of  all  your  empires — that  where  Britain's  pow'r 
Is  felt,  mankind  may  feel  her  mercy  too." 

*  Expressions  used  in  the  great  trial,  when  Mr.  Sharp  obtained  the  verdict 
in  favor  of  Somerset. 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  89 


CHAPTER   IV. 

Second  class  of  forerunners  and  coadjutors,  up  to  May,  1787,  con- 
sists of  the  Quakers  in  England — of  George  Fox,  and  others. — 
Of  the  body  of  the  Quakers  assembled  at  the  yearly  meeting 
in  1727— and  at  various  other  times.— quakers,  as  a  body,  peti- 
TION Parliament — and  circulate  books  on  the  subjfct. — Individ- 
uals  AMONG    THEM    BECOME    LABORERS    AND    ASSOCIATE    IN    BEHALF    OF 

the   Africans—  Dilwyn — Harrison — and   others. — This   the  first 
association  ever  formed  in  england  for  the  purpose. 

The  second  class  of  the  forerunners  and  coad- 
jutors in  this  great  cause  up  to  May,  1787,  will 
consist  of  the  Quakers  in  England. 

The  first  of  this  class  was  George  Fox,  the 
venerable  founder  of  this  benevolent  society. 

George  Fox  was  cotemporary  with  Richard 
Baxter,  being  born  not  long  after  him,  and  dying 
much  about  the  same  time.  Like  him,  he  left  his 
testimony  against  this  wicked  trade.  When  he 
was  in  the  island  of  Barbadoes,  in  the  year  1671, 
he  delivered  himself  to  those  who  attended  his 
religious  meetings  in  the  following  manner  : — 

"  Consider  with  yourselves,"  says  he,  "  if  you 
were  in  the  same  condition  as  the  poor  Africans 
are,  who  came  strangers  to  you,  and  were  sold  to 
you  as  slaves ;  I  say,  if  this  should  be  the  condi- 
tion of  you  or  yours,  you  would  think  it  a  hard 
measure  ;  yea,  and  very  great  bondage  and  cru- 
elty. And  therefore  consider  seriously  of  this ; 
and  do  you  for  them,  and  to  them,  as  you  would 
willingly  have  them,  or  any  others  do  unto  you, 

vol.  i.  8* 


90  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

were  you  in  the  like  slavish  condition,  and  bring 
them  to  know  the  Lord  Christ."  And  in  his 
Journal,  speaking  of  the  advice,  which  he  gave  his 
friends  at  Barbadoes,  he  says,  "  I  desired  also, 
that  they  would  cause  their  overseers  to  deal 
mildly  and  gently  with  their  Negroes,  and  not  to 
use  cruelty  towards  them,  as  the  manner  of  some 
had  been,  and  that  after  certain  years  of  servitude 
they  should  make  them  free." 

William  Edmundson,  who  was  a  minister  of 
the  Society,  and,  indeed,  a  fellow-traveller  with 
George  Fox,  had  the  boldness  in  the  same  island 
to  deliver  his  sentiments  to  the  governor  on  the 
same  subject.  Having  been  brought  before  him 
and  accused  of  making  the  Africans  Christians,  or, 
in  other  words,  of  making  them  rebel  and  destroy 
their  owners,  he  replied,  "  that  it  was  a  good 
thing  to  bring  them  to  the  knowledge  of  God  and 
Christ  Jesus,  and  to  believe  in  him  who  died  for 
them  and  all  men,  and  that  this  would  keep  them 
from  rebelling,  or  cutting  any  person's  throat ; 
but  if  they  did  rebel  and  cut  their  throats,  as  the 
governor  insinuated  they  would,  it  would  be  their 
own  doing,  in  keeping  them  in  ignorance  and 
under  oppression,  in  giving  them  liberty  to  be 
common  with  women,  like  brutes,  and,  on  the 
other  hand  in  starving  them  for  want  of  meat  and 
clothes  convenient ;  thus  giving  them  liberty  in 
that  which  God  restrained,  and  restraining  them 
in  that  which  was  meat  and  clothing." 

I  do  not  find  any  individual  of  this  society 
moving  in  this  cause  for  some  time  after  the  death 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  91 

of  George  Fox  and  William  Edmundson.  The 
first  circumstance  of  moment,  which  I  discover, 
is  a  Resolution  of  the  whole  Society  on  the  sub- 
ject, at  their  yearly  meeting  held  in  London  in 
the  year  1727.  The  resolution  was  contained  in 
the  following  w^ords  :  "  It  is  the  sense  of  this 
meeting,  that  the  importing  of  Negroes  from  their 
native  country  and  relations  by  Friends,  is  not  a 
commendable  nor  allowed  practice,  and  is  there- 
fore censured  by  this  meeting." 

In  the  year  175S,  the  Quakers  thought  it  their 
duty,  as  a  body,  to  pass  another  Resolution  upon 
this  subject.  At  this  time  the  nature  of  the  trade 
beginning  to  be  better  known,  we  find  them  more 
animated  upon  it,  as  the  following  extract  will 
show  : — 

"  We  fervently  warn  all  in  profession  with  us, 
that  they  carefully  avoid  being  any  way  concerned 
in  reaping  the  unrighteous  profits  arising  from  the 
iniquitous  practice  of  dealing  in  Negro  or  other 
slaves  ;  whereby,  in  the  original  purchase,  one 
man  selleth  another,  as  he  doth  the  beasts  that 
perish,  without  any  better  pretension  to  a  property 
in  him  than  that  of  superior  force  ;  in  direct  vio- 
lation of  the  Gospel  rule,  which  teacheth  all  to 
do  as  they  would  be  done  by,  and  to  do  good  to 
all ;  being  the  reverse  of  that  covetous  disposition, 
which  furnisheth  encouragement  to  those  poor  ig- 
norant people  to  perpetuate  their  savage  wars,  in 
order  to  supply  the  demands  of  this  most  unnatural 
traffic,  by  which  great  numbers  of  mankind,  free 
by  nature,  are  subject  to  inextricable  bondage ; 


92  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

and  which  hath  often  been  observed  to  fill  their 
possessors  with  haughtiness,  tyranny,  luxury,  and 
barbarity,  corrupting  the  minds  and  debasing  the 
morals  of  their  children,  to  the  unspeakable  preju- 
dice of  religion  and  virtue,  and  the  exclusion  of 
that  holy  spirit  of  universal  love,  meekness,  and 
charity,  which  is  the  unchangeable  nature  and  the 
glory  of  true  Christianity.  We  therefore  can  do 
no  less  than,  with  the  greatest  earnestness,  impress 
it  upon  Friends  everywhere,  that  they  endeavor 
to  keep  their  hands  clear  of  this  unrighteous  gain 
of  oppression." 

The  Quakers  hitherto,  as  appears  by  the  two 
resolutions  which  have  been  quoted,  did  nothing 
more  than  seriously  warn  all  those  in  religious  pro- 
fession with  them,  against  being  concerned  in  this 
trade.  But  in  three  years  afterwards,  or  at  the 
yearly  meeting  in  1761,  they  came  to  a  resolution, 
as  we  find  by  the  following  extract  from  their 
Minutes,  that  any  of  their  members  having  a  con- 
cern in  it  should  be  disowned.  "  This  meeting 
having  reason  to  apprehend  that  divers  under  our 
name  are  concerned  in  the  unchristian  traffic  in 
Negroes,  doth  recommend  it  earnestly  to  the  care 
of  Friends  everywhere,  to  discourage,  as  much  as 
in  them  lies,  a  practice  so  repugnant  to  our  Chris- 
tian profession;  and  to  deal  with  all  such  as  shall 
persevere  in  a  conduct  so  reproachful  to  Chris- 
tianity; and  to  disown  them,  if  they  desist  not 
therefrom." 

The  yearly  meeting  of  1761,  having  thus  agreed 
to  exclude  from  membership  such  as  should  be  found 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  93 

concerned  in  this  trade,  that  of  1763  endeavored 
to  draw  the  cords  still  tighter,  by  attaching  crimi- 
nality to  those,  who  should  aid  and  abet  the  trade 
in  any  manner.  By  the  minute,  which  was  made 
on  this  occasion,  I  apprehend  that  no  one,  belong- 
ing to  the  Society,  could  furnish  even  materials 
for  such  voyages.  "  We  renew  our  exhortation, 
that  Friends  everywhere  be  especially  careful  to 
keep  their  hands  clear  of  giving  encouragement  in 
any  shape  to  the  Slave-trade,  it  being  evidently 
destructive  of  the  natural  rights  of  mankind,  who 
are  all  ransomed  by  one  Saviour,  and  visited  by  one 
divine  light,  in  order  to  salvation ;  a  traffic  calcu- 
lated to  enrich  and  aggrandize  some  upon  the 
misery  of  others,  in  its  nature  abhorrent  to  every 
just  and  tender  sentiment,  and  contrary  to  the 
whole  tenor  of  the  Gospel." 

Some  pleasing  intelligence  having  been  sent  on 
this  subject  by  the  Society  in  America  to  the  Society 
in  England,  the  yearly  meeting  of  1772  thought 
it  their  duty  to  notice  it,  and  to  keep  their  former 
resolutions  alive  by  the  following  minute  :  "  It  ap*- 
pears  that  the  practice  of  holding  Negroes  in  oppres- 
sive and  unnatural  bondage  hath  been  so  success- 
fully discouraged  by  Friends  in  some  of  the  colonies, 
as  to  be  considerably  lessened.  We  cannot  but  ap- 
prove of  these  salutary  endeavors,  and  earnestly 
entreat  they  may  be  continued,  that,  through  the 
favor  of  divine  Providence,  a  traffic  so  unmerciful 
and  unjust  in  its  nature  to  a  part  of  our  own  species, 
made  equally  with  ourselves,  for  immortality,  may 
come  to  be  considered  by  all  in  its  proper  light, 


94  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

and  be  utterly  abolished  as  a  reproach  to  the 
Christian  name." 

I  must  beg  leave  to  stop  here  for  a  moment,  just 
to  pay  the  Quakers  a  due  tribute  of  respect  for  the 
proper  estimation,  in  which  they  have  uniformly 
held  the  miserable  outcasts  of  society,  who  have 
been  the  subject  of  these  minutes.  What  a  contrast 
does  it  afford  to  the  sentiments  of  many  others  con- 
cerning them  !  How  have  we  been  compelled  to 
prove  by  a  long  chain  of  evidence,  that  they  had  the 
same  feelings  and  capacities  as  ourselves  !  How 
many,  professing  themselves  enlightened,  even  now 
view  them  as  of  a  different  species !  But  in  the  min- 
utes, which  have  been  cited,  we  have  seen  them 
uniformly  represented  as  persons  "  ransomed  by  one 
and  the  same  Saviour;5'  "as  visited  by  one  and 
the  same  light  for  salvation ;"  and  "  as  made 
equally  for  immortality  as  others."  These  practi- 
cal views  of  mankind,  as  they  are  highly  honora- 
ble to  the  members  of  this  society,  so  they  afford  a 
proof  both  of  the  reality  and  of  the  consistency  of 
their  religion. 

But  to  return  :  From  this  time  there  appears 
to  have  been  a  growing  desire  in  this  benevolent 
society  to  step  out  of  its  ordinary  course  in  behalf 
of  this  injured  people.  It  had  hitherto  confined 
itself  to  the  keeping  of  its  own  members  unpolluted 
by  any  gain  from  their  oppression.  But  it  was 
now  ready  to  make  an  appeal  to  others,  and  to  bear 
a  more  public  testimony  in  their  favor.  Accord- 
ingly, in  the  month  of  June,  1783,  when  a  bill 
had  been  brought  into  the  House  of  Commons  for 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  95 

certain  regulations  to  be  made  with  respect  to  the 
African  trade,  the  Society  sent  the  following  peti- 
tion to  that  branch  of  the  legislature  : — 

"  Your  petitioners,  met  in  this  their  annual  as- 
sembly, having  solemnly  considered  the  state  of  the 
enslaved  Negroes,  conceive  themselves  engaged, 
in  religious  duty,  to  lay  the  suffering  situation 
of  that  unhappy  people  before  you,  as  a  subject 
loudly  calling  for  the  humane  interposition  of  the 
legislature. 

"  Your  petitioners  regret  that  a  nation,  profes- 
sing the  Christian  faith,  should  so  far  counteract 
the  principles  of  humanity  and  justice,  as  by  the 
cruel  treatment  of  this  oppressed  race  to  fill  their 
minds  with  prejudices  against  the  mild  and  benefi- 
cent doctrines  of  the  Gospel. 

"  Under  the  countenance  of  the  laws  of  this 
country  many  thousands  of  these  our  fellow-crea- 
tures entitled  to  the  natural  rights  of  mankind,  are 
held  as  personal  property  in  cruel  bondage ;  and 
your  petitioners  being  informed  that  a  Bill  for  the 
Regulation  of  the  African  Trade  is  now  before  the 
House  containing  a  clause  which  restrains  the 
officers  of  the  African  Company  from  exporting 
Negoes,  your  petitioners,  deeply  affected  with  a 
consideration  of  the  rapine,  oppression,  and  blood- 
shed, attending  this  traffic,  humbly  request  that 
this  restriction  may  be  extended  to  all  persons 
whomsoever,  or  that  the  House  would  grant  such 
other  relief  in  the  premises  as  in  its  wisdom  may 
seem  meet." 

This  petition  was  presented  by  Sir  Cecil  Wray, 


96  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

who,  on  introducing  it,  spoke  very  respectfully  of 
the  Society.  He  declared  his  hearty  approbation 
of  their  application,  and  said  he  hoped  he  should 
see  the  day  when  not  a  slave  would  remain  within 
the  dominions  of  this  realm.  Lord  North  seconded 
the  motion,  saying  he  could  have  no  objection  to 
the  petition,  and  that  its  object  ought  to  recom- 
mend it  to  every  humane  breast ;  that  it  did  credit 
to  the  most  benevolent  society  in  the  world ;  but 
that,  the  session  being  so  far  advanced,  the  subject 
could  not  then  be  taken  into  consideration;  and  he 
regretted  that  the  Slave-trade,  against  which  the 
petition  was  so  justly  directed,  was  in  a  commer- 
cial view  become  necessary  to  almost  every  nation 
of  Europe.  The  petition  was  then  brought  up  and 
read,  after  which  it  was  ordered  to  lie  on  the  table. 
This  was  the  first  petition,  (being  two  years  earlier 
than  that  from  the  inhabitants  of  Bridgewater,) 
which  was  ever  presented  to  Parliament  for  the 
abolition  of  the  Slave-trade, 

But  the  Society  did  not  stop  here ;  for  having 
at  the  yearly  meeting  of  1783,  particularly  recom- 
mended the  cause  to  a  standing  committee  ap- 
pointed to  act  at  intervals,  called  the  Meeting  for 
Sufferings,  the  latter  in  this  same  year  resolved 
upon  an  address  to  the  public,  entitled,  The  Case 
of  our  Fellow-creatures,  the  oppressed  Africans, 
respectfully  recommended  to  the  serious  Consider- 
ation of  the  Legislature  of  Great  Britain,  by  the 
People  called  Quakers  :  in  which  they  endeav- 
ored in  the  most  pathetic  manner  to  make  the 
reader  acquainted  with  the  cruel  nature  of  this 


ABOLITION    OF    THE     SLAVE-TRADE.  97 

trade  ;  and  they  ordered  two  thousand  copies  of  it 
to  be  printed. 

In  the  year  1784,  they  began  the  distribution  of 
this  case.  The  first  copy  was  sent  to  the  King- 
through  Lord  Carmarthen,  and  the  second  and  the 
third,  through  proper  officers,  to  the  Queen  and 
the  Prince  of  Wales.  Others  were  sent  by  a  depu- 
tation of  two  members  of  the  society  to  Mr.  Pitt, 
as  prime-minister;  to  the  Lord  Chancellor  Thur- 
low ;  to  Lord  Grower,  as  president  of  the  council ; 
to  Lords  Carmarthen  and  Sidney,  as  secretaries  of 
state ;  to  Lord  Chief  Justice  Mansfield ;  to  Lord 
Howe,  as  first  lord  of  the  Admiralty;  and  to  C. 
F.  Cornwall,  Esq.,  as  speaker  of  the  House  of 
Commons.  Copies  were  sent  also  to  every  mem- 
ber of  both  Houses  of  Parliament. 

The  Society,  in  the  same  year,  anxious  that  the 
conduct  of  its  members  should  be  consistent  with 
its  public  profession  on  tlnV  great  subject,  recom- 
mended it  to  the  quarterly  and  monthly  meetings 
to  inquire  through  their  respective  districts,  whether 
any,  bearing  its  name,  were  in  any  way  concerned 
in  the  traffic,  and  to  deal  with  such,  and  to  report 
the  success  of  their  labors  in  the  ensuing  year. 
Orders  were  also  given  for  the  reprinting  and  cir- 
culation of  ten  thousand  other  copies  of  "The 
Case." 

In  the  year  1785,  the  Society  interested  itself 
again  in  a  similar  manner.  For  the  meeting  for 
sufferings,  as  representing  it,  recommended  to  the 
quarterly  meetings  to  distribute  a  work,  written  by 
Anthony  Benezet,  in  America,  called,  A  Caution 

VOL.  I.  9 


98  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

to  Great  Britain  and  her  Colonies,  in  a  short  Rep- 
resentation of  the  calamitous  State  of  the  enslaved 
Negroes  in  the  British  Dominions.  This  book  was 
accordingly  forwarded  to  them  for  this  purpose. 
On  receiving  it,  they  sent  it  among  several  public 
bodies,  the  regular  and  dissenting  clergj^  justices 
of  the  peace,  and  particularly  among  the  great 
schools  of  the  kingdom,  that  the  rising  youth  might 
acquire  a  knowledge,  and  at  the  same  time  a  de- 
testation, of  this  cruel  traffic.  In  this  latter  case,  a 
deputation  of  the  Society  waited  upon  the  masters, 
to  know  if  they  would  allow  their  scholars  to  recieve 
it.  The  schools  of  Westminster,  the  Charter-house, 
St.  Paul,  Merchant-Taylors,  Eton,  Winchester, 
and  Harrow,  were  among  those  visited.  Several 
academies  also  were  visited  for  this  purpose. 

But  I  must  now  take  my  leave  of  the  Quakers 
as  a  public  body,*  and  go  back  to  the  year  1783, 
to  record  an  event,  which  will  be  found  of  great 
importance  in  the  present  history,  and  in  which 
only  individuals  belonging  to  the  Society  were 
concerned.  This  event  seems  to  have  arisen  nat- 
urally out  of  existing  or  past  circumstances.  For 
the  Society,  as  I  have  before  stated,  had  sent  a 
petition  to  Parliament  in  this  year,  praying  for  the 
abolition  of  the  Slave-trade.  It  had  also  laid  the 
foundation  for  a  public  distribution  of  the  books  as 
just  mentioned,  with  a  view  of  enlightening  others 
on  this  great  subject.  The  case  of  the  ship  Zong, 
which  I  have  before  had  occasion  to  explain,  had 

*  The  Quakers,  as  a  public  body,  kept  the  subject  alive  at  their 
yearly  meeting  in  1784,  1785,  1787,  &c. 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  99 

occurred  this  same  year.  A  letter  also  had  been 
presented,  much  about  the  same  time,  by  Benjamin 
West,  from  Anthony  Benezet  before  mentioned,  to 
our  Queen,  in  behalf  of  the  injured  Africans,  which 
she  had  received  graciously.  These  subjects  oc- 
cupied at  this  time  the  attention  of  many  Quaker 
families,  and  among1  others,  that  of  a  few  indi- 
viduals, who  wereun  close  intimacy  with  each 
other.  These,  when  they  met  together  frequently 
conversed  upon  them.  They  perceived,  as  facts 
came  out  in  conversation,  that  there  was  a  growing 
knowledge  and  hatred  of  the  Slave-trade,  and  that 
the  temper  of  the  times  was  ripening  towards  its 
abolition.  Hence  a  disposition  manifested  itself 
among  these,  to  unite  as  laborers  for  the  further- 
ance of  so  desirable  an  object.  An  union  was  at 
length  proposed  and  approved  of,  and  the  follow- 
ing persons  (placed  in  alphabetical  order)  came 
together  to  execute  the  offices  growing  out  of  it : 

William  Dillwyn,         Thomas  Knowles,  M.  D., 

George  Harrison,  John  Lloyd, 

Samuel  Hoare,  Joseph  Woods. 

The  first  meeting  was  held  on  the  seventh  of 
July,  1783.  At  this  "they  assembled  to  consider 
what  steps  they  should  take  for  the  relief  and  liber- 
ation of  the  Negro  slaves  in  the  West  Indies,  and 
for  the  discouragement  of  the  Slave-trade  on  the 
coast  of  Africa." 

To  promote  this  object  they  conceived  it  neces- 
sary that  the  public  mind  should  be  enlightened 
respecting  it.  They  had  recourse,  therefore,  to  the 
public  papers,  and  they  appointed  their  members 


100  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

in  turn  to  write  in  these,  and  to  see  that  their 
productions  were  inserted.  They  kept  regular 
minutes  for  this  purpose.  It  was  not,  however, 
known  to  the  world  that  such  an  association 
existed. 

It  appears  that  they  had  several  meetings  in  the 
course  of  this  year.  Before  the  close  of  it  they 
had  secured  a  place  in  the  General  Evening  Post, 
in  Lloyd's  Evening  Post,  in  the  Norwich,  Bath, 
York,  Bristol,  Sherborne,  Liverpool,  Newcastle, 
and  other  provincial  papers,  for  such  articles  as 
they  chose  to  send  to  them.  These  consisted 
principally  of  extracts  from  such  authors,  both  in 
prose  and  verse,  as  they  thought  would  most  en- 
lighten and  interest  the  mind  upon  the  subject  of 
their  institution. 

In  the  year  1784  they  pursued  the  same  plan  ; 
but  they  began  now  to  print  books.  The  first  was 
from  a  manuscript  composed  by  Joseph  Woods, 
one  of  the  committee.  It  was  entitled,  Thoughts 
on  the  Slavery  of  the  Negroes.  This  manuscript 
was  well  put  together.  It  was  a  manly  and  yet 
feeling  address  in  behalf  of  the  oppressed  Africans. 
It  contained  a  sober  and  dispassionate  appeal  to 
the  reason  of  all,  without  offending  the  prejudices 
of  any.  It  was  distributed  at  the  expense  of  the 
association,  and  proved  to  be  highly  useful  to  the 
cause  which  it  was  intended  to  promote. 

A  communication  having  been  made  to  the  com- 
mittee, that  Dr.  Porteus,  then  bishop  of  Chester, 
had  preached  a  sermon  before  the  Society  for  the 
Propagation  of  the   Gospel,  in  behalf  of  the  in- 


ABOLITION     OF    THE     SLAVE-TRADE.  101 

jured  Africans,  (which  sermon  was  noticed  in  the 
last  chapter,)  Samuel  Hoare  was  deputed  to  ob- 
tain permission  to  publish  it.  This  led  him  to 
a  correspondence  with  Mr.  Ramsay  before  men- 
tioned. The  latter  applied  in  consequence  to  the 
bishop,  and  obtained  his  consent.  Thus  this  val- 
uable sermon  was  also  given  to  the  world. 

In  the  year  1785  the  association  continued  their 
exertions  as  before  ;  but  I  have  no  room  to  spe- 
cify them.  I  may  observe,  however,  that  David 
Barclay,  a  grandson  of  the  great  apologist  of  that 
name,  assisted  at  one  of  their  meetings,  and  (what 
is  singular)  that  he  was  in  a  few  years  after- 
wards unexpectedly  called  to  a  trial  of  his  prin- 
ciples on  this  very  subject.  For  he  and  his 
brother  John  became,  in  consequence  of  a  debt 
due  to  them,  possessed  of  a  large  grazing  farm, 
or  pen,  in  Jamaica,  which  had  thirty-two  slaves 
upon  it.  Convinced,  however,  that  the  retaining 
of  their  fellow-creatures  in  bondage  was  not  only 
irreconcileable  with  the  principles  of  Christianity, 
but  subversive  of  the  rights  of  human  nature, 
they  determined  upon  the  emancipation  of  these. 
And  they*  performed  this  generous  office  to  the 
satisfaction  of  their  minds,  to  the  honor  of  their 
characters,  to  the  benefit  of  the  public,  and  to 

*  They  engaged  an  agent  to  embark  for  Jamaica  in  1795  to 
effect  this  business,  and  had  the  slaves  conveyed  to  Philadelphia, 
where  they  were  kindly  received  by  the  Society  for  improving  the 
Condition  of  free  Black  People.  Suitable  situations  were  found 
for  the  adults,  and  the  young  ones  were  bound  out  apprentices  to 
handicraft  trades,  and  to  receive  school  learning. 
VOL.  I.  9  * 


102  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

the  happiness  of  the  slave.*  I  mention  this  anec- 
dote, not  only  to  gratify  myself,  by  paying  a  proper 
respect  to  those  generous  persons  who  sacrificed 
their  interest  to  principle,  but  also  to  show  the 
sincerit}r  of  David  Barclay  (who  is  now  the  only 
surviving  brother)  as  he  actually  put  in  practice 
what  at  one  of  these  meetings  he  was  desirous  of 
recommending  to  others. 

Having  now  brought  up  the  proceedings  of  this 
little  association  towards  the  year  1786,  I  shall 
take  my  leave  of  it,  remarking,  that  it  was  the 
first  ever  formed  in  England  for  the  promotion  of 
the  abolition  of  the  Slave-trade.  That  Quakers 
have  had  this  honor  is  unquestionable.  Nor  is  it 
extraordinary  that  they  should  have  taken  the 
lead  on  this  occasion,  when  we  consider  how 
advantageously  they  have  been  situated  for  so 
doing.  For  the  Slave-trade,  as  we  have  not  long 
ago  seen,  came  within  the  discipline  of  the  Society 
in  the  year  1727.  From  thence  it  continued  to 
be  an  object  of  it  till  1783.  In  1783  the  Society 
petitioned  Parliament,  and  in  1784  it  distributed 
books  to  enlighten  the  public  concerning  it.  Thus 
we  see  that  every  Quaker,  born  since  the  year 
1727,  was  nourished  as  it  were  in  a  fixed  hatred 

*  James  Pemberton,  of  Philadelphia,  made  the  following  obser- 
vation in  a  letter  to  a  Friend  in  England  :  "  David  Barclay's  hu- 
mane views  towards  the  blacks  from  Jamaica  have  been  so  far 
realized,  that  these  objects  of  his  concern  enjoy  their  freedom  with 
comfort  to  themselves,  and  are  respectable  in  their  characters,  keep- 
ing up  a  friendly  intercourse  with  each  other,  and  avoiding  to  inter- 
mix with  the  common  blacks  of  this  city,  being  sober  in  their  con- 
duct and  industrious  in  their  business." 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  103 

against  it.  He  was  taught,  that  any  concern  in  it 
was  a  crime  of  the  deepest  dye.  He  was  taught, 
that  the  bearing  of  his  testimony  against  it  was  a 
test  of  unity  with  those  of  the  same  religious  pro- 
fession. The  discipline  of  the  Quakers  was  there- 
fore a  school  for  bringing  them  up  as  advocates 
for  the  abolition  of  this  trade.  To  this  it  may 
be  added,  that  the  Quakers  knew  more  about  the 
trade  and  the  slavery  of  the  Africans,  than  any 
other  religious  body  of  men,  who  had  not  been 
in  the  land  of  their  sufferings.  For  there  had 
been  a  correspondence  between  the  Society  in 
America  and  that  in  England  on  the  subject,  the 
contents  of  which  must  have  been  known  to  the 
members  of  each.  American  ministers  also  were 
frequently  crossing  the  Atlantic  on  religious  mis- 
sions to  England.  These,  when  they  travelled 
through  various  parts  of  our  island,  frequently 
related  to  the  Quaker  families  in  their  way  the 
cruelties  they  had  seen  and  heard  of  in  their  own 
country.  English  ministers  were  also  frequently 
going  over  to  America  on  the  same  religious 
errand.  These,  on  their  return,  seldom  failed  to 
communicate  what  they  had  learned  or  observed, 
but  more  particularly  relative  to  the  oppressed 
Africans,  in  their  travels.  The  journals  also  of 
these,  which  gave  occasional  accounts  of  the  suf- 
ferings of  the  slaves,  were  frequently  published. 
Thus  situated  in  point  of  knowedge,  and  brought 
up  moreover  from  their  youth  in  a  detestation  of 
the  trade,  the  Quakers  were  ready  to  act  whenever 
a  favorable  opportunity  should  present  itself. 


104  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 


CHAPTER  V. 

Third  class  of  forerunners  and  coadjutors,  up  to  1787,  consists  of 
the  Quakers  and  others  in  America. — Yearly  meeting  for  Penn- 
sylvania and  the  Jerseys  takes  up  the  subject  in  16y6 — and  con» 
tinue  it  till  1787. — other  five  yearly  meetings  take  similar 
measures. — Quakers  as  individuals,  also  become  laborers.— Wil- 
liam Burling  and  others. — Individuals  of  other  religious  de- 
nominations TAKE  UP  THE  CAUSE  ALSO. — JUDGE  SEWELL  AND  OTHERS. — 

Union  of  the  Quakers  with  others  in  a  society  for  Pennsyl- 
vania, in  1774. — James  Pemberton — Dr.  Rush. — Similar  union  of 
the  Quakers  with  others  for  New  York  and  other  provinces. 

The  next  class  of  the  forerunners  and  coad- 
jutors, up  to  the  year  1787,  will  consist,  first,  of 
the  Quakers  in  America  ;  and  then  of  others,  as 
they  were  united  to  these  for  the  same  object. 

It  may  be  asked,  How  the  Quakers  living  there 
should  have  become  forerunners  and  coadjutors  in 
the  great  work  now  under  our  consideration.  I 
reply,  first,  That  it  was  an  object  for  many  years 
with  these  to  do  away  the  Slave-trade  as  it  was 
carried  on  in  their  own  ports.  But  this  trade  was 
conducted  in  part,  both  before  and  after  the  inde- 
pendence of  America,  by  our  own  countrymen. 
It  was,  secondly,  an  object  with  these  to  annihi- 
late slavery  in  America ;  and  this  they  have  been 
instruments  in  accomplishing  to  a  considerable 
extent.  But  any  abolition  of  slavery  within  given 
boundaries  must  be  a  blow  to  the  Slave-trade 
there.  The  American  Quakers,  lastly,  living  in 
a  land  where  both  the  commerce  and  slavery  ex- 
isted, were  in  the  way  of  obtaining  a  number  of 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE,  105 

important  facts  relative  to  both,  which  made  for 
their  annihilation ;  and  communicating  many  of 
these  facts  to  those  in  England,  who  espoused  the 
same  cause,  they  became  fellow-laborers,  with 
these  in  producing  the  event  in  question. 

The  Quakers  in  America,  it  must  be  owned, 
did  most  of  them  originally  as  other  settlers  there 
with  respect  to  the  purchase  of  slaves.  They  had 
lands  without  a  sufficient  number  of  laborers,  and 
families  without  a  sufficient  number  of  servants, 
for  their  work.  Africans  were  poured  in  to  obviate 
these  difficulties,  and  these  were  bought  promiscu- 
ously by  all.  In  these  days,  indeed,  the  purchase 
of  them  was  deemed  favorable  to  both  parties,  for 
there  was  little  or  no  knowledge  of  the  manner  in 
which  they  had  been  procured  as  slaves.  There 
was  no  charge  of  inconsistency  on  this  account, 
as  in  later  times.  But  though  many  of  the  Qua- 
kers engaged,  without  their  usual  consideration, 
in  purchases  of  this  kind,  yet  those  constitutional 
principles,  which  belong  to  the  Society,  occasion- 
ed the  members  of  it  in  general  to  treat  those 
whom  they  purchased  with  great  tenderness,  con- 
sidering them,  though  of  a  different  color,  as 
brethren,  and  as  persons  for  whose  spiritual  wel- 
fare it  became  them  to  be  concerned  ;  so  that 
slavery,  except  as  to  the  power  legally  belonging 
to  it,  was  in  general  little  more  than  servitude  in 
their  hands. 

This  treatment,  as  it  was  thus  mild  on  the  con- 
tinent of  America  where  the  members  of  this  so- 
ciety were  the  owners  of  slaves,  so  it  was  equally 


106  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

mild  in  the  West  India  islands  where  they  had 
a  similar  property.  In  the  latter  countries,  how- 
ever, where  only  a  few  of  them  lived,  it  began 
soon  to  be  productive  of  serious  consequences  ;  for 
it  was  so  different  from  that,  which  the  rest  of 
the  inhabitants  considered  to  be  proper,  that  the 
latter  became  alarmed  at  it.  Hence  in  Barbadoes 
an  act  was  passed  in  1676,  under  governor  Atkins, 
which  was  entitled,  An  Act  to  prevent  the  people 
called  Quakers  from  bringing  their  Negroes  into 
their  meetings  for  worship,  though  they  held 
these  in  their  own  houses.  This  act  was  founded 
on  the  pretence,  that  the  safety  of  the  island 
might  be  endangered,  if  the  slaves  were  to  imbibe 
the  religious  principles  of  their  masters.  Under 
this  act  Ralph  Fretwell  and  Richard  Sutton  were 
fined  in  the  different  sums  of  eight  hundred  and 
of  three  hundred  pounds,  because  each  of  them 
had  suffered  a  meeting  of  the  Quakers  at  his  own 
house,  at  the  first  of  which  eighty  Negroes,  and  at 
the  second  of  which  thirty  of  them  were  present. 
But  this  matter  was  carried  still  further  ;  for  in 
1680,  Sir  Richard  Dutton,  then  governor  of  the 
island,  issued  an  order  to  the  deputy  provost  mar- 
shal and  others,  to  prohibit  all  meetings  of  this 
society.  In  the  island  of  Nevis  the  same  bad 
spirit  manifested  itself.  So  early  as  in  1661,  a 
law  was  made  there  prohibiting  members  of  this 
society  from  coming  on  shore.  Negroes  were  put 
in  irons  for  being  present  at  their  meetings,  and 
they  themselves  were  fined  also.  At  length,  in 
1677,  another  act  was  passed,  laying  a  heavy  pe- 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  107 

nalty  on  every  master  of  a  vessel,  who  should 
even  bring  a  Quaker  to  the  island.  In  Antigua 
and  Bermudas  similar  proceedings  took  place,  so 
that  the  Quakers  were  in  time  expelled  from  this 
part  of  the  world.  By  these  means  a  valuable 
body  of  men  were  lost  to  the  community  in  these 
islands,  whose  example  might  have  been  highly 
useful  ;  and  the  poor  slave,  who  saw  nothing  but 
misery  in  his  temporal  prospects,  was  deprived 
of  the  only  balm,  which  cculd  have  soothed  his 
sorrow,  the  comfort  of  religion. 

But  to  return  to  the  continent  of  America. 
Though  the  treatment,  which  the  Quakers  adopt- 
ed there  towards  those  Africans  who  fell  into 
their  hands,  was  so  highly  commendable,  it  did 
not  prevent  individuals  among  them  from  becom- 
ing uneasy  about  holding  them  in  slavery  at  all. 
Some  of  these  bore  their  private  testimony  against 
it  from  the  beginning  as  a  wrong  practice,  and 
in  process  of  time  brought  it  before  the  notice  of 
their  brethren  as  a  religious  body.  So  early  as  in 
the  year  1688,  some  emigrants  from  Krieshiem  in 
Germany,  who  had  adopted  the  principles  of  Wil- 
liam Penn,  and  followed  him  into  Pennsylvania, 
urged  in  the  yearly  meeting  of  the  Society  there, 
the  inconsistency  of  buying,  selling,  and  holding 
men  in  slavery,  with  the  principles  of  the  Christian 
religion. 

In  the  year  1696,  the  yearly  meeting  for  that 
province  took  up  the  subject  as  a  public  concern, 
and  the  result  was  advice  to  the  members  of  it 
to  guard  against  future  importations  of  African 


108  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

slaves,  and  to  be  particularly  attentive  to  the 
treatment  of  those,  who  were  then  in  their  pos- 
session. 

In  the  year  1711,  the  same  yearly  meeting-  re- 
sumed the  important  subject,  and  confirmed  and 
renewed  the  advice,  which  had  been  before  given. 

From  this  time  it  continued  to  keep  the  subject 
alive  ;  but  finding  at  length,  that,  though  individ- 
uals refused  to  purchase  slaves,  yet  others  con- 
tinued the  custom,  and  in  greater  numbers  than 
it  was  apprehended  would  have  been  the  case 
after  the  public  declarations  which  had  been  made, 
it  determined,  in  the  year  1754,  upon  a  fuller  and 
more  serious  publication  of  its  sentiments  ;  and 
therefore  it  issued,  in  the  same  year,  the  follow- 
ing pertinent  letter  to  all  the  members  within  its 
jurisdiction. 

"  Dear  Friends, 

"  It  hath  frequently  been  the  concern  of  our 
yearly  meeting  to  testify  their  uneasiness  and 
disunity  with  the  importation  and  purchasing  of 
Negroes  and  other  slaves,  and  to  direct  the  over- 
seers of  the  several  meetings  to  advise  and  deal 
with  such  as  engage  therein.  And  it  hath  like- 
wise been  the  continual  care  of  many  weighty 
Friends  to  press  those,  who  bear  our  name,  to 
guard  as  much  as  possible,  against  being  in  any 
respect  concerned  in  promoting  the  bondage  of 
such  unhappy  people.  Yet,  as  we  have  with  sor- 
row to  observe,  that  their  number  is  of  late  in- 
creased among  us,  we  have  thought  it  proper  to 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  109 

make  our  advice  and  judgment  more  public,  that 
none  may  plead  ignorance  of  our  principles  there- 
in ;  and  also  again  earnestly  to  exhort  all  to  avoid, 
in  any  manner,  encouraging  that  practice,  of 
making  slaves  of  our  fellow-creatures. 

"  Now,  dear  Friends,  if  we  continually  bear  in 
mind  the  royal  law  of  doing  to  others  as  we  would 
be  done  by,  we  should  never  think  of  bereaving 
our  fellow-creatures  of  that  valuable  blessing,  lib- 
erty ;  nor  endure  to  grow  rich  by  their  bondage. 
To  live  in  ease  and  plenty  by  the  toil  of  those, 
whom  violence  and  cruelty  have  put  in  our  power, 
is  neither  consistent  with  Christianity  nor  com- 
mon justice  ;  and,  we  have  good  reason  to  believe, 
draws  down  the  displeasure  of  Heaven  ;  it  being 
a  melancholy  but  true  reflection,  that,  where  slave- 
keeping  prevails,  pure  religion  and  sobriety  decline, 
as  it  evidently  tends  to  harden  the  heart,  and 
render  the  soul  less  susceptible  of  that  holy  spirit 
of  love,  meekness,  and  charity,  which  is  the  pe- 
culiar characteristic  of  a  true  Christian. 

"  How  then  can  we,  who  have  been  concerned 
to  publish  the  Gospel  of  universal  love  and  peace 
among  mankind,  be  so  inconsistent  with  ourselves, 
as  to  purchase  such  as  are  prisoners  of  war,  and 
thereby  encourage  this  antichristian  practice ;  and 
more  especially  as  many  of  these  poor  creatures 
are  stolen  away,  parents  from  children,  and  chil- 
dren from  parents  ;  and  others,  who  were  in  good 
circumstances  in  their  native  country,  inhumanly 
torn  from  what  they  esteemed  a  happy  situation, 
and  compelled  to  toil  in  a  state  of  slavery,  too 

vol.  i.  10 


110  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

often  extremely  cruel !  What  dreadful  scenes  of 
murder  and  cruelty  those  barbarous  ravages  must 
occasion  in  these  unhappy  people's  country  are  too 
obvious  to  mention.  Let  us  make  their  case  our 
own,  and  consider  what  we  should  think,  and  how 
we  should  feel,  were  we  in  their  circumstances. 
Remember  our  blessed  Redeemer's  positive  com- 
mand ;  to  do  unto  others  as  we  would  have  them 
do  unto  us  ;  and  that  with  what  measure  we  mete, 
it  shall  be  measured  to  us  again.  And  we  entreat 
you  to  examine,  whether  the  purchasing  of  a  Ne- 
gro, either  born  here  or  imported,  doth  not  con- 
tribute to  a  further  importation,  and,  consequently, 
to  the  upholding  of  all  the  evils  above  mentioned, 
and  to  the  promoting  of  man-stealing,  the  only 
theft  which  by  the  Mosaic  law  was  punished  with 
death  ;  '  He  that  stealeth  a  man,  and  selleth  him ; 
or  if  he  be  found  in  his  hand,  he  shall  surely  be 
put  to  death.' 

"  The  characteristic  and  badge  of  a  true  Chris- 
tian is  love  and  good  works.  Our  Saviour's 
whole  life  on  earth  was  one  continual  exercise  of 
them.  'Love  one  another,'  says  he,  'as  I  have 
loved  you.'  But  how  can  we  be  said  to  love  our 
brethren,  who  bring,  or  for  selfish  ends,  keep 
them,  in  bondage  1  Do  wTe  act  consistently  with 
this  noble  principle,  who  lay  such  heavy  burthens 
on  our  fellow-creatures  ?  Do  we  consider  that 
they  are  called,  and  do  we  sincerely  desire  that 
they  may  become  heirs  with  us  in  glory,  and  that 
they  may  rejoice  in  the  liberty  of  the  sons  of  God, 
whilst  we  are  withholding  from  them  the  common 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  Ill 

liberties  of  mankind  1  Or  can  the  Spirit  of  God5 
by  which  we  have  always  professed  to  be  led,  be 
the  author  of  those  oppressive  and  unrighteous 
measures  %  Or  do  we  not  thereby  manifest,  that 
temporal  interest  hath  more  influence  on  our  con- 
duct herein,  than  the  dictates  of  that  merciful, 
holy,  and  unerring  Guide  % 

"And  we  likewise  earnestly  recommend  to  all, 
who  have  slaves,  to  be  careful  to  come  up  in  the 
performance  of  their  duty  towards  them,  and  to 
be  particularly  watchful  over  their  own  hearts,  it 
being  by  sorrowful  experience  remarkable,  that 
custom,  and  a  familiarity  with  evil  of  any  kind, 
have  a  tendency  to  bias  the  judgment  and  to  de- 
prave the  mind.  And  it  is  obvious  that  the  future 
welfare  of  these  poor  slaves,  who  are  now  in  bon- 
dage, is  generally  too  much  disregarded  by  those 
who  keep  them.  If  their  daily  task  of  labor  be 
but  fulfilled,  little  else  perhaps  is  thought  of.  Nay, 
even  that  which  in  others  would  be  looked  upon 
with  horror  and  detestation,  is  little  regarded  in 
them  by  their  masters,  such  as  the  frequent  sepa- 
ration of  husbands  from  wives  and  wives  from 
husbands,  whereby  they  are  tempted  to  break  their 
marriage  covenants,  and  live  in  adultery,  in  direct 
opposition  to  the  laws  of  God  and  men,  although 
we  believe  that  Christ  died  for  all  men  without 
respect  of  persons.  How  fearful  then  ought  we 
to  be  of  engaging  in  what  hath  so  natural  a  ten- 
dency to  lessen  our  humanity,  and  of  suffering 
ourselves  to  be  inured  to  the  exercise  of  hard  and 
cruel  measures,  lest  thereby  in  any  degree  we  lose 


112  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

our  tender  and  feeling  sense  of  the  miseries  of  our 
fellow-creatures,  and  become  worse  than  those 
who  have  not  believed. 

"  And,  dear  Friends,  you,  who  by  inheritance 
have  slaves  born  in  your  families,  we  beseech  you 
to  consider  them  as  souls  committed  to  your  trust, 
whom  the  Lord  will  require  at  your  hand,  and 
who,  as  well  as  you,  are  made  partakers  of  the 
Spirit  of  Grace,  and  called  to  be  heirs  of  salvation. 
And  let  it  be  your  constant  care  to  watch  over 
them  for  good,  instructing  them  in  the  fear  of 
God,  and  the  knowledge  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ, 
that  they  may  answer  the  end  of  their  creation, 
and  that  God  may  be  glorified  and  honored  by 
them  as  well  as  by  us.  And  so  train  them  up, 
that  if  you  should  come  to  behold  their  unhappy 
situation,  in  the  same  light,  that  many  worthy 
men,  who  are  at  rest,  have  done,  and  many  of 
your  brethren  now  do,  and  should  think  it  your 
duty  to  set  them  free,  they  may  be  the  more  ca- 
pable of  making  proper  use  of  their  liberty. 

"  Finally,  brethren,  we  entreat  you,  in  the  bow- 
els of  gospel  love,  seriously  to  weigh  the  cause  of 
detaining  them  in  bondage.  If  it  be  for  your  own 
private  gain,  or  any  other  motive  than  their  good, 
it  is  much  to  be  feared  that  the  love  of  God  and 
the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit  are  not  the  pre- 
vailing principles  in  you,  and  that  3^our  hearts  are 
not  sufficiently  redeemed  from  the  world,  which, 
that  you  with  ourselves  may  more  and  more  come 
to  witness,  through  the  cleansing  virtue  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  of  Jesus  Christ,  is  our  earnest  desire. 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  113 

With  the  salutation  of  our  love,  we  are  your  friends 

and  brethren. 

"  Signed,  in  behalf  of  the  yearly  meeting,  by 

"John  Evans,  Abraham  Farringdon, 

John  Smith,  Joseph  Noble, 

Thomas  Carleton,  James  Daniel, 

William  Trimble,  Joseph  Gibson, 

John  Scarborough,  John  Shotwell, 

Joseph  Hampton,  Joseph  Parker." 

This  truly  Christian  letter,  which  was  written 
in  the  year  1754,  was  designed,  as  we  collect 
from  the  contents  of  it,  to  make  the  sentiments  of 
the  Society  better  known  and  attended  to  on  the 
subject  of  the  Slave-trade.  It  contains,  as  we  see, 
exhortations  to  all  the  members  within  the  yearly 
meeting  of  Pennsylvania  and  the  Jerseys,  to  de- 
sist from  purchasing  and  importing  slaves,  and, 
where  they  possessed  them,  to  have  a  tender  con- 
sideration of  their  condition.  But  that  the  first 
part  of  the  subject  of  this  exhortation  might  be 
enforced,  the  yearly  meeting  for  the  same  provin- 
ces came  to  a  resolution  in  1755,  That  if  any  of 
the  members  belonging  to  it  bought  or  imported 
slaves,  the  overseers  were  to  inform  their  respec- 
tive monthly  meetings  of  it,  that  "these  might 
treat  with  them,  as  they  might  be  directed  in  the 
wisdom  of  truth." 

In  the  year  1774,  we  find  the  same  yearly  meet- 
ing legislating  again  on  the  same  subject.  By  the 
preceding  resolution  they,  who  became  offenders, 
were  subjected  only  to  exclusion  from  the  meet- 

VOL.  I.  10* 


114  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

ings  for  discipline,  and  from  the  privilege  of  con- 
tributing to  the  pecuniary  occasions  of  the  Society; 
but  by  the  resolution  of  the  present  year,  all  mem- 
bers, concerned  in  importing,  selling,  purchasing, 
giving,  or  transferring  Negro  or  other  slaves,  or 
otherwise  acting  in  such  manner  as  to  continue 
them  in  slavery  beyond  the  term  limited  by  law* 
or  custom,  were  directed  to  be  excluded  from 
membership  or  disowned.  At  this  meeting  also 
all  the  members  of  it  were  cautioned  and  advised 
against  acting  as  executors  or  administrators  to 
estates,  where  slaves  were  bequeathed,  or  likely 
to  be  detained  in  bondage. 

In  the  year  1776,  the  same  yearly  meeting  car- 
ried the  matter  still  further.  It  was  then  enacted, 
That  the  owners  cf  slaves,  who  refused  to  execute 
proper  instruments  for  giving  them  their  freedom, 
were  to  be  disowned  likewise. 

In  1778  it  was  enacted  by  the  same  meeting, 
That  the  children  of  those,  who  had  been  set  free 
by  members,  should  be  tenderly  advised,  and  have 
a  suitable  education  given  them. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  proceed  further  on  this 
subject.  It  may  be  sufficient  to  say,  that  from 
this  time,  the  Minutes  of  the  yearly  meeting  for 
Pennsylvania  and  the  Jerseys  exhibit  proofs  of 
an  almost  incessant  attention,  year  after  year,f 

*  This  alludes  to  the  term  of  servitude  for  white  persons  in  these 
provinces. 

f  Thus  in  1779,  1780,  1,  2,  4,  5,  6.  The  members  also  of  this 
meeting  petitioned  their  own  legislature  on  this  subject  both  in 
1783  and  in  1786. 


ABOLITION    OP    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  115 

to  the  means  not  only  of  wiping-  away  the  stain 
of  slavery  from  their  religious  community,  but 
of  promoting  the  happiness  of  those  restored  to 
freedom,  and  of  their  posterity  also.  And  as  the 
yearly  meeting  of  Pennsylvania  and  the  Jerseys 
set  this  bright  example,  so  those  of  New  Eng- 
land, New  York,  Maryland,  Virginia,  and  of  the 
Carolinas  and  Georgia,  in  process  of  time  fol- 
lowed it. 

But  whilst  the  Quakers  were  making  these 
exertions  at  their  different  yearly  meetings  in 
America,  as  a  religious  body,  to  get  rid  both  of 
the  commerce  and  slavery  of  their  fellow-creatures, 
others  in  the  same  profession  were  acting  as  in- 
dividuals (that  is,  on  their  own  grounds  and  inde- 
pendently of  any  influence  from  their  religious 
communion)  in  the  same  cause,  whose  labors  it 
will  now  be  proper,  in  a  separate  narrative,  to 
detail. 

The  first  person  of  this  description  in  the  So- 
ciety, was  William  Burling  of  Long  Island.  He 
had  conceived  an  abhorrence  of  slavery  from 
early  youth.  In  process  of  time  he  began  to 
bear  his  testimony  against  it,  by  representing  the 
unlawfulness  of  it  to  those  of  his  own  Society, 
when  assembled  at  one  of  their  yearly  meet- 
ings. This  expression  of  his  public  testimony 
he  continued  annually  on  the  same  occasion.  He 
wrote  also  several  tracts  with  the  same  design, 
one  of  which,  published  in  the  year  1718,  he 
addressed  to  the  elders  of  his  own  church,  on  the 
inconsistency  of  compelling  people  and  their  pos* 


116  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

terity  to  serve  them  continually  and  arbitrarily, 
and  without  any  proper  recompense  for  their 
services. 

The  next  was  Ralph  Sandiford,  a  merchant  in 
Philadelphia.  This  worthy  person  had  many 
offers  of  pecuniary  assistance,  which  would  have 
advanced  him  in  life,  but  he  declined  them  all  be- 
cause they  came  from  persons,  who  had  acquired 
their  independence  by  the  oppression  of  their 
slaves.  He  was  very  earnest  in  endeavoring  to 
prevail  upon  his  friends,  both  in  and  out  of  the 
Society,  to  liberate  those  whom  they  held  in  bon- 
dage. At  length  he  determined  upon  a  work 
called  The  Mystery  of  Iniquity,  in  a  brief  Exami- 
nation of  the  Practice  of  the  Times.  This  he 
published  in  the  year  1729,  though  the  chief 
judge  had  threatened  him  if  he  should  give  it 
to  the  world,  and  he  circulated  it  free  of  expense 
wherever  he  believed  it  would  be  useful.  The 
above  work  was  excellent  as  a  composition.  The 
language  of  it  was  correct.  The  style  manly  and 
energetic.  And  it  abounded  with  facts,  senti- 
ments, and  quotations,  which,  while  they  showed 
the  virtue  and  talents  of  the  author,  rendered  it  a 
valuable  appeal  in  behalf  of  the  African  cause. 

The  next  public  advocate  was  Benjamin  Lay,* 
who  lived  at  Abington,  at  the  distance  of  ten 
miles   from   Philadelphia.      Benjamin   Lay   was 

*  Benjamin  Lay  attended  the  meetings  for  worship,  or  associated 
himself  with  the  religious  society  of  the  Gluakers.  His  wife,  too* 
was  an  approved  minister  of  the  gospel  in  that  Society.  But  I  be^ 
lieve  he  was  not  long  an  acknowledged  member  of  it  himself. 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  117 

known,  when  in  England,  to  the  royal  family  of 
that  day,  into  whose  private  presence  he  was  ad- 
mitted. On  his  return  to  America,  he  took  an 
active  part  in  behalf  of  the  oppressed  Africans. 
In  the  year  1737,  he  published  a  treatise  on  Slave- 
keeping.  This  he  gave  away  among  his  neigh- 
bors and  others,  but  more  particularly  among  the 
rising  youth,  many  of  whom  he  visited  in  their 
respective  schools.  He  applied  also  to  several  of 
the  governors  for  interviews,  with  whom  he  held 
conferences  on  the  subject.  Benjamin  Lay  was 
a  man  of  strong  understanding  and  of  great  integ- 
rity, but  of  warm  and  irritable  feelings,  and  more 
particularly  so  when  he  was  called  forth  on  any 
occasion  in  which  the  oppressed  Africans  were 
concerned.  For  he  had  lived  in  the  island  of 
Barbadoes,  and  he  had  witnessed  there  scenes  of 
cruelty  towards  them,  which  had  greatly  disturbed 
his  mind,  and  which  unhinged  it,  as  it  were, 
whenever  the  subject  of  their  sufferings  was 
brought  before  him.  Hence  if  others  did  not 
think  precisely  as  he  did,  when  he  conversed  with 
them  on  the  subject,  he  was  apt  to  go  out  of  due 
bounds.  In  bearing  what  he  believed  to  be  his 
testimony  against  this  system  of  oppression,  he 
adopted  sometimes  a  singularity  of  manner,  by 
which,  as  conveying  demonstration  of  a  certain 
eccentricity  of  character,  he  diminished  in  some 
degree  his  usefulness  to  the  cause  which  he  had 
undertaken ;  as  far  indeed  as  this  eccentricity 
might  have  the  effect  of  preventing  others  from 
joining  him  in  his  pursuit,  lest  they  should  be 


118  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

thought  singular  also,  so  far  it  must  be  allowed 
that  he  ceased  to  become  beneficial.  But  there 
can  be  no  question,  on  the  other  hand,  that  his 
warm  and  enthusiastic  manners  awakened  the 
attention  of  many  to  the  cause,  and  gave  them 
first  impressions  concerning  it,  which  they  never 
afterwards  forgot,  and  which  rendered  them  useful 
to  it  in  the  subsequent  part  of  their  lives. 

The  person,  who  labored  next  in  the  Society, 
in  behalf  of  the  oppressed  Africans,  was  John 
Woolman. 

John  Woolman  was  born  at  Northampton,  in 
the  county  of  Burlington  and  province  of  Western 
New  Jersey,  in  the  year  1720.  In  his  very  early 
youth  he  attended,  in  an  extraordinary  manner,  to 
the  religious  impressions  which  he  perceived  upon 
his  mind,  and  began  to  have  an  earnest  solicitude 
about  treading  in  the  right  path.  "From  what  I 
had  read  and  heard,"  says  he,  in  his  Journal,*  "I 
believed  there  had  been  in  past  ages  people,  who 
walked  in  uprightness  before  God  in  a  degree  ex- 
ceeding any,  that  I  knew  or  heard  of,  now  living. 
And  the  apprehension  of  there  being  less  steadi- 
ness and  firmness  among  people  of  this  age,  than 
in  past  ages,  often  troubled  me  while  I  was  a 
child."  An  anxious  desire  to  do  away,  as  far  as 
he  himself  was  concerned,  this  merited  reproach, 
operated  as  one  among  other  causes  to  induce  him 
to  be  particularly  watchful  over  his  thoughts  and 
actions,  and  to  endeavor  to  attain  that  purity  of 

*  This  short  sketch  of  the  life  and  labors  of  John  Woolman,  is 
made  up  from  his  Journal 


ABOLITION    OF     m     :li"E-:?.i:i  119 

heart,  without  which  he  conceived  there  could 
be  no  perfection  of  the  Christian  character.  Ac- 
cordingly, in  the  twenty-second  year  of  his  age, 
he  had  given  such  proof  of  the  integrity  of  his  life, 
and  of  his  religions  qualifications,  that  he  became 
an  acknowledged  minister  of  the  gospel  in  his 
own  Society. 

At  a  time  prior  to  his  entering'  upon  the  min- 
is :j.  being  in  low  circumstance 5.  he  agreed  : 
wages  to  "attend  shop  for  a  person  at  Mount 
H--I7.  and  to  keep  his  books."  In  this  situation 
discover,  by  an  occurrence  that  happened,  that 
he  had  thought  seriously  on  the  subject,  and  that 
he  had  conceived  proper  views  of  the  Christian 
unlawfulness  ::  slavery.  KMy  employer,55  says 
be,  "having  a  Negro  woman,  sold  her,  and  de- 
sired me  to  write  a  bill  of  sale,  the  man  being 
waiting,  who  bought  her.  The  thing  was  sud- 
den, and  though  the  thought  of  writing  an  instru- 
ment of  slavery  foe  one  of  my  fellow-creatures 
made  me  feel  uneasy,  yet  I  remembered  I  was 
hired  by  the  year,  that  it  was  my  master  who 
directed  me  to  do  it,  and  that  it  was  an  elderly 
man,  a  member  of  our  Society,  who  bought  her. 
So  through  weakness  I  gate  way  ;.nd  wrote,  but, 
at  executing  it,  I  was  so  afflicted  in  my  mind, 
that  1  said  before  my  master  and  the  friend, 
that  I  believed  slave-keeping  to  be  a  practice  in- 
consistent with  the  Christian  religion.  This  in 
some  degTee  abated  my  uneasiness  ;  yet.  as  often 
K  I  reflec  1  seriously  upon  it,  I  thought  I  should 
have  been  clearer,  if  I  had  desired  to  have  been 


120  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

excused  from  it,  as  a  thing  against  my  conscience; 
for  such  it  was.  And  some  time  after  this,  a 
young  man  of  our  Society  spoke  to  me  to  write  a 
conveyance  of  a  slave  to  him,  he  having  lately 
taken  a  Negro  into  his  house.  I  told  him  I  was 
not  easy  to  write  it ;  for  though  many  of  our 
meeting,  and  in  other  places,  kept  slaves,  I  still 
believed  the  practice  was  not  right,  and  desired 
to  be  excused  from  the  writing.  I  spoke  to  him 
in  good  will ;  and  he  told  me  that  keeping  slaves 
was  not  altogether  agreeable  to  his  mind,  but, 
that  the  slave  being  a  gift  to  his  wife  he  had 
accepted  of  her." 

We  may  easily  conceive  that  a  person  so  scrupu- 
lous and  tender  on  this  subject  (as  indeed  John 
Woolman  was  on  all  others),  was  in  the  way  of 
becoming  in  time  more  eminently  serviceable  to 
his  oppressed  fellow-creatures.  We  have  seen 
already  the  good  seed  sown  in  his  heart,  and  it 
seems  to  have  wanted  only  providential  seasons 
and  occurrences  to  be  brought  into  productive  fruit. 
Accordingly  we  find  that  a  journey,  which  he 
took  as  a  minister  of  the  gospel  in  1746,  through 
the  provinces  of  Maryland,  Virginia,  and  North 
Carolina,  which  were  then  more  noted  than  others 
for  the  number  of  slaves  in  them,  contributed  to 
prepare  him  as  an  instrument  for  the  advancement 
of  this  great  cause.  The  following  are  his  own 
observations  upon  this  journey.  "  Two  things 
were  remarkable  to  me  in  this  journey ;  First,  in 
regard  to  my  entertainment.  When  I  ate,  drank, 
and  lodged  free-cost,  with  people  who  lived  in 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  121 

ease  on  the  hard  labor  of  their  slaves,  I  felt 
uneasy ;  and,  as  my  mind  was  inward  to  the 
Lord,  I  found,  from  place  to  place,  this  uneasi- 
ness return  upon  me  at  times  through  the  whole 
visit.  Where  the  masters  bore  a  good  share  of 
the  burthen,  and  lived  frugally,  so  that  their  ser- 
vants were  well  provided  for,  and  their  labor 
moderate,  I  felt  more  easy.  But  where  they 
lived  in  a  costly  way,  and  laid  heavy  burthens  on 
their  slaves,  my  exercise  was  often  great,  and 
I  frequently  had  conversations  with  them  in  pri- 
vate concerning  it.  Secondly,  This  trade  of  im- 
porting slaves  from  their  native  country  being 
much  encouraged  among  them,  and  the  white 
people  and  their  children  so  generally  living 
without  much  labor,  was  frequently  the  subject 
of  my  serious  thoughts :  and  1  saw  in  these 
southern  provinces  so  many  vices  and  corruptions, 
increased  by  this  trade  and  this  way  of  life,  that 
it  appeared  to  me  as  a  gloom  over  the  land." 

From  the  year  1747  to  the  year  1753,  he  seems 
to  have  been  occupied  chiefly  as  a  minister  of 
religion,  but  in  the  latter  year  he  published  a 
work  upon  Slave- keeping ;  and  in  the  same  year, 
while  travelling  within  the  compass  of  his  own 
monthly  meeting,  a  circumstance  happened,  which 
kept  alive  his  attention  to  the  same  subject. 
"  About  this  time,"  says  he,  "  a  person  at  some 
distance  lying  sick,  his  brother  came  to  me  to 
write  his  will.  I  knew  he  had  slaves,  and,  asking 
his  brother,  was  told,  he  intended  to  leave  them 
as  slaves  to  his  children.    As  writing  was  a  profit- 

VOL.  I.  11 


122  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

able  employ,  and  as  offending  sober  people  was 
disagreeable  to  my  inclination,  I  was  straitened 
in  my  mind,  but  as  I  looked  to  the  Lord  he  inclined 
my  heart  to  his  testimony;  and  I  told  the  man, 
that  I  believed  the  practice  of  continuing  slavery 
to  this  people  was  not  right,  and  that  I  had  a 
scruple  in  my  mind  against  doing  writings  of  that 
kind ;  that,  though  many  in  our  Society  kept 
them  as  slaves,  still  I  was  not  easy  to  be  concerned 
in  it,  and  desired  to  be  excused  from  going  to 
write  the  will.  I  spoke  to  him  in  the  fear  of  the 
Lord  ;  and  he  made  no  reply  to  what  I  said,  but 
went  away  :  he  also  had  some  concerns  in  the 
practice,  and  I  thought  he  was  displeased  with 
me.  In  this  case,  I  had  a  fresh  confirmation,  that 
acting  contrary  to  present  outward  interest  from 
a  motive  of  Divine  love,  and  in  regard  to  truth 
and  righteousness,  opens  the  way  to  a  treasure 
better  than  silver,  and  to  a  friendship  exceeding 
the  friendship  of  men." 

From  1753  to  1755,  two  circumstances  of  a 
similar  kind  took  place,  which  contributed  greatly 
to  strengthen  him  in  the  path  he  had  taken  ;  for 
in  both  these  cases  the  persons  who  requested 
him  to  make  their  wills,  were  so  impressed  by  the 
principle  upon  which  he  refused  them,  and  by  his 
manner  of  doing  it,  that  they  bequeathed  liberty 
to  their  slaves. 

In  the  year  1756,  he  made  a  religious  visit  to 
several  of  the  Society  in  Long  Island.  Here 
it  was  that  the  seed,  now  long  fostered  by  the 
genial  influences  of  Heaven,  began  to  burst  forth 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  123 

into  fruit.  Till  this  time  he  seems  to  have  been 
a  passive  instrument,  attending  only  to  such  cir- 
cumstances as  came  in  his  way  on  this  subject. 
But  now  he  became-  an  active  one,  looking  out 
for  circumstances  for  the  exercise  of  his  labors. 
"My  mind,"  says  he,  "was  deeply  engaged  in  this 
visit,  both  in  public  and  private  ;  and  at  several 
places  observing  that  members  kept  slaves,  I  found 
myself  under  a  necessity,  in  a  friendly  way  to 
labor  with  them  on  that  subject,  expressing,  as 
the  way  opened,  the  inconsistency  of  that  practice 
with  the  purity  of  the  Christian  religion,  and  the 
ill  effects  of  it  as  manifested  amongst  us. 

In  the  year  1757,  he  felt  his  mind  so  deeply 
interested  on  the  same  subject,  that  he  resolved 
to  travel  over  Maryland,  Virginia,  and  North 
Carolina,  in  order  to  try  to  convince  persons, 
principally  in  his  own  Society,  of  the  inconsist- 
ency of  holding  slaves.  He  joined  his  brother 
with  him  in  this  arduous  service.  Having  passed 
the  Susquehanna  into  Maryland,  he  began  to 
experience  great  agitation  of  mind.  "  Soon  after 
I  entered  this  province,"  says  he,  "a  deep  and 
painful  exercise  came  upon  me,  which  I  often 
had  some  feeling  of  since  my  mind  was  drawn 
towards  these  parts,  and  with  which  I  had  ac- 
quainted my  brother,  before  we  agreed  to  join  as 
companions. 

"  As  the  people  in  this  and  the  southern  pro- 
vinces live  much  on  the  labor  of  slaves,  many  of 
whom  are  used  hardly,  my  concern  was  that  I 
might  attend  with  singleness  of  heart  to  the  voice 


124  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

of  the  true  Shepherd,  and  be  so  supported,  as  to 
remain  unmoved  at  the  faces  of  men." 

It  is  impossible  for  me  to  follow  him  in  detail, 
through  this  long  and  interesting  journey,  when  I 
consider  the  bounds  I  have  prescribed  to  myself  in 
this  work.  I  shall  say  therefore,  what  I  purpose 
to  offer  generally  and  in  a  few  words. 

It  appears  that  he  conversed  with  persons  oc- 
casionally, who  were  not  of  his  own  Society,  with 
a  view  of  answering  their  arguments,  and  of  en- 
deavoring to  evince  the  wickedness  and  impolicy 
of  slavery.  In  discoursing  with  these,  however 
strenuous  he  might  appear,  he  seems  never  to 
have  departed  from  a  calm,  modest,  and  yet  digni- 
fied and  even  friendly  demeanor.  At  the  public 
meetings  for  discipline,  held  by  his  own  Society 
in  these  provinces,  he  endeavored  to  display  the 
same  truths  and  in  the  same  manner,  but  particu- 
larly to  the  elders  of  his  own  Society,  exhorting 
them,  as  the  most  conspicuous  rank,  to  be  careful 
of  their  conduct,  and  to  give  a  bright  example  in 
the  liberation  of  their  slaves.  He  visited  also 
families  for  the  same  purpose  :  and  he  had  the 
well-earned  satisfaction  of  finding  his  admonitions 
kindly  received  by  some,  and  of  seeing  a  dispo- 
sition in  others  to  follow  the  advice  he  had  given 
them. 

In  the  year  1758,  he  attended  the  yearly  meet- 
ing at  Philadelphia,  where  he  addressed  his  breth- 
ren on  the  propriety  of  dealing  with  such  members, 
as  should  hereafter  purchase  slaves.  On  the  dis- 
cussion of  this  point  he  spoke  a  second  time,  and 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  125 

this  to  such  effect  that  he  had  the  satisfaction  at 
this  meeting  to  see  minutes  made  more  fully  than 
any  before,  and  a  committee  appointed,  for  the 
advancement  of  the  great  object,  to  which  he  had 
now  been  instrumental  in  turning  the  attention  of 
many,  and  to  witness  a  considerable  spreading  of 
the  cause.  In  the  same  year  also,  he  joined  him- 
self with  two  others  of  the  Society  to  visit  such 
members  of  it,  as  possessed  slaves  in  Chester 
county.  In  this  journey  he  describes  himself  to 
have  met  with  several,  who  were  pleased  with  his 
visit,  but  to  have  found  difficulties  with  others3 
towards  whom  however  he  felt  a  sympathy  and 
tenderness  on  account  of  their  being  entangled  by 
the  spirit  of  the  world. 

In  the  year  1759,  he  visited  several  of  the  So- 
ciety who  held  slaves  in  Philadelphia.  In  about 
three  months  afterwards,  he  travelled  there  again, 
in  company  with  John  Churchman,  to  see  others 
under  similar  circumstances.  He  then  went  to 
different  places  on  the  same  errand.  In  this  last 
journey  he  went  alone.  After  this  he  joined  him- 
self to  John  Churchman  again,  but  he  confined 
his  labors  to  his  own  province.  Here  he  had  the 
pleasure  of  finding  that  the  work  prospered.  Soon 
after  this  he  took  Samuel  Eastburne  as  a  coad- 
jutor, and  pleaded  the  cause  of  the  poor  Africans 
with  many  of  the  Society  in  Bucks  county,  who 
held  them  in  bondage  there. 

In  the  year  1760,  he  travelled,  in  company  with 
his  friend  Samuel  Eastburne,  to  Rhode  Island,  to 
promote  the  same  object.     This  island  had  been 

vol.  i.  11  * 


126  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

long  noted  for  its  trade  to  Africa  for  slaves.  He 
found  at  Newport,  the  great  sea-port  town  belong- 
ing to  it,  that  a  number  of  them  had  been  lately 
imported.  He  felt  his  mind  deeply  impressed  on 
this  account.  He  was  almost  overpowered  in 
consequence  of  it,  and  became  ill.  He  thought 
once  of  promoting  a  petition  to  the  legislature,  to 
discourage  all  such  importations  in  future.  He 
then  thought  of  going  and  speaking  to  the  House 
of  Assembly,  which  was  then  sitting  ;  but  he  was 
discouraged  from  both  these  proceedings.  He 
held,  however,  a  conference  with  many  of  his  own 
Society  in  the  meeting-house  chamber,  where  the 
subject  of  his  visit  was  discussed  on  both  sides, 
with  a  calm  and  peaceable  spirit.  Many  of  those 
present  manifested  the  concern  they  felt  at  their 
former  practices,  and  others  a  desire  of  taking 
suitable  care  of  their  slaves  at  their  decease. 
From  Newport  he  proceeded  to  Nantucket ;  but 
observing  the  members  of  the  Society  there  to 
have  few  or  no  slaves,  he  exhorted  them  to  perse- 
vere in  abstaining  from  the  use  of  them,  and  re- 
turned home. 

In  the  year  1761,  he  visited  several  families  in 
Pennsylvania,  and,  in  about  three  months  after- 
wards, others  about  Shrewsbury  and  Squan  in 
New  Jersey.  On  his  return  he  added  a  second 
part  to  the  treatise  before  published  on  the  keep- 
ing of  slaves,  a  care  which  had  been  growing 
upon  him  for  some  years. 

In  the  year  1762,  he  printed,  published,  and 
distributed  this  treatise. 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  127 

In  1767,  he  went  on  foot  to  the  western  shores 
of  the  same  province  on  a  religious  visit.  After 
having  crossed  the  Susquehanna,  his  old  feelings 
returned  to  him;  for  coming  amongst  people  liv- 
ing in  outward  ease  and  greatness,  chiefly  on  the 
labor  of  slaves,  his  heart  was  much  affected,  and 
he  waited  with  humble  resignation,  to  learn  how 
he  should  further  perform  his  duty  to  this  injured 
people.  The  travelling  on  foot,  though  it  was 
agreeable  to  the  state  of  his  mind,  he  describes  to 
have  been  wearisome  to  his  body.  He  felt  himself 
weakly  at  times,  in  consequence  of  it,  but  yet  con- 
tinued to  travel  on.  At  one  of  the  quarterly  meet- 
ings of  the  Society,  being  in  great  sorrow  and 
heaviness,  and  under  deep  exercise  on  account  of 
the  miseries  of  the  poor  Africans,  he  expressed 
himself  freely  to  those  present,  who  held  them  in 
bondage.  He  expatiated  on  the  tenderness  and 
loving  kindness  of  the  apostles,  as  manifested 
in  labors,  perils,  and  sufferings,  towards  the  poor 
Gentiles,  and  contrasted  their  treatment  of  the 
Gentiles  with  it,  whom  he  described  in  the  persons 
of  their  slaves  ;  and  was  much  satisfied  with  the 
result  of  his  discourse. 

From  this  time  we  collect  little  more  from  his 
journal  concerning  him,  than  that,  in  1772,  he 
embarked  for  England  on  a  religious  visit.  After 
his  arrival  there,  he  travelled  through  many  coun- 
ties, preaching  in  different  meetings  of  the  Society, 
till  he  came  to  the  city  of  York.  But  even  here, 
though  he  was  far  removed  from  the  sight  of  those 
whose  interests  he  had  so  warmly  espoused,  he  was 


128  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

not  forgetful  of  their  wretched  condition.  At  the 
quarterly  meeting  for  that  county,  he  brought  their 
case  before  those  present  in  an  affecting  manner. 
He  exhorted  these  to  befriend  their  cause.  He 
remarked  that  as  they,  the  Society,  when  under 
outward  sufferings,  had  often  found  a  concern  to 
lay  them  before  the  legislature,  and  thereby,  in 
the  Lord's  time,  had  obtained  relief:  so  he  recom- 
mended this  oppressed  part  of  the  creation  to  their 
notice,  that  they  might,  as  the  way  opened,  rep- 
resent their  sufferings  as  individuals,  if  not  as  a 
religious  society,  to  those  in  authority  in  this  land. 
This  was  the  last  opportunity  that  he  had  of  in- 
teresting himself  in  behalf  of  this  injured  people  ; 
for  soon  afterwards  he  was  seized  with  the  small- 
pox at  the  house  of  a  friend  in  the  city  of  York, 
where  he  died. 

The  next  person  belonging  to  the  Society  of  the 
Quakers,  who  labored  in  behalf  of  the  oppressed 
Africans,  was  Anthony  Benezet.  He  was  born 
before,  and  he  lived  after,  John  Woolman;  of 
course  he  was  cotemporary  with  him.  I  place 
him  after  John  Woolman,  because  he  was  not  so 
much  known  as  a  laborer,  till  two  or  three  years 
after  the  other  had  begun  to  move  in  the  same 
cause. 

Anthony  Benezet  was  born  at  St.  Quintin  in 
Picardy,  of  a  respectable  family,  in  the  year  1713. 
His  father  was  one  of  the  many  protestants,  who, 
in  consequence  of  the  persecutions  which  followed 
the  revocation  of  the  edict  of  Nantz,  sought  an 
asylum  in  foreign  countries.     After  a  short  stay  in 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  129 

Holland,  he  settled,  with  his  wife  and  children  in 
London,  in  1715. 

Anthony  Benezet,  having  received  from  his  fa- 
ther a  liberal  education,  served  an  apprenticeship 
in  an  eminent  mercantile  house  in  London*  In 
1731,  however,  he  removed  with  his  family  to 
Philadelphia,  where  he  joined  in  profession  with 
the  Quakers.  His  three  brothers  then  engaged 
in  trade,  and  made  considerable  pecuniary  acquisi- 
tions in  it.  He  himself  might  have  partaken  both 
of  their  concerns  and  of  their  prosperity  ;  but  he 
did  not  feel  himself  at  liberty  to  embark  in  their 
undertakings.  He  considered  the  accumulation 
of  wealth  as  of  no  importance,  when  compared 
with  the  enjoyment  of  doing  good  ;  and  he  chose 
the  humble  situation  of  a  schoolmaster,  as  accord- 
ing best  with  this  notion,  believing,  that  by  en- 
deavoring to  train  up  youth  in  knowledge  and  vir- 
tue, he  should  become  more  extensively  useful  than 
in  any  other  way  to  his  fellow-creatures. 

He  had  not  been  long  in  his  new  situation,  be- 
fore he  manifested  such  an  uprightness  of  conduct, 
such  a  courtesy  of  manners,  such  a  purity  of  inten- 
tion, and  such  a  spirit  of  benevolence,  that  he  at- 
tracted the  notice,  and  gained  the  good  opinion, 
of  the  inhabitants  among  whom  he  lived.  He  had 
ready  access  to  them,  in  consequence,  upon  all 
occasions ;  and,  if  there  were  any  whom  he  failed 
to  influence  at  any  of  these  times,  he  never  went 
away  without  the  possession  of  their  respect. 

In  the  year  1756,  when  a  considerable  number 
of  French  families  were  removed  from  Acadia  into 


130  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

Pennsylvania,  on  account  of  some  political  sus- 
picions, he  felt  deeply  interested  about  them.  In 
a  country  where  few  understood  their  language, 
they  were  wretched  and  helpless  ;  but  Anthony 
Benezet  endeavored  to  soften  the  rigor  of  their  sit- 
uation, by  his  kind  attention  towards  them.  He 
exerted  himself  also  in  their  behalf,  by  procuring 
many  contributions  for  them,  which,  by  the  con- 
sent of  his  fellow-citizens,  where  entrusted  to  his 
care. 

As  the  principle  of  benevolence,  when  duly 
cultivated,  brings  forth  fresh  shoots,  and  becomes 
enlarged,  so  we  find  this  amiable  person  extending 
the  sphere  of  his  usefulness,  by  becoming  an  advo- 
cate for  the  oppressed  African  race.  For  this  ser- 
vice he  seems  to  have  been  peculiarly  qualified. 
Indeed,  as  in  all  great  works  a  variety  of  talents 
is  necessary  to  bring  them  to  perfection,  so  Provi- 
dence seems  to  prepare  different  men  as  instru- 
ments, with  dispositions  and  qualifications  so  vari- 
ous, that  each,  in  pursuing  that  line  which  seems 
to  suit  him  best,  contributes  to  furnish  those  parts, 
which,  when  put  together,  make  up  a  complete 
whole.  In  this  point  of  view,  John  Woolman 
found,  in  Anthony  Benezet,  the  coadjutor,  whom, 
of  all  others,  the  cause  required,  the  former  had 
occupied  himself  principally  on  the  subject  of  Sla- 
very. The  latter  went  to  the  root  of  the  evil, 
and  more  frequently  attacked  the  Trade.  The 
former  chiefly  confined  his  labors  to  America,  and 
chiefly  to  those  of  his  own  Society  there.  The 
latter,  when  he  wrote,  did  not  write  for  America 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  131 

only,  but  for  Europe  also,  and  endeavored  to 
spread  a  knowledge  and  hatred  of  the  traffic 
through  the  great  society  of  the  world. 

One  of  the  means  which  Anthony  Benezet  took 
to  promote  the  cause  in  question,  (and  an  effectual 
one  it  proved,  as  far  as  it  went)  was  to  give  his 
scholars  a  due  knowledge  and  proper  impressions 
concerning  it.  Situated  as  they  were  likely  to 
be,  in  after-life,  in  a  country  where  slavery  was  a 
custom,  be  thus  prepared  many,  and  this  annually, 
for  tbe  promotion  of  his  plans. 

To  enlighten  others,  and  to  give  them  a  similar 
bias,  he  had  recourse  to  different  measures  from 
time  to  time.  In  tbe  almanacs  published  annually 
in  Philadelphia,  he  procured  articles  to  be  inserted, 
which  he  believed  would  attract  tbe  notice  of  the 
reader,  and  make  him  pause,  at  least  for  a  while, 
as  to  tbe  licitness  of  the  Slave-trade.  He  wrote, 
also,  as  he  saw  occasion,  in  the  public  papers  of 
the  day.  From  small  things  he  proceeded  to 
greater.  He  collected,  at  length,  further  informa- 
tion on  the  subject,  and,  winding  it  up  with  obser- 
vations, and  reflections,  he  produced  several  little 
tracts,  which  he  circulated  successively  (but  gen- 
erally at  his  own  expense)  as  he  considered  them 
adapted  to  the  temper  and  circumstances  of  the 
times. 

In  the  course  of  this  his  employment,  having 
found  some  who  had  approved  his  tracts  and  to 
whom,  on  that  account,  he  wished  to  write,  and 
sending  his  tracts  to  others,  to  whom  he  thought 
it  proper  to  introduce  them  by  letter,  he  found 


132  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

himself  engaged  in  a  correspondence,  which  much 
engrossed  his  time,  but  which  proved  of  great 
importance  in  procuring  many  advocates  for  his 
cause. 

In  the  year  1762,  when  he  had  obtained  a  still 
greater  store  of  information,  he  published  a  larger 
work.  This,  however,  he  entitled,  A  short  Ac- 
count of  that  Part  of  Africa  inhabited  by  the  Ne- 
groes. In  1767  he  published,  A  Caution  and 
Warning  to  Great  Britain  and  her  Colonies,  on  the 
Calamitous  State  of  the  enslaved  Negroes  in  the 
British  Dominions:  and  soon  after  this,  appeared, 
An  Historical  Account  of  Guinea,  its  Situation, 
Produce,  and  the  General  Disposition  of  its  Inhabit- 
ants ;  with  an  Inquiry  into  the  Rise  and  Progress 
of  the  Slave-trade,  its  Nature,  and  Calamitous 
Effects.  This  pamphlet  contained  a  clear  and 
distinct  development  of  the  subject,  from  the  best 
authorities.  It  contained  also  the  sentiments  of 
many  enlightened  men  upon  it;  and  it  became 
instrumental,  beyond  any  other  book  ever  before 
published,  in  disseminating  a  proper  knowledge 
and  detestation  of  this  trade. 

Anthony  Benezet  may  be  considered  as  one  of 
the  most  zealous,  vigilant,  and  active  advocates, 
which  the  cause  of  the  oppressed  Africans  ever 
had.  He  seemed  to  have  been  born  and  to  have 
lived  for  the  promotion  of  it,  and  therefore  he 
never  omitted  any  the  least  opportunity  of  serving 
it.  If  a  person  called  upon  him  who  was  going  a 
journey,  his  first  thoughts  usually  were,  how  he 
could  make  him  an  instrument  in  its  favor;  and 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  133 

he  either  gave  him  tracts  to  distribute,  or  he  sent 
letters  by  him,  or  he  gave  him  some  commission 
on  the  subject,  so  that  he  was  the  means  of  em- 
ploying several  persons  at  the  same  time,  in  vari- 
ous parts  of  America,  in  advancing  the  work  he 
had  undertaken. 

In  the  same  manner  he  availed  himself  of  every 
other  circumstance,  as  far  as  he  could,  to  the 
same  end.  When  he  heard  that  Mr.  Granville 
Sharp  had  obtained,  in  the  year  1772,  the  noble 
verdict  in  the  cause  of  Somerset  the  slave,  he 
opened  a  correspondence  with  him,  which  he  kept 
up,  that  there  might  be  an  union  of  action  between 
them  for  the  future,  as  far  as  it  could  be  effected, 
and  that  they  might  each  give  encouragement  to 
the  other  to  proceed. 

He  opened  also  a  correspondence  with  George 
Whitfield  and  John  Wesley,  that  these  might  as- 
sist him  in  promoting  the  cause  of  the  oppressed. 

He  wrote  also  a  letter  to  the  Countess  of  Hun- 
tingdon on  the  following  subject.  She  had  found- 
ed a  college,  at  the  recommendation  of  George 
Whitfield,  called  the  Orphan-house,  near  Savan- 
nah, in  Georgia,  and  had  endowed  it.  The  ob- 
ject of  this  institution  was,  to  furnish  scholastic 
instruction  to  the  poor,  and  to  prepare  some  of  them 
for  the  ministry.  George  Whitfield,  ever  attentive 
to  the  cause  of  the  poor  Africans,  thought  that 
this  institution  might  have  been  useful  to  them 
also ;  but  soon  after  his  death,  they  who  succeeded 
him  bought  slaves,  and  these  in  unusual  numbers, 
to  extend  the  rice  and  indigo  plantations  belonging 

vol.  i.  12 


134  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

to  the  college.  The  letter  then  in  question  was 
written  by  Anthony  Benezet,  in  order  to  lay  before 
the  Countess,  as  a  religious  woman,  the  misery 
she  was  occasioning  in  Africa,  by  allowing  the 
managers  of  her  college  in  Georgia  to  give  en- 
couragement to  the  Slave-trade.  The  Countess, 
replied,  that  such  a  measure  should  never  have 
her  countenance,  and  that  she  would  take  care 
to  prevent  it. 

On  discovering  that  the  Abbe  Raynal  had 
brought  out  his  celebrated  work,  in  which  he 
manifested  a  tender  feeling  in  behalf  of  the  in- 
jured Africans,  he  entered  into  a  correspondence 
with  him,  hoping  to  make  him  yet  more  useful 
to  their  cause. 

Finding,  also,  in  the  year  1783,  that  the 
Slave-trade,  which  had  greatly  declined  during 
the  American  war,  was  reviving,  he  addressed 
a  pathetic  letter  to  our  Queen,  (as  I  mentioned 
in  the  last  chapter)  who,  on  hearing  the  high 
character  of  the  writer  of  it  from  Benjamin  West, 
received  it  with  marks  of  peculiar  condescension 
and  attention.     The  following  is  a  copy  of  it. 

"  To  Charlotte  Queen  of  Great  Britain. 

"  Impressed  with  a  sense  of  religious  duty, 
and  encouraged  by  the  opinion  generally  enter- 
tained of  thy  benevolent  disposition  to  succor 
the  distressed,  I  take  the  liberty,  very  respect- 
fully, to  offer  to  thy  perusal  some  tracts,  which, 
I  believe  faithfully  describe  the  suffering  condi- 
tion of  many  hundred  thousands  of  our  fellow- 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  135 

creatures  of  the  African  race,  great  numbers  of 
whom,  rent  from  every  tender  connexion  in  life, 
are  annually  taken  from  their  native  land,  to 
endure,  in  the  American  islands  and  plantations, 
a  most  rigorous  and  cruel  slavery ;  whereby  many, 
very  many  of  them,  are  brought  to  a  melancholy 
and  untimely  end. 

"  When  it  is  considered  that  the  inhabitants  of 
Great  Britain,  who  are  themselves  so  eminently 
blessed  in  the  enjoyment  of  religious  and  civil 
liberty,  have  long  been,  and  yet  are,  very  deeply 
concerned  in  this  flagrant  violation  of  the  com- 
mon rights  of  mankind,  and  that  even  its  national 
authority  is  exerted  in  support  of  the  African 
Slave-trade,  there  is  much  reason  to  apprehend, 
that  this  has  been,  and,  as  long  as  the  evil  ex- 
ists, will  continue  to  be,  an  occasion  of  drawing 
down  the  Divine  displeasure  on  the  nation  and 
its  dependencies.  May  these  considerations  in- 
duce thee  to  interpose  thy  kind  endeavors  in  be- 
half of  this  greatly  injured  people,  whose  abject 
situation  gives  them  an  additional  claim  to  the 
pity  and  assistance  of  the  generous  mind,  inas- 
much as  they  are  altogether  deprived  of  the  means 
of  soliciting  effectual  relief  for  themselves ;  that 
so  thou  mayest  not  only  be  a  blessed  instrument 
in  the  hand  of  him  *  by  whom  kings  reign  and 
princes  decree  justice,'  to  avert  the  awful  judg- 
ments by  which  the  empire  has  already  been  so 
remarkably  shaken,  but  that  the  blessings  of 
thousands  ready  to  perish  may  come  upon  thee, 
at  a  time  when  the  superior  advantages  attendant 


136  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

on  thy  situation  in   this  world  will  no  longer  be 
of  any  avail  to  thy  consolation  and  support. 

"  To  the  tracts  on  this  subject  to  which  I  have 
thus  ventured  to  crave  thy  particular  attention, 
I  have  added  some  which  at  different  times  I 
have  believed  it  my  duty  to  publish,*  and  which, 
I  trust,  will  afford  thee  some  satisfaction,  their 
design  being  for  the  furtherance  of  that  universal 
peace  and  good  will  amongst  men,  which  the 
Gospel  was  intended  to  introduce. 

"  I  hope  thou  wilt  kindly  excuse  the  freedom 
used  on  this  occasion  by  an  ancient  man,  whose 
mind,  for  more  than  forty  years  past,  has  been 
much  separated  from  the  common  intercourse  of 
the  world,  and  long  painfully  exercised  in  the 
consideration  of  the  miseries  under  which  so  large 
a  part  of  mankind,  equally  with  us  the  objects  of 
redeeming  love,  are  suffering  the  most  unjust  and 
grievous  oppression,  and  who  sincerely  desires  thy 
temporal  and  eternal  felicity,  and  that  of  thy  royal 
consort. 

"Anthony  Benezet." 

Anthony  Benezet,  besides  the  care  he  bestowed 
upon  forwarding  the  cause  of  the  oppressed  Afri- 
cans in  different  parts  of  the  world,  found  time  to 
promote  the  comforts  and  improve  the  condition 
of  those  in  the  state  in  which  he  lived.  Appre- 
hending that  much  advantage  would  arise  both 
to  them  and  the  public,  from  instructing  them 

*  These  related  to  the  principles  of  the  religious  society  of  the 
Quakers. 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  137 

in  common  learning,  he  zealously  promoted  the 
establishment  of  a  school  for  that  purpose.  Much 
of  the  two  last  years  of  his  life  he  devoted  to  a 
personal  attendance  on  this  school,  being  earnest- 
ly desirous  that  they  who  came  to  it  might  be 
better  qualified  for  the  enjoyment  of  that  free- 
dom to  which  great  numbers  of  them  had  been 
then  restored.  To  this  he  sacrificed  the  superior 
emoluments  of  his  former  school,  and  his  bodily 
ease  also,  although  the  weakness  of  his  consti- 
tution seemed  to  demand  indulgence.  By  his 
last  will  he  directed,  that,  after  the  decease  of  his 
widow,  his  whole  little  fortune  (the  savings  of  the 
industry  of  fifty  years),  should,  except  a  few  very 
small  legacies,  be  applied  to  the  support  of  it. 
During  his  attendance  upon  it  he  bad  the  happi- 
ness to  find,  (and  his  situation  enabled  him  to 
make  the  comparison),  that  Providence  had  been 
equally  liberal  to  the  Africans  in  genius  and 
talents  as  to  other  people. 

After  a  few  days  illness,  this  excellent  man 
died  at  Philadelphia  in  the  spring  of  1784.  The 
interment  of  his  remains  was  attended  by  several 
thousands  of  all  ranks,  professions,  and  parties, 
who  united  in  deploring  their  loss.  The  mourn- 
ful procession  was  closed  by  some  hundreds  of 
those  poor  Africans,  who  had  been  personally 
benefited  by  his  labors,  and  whose  behavior  on 
the  occasion  showed  the  gratitude  and  affection 
they  considered  to  be  due  to  him  as  their  own 
private  benefactor,  as  well  as  the  benefactor  of 
their  whole  race. 

vol.  i.  12* 


138  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

Such,  then,  were  the  labors  of  the  Quakers,  in 
America,  of  individuals,  from  1718  to  1784,  and 
of  the  body  at  large,  from  1696  to  1787,  in  this 
great  cause  of  humanity  and  religion.  Nor  were 
the  effects  produced  from  these  otherwise  than 
corresponding  with  what  might  have  been  ex- 
pected from  such  an  union  of  exertion  in  such  a 
cause  ;  for  both  the  evils,  that  is,  the  evil  of  buy- 
ing and  selling,  and  the  evil  of  using,  slaves, 
ceased  at  length  with  the  members  of  this  benevo- 
lent Society.  The  leaving  off  all  concern  with 
the  Slave-trade  took  place  first.  The  abolition  of 
slavery,  though  it  followed,  was  not  so  speedily 
accomplished ;  for,  besides  the  loss  of  property, 
when  slaves  were  manumitted  without  any  pecu- 
niary consideration  in  return,  their  owners  had  to 
struggle,  in  making  them  free,  against  the  laws 
and  customs  of  the  times.  In  Pennsylvania, 
where  the  law  in  this  respect  was  the  most  favor- 
able, the  parties  wishing  to  give  freedom  to  a 
slave  were  obliged  to  enter  into  a  bond  for  the 
payment  of  thirty  pounds  currency,  in  case  the 
said  slave  should  become  chargeable  for  main- 
tenance. In  New  Jersey  the  terms  were  far  less 
favorable,  as  the  estate  of  the  owner  remained 
liable  to  the  consequences  of  misconduct  in  the 
slave,  or  even  in  his  posterity.  In  the  southern 
parts  of  America  manumission  was  not  permitted, 
but  on  terms  amounting  nearly  to  a  prohibition. 
But,  notwithstanding  these  difficulties,  the  Qua- 
kers could  not  be  deterred,  as  they  became  con- 
vinced of  the   unlawfulness  of  holding  men  in 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  139 

bondage^  from  doing  that  which  they  believed 
to  be  right.  Many  liberated  their  slaves,  what- 
ever the  consequences  were,  and  some  gave  the 
most  splendid  example  in  doing  it,  not  only  by 
consenting,  as  others  did,  thus  to  give  up  their 
proper ty,  and  to  incur  the  penalties  of  manumis- 
sion, but  by  calculating  and  giving  what  was  due 
to  them,  over  and  above  their  food  and  clothingj 
for  wages*  from  the  beginning  of  their  slavery 
to  the  day  when  their  liberation  commenced. 
Thus  manumission  went  on,  some  sacrificing 
more,  and  others  less  ;  some  granting  it  sooner, 
and  others  later;  till,  in  the  year  17.87,  f  there 
was  not  a  slave  in  the  possession  of  an  acknowl- 
edged Quaker. 

Having  given  to  the  reader  the  history  of  the 
third  class  of  forerunners  and  coadjutors,  as  it  con- 
sisted of  the  Quakers  in  America,  I  am  now  to 
continue  it,  as  it  consisted  of  an  union  of  these 
with  others  on  the  same  continent  in  the  year 
1774,  in  behalf  of  the  African  race.  To  do  this  I 
shall  begin  with  the  causes  which  led  to  the  pro- 
duction of  this  great  event. 

And  in  the  first  place,  as  example  is  more 
powerful  than  precept,  we  cannot  suppose  that  the 
Quakers  could  have  shown  these  noble  instances 

*  One  of  the  brightest  instances  was  that  afforded  by  Warner 
Mifflin.  He  gave  unconditional  liberty  to  his  slaves.  He  paid  all 
the  adults,  on  their  discharge,  the  sum,  which  arbitrators,  mutually 
chosen,  awarded  them. 

t  Previously  to  the  year  1787,  several  of  the  states  had  made 
the  terms^  of  manumission  more  easy. 


140  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

of  religious  principle,  without  supposing  also  that 
individuals  of  other  religious  denominations  would 
be  morally  instructed  by  them.  They  who  lived 
in  the  neighborhood  where  they  took  place,  must 
have  become  acquainted  with  the  motives  which 
led  to  them.  Some  of  them  must  at  least  have 
praised  the  action,  though  they  might  not  them- 
selves have  been  ripe  to  follow  the  example. 
Nor  is  it  at  all  improbable  that  these  might  be 
led,  in  the  course  of  the  workings  of  their  own 
minds,  to  a  comparison  between  their  own  con- 
duct and  that  of  the  Quakers  on  this  subject,  in 
which  they  themselves  might  appear  to  be  less 
worthy  in  their  own  eyes.  And  as  there  is  some- 
times a  spirit  of  rivalship  among  the  individuals 
of  religious  sects,  where  the  character  of  one  is 
sounded  forth  as  higher  than  that  of  another  ; 
this,  if  excited  by  such  a  circumstance,  would 
probably  operate  for  good.  It  must  have  been 
manifest  also  to  many,  after  a  lapse  of  time,  that 
there  was  no  danger  in  what  the  Quakers  had 
done,  and  that  there  was  even  sound  policy  in  the 
measure.  But  whatever  were  the  several  causes, 
certain  it  is,  that  the  example  of  the  Quakers  in 
leaving  off  all  concern  with  the  Slave-trade,  and  in 
liberating  their  slaves  (scattered  as  they  were  over 
various  parts  of  America)  contributed  to  produce 
in  many  of  a  different  religious  denomination  from 
themselves,  a  more  tender  disposition  than  had 
been  usual  towards  the  African  race. 

But   a   similar   disposition   towards   these   op- 
pressed people  was  created  in  others  by  means  of 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  141 

other  circumstances  or  causes.  In  the  early  part 
of  the  eighteenth  century,  Judge  Sewell  of  New 
England  came  forward  as  a  zealous  advocate  for 
them.  He  addressed  a  memorial  to  the  legisla- 
ture, which  he  called  The  Selling  of  Joseph,  and 
in  which  he  pleaded  their  cause  both  as  a  law- 
yer and  a  Christian.  This  memorial  produced  an 
effect  upon  many,  but  particularly  upon  those  of 
his  own  persuasion  ;  and  from  this  time  the  Pres- 
byterians appear  to  have  encouraged  a  sympathy 
in  their  favor. 

In  the  year  1739,  the  celebrated  George  Whit- 
field became  an  instrument  in  turning  the  atten- 
tion of  many  others  to  their  hard  case,  and  of  be- 
getting in  these  a  fellow  sympathy  towards  them. 
This  laborious  minister,  having  been  deeply  af- 
fected with  what  he  had  seen  in  the  course  of  his 
religious  travels  in  America,  thought  it  his  duty 
to  address  a  letter  from  Georgia  to  the  inhabitants 
of  Maryland,  Virginia,  and  North  and  South  Car- 
olina. This  letter  was  printed  in  the  year  above 
mentioned,  and  is  in  part  as  follows  : — 

"  As  I  lately  passed  through  your  provinces  in 
my  way  hither,  I  was  sensibly  touched  with  a 
fellow-feeling  for  the  miseries  of  the  poor  Negroes. 
Whether  it  be  lawful  for  Christians  to  buy  slaves, 
and  thereby  encourage  the  nations  from  whom 
they  are  bought  to  be  at  perpetual  war  with  each 
otker,  I  shall  not  take  upon  me  to  determine. 
Sure  I  am  it  is  sinful,  when  they  have  bought 
them,  to  use  them  as  bad  as  though  they  were 
brutes,  nay  worse  ;  and  whatever  particular  ex- 


142  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

ceptions  there  may  be  (as  I  would  charitably 
hope  there  are  some),  I  fear  the  generality  of  you. 
who  own  Negroes,  are  liable  to  such  a  charge  ; 
for  your  slaves,  I  believe,  work  as  hard,  if  not 
harder  than  the  horses  whereon  you  ride.  These, 
after  they  have  done  their  work,  are  fed  and  taken 
proper  care  of;  but  many  Negroes  when  wearied 
with  labor  in  your  plantations,  have  been  obliged 
to  grind  their  corn  after  their  return  home.  Your 
dogs  are  caressed  and  fondled  at  your  table  ;  but 
your  slaves,  who  are  frequently  styled  dogs  or 
beasts,  have  not  an  equal  privilege.  They  are 
scarce  permitted  to  pick  up  the  crumbs  which 
fall  from  their  master's  table.  Not  to  mention 
what  numbers  have  been  given  up  to  the  inhu- 
man usage  of  cruel  taskmasters  who,  by  their  un- 
relenting scourges  have  ploughed  their  backs,  and 
made  long  furrows,  and  at  length  brought  them 
even  unto  death.  When  passing  along  I  have 
viewed  your  plantations  cleared  and  cultivated, 
many  spacious  houses  built,  and  the  owners  of 
them  faring  sumptuously  every  day,  my  blood  has 
frequently  almost  run  cold  within  me,  to  consider 
how  many  of  your  slaves  had  neither  convenient 
food  to  eat  nor  proper  raiment  to  put  on,  not- 
withstanding most  of  the  comforts  you  enjoy  were 
solely  owing  to  their  indefatigable  labors." 

The  letter,  from  which  this  is  an  extract,  pro- 
duced a  desirable  effect  upon  many  of  those  who 
perused  it,  but  particularly  upon  such  as  began 
to  be  seriously  disposed  in  these  times.  And  as 
George  Whitfield  continued  a  firm  friend  to  the 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  143 

poor  Africans,  never  losing  an  opportunity  of 
serving  them,  he  interested,  in  the  course  of  his 
useful  life,  many  thousands  of  his  followers  in 
their  favor. 

To  this  account  it  may  be  added,  that  from 
the  year  1762,  ministers,  who  were  in  the  con- 
nection of  John  Wesley,  began  to  be  settled  in 
America,  and  that  as  these  were  friends  to  the 
oppressed  Africans  also,  so  they  contributed  in 
their  turn*  to  promote  a  softness  of  feeling  towards 
them  among  those  of  their  own  persuasion. 

In  consequence  then  of  these  and  other  causes, 
a  considerable  number  of  persons  of  various  re- 
ligious denominations  had  appeared  at  different 
times  in  America,  besides  the  Quakers,  who, 
though  they  had  not  distinguished  themselves  by 
resolutions  and  manumissions  as  religious  bodies, 
were  yet  highly  friendly  to  the  African  cause. 
This  friendly  disposition  began  to  manifest  itself 
about  the  year  1770  :  for  when  a  few  Quakers,  as 
individuals,  began  at  that  time  to  form  little  asso- 
ciations in  the  middle  provinces  of  North  America, 
to  discourage  the  introduction  of  slaves  among 
people  in  their  own  neighborhoods,  who  were  not 
of  their  own  Society,  and  to  encourage  the  manu- 

*  It  must  not  be  forgotten  that  the  example  of  the  Moravians 
had  its  influence,  also,  in  directing  men  to  their  duty  towards  these 
oppressed  people ;  for  though,  when  they  visited  this  part  of  the 
world  for  their  conversion,  they  never  meddled  with  the  political 
state  of  things,  by  recommending  it  to  masters  to  alter  the  condi- 
tion of  their  slaves,  as  believing  religion  could  give  comfort  in  the 
most  abject  situations  in  life,  yet  they  uniformly  freed  those  slaves, 
who  came  into  their  own  possession. 


144  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

mission  of  those  already  in  bondage,  they  were 
joined  as  colleagues  by  several  persons  of  this  de- 
scription,* who  co-operated  with  them  in  the  pro- 
motion of  their  design. 

This  disposition,  however,  became  more  mani- 
fest in  the  year  1772  ;  for  the  House  of  Burgesses 
of  Virginia  presented  a  petition  to  the  King,  be- 
seeching his  majesty  to  remove  all  those  restraints 
on  his  governors  of  that  colony,  which  inhibited 
their  assent  to  such  laws,  as  might  check  that  in- 
human and  impolitic  commerce,  the  Slave-trade  : 
and  it  is  remarkable,  that  the  refusal  of  the  British 
government  to  permit  the  Virginians  to  exclude 
slaves  from  among  them  by  law,  was  enumerated 
afterwards  among  the  public  reasons  for  separat- 
ing from  the  mother  country. 

But  this  friendly  disposition  was  greatly  in- 
creased in  the  year  1773,  by  the  literary  labors 
of  Dr.  Benjamin  Rush  of  Philadelphia,")*  who,  I 
believe,  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 
For  in  this  year,  at  the  instigation  of  Anthony 
Benezet,  he  took  up  the  cause  of  the  oppressed 
Africans  in  a  little  work,  which  he  entitled,  An 
Address  to  the  Inhabitants  of  the  British  Settle- 
ments on  the  Slavery  of  the  Negroes ;  and  soon 
afterwards  in  another,  which  was  a  vindication  of 


*  It  then  appeared  that  individuals  among  those  of  the  church  of 
England,  Roman  Catholics,  Presbyterians,  Methodists,  and  others, 
had  begun  in  a  few  instances  to  liberate  their  slaves. 

•J-  Dr.  Rush  has  been  better  known  since  for  his  other  literary 
works ;  such  as  his  Medical  Dissertations,  his  Treatises  on  the  Dis- 
cipline of  Schools,  Criminal  Law,  &c. 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  145 

the  first,  in  answer  to  an  acrimonious  attack  by  a 
West  Indian  planter.  These  publications  con- 
tained many  new  observations.  They  were  writ- 
ten in  a  polished  style  ;  and  while  they  exhibited 
the  erudition  and  talents,  they  showed  the  liber- 
ality and  benevolence  of  the  author.  Having  had 
a  considerable  circulation,  they  spread  conviction 
among  many,  and  promoted  the  cause  for  which 
they  had  been  so  laudably  undertaken.  Of  the 
great  increase  of  friendly  disposition  towards  the 
African  cause  in  this  very  year,  we  have  this  re- 
markable proof;  that  when  the  Quakers,  living 
in  East  and  West  Jersey,  wished  to  petition  the 
legislature  to  obtain  an  act  of  assembly  for  the 
more  equitable  manumission  of  slaves  in  that 
province,  so  many  others  of  different  persuasions 
joined  them,  that  the  petition  was  signed  by  up- 
wards of  three  thousand  persons. 

But  in  the  next  year,  or  in  the  year  1774,*  the 
increased  good  will  towards  the  Africans  became  so 
apparent,  but  more  particularly  in  Pennsylvania, 
where  the  Quakers  were  more  numerous  than  in 
any  other  state,  that  they,  who  considered  them- 
selves more  immediately  as  the  friends  of  these 
injured  people,  thought  it  right  to  avail  themselves 
of  it ;  and  accordingly  James  Pemberton,  one  of 
the  most  conspicuous  of  the  Quakers  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  Dr.  Rush,  one  of  the  most  conspicuous 

*  In  this  year,  Elhanan  Winchester,  a  supporter  of  the  doctrine 
of  universal  redemption,  turned  the  attention  of  .many  of  his  hearers 
to  this  subject,  both  by  private  interference  and  by  preaching  ex- 
pressly upon  it. 

VOL.  I.  13 


146  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

of  those  belonging  to  the  various  other  religious 
communities  in  that  province,  undertook,  in  con- 
junction with  others,  the  important  task  of  bring- 
ing those  into  a  society  who  were  friendly  to  this 
cause.  In  this  undertaking  they  succeeded.  And 
hence  arose  that  union  of  the  Quakers  with  others, 
to  which  I  have  been  directing  the  attention  of  the 
reader,  and  by  which  the  third  class  of  forerun- 
ners and  coadjutors  becomes  now  complete.  This 
society,  which  was  confined  to  Pennsylvania,  was 
the  first  ever  formed  in  America,  in  which  there 
was  an  union  of  persons  of  different  religious  de- 
nominations in  behalf  of  the  African  race. 

But  this  society  had  scarcely  begun  to  act,  when 
the  war  broke  out  between  England  and  America, 
which  had  the  effect  of  checking  its  operations. 
This  was  considered  as  a  severe  blow  upon  it. 
But  as  those  things  which  appear  most  to  our  dis- 
advantage, turn  out  often  the  most  to  our  benefit, 
so  the  war,  by  giving  birth  to  the  independence  of 
America,  was  ultimately  favorable  to  its  progress* 
For  as  this  contest  had  produced  during  its  con- 
tinuance, so  it  left,  when  it  was  over,  a  general 
enthusiasm  for  liberty.  Many  talked  of  little  else 
but  of  the  freedom  they  had  gained.  These  were 
naturally  led  to  the  consideration  of  those  among 
them,  who  were  groaning  in  bondage.  They  be- 
gan to  feel  for  their  hard  case.  They  began  to 
think  that  they  should  not  deserve  the  new  bless- 
ing which  they  had  acquired,  if  they  denied  it  to 
others.  Thus  the  discussions,  which  originated  in 
this  contest,  became  the  occasion  of  turning  the 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  14? 

attention  of  many,  who  might  not  otherwise  have 
thought  of  it,  towards  the  miserable  condition  of 
the  slaves. 

Nor  were  writers  wanting,  who,  influenced  by 
considerations  on  the  war  and  the  independence 
resulting  from  it,  made  their  works  subservient  to 
the  same  benevolent  end.  A  work,  entitled,  A 
Serious  Address  to  the  Rulers  of  America  on  the 
Inconsistency  of  their  Conduct  respecting  Slavery, 
forming  a  Contrast  between  the  Encroachments 
of  England  on  American  Liberty  and  American 
Injustice  in  tolerating  Slavery,  which  appeared  in 
1783,  was  particularly  instrumental  in  producing 
this  effect.  This  excited  a  more  than  usual  atten- 
tion to  the  case  of  these  oppressed  people,  and 
where  most  of  all  it  could  be  useful.  For  the 
author  compared  in  two  opposite  columns  the  ani- 
mated speeches  and  resolutions  of  the  members  of 
Congress  in  behalf  of  their  own  liberty  with  their 
conduct  in  continuing  slavery  to  others.  Hence 
the  legislature  began  to  feel  the  inconsistency  of 
the  practice  ;  and  so  far  had  the  sense  of  this  in- 
consistency spread  there,  that  when  the  dele- 
gates met  from  each  state,  to  consider  of  a  federal 
union,  there  was  a  desire  that  the  abolition  of  the 
Slave-trade  should  be  one  of  the  articles  in  it. 
This  was,  however,  opposed  by  the  delegates  from 
North  and  South  Carolina,  Virginia,  Maryland, 
and  Georgia,  the  five  states  which  had  the  greatest 
concern  in  slaves.  But  even  these  offered  to  agree 
to  the  article,  provided  a  condition  was  annexed 
to  it,  (which  was  afterwards  done),  that  the  power 


148  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

of  such  abolition  should  not  commence  in  the 
legislature  till  the  first  of  January  1808. 

In  consequence  then  of  these  different  circum- 
stances, the  society  of  Pennsylvania,  the  object  of 
which  was  "  for  promoting  the  abolition  of  slavery 
and  the  relief  of  free  Negroes  unlawfully  held  in 
bondage,"  became  so  popular,  that  in  the  year  1787 
it  was  thought  desirable  to  enlarge  it.  Accord- 
ingly several  new  members  were  admitted  into 
it.  The  celebrated  Dr.  Franklin,  who  had  long 
warmly  espoused  the  cause  of  the  injured  Afri- 
cans, was  appointed  president ;  James  Pemberton 
and  Jonathan  Penrose  were  appointed  vice-presi- 
dents ;  Dr.  Benjamin  Rush  and  Tench  Coxe,  sec- 
retaries ;  James  Star,  treasurer  ;  William  Lewis, 
John  D.  Coxe,  Miers  Fisher,  and  William  Rawle, 
counsellors ;  Thomas  Harrison,  Nathan  Boys, 
James  Whiteall,  James  Reed,  John  Todd,  Thomas 
Armatt,  Norris  Jones,  Samuel  Richards,  Francis 
Bayley,  Andrew  Carson,  John  Warner,  and  Jacob 
Shoemaker,  Jr.,  an  electing  committee ;  and 
Thomas  Shields,  Thomas  Parker,  John  Oldden, 
William  Zane,  John  Warner,  and  William  M'El- 
henny,  an  acting  committee  for  carrying  on  the 
purposes  of  the  institution. 

I  shall  now  only  observe  further  upon  this  sub- 
ject, that  as  a  society,  consisting  of  an  union  of 
the  Quakers,  with  others  of  other  religious  de- 
nominations, was  established  for  Pennsylvania  in 
behalf  of  the  oppressed  Africans,  so  different  so- 
cieties, consisting  each  of  a  similar  union  of  per- 
sons, were  established  in  New  York,  Connecticut, 


ABOLITION    OP    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  149 

New  Jersey,  Delaware,  Maryland,  and  other  states 
for  the  same  object,  and  that  these  afterwards 
held  a  correspondence  and  personal  communion 
with  each  other  for  the  promotion  of  it. 


CHAPTER   VI. 

Observations  on  the  three  classes  already  introduced.— Coinci- 
dence op  extraordinary  circumstances. — Individuals  in  each  of 
these  classes,  who  seem  to  have  had  an  education  as  it  were  to 
qualify  them  for  promoting  the  cause  of  the  abolition — sharp 
and  Ramsay  in  the  first — Dillwyn  in  the  second — Femberton  and 
Rush  in  the  third. — These,  with  their  respective  classes,  acted 
on  motives  of  their  own,  and  independently  of  each  other — 
and  yet,  from  circumstances  neither  foreseen  nor  known  by 
them,  they  were  in  the  way  of  being  easily  united  in  1787. — 
William    Dillwyn   the    great   medium   of    connexion   between 

THEM  ALL. 

If  the  reader  will  refer  to  his  recollection,  he 
will  find,  that  I  have  given  the  history  of  three 
of  the  classes  of  the  forerunners  and  coadjutors  in 
the  great  cause  of  the  abolition  of  the  Slave-trade 
up  to  the  time  proposed.  He  will  of  course  ex- 
pect that  I  should  proceed  with  the  history  of  the 
fourth.  But,  as  1  foresee  that,  by  making  certain 
observations  upon  the  classes  already  introduced  in 
the  present  rather  than  in  any  future  place,  I  shall 
be  able  to  give  him  clearer  views  on  the  subject, 
I  shall  postpone  the  history  of  the  remaining  class 
to  the  next  chapter. 

The  account,  which  I  shall  now  give,  will  ex- 
hibit a  concurrence  of  extraordinary  and  important 

VOL.  I.  13  * 


150  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

circumstances.  It  will  show,  first,  that  in  each  of 
the  three  classes  now  introduced,  there  were  indi- 
viduals in  the  year  1787,  who  had  been  educated 
as  it  were  for  the  purpose  of  becoming  peculiarly 
qualified  to  act  together  for  the  promotion  of  the 
abolition  of  the  Slave-trade.  It  will  show,  second- 
ly, that  these,  with  their  respective  classes,  acted 
upon  their  own  principles,  distinctly  and  independ- 
ently of  each  other.  And,  lastly,  that  by  means 
of  circumstances,  which  they  themselves  had 
neither  foreseen  nor  contrived,  a  junction  between 
them  was  rendered  easily  practicable,  and  that 
it  was  beginning  to  take  place  at  the  period 
assigned. 

The  first  class  of  forerunners  and  coadjutors 
consisted  principally,  as  it  has  appeared,  of  persons 
in  England  of  various  descriptions.  These,  I  may 
observe,  had  no  communication  with  each  other 
as  to  any  plan  for  the  abolition  of  the  Slave-trade. 
There  were  two  individuals,  however,  among 
them,  who  were  more  conspicuous  than  the  rest, 
namely,  Granville  Sharp,  the  first  laborer,  and 
Mr.  Ramsay,  the  first  controversial  writer  in  the 
cause. 

That  Granville  Sharp  received  an  education  as 
if  to  become  qualified  to  unite  with  others,  in  the 
year  1787,  for  this  important  object,  must  have 
appeared  from  the  history  of  his  labors,  as  detailed 
in  several  of  the  preceding  pages.  The  same 
may  be  said  of  Mr.  Ramsay ;  for  it  has  already 
appeared  that  he  lived  in  the  island  of  St.  Christo- 
pher, where  he  made  his  observations,  and  studied 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  151 

the  laws,  relative  to  the  treatment  of  slaves,  for 
nineteen  years. 

That  Granville  Sharp  acted  on  grounds  distinct 
from  those  in  any  of  the  other  classes  is  certain. 
For  he  knew  nothing  at  this  time  either  of  the 
Quakers  in  England  or  of  those  in  America,  any 
more  than  that  they  existed  by  name.  Had  it  not 
been  for  the  case  of  Jonathan  Strong,  he  might 
never  have  attached  himself  to  the  cause.  A 
similar  account  may  be  given  of  Mr.  Ramsay;  for, 
if  it  had  not  been  for  what  he  had  seen  in  the 
island  of  St.  Christopher,  he  had  never  embarked 
in  it.  It  was  from  scenes,  which  he  had  witnessed 
there,  that  he  began  to  feel  on  the  subject.  These 
feelings  he  communicated  to  others  on  his  return 
to  England,  and  these  urged  him  into  action. 

With  respect  to  the  second  class,  the  reader 
will  recollect  that  it  consisted  of  the  Quakers  in 
England  :  first,  of  George  Fox  ;  then  of  the  Qua- 
kers as  a  body ;  then  of  individuals  belonging  to 
that  body,  who  formed  themselves  into  a  com- 
mittee, independently  of  it,  for  the  promotion  of 
the  object  in  question.  This  committee,  it  may  be 
remembered,  consisted  of  six  persons,  of  whom  one 
was  William  Dillwyn. 

That  William  Dillwyn  became  fitted  for  the  sta- 
tion, which  he  was  afterwards  to  take,  will  be  seen 
shortly.  He  was  born  in  America,  and  was  a 
pupil  of  the  venerable  Benezet,  who  took  pains 
very  early  to  interest  his  feelings  on  this  great  sub- 
ject. Benezet  employed  him  occasionally,  I  mean 
in  a  friendly  manner,  as  his  amanuensis,  to  copy 


152  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

his  manuscripts  for  publication,  as  well  as  several 
of  his  letters  written  in  behalf  of  the  cause.  This 
gave  his  scholar  an  insight  into  the  subject^  who, 
living  besides  in  the  land  where  both  the  Slave- 
trade  and  slavery  were  established,  obtained  an 
additional  knowledge  of  them,  so  as  to  be  able  to 
refute  many  of  those  objections,  to  which  others 
for  want  of  local  observation  could  never  have 
replied. 

In  the  year  1772,  Anthony  Benezet  introduced 
William  Dillwyn  by  letter  to  several  of  the  prin- 
cipal people  of  Carolina,  with  whom  he  had  him- 
self before  corresponded  on  the  sufferings  of  the 
poor  Africans,  and  desired  him  to  have  interviews 
with  them  on  the  subject.  He  charged  him 
also  to  be  very  particular  in  making  observations 
as  to  what  he  should  see  there.  This  journey 
was  of  great  use  to  the  latter  in  fixing  him  as  the 
friend  of  these  oppressed  people,  for  he  saw  so 
much  of  their  cruel  treatment  in  the  course  of  it, 
that  he  felt  an  anxiety  ever  afterwards,  amounting 
to  a  duty,  to  do  every  thing  in  his  power  for  their 
relief. 

In  the  year  1773,  William  Dillwyn,  in  conjunc- 
tion with  Richard  Wells  and  Daniel  Smith,  two 
of  his  own  Society,  wrote  a  pamphlet  in  answer  to 
arguments  then  prevailing,  that  the  manumission 
of  slaves  would  be  injurious.  This  pamphlet, 
which  was  entitled,  Brief  Considerations  on  Sla- 
very, and  the  Expediency  of  its  Abolition,  with 
some  Hints  on  the  Means  whereby  it  may  be  grad- 
ually effected,  proved  that  in  lieu  of  the  usual 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  153 

security  required,  certain  sums  paid  at  the  several 
periods  of  manumission  would  amply  secure  the 
public,  as  well  as  the  owners  of  the  slaves,  from 
any  future  burdens.  In  the  same  year  also,  when 
the  society,  joined  by  several  hundreds  of  others 
in  New  Jersey,  presented  a  petition  to  the  legisla- 
ture (as  mentioned  in  the  former  chapter)  to 
obtain  an  act  of  assembly  for  the  more  equitable 
manumission  of  slaves  in  that  province,  William 
Dillwyn  was  one  of  a  deputation,  which  was  heard 
at  the  bar  of  the  assembly  for  that  purpose. 

In  1774  he  came  to  England,  but  his  attention 
was  still  kept  alive  to  the  subject.  For  he  was 
the  person,  by  whom  Anthony  Benezet  sent  his 
letter  to  the  Countess  of  Huntingdon,  as  before 
related.  He  was  also  the  person,  to  whom  the 
same  venerable  defender  of  the  African  race  sent 
his  letter  before  spoken  of,  to  be  forwarded  to  the 
Queen. 

That  William  Dillwyn  and  those  of  his  own 
class  in  England  acted  upon  motives  very  distinct 
from  those  of  the  former  class  may  be  said  with 
truth,  for  they  acted  upon  the  constitutional  prin- 
ciples of  their  own  Society,  as  incorporated  into 
its  discipline,  which  principles  would  always  have 
incited  them  to  the  subversion  of  slavery,  as  far 
as  they  themselves  were  concerned,  whether  any 
other  persons  had  abolished  it  or  not.  To  which 
it  may  be  added,  as  a  further  proof  of  the  origi- 
nality of  their  motives,  that  the  Quakers  have 
had  ever  since  their  institution  as  a  religious  body, 
but  little  intercourse  with  the  world. 


154  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

The  third  class,  to  which  I  now  come,  consisted, 
as  we  have  seen,  first  of  the  Quakers  in  America  ; 
and  secondly,  of  an  union  of  these  with  others  on 
the  same  continent.  The  principal  individuals 
concerned  in  this  union  were  James  Pemberton 
and  Dr.  Rush.  The  former  of  these,  having  taken 
an  active  part  in  several  of  the  yearly  meetings  of 
his  own  Society  relative  to  the  oppressed  Africans, 
and  having  been  in  habits  of  intimacy  and  friend- 
ship with  John  Woolman  and  Anthony  Benezet, 
with  the  result  of  whose  labors  he  was  acquainted, 
may  be  supposed  to  have  become  qualified  to  take 
a  leading  station  in  the  promotion  of  their  cause. 
Dr.  Rush  also  had  shown  himself,  as  has  appeared, 
an  able  advocate,  and  had  even  sustained  a  con- 
troversy in  their  favor.  That  the  two  last  men- 
tioned acted  also  on  motives  of  their  own,  or  inde- 
pendently of  those  belonging  to  the  other  two 
classes  when  they  formed  their  association  in 
Pennsylvania,  will  be  obvious  from  these  circum- 
stances ;  first,  that  most  of  those  of  the  first  class, 
Who  contributed  to  throw  the  greatest  light  and 
odium  upon  the  Slave-trade,  had  not  then  made 
their  public  appearance  in  the  world.  And, 
with  respect  to  the  second  class,  the  little  com- 
mittee belonging  to  it  had  neither  been  formed 
nor  thought  of. 

And  as  the  individuals  in  each  of  the  three 
classes,  who  have  now  been  mentioned,  had  an 
education  as  it  were  to  qualify  them  for  acting  to- 
gether in  this  great  cause,  and  had  moved  inde- 
pendently of  each  other,  so  it  will  appear  that,  by 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  155 

means  of  circumstances  which  they  themselves 
had  neither  foreseen  nor  contrived,  a  junction  be- 
tween them  was  rendered  easily  practicable,  and 
that  it  was  beginning  to  take  place  at  the  period 
assigned. 

To  show  this,  I  must  first  remind  the  reader 
that  Anthony  Benezet,  as  soon  as  he  heard  of  the 
result  of  the  case  of  Somerset,  opened  a  corres- 
pondence with  Granville  Sharp,  which  was  kept 
up  to  the  encouragement  of  both.  In  the  year 
1774,  when  he  learned  that  William  Dillwyn  was 
going  to  England,  lie  gave  him  letters  to  that 
gentleman-.  Thus  one  of  the  most  conspicuous  of 
the  second  class  was  introduced,  accidentally  as  it 
were,  to  one  of  the  most  conspicuous  of  the  first. 
In  the  year  1775,  William  Dillwyn  went  back  to 
America,  but,  on  his  return  to  England  to  settle, 
he  renewed  his  visits  to  Granville  Sharp.  Thus 
the  connexion  was  continued.  To  these  observa-. 
tions  I  may  now  add  ;  that  Samuel  Hoare,  of  the 
same  class  as  William  Dillwyn,  had,  in  conse^ 
quence  of  the  Bishop  of  Chester's  sermon,  begun 
a  correspondence  in  1784,  as  before  mentioned, 
with  Mr.  Ramsay,  who  was  of  the  same  class  as 
Mr.  Sharp.  Thus  four  individuals  of  the  two 
first  classes  were  in  the  way  of  an  union  with  one 
another. 

But  circumstances  equally  natural  contributed 
to  render  an  union  between  the  members  of  the 
second  and  the  third  classes  easily  practicable 
also.  For  what  was  more  natural  than  that  Wil- 
liam Dillwyn,  who  was  born  and  who  had  resided 


156  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

long  in  America,  should  have  connexions  there  1 
He  had  long  cultivated  a  friendship  (not  then 
knowing  to  what  it  would  lead)  with  James 
Pemberton.  His  intimacy  with  him  was  like 
that  of  a  family  connexion.  They  corresponded 
together.  They  corresponded  also  as  kindred 
hearts,  relative  to  the  Slave-trade.  Thus  two 
members  of  the  second  and  third  classes  had 
opened  an  intercourse  on  the  subject,  and  thus 
was  William  Dillwyn  the  great  medium,  through 
whom  the  members  of  the  two  classes  now 
mentioned,  as  well  as  the  members  of  all  the 
three  might  be  easily  united  also,  if  a  fit  occasion 
should  offer. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Fourth  class  of  forerunners  and  coadjutors  up  to  1787. — Dr. 
Peckard,  vice-chancellor  of  the  University  of  Cambridge,  the 
first  of  these — gives  out  the  slave-trade  as  the  subject  for 
one  of  the  annual  prizes. — author  writes  and  obtains  the  first 
of  these. — Reads  his  Dissertation  in  the  Senate-house  in  the 
summer  of  1785. — His  feelings  on  the  subject  during  his  return 
home. — Is  desirous  of  aiding  the  cause  of  the  Africans,  but  sees 

GREAT   DIFFICULTIES — DETERMINES    TO    PUBLISH    HIS    PRIZE    ESSAY   FOR 
THIS   PURPOSE — IS     ACCIDENTALLY    THROWN    INTO     THE    WAY    OF   JAMES 

Phillips,  who  introduces   him  to  W.  Dillwyn,  the    connecting 

MEDIUM     OF    THE     THREE     CLASSES     BEFORE     MENTIONED — AND      TO      G. 

Sharp,  and  Mr.  Ramsay — and  to  R.  Phillips. 

I  proceed  now  to  the  fourth  class  of  forerun- 
ners and  coadjutors  up  to  the  year  1787,  in  the 
great  cause  of  the  abolition  of  the  Slave-trade. 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  157 

The  first  of  these  was  Dr.  Peckard,  This  gen* 
tleman  had  distinguished  himself  in  the  earlier 
part  of  his  life  by  certain  publications  on  the  inter- 
mediate state  of  the  soul,  and  by  others  in  favor 
of  civil  and  religious  liberty.  To  the  latter  cause 
he  was  a  warm  friend,  seldom  omitting  any  oppor- 
tunity of  declaring  his  sentiments  in  its  favor. 
In  the  course  of  his  preferment  he  was  appointed 
by  Sir  John  Griffin,  afterwards  Lord  Howard,  of 
Walden,  to  the  mastership  of  Magdalen  College 
in  the  University  of  Cambridge.  In  this  high 
office  he  considered  it  to  be  his  duty  to  support 
those  doctrines  which  he  had  espoused  when  in 
an  inferior  station  ;  and  accordingly,  when  in  the 
year  1784,  it  devolved  upon  him  to  preach  a  ser- 
mon before  the  University  of  Cambridge,  he  chose 
his  favorite  subject,  in  the  handling  of  which  he 
took  an  opportunity  of  speaking  of  the  Slave- 
trade  in  the  following  nervous  manner  : — 

"  Now,  whether  we  consider  the  crime,  with 
respect  to  the  individuals  concerned  in  this  most 
barbarous  and  cruel  traffic,  or  whether  we  consider 
it  as  patronized  and  encouraged  by  the  laws  of  the 
land,  it  presents  to  our  view  an  equal  degree  of 
enormity.  A  crime,  founded  on  a  dreadful  pre- 
eminence in  wickedness  :  a  crime  which,  being 
both  of  individuals  and  the  nation,  must  some 
time  draw  down  upon  us  the  heaviest  judgment 
of  Almighty  God,  who  made  of  one  blood  ail  the 
sons  of  men,  and  who  gave  to  all  equally  a  natural 
right  to  liberty  j.  and  who,  ruling  all  the  kingdoms 
of  the  earth  with  equal  providential  justice,  can- 
vol  i.  14 


158  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

not  suffer  such  deliberate,  such  monstrous  iniquity, 
to  pass  long  unpunished." 

But  Dr.  Peckard  did  not  consider  this  delivery 
of  his  testimony,  though  it  was  given  before  a 
learned  and  religious  body,  as  a  sufficient  discharge 
of  his  duty,  while  any  opportunity  remained  of 
renewing  it  with  effect.  And,  as  such  an  one 
offered  in  the  year  1785,  when  he  was  vice-chan- 
cellor of  the  University,  he  embraced  it.  In  con- 
sequence of  his  office,  it  devolved  upon  him  to 
give  out  two  subjects  for  Latin  dissertations,  one 
to  the  middle  bachelors,  and  the  other  to  the  senior 
bachelors  of  arts.  They  who  produced  the  best 
were  to  obtain  the  prizes.  To  the  latter,  he  pro- 
posed the  following:  "  Anne  liceat  Invitos  in  Ser- 
vitutem  dare  ?"  or,  "  Is  it  right  to  make  slaves  of 
others  against  their  will'?" 

This  circumstance  of  giving  out  the  subjects  for 
the  prizes,  though  only  an  ordinary  measure,  be- 
came the  occasion  of  my  own  labors,  or  of  the 
real  honor  which  I  feel  in  being  able  to  consider 
myself  as  the  next  coadjutor  of  this  class  in  the 
cause  of  the  injured  Africans.  For  it  happened 
in  this  year  that,  being  of  the  order  of  senior  bach- 
elors, I  became  qualified  to  write.  I  had  gained 
a  prize  for  the  best  Latin  dissertation  in  the  former 
year,  and,  therefore,  it  was  expected  that  I  should 
obtain  one  in  the  present,  or  I  should  be  considered 
as  having  lost  my  reputation  both  in  the  eyes  of 
the  University  and  of  my  own  College.  It  had 
happened  also,  that  I  had  been  honored  with  the 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  159 

first  of  the  prizes*  in  that  year,  and  therefore  it 
was  expected  again,  that  I  should  obtain  the  first 
on  this  occasion.  The  acquisition  of  the  second, 
however  honorable,  would  have  been  considered 
as  a  falling  off,  or  as  a  loss  of  former  fame.  I  felt 
myself,  therefore,  particularly  called  upon  to  main- 
tain my  post.  And,  with  feelings  of  this  kind,  1 
began  to  prepare  myself  for  the  question. 

In  studying  the  thesis,  I  conceived  it  to  point 
directly  to  the  African  Slave-trade,  and  more  par- 
ticularly as  I  knew  that  Dr.  Peckard,  in  the  ser- 
mon which  I  have  mentioned,  had  pronounced  so 
warmly  against  it.  At  any  rate,  I  determined  to 
give  it  this  construction.  But,  alas !  I  was  wholly 
ignorant  of  this  subject ;  and,  what  was  unfortun- 
ate, a  few  weeks  only  were  allowed  for  the  com- 
position. I  was  determined,  however,  to  make  the 
best  use  of  my  time.  I  got  access  to  the  manu- 
script papers  of  a  deceased  friend,  who  had  been  in 
the  trade.  I  was  acquainted  also  with  several 
officers  who  had  been  in  the  West  Indies,  and 
from  these  I  gained  something.  But  I  still  felt 
myself  at  a  loss  for  materials,  and  I  did  not  know 
where  to  get  them ;  when  going  by  accident  into 
a  friend's  house,  I  took  up  a  newspaper  then  lying 
on  his  table.  One  of  the  articles,  which  attracted 
my  notice,  was  an  advertisement  of  Anthony  Ben- 
ezet's  Historical  Account  of  Guinea.  I  soon  left 
my  friend  and  his  paper,  and,  to  lose  no  time, 


*  There  are  two  prizes  on  each  subject,  one  for  the  best  and  the 
other  for  the  second-best  essays. 


160  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

hastened  to  London  to  buy  it.  In  this  precious 
book  I  found  almost  all  I  wanted.  I  obtained,  by 
means  of -it  a  knowledge  of,  and  gained  access  to, 
the  great  authorities  of  Adanson,  Moor,  Barbot, 
Smith,  Bosnian,  and  others.  It  was  of  great  con- 
sequence to  know  what  these  persons  had  said 
upon  this  subject.  For,  having  been  themselves 
either  long  resident  in  Africa,  or  very  frequently 
there,  their  knowledge  of  it  could  not  be  questioned. 
Having  been  concerned  also  in  the  trade,  it  was 
not  likely  that  they  would  criminate  themselves 
more  than  they  could  avoid.  Writing  too  at  a 
time,  when  the  abolition  was  not  even  thought  of, 
they  could  not  have  been  biased  with  any  view  to 
that  event.  And,  lastly,  having  been  dead  many 
years,  they  could  not  have  been  influenced,  as  liv- 
ing evidences  may  be  supposed  to  have  been,  either 
to  conceal  or  to  exaggerate,  as  their  own  interest 
might  lead  them,  either  by  being  concerned  in  the 
continuance  of  the  trade,  or  by  supporting  the 
opinions  of  those  of  their  patrons  in  power,  who 
were  on  the  different  sides  of  this  question. 

Furnished  then  in  this  manner,  I  began  my 
work.  But  no  person  can  tell  the  severe  trial, 
which  the  writing  of  it  proved  to  me.  I  had  ex- 
pected pleasure  from  the  invention  of  the  argu- 
ments, from  the  arrangement  of  them,  from  the 
putting  of  them  together,  and  from  the  thought  in 
the  interim  that  I  was  engaged  in  an  innocent  con- 
test for  literary  honor.  But  all  my  pleasure  was 
damped  by  the  facts  which  were  now  continually 
before  me.     It  was  but  one  gloomy  subject  from 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  161 

morning  to  night.  In  the  day-time  I  was  uneasy. 
In  the  night  I  had  little  rest.  I  sometimes  never 
closed  my  eyelids  for  grief.  It  became  now  not 
so  much  a. trial  for  academical  reputation,  as  for 
the  production  of  a  work,  which  might  be  useful 
to  injured  Africa.  And  keeping  this  idea  in  my 
mind  ever  after  the  perusal  of  Benezet,  I  always 
slept  with  a  candle  in  my  room,  that  I  might  rise 
out  of  bed  and  put  down  such  thoughts  as  might 
occur  to  me  in  the  night,  if  I  judged  them  valua- 
ble, conceiving  that  no  arguments  of  any  moment 
should  be  lost  in  so  great  a  cause.  Having  at 
length  finished  this  painful  task,  I  sent  my  Essay 
to  the  vice-chancellor,  and  soon  afterwards  found 
myself  honored  as  before,  with  the  first  prize. 

As  it  is  usual  to  read  these  essays  publicly  in 
the  senate-house  soon  after  the  prize  is  adjudged, 
I  was  called  to  Cambridge  for  this  purpose.  I 
went  and  performed  my  office.  On  returning  how- 
ever to  London,  the  subject  of  it  almost  wholly 
engrossed  my  thoughts.  I  became  at  times  very 
seriously  affected  while  upon  the  road.  I  stopped 
my  horse  occasionally,  and  dismounted  and  walk- 
ed. I  frequently  tried  to  persuade  myself  in  these 
intervals  that  the  contents  of  my  Essay  could  not 
be  true.  The  more  however  I  reflected  upon 
them,  or  rather  upon  the  authorities  on  which  they 
were  founded,  the  more  I  gave  them  credit.  Com- 
ing in  sight  of  Wades  Mill  in  Hertfordshire,  I  sat 
down  disconsolate  on  the  turf  by  the  road-side 
and  held  my  horse.  Here  a  thought  came  into 
my  mind,  that  if  the  contents  of  the  Essay  were 

vol.  i.  14* 


162  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

true,  it  was  time  some  person  should  see  these 
calamities  to  their  end.  Agitated  in  this  manner 
I  reached  home.  This  was  in  the  summer  of 
1785. 

In  the  course  of  the  autumn  of  the  same  year  I 
experienced  similar  impressions.  I  walked  fre- 
quently into  the  woods,  that  I  might  think  on  the 
subject  in  solitude,  and  find  relief  to  my  mind 
there.  But  there  the  question  still  recurred, 
"  Are  these  things  true  V9  Still  the  answer  fol- 
lowed as  instantaneously  "  They  are."  Still  the 
result  accompanied  it,  "  Then  surely  some  person 
should  interfere."  I  then  began  to  envy  those 
who  had  seats  in  parliament,  and  who  had  great 
riches,  and  widely  extended  connexions,  which 
would  enable  them  to  take  up  this  cause.  Find- 
ing scarcely  any  one  at  that  time  who  thought  of 
it,  I  was  turned  frequently  to  myself.  But  here 
many  difficulties  arose.  It  struck  me,  among 
others,  that  a  young  man  of  only  twenty-four  years 
of  age  could  not  have  that  solid  judgment,  or 
knowledge  of  men,  manners,  and  things,  which 
were  requisite  to  qualify  him  to  undertake  a  task 
of  such  magnitude  and  importance;  and  with 
whom  was  I  to  unite?  I  believed  also  that  it 
looked  so  much  like  one  of  the  feigned  labors  of 
Hercules,  that  my  understanding  would  be  sus- 
pected if  I  proposed  it.  On  ruminating  however 
on  the  subject,  I  found  one  thing  at  least  practi- 
cable, and  that  this  also  was  in  my  power.  I 
could  translate  my  Latin  dissertation.  I  could 
enlarge  it  usefully.     I  could  see  how  the  public 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  163 

received  it,  or  how  far  they  were  likely  to  favor 
any  serious  measures,  which  should  have  a  ten- 
dency to  produce  the  abolition  of  the  Slave-trade. 
Upon  this  then  I  determined :  and  in  the  middle 
of  the  month  of  November  1785,  I  began  my 
work. 

By  the  middle  of  January,  I  had  finished  half 
of  it,  though  I  had  made  considerable  additions. 
I  now  thought  of  engaging  with  some  bookseller 
to  print  it  when  finished.  For  this  purpose  I  call- 
ed upon  Mr.  Cadell,  in  the  Strand,  and  consulted 
him  about  it.  He  said,  that  as  the  original  Essay 
had  been  honored  by  the  University  of  Cambridge 
with  the  first  prize,  this  circumstance  would  en* 
sure  it  a  respectable  circulation  among  persons  of 
taste.  I  own  I  was  not  much  pleased  with  his 
opinion.  I  wished  the  Essay  to  find  its  way 
among  useful  people,  and  among  such  as  would 
think  and  act  with  me.  Accordingly  I  left  Mr. 
Cadell,  after  having  thanked  him  for  his  civility, 
and  determined,  as  I  thought  I  had  time  sufficient 
before  dinner,  to  call  upon  a  friend  in  the  city. 
In  going  past  the  Royal  Exchange,  Mr.  Joseph 
Hancock,  one  of  the  religious  society  of  the  Qua- 
kers, and  with  whose  family  my  own  had  been 
long  united  in  friendship,  suddenly  met  me.  He 
first  accosted  me  by  saying  that  I  was  the  person, 
whom  he  was  wishing  to  see.  He  then  asked 
me  why  I  had  not  published  my  Prize  Essay.  I 
asked  him  in  return  what  had  made  him  think  of 
that  subject  in  particular.  He  replied,  that  his 
own  Society  had  long  taken  it  up  as  a  religious 


164  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

body,  and  individuals  among  them  were  wish- 
ing- to  find  me  out.  I  asked  him  who.  He  an- 
swered, James  Phillips,  a  bookseller,  in  George- 
yard,  Lombard-street,  and  William  Dillwyn,  of 
Walthamstow,  and  others.  Having  but  little  time 
to  spare,  I  desired  him  to  introduce  me  to  one  of 
them.  In  a  few  minutes  he  took  me  to  James 
Phillips,  who  was  then  the  only  one  of  them  in 
town :  by  whose  conversation  I  was  so  much  in- 
terested and  encouraged,  that  without  any  further 
hesitation  I  offered  him  the  publication  of  my  work. 
This  accidental  introduction  of  me  to  James  Phil- 
lips was,  I  found  afterwards,  a  most  happy  circum- 
stance for  the  promotion  of  the  cause,  which  I 
had  then  so  deeply  at  heart,  as  it  led  me  to  the 
knowledge  of  several  of  those,  who  became  after- 
wards material  coadjutors  in  it.  It  was  also  of 
great  importance  to  me  with  respect  to  the  work 
itself.  For  he  possessed  an  acute  penetration,  a 
solid  judgment,  and  a  literary  knowledge,  which 
he  proved  by  the  many  alterations  and  additions 
he  proposed,  and  which  I  believe  I  uniformly 
adopted,  after  mature  consideration,  from  a  sense 
of  their  real  value.  It  was  advantageous  to  me 
also,  inasmuch  as  it  led  me  to  his  friendship, 
which  was  never  interrupted  but  by  his  death. 

On  my  second  visit  to  James  Phillips,  at  which 
time  I  brought  him  about  half  my  manuscript  for 
the  press,  I  desired  him  to  introduce  me  to  Wil- 
liam Dillwyn,  as  he  also  had  mentioned  him  to  me 
on  my  first  visit,  and  as  I  had  not  seen  Mr.  Han- 
cock since.     Matters  were  accordingly  arranged, 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  165 

and  a  day  appointed  before  I  left  him.  On  this 
day  I  had  my  first  interview  with  my  new  friend. 
Two  or  three  others  of  his  own  religious  society 
were  present,  but  who  they  were  I  do  not  now  re- 
collect. There  seemed  to  be  a  great  desire  among 
them  to  know  the  motive  by  which  I  had  been 
actuated  in  contending  for  the  prize.  I  told  them 
frankly,  that  I  had  no  motive  but  that  which 
other  young  men  in  the  University  had  on  such 
occasions;  namely,  the  wish  of  being  distinguish- 
ed, or  of  obtaining  literary  honor  ;  but  that  I  had 
felt  so  deeply  on  the  subject  of  it,  that  I  had  lately 
interested  myself  in  it  from  a  motive  of  duty.  My 
conduct  seemed  to  be  highly  approved  by  those 
present,  and  much  conversation  ensued,  but  it  was 
of  a  general  nature. 

As  William  Dillwyn  wished  very  much  to  see 
me  at  his  house  at  Walthamstow,  I  appointed  the 
thirteenth  of  March  to  spend  the  day  with  him 
there.  We  talked  for  the  most  part,  during  my 
stay,  on  the  subject  of  my  Essay.  I  soon  discov- 
ered the  treasure  I  had  met  with  in  his  local  knowl- 
edge, both  of  the  Slave-trade  and  of  slavery,  as 
they  existed  in  the  United  States,  and  I  gained 
from  him  several  facts,  which  with  his  permission 
I  afterwards  inserted  in  my  work.  But  how  sur* 
prised  was  I  to  hear  in  the  course  of  our  conver- 
sation of  the  labors  of  Granville  Sharp,  of  the 
writings  of  Ramsay,  and  of  the  controversy  in 
which  the  latter  was  engaged,  of  all  which  I  had 
hitherto  known  nothing !  How  surprised  was  I  to 
learn,  that  William  Dillwyn  himself,  had  two  years 


166  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

before  associated  himself  with  five  others  lor  the 
purpose  of  enlightening  the  public  mind  upon  this 
great  subject !  How  astonished  was  I  to  find  that 
a  society  had  been  formed  in  America  for  the 
same  object,  with  some  of  the  principal  members 
of  which  he  was  intimately  acquainted!  And  how 
still  more  astonished  at  the  inference  which  in- 
stantly rushed  upon  my  mind,  that  he  was  capable 
of  being  made  the  great  medium  of  connexion 
between  them  all.  These  thoughts  almost  over- 
powered me.  I  believe  that  after  this  I  talked 
but  little  more  to  my  friend.  My  mind  was  over- 
whelmed with  the  thought  that  I  had  been  provi- 
dentially directed  to  his  house ;  that  the  finger  of 
Providence  was  beginning  to  be  discernible;  that 
the  day-star  of  African  liberty  was  rising,  and  that 
probably  I  might  be  permitted  to  become  a  hum- 
ble instrument  in  promoting  it. 

In  the  course  of  attending  to  my  work,  as  now 
in  the  press,  James  Phillips  introduced  me  also  to 
Granville  Sharp,  with  whom  I  had  afterwards 
many  interesting  interviews  from  time  to  time, 
and  whom  I  discovered  to  be  a  distant  relation  by 
my  father's  side. 

He  introduced  me  also  by  letter  to  a  corres- 
pondence with  Mr.  Ramsay,  who  in  a  short  time 
afterwards  came  to  London  to  see  me. 

He  introduced  me  also  to  his  cousin,  Richard 
Phillips  of  Lincoln's  Inn,  who  was  at  that  time 
on  the  point  of  joining  the  religious  society  of  the 
Quakers.  In  him  I  found  much  sympathy,  and  a 
willingness  to  co-operate  with  me;     When  dull 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  167 

and  disconsolate,  he  encouraged  me.  When  in 
spirits,  he  stimulated  me  further.  Him  I  am  now 
to  mention  as  a  new,  but  soon  afterwards  as  an 
active  and  indefatigable  coadjutor  in  the  cause. 
But  I  shall  say  more  concerning  him  in  a  future 
chapter.  I  shall  only  now  add,  that  my  work  was 
at  length  printed  ;  that  it  was  entitled,  An  Essay 
on  the  Slavery  and  Commerce  of  the  human 
Species,  particularly  the  African,  translated  from 
a  Latin  Dissertation,  which  was  honored  with  the 
First  Prize  in  the  University  of  Cambridge,  for 
the  year  1785  ;  with  Additions  ;  and  that  it  was 
ushered  into  the  world  in  the  month  of  June  1786, 
or  in  about  a  year  after  it  had  been  read  in  the 
Senate-house  in  its  first  form. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Continuation  of  the  fourth  class  of  forerunners  and  coadjutors 
up  to  1787 — Bennet  Langton — Dr.  Baker— Lord  and  Lady  Scars- 
dale. — Author  visits  Ramsay  at  Teston — Lady  Middleton  and 
Sir  Charles  (now  Lord  Barham). — Author  declares  himself  at 
the  house  of  the  latter  ready  now  to  devote  himself  to  the 
cause — reconsiders  this  declaration  or  pledge — his  reasoning- 
and  struggle  upon  it^persists  in  it — returns  to  london — and 
pursues  the  work  as  now  a  business  of  his  life. 

I  had  purposed,  as  I  said  before,  when  I  deter- 
mined to  publish  my  Essay,  to  wait  to  see  how  the 
world  would  receive  it,  or  what  disposition  there 
would  be  in  the  public  to  favor  my  measures  for 
the  abolition  of  the  Slave-trade.     But  the  convex 


168  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

sation,  which  I  had  held  on  the  thirteenth  of 
March  with  William  Dillwyn,  continued  to  make 
such  an  impression  upon  me,  that  I  thought  now 
there  could  be  no  occasion  for  waiting  for  such  a 
purpose.  It  seemed  now  only  necessary  to  go 
forward.  Others  I  found  had  already  begun  the 
work.  I  had  been  thrown  suddenly  among  these, 
as  into  a  new  world  of  friends.  I  believed  also 
that  a  way  was  opening  under  Providence  for 
support.  And  I  now  thought  that  nothing  re- 
mained for  me  but  to  procure  as  many  coadjutors 
as  I  could. 

I  had  long  had  the  honor  of  the  friendship  of 
Mr.  Bennet  Langton,  and  I  determined  to  carry 
him  one  of  my  books,  and  to  interest  his  feelings 
in  it,  with  a  view  of  procuring  his  assistance  in 
the  cause.  Mr.  Langton  was  a  gentleman  of  an 
ancient  family,  and  respectable  fortune  in  Lincoln- 
shire, but  resided  then  in  Qneen's-square,  West- 
minster. He  was  known  as  the  friend  of  Dr. 
Johnson,  Jonas  Hanway,  Edmund  Burke,  Sir 
Joshua  Reynolds,  and  others.  Among  his  ac- 
quaintance indeed  were  most  of  the  literary,  and 
eminent  professional,  and  public-spirited  men  of 
the  times,  At  court  also  he  was  well  known,  and 
had  the  esteem  of  his  present  majesty,  with  whom 
he  frequently  conversed.  His  friends  were  nu- 
merous also  in  both  houses  of  the  legislature.  As 
to  himself,  he  was  much  noted  for  his  learning, 
but  most  of  all  for  the  great  example  he  gave 
with  respect  to  the  usefulness  and  integrity  of 
his  life. 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  169 

By  introducing  my  work  to  the  sanction  of  a 
friend  of  such  high  character  and  extensive  con- 
nexions, I  thought  I  should  be  doing  great  things. 
And  so  the  event  proved.  For  when  I  went  to 
him  after  he  had  read  it,  I  found  that  it  had  made 
a  deep  impression  upon  his  mind.  As  a  friend  to 
humanity  he  lamented  over -the  miseries  of  the 
oppressed  Africans,  and  over  the  crimes  of  their 
tyrants  as  a  friend  to  morality  and  religion.  He 
cautioned  me,  however,  against  being  too  san- 
guine in  my  expectations,  as  so  many  thousands 
were  interested  in  continuing  the  trade.  Justice, 
however,  which  he  said  weighed  with  him  beyond 
all  private  or  political  interest,  demanded  a  public 
inquiry,  and  he  would  assist  me  to  the  utmost 
of  his  power  in  my  attempts  towards  it.  From 
this  time  he  became  a  zealous  and  active  coadju- 
tor in  the  cause,  and  continued  so  to  the  end  of 
his  valuable  life. 

The  next  person,  to  whom  I  gave  my  work  with 
a  like  view,  was  Dr.  Baker,  a  clergyman  of  the 
Establishment,  and  with  whom  I  had  been  in 
habits  of  intimacy  for  some  time.  Dr.  Baker  was 
a  learned  and  pious  man.  He  had  performed  the 
duties  of  his  profession  from  the  time  of  his  initia- 
tion into  the  church  in  an  exemplary  manner, 
not  only  by  paying  a  proper  attention  to  the  cus- 
tomary services,  but  by  the  frequent  visitation  of 
the  sick  and  the  instruction  of  the  poor.  This  he 
had  done  too  to  admiration  in  a  particularly  ex- 
tensive parish.  At  the  time  I  knew  him  he  had 
May-fair  chapel,  of  which  an  unusual  portion  of 

VOL.  I.  15 


170  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

the  congregation  consisted  then  of  persons  of  rank 
and  fortune.  With  most  of  these  he  had  a  per- 
sonal acquaintance.  This  was  of  great  import- 
ance to  me  in  the  promotion  of  my  views.  Hav- 
ing left  him  my  book  for  a  month,  1  called  upon 
him.  The  result  was  that  which  I  expected  from 
so  good  a  man.  He  did  not  wait  for  me  to  ask 
him  for  his  co-operation,  but  he  offered  his  services 
in  any  way  which  I  might  think  most  eligible, 
feeling  it  his  duty,  as  he  expressed  it,  to  become 
an  instrument  in  exposing  such  a  complication  of 
guilt  and  misery  to  the  world.  Dr.  Baker  became 
from  this  time  an  active  coadjutor  also,  and  con- 
tinued so  to  his  death. 

The  person,  to  whom  I  sent  my  work  next,  was 
the  late  lord  Scarsdale,  whose  family  I  had  known 
for  about  two  years.  Both  he  and  his  lady  read 
it  with  attention.  They  informed  me,  after  the 
perusal  of  it,  that  both  of  them  were  desirous  of 
assisting  me  in  promoting  the  cause  of  the  poor 
Africans.  Lady  Scarsdale  lamented  that  she 
might  possibly  offend  near  and  dear  connexions, 
who  had  interests  in  the  West  Indies,  by  so  do- 
ing ;  but  that  conscious  of  no  intention  to  offend 
these,  and  considering  the  duties  of  religion  to  be 
the  first  to  be  attended  to,  she  should  be  pleased 
to  become  useful  in  so  good  a  cause.  Lord  Scars- 
dale also  assured  me,  that,  if  the  subject  should 
ever  come  before  the  House  of  Lords,  it  should 
have  his  constant  support. 

While  attempting  to  make  friends  in  this  man- 
ner, I  received  a  letter  from  Mr.  Ramsay,  with  an 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  171 

invitation  to  spend  a  month  at  his  house  at  Teston, 
near  Maidstone  in  Kent.  This  I  accepted,  that  I 
might  communicate  to  him  the  progress  I  had 
made,  that  I  might  gain  more  knowledge  from 
him  on  the  subject,  and  that  1  might  acquire  new 
strength  and  encouragement  to  proceed.  On 
hearing  my  account  of  my  proceedings,  which  I 
detailed  to  him  on  the  first  evening  of  our  meeting, 
he  seemed  almost  overpowered  with  joy.  He  said 
he  had  been  long  of  opinion,  that  the  release  of 
the  Africans  from  the  scourges  of  this  cruel  trade, 
was  within  the  determined  views  of  Providence, 
and  that  by  turning  the  public  attention  to  their 
misery,  we  should  be  the  instruments  of  beginning 
the  good  work.  He  then  informed  me  how  long  he 
himself  had  had  their  cause  at  heart ;  that  com- 
municating his  feelings  to  Sir  Charles  Middleton 
(now  Lord  Barham)  and  his  lady,  the  latter  had 
urged  him  to  undertake  a  work  in  their  behalf ; 
that  her  importunities  were  great  respecting  it ; 
and  that  he  had  on  this  account,  and  in  obedience 
also  to  his  own  feelings,  as  has  been  before  men- 
tioned, begun  it ;  but  that,  foreseeing  the  censure 
and  abuse,  which  such  a  subject,  treated  in  any 
possible  manner,  must  bring  upon  the  author,  he 
had  laid  it  aside  for  some  time.  He  had,  how- 
ever, resumed  it  at  the  solicitation  of  Dr.  Porteus, 
then  bishop  of  Chester,  after  which,  in  the  year 
1784,  it  made  its  appearance  in  the  world. 

I  was  delighted  with  this  account  on  the  first 
evening  of  my  arrival ;  but  more  particularly  as  I 
collected  from  it,  that  I  might  expect  in  the  bishop 


172  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

of  Chester  and  Sir  Charles  Middleton,  two  new 
friends  to  the  cause.  This  expectation  was  after- 
wards fully  realized,  as  the  reader  will  see  in  its 
proper  place.  But  I  was  still  more  delighted, 
when  I  was  informed  that  Sir  Charles  and  Lady 
Middleton,  with  Mrs.  Bouverie,  lived  at  Teston- 
hall,  in  a  park,  which  was  but  a  few  yards  from 
the  house  in  which  I  then  was.  In  the  morning  I 
desired  an  introduction  to  them,  which  accord- 
ingly took  place,  and  I  found  myself  much  en- 
couraged and  supported  by  this  visit. 

It  is  not  necessary,  nor  indeed  is  there  room, 
to  detail  my  employments  in  this  village,  or  the 
lonely  walks  I  took  there,  or  the  meditations  of  my 
mind  at  such  seasons.  I  will  therefore  come  at 
once  to  a  particular  occurrence.  When  at  dinner 
one  day  with  the  family  at  Teston-hall,  I  was 
much  pleased  with  the  turn  which  the  conversa- 
tion had  taken  on  the  subject,  and  in  the  joy  of  my 
heart,  I  exclaimed  that,  "  I  was  ready  to  devote 
myself  to  the  cause."  This  brought  great  com- 
mendation from  those  present ;  and  Sir  Charles 
Middleton  added,  that  if  I  wanted  any  information 
in  the  course  of  my  future  inquiries  relative  to 
Africa,  which  he  could  procure  me  as  comptroller 
of  the  navy,  such  as  extracts  from  the  journals  of 
the  ships  of  war  to  that  continent,  or  from  other 
papers,  I  should  have  free  access  to  his  office.  This 
offer  I  received  with  thankfulness,  and  it  operated 
as  a  new  encouragement  to  me  to  proceed. 

The  next  morning,  when  I  awoke,  one  of  the 
first  things  that  struck  me  was,  that  I  had  given  a 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE  173 

pledge  to  the  company  the  day  before,  that  I  would 
devote  myself  to  the  cause  of  the  oppressed  Afri- 
cans. I  became  a  little  uneasy  at  this.  I  ques- 
tioned whether  I  had  considered  matters  suffi- 
ciently to  be  able  to  go  so  far  with  propriety.  I 
determined  therefore  to  give  the  subject  a  full 
consideration,  and  accordingly  I  walked  to  the 
place  of  my  usual  meditations,  the  woods. 

Having  now  reached  a  place  of  solitude,  I  be- 
gan to  balance  every  thing  on  both  sides  of  the 
question.  I  considered  first,  that  I  had  not  yet 
obtained  information  sufficient  on  the  subject,  to 
qualify  me  for  the  undertaking  of  such  a  work. 
But  I  reflected,  on  the  other  hand,  that  Sir  Charles 
Middleton  had  just  opened  to  me  a  new  source  of 
knowledge  ;  that  I  should  be  backed  by  the  local 
information  of  Dillwyn  and  Ramsay,  and  that 
surely,  by  taking  pains,  I  cou]d  acquire  more. 

I  then  considered,  that  I  bad  not  yet  a  sufficient 
number  of  friends  to  support  me.  This  occasioned 
me  to  review  them.  I  had  now  Sir  Charles 
Middleton,  who  was  in  the  House  of  Commons. 
I  was  sure  of  Dr.  Porteus,  who  was  in  the  House 
of  Lords.  I  could  count  upon  Lord  Scarsdale, 
who  was  a  peer  also.  1  had  secured  Mr.  Langton, 
who  had  a  most  extensive  acquaintance  with  mem- 
bers of  both  houses  of  the  legislature.  I  had  also 
secured  Dr.  Baker,  who  had  similar  connexions. 
I  could  depend  upon  Granville  Sharp,  James  Phil- 
lips, Richard  Phillips,  Ramsay,  Dillwyn,  and  the 
little  committee  to  which  he  belonged,  as  well  as 
the  whole  society  of  the   Quakers.       I   thought 

VOL.  I.  15* 


174  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

therefore  upon  the  whole,  that,  considering  the 
short  time  I  had  been  at  work,  I  was  well  off 
with  respect  to  support.  I  believed  also  that 
there  were  still  several  of  my  own  acquaintance, 
whom  I  could  interest  in  the  question,  and  I  did 
not  doubt  that,  by  exerting  myself  diligently, 
persons,  who  were  then  strangers  to  me,  would  be 
raised  up  in  time. 

I  considered  next,  that  it  was  impossible  for 
a  great  cause  like  this  to  be  forwarded  without 
large  pecuniary  funds.  I  questioned  whether  some 
thousand  pounds  would  not  be  necessary,  and  from 
whence  was  such  a  sum  to  come  1  In  answer  to 
this,  I  persuaded  myself  that  generous  people 
would  be  found,  who  would  unite  with  me  in  con- 
tributing their  mite  towards  the  undertaking,  and 
I  seemed  confident  that,  as  the  Quakers  had  taken 
up  the  cause  as  a  religious  body,  they  would  not 
be  behind  hand  in  supporting  it. 

I  considered  lastly,  that,  if  I  took  up  the  ques- 
tion, I  must  devote  myself  wholly  to  it.  I  was 
sensible  that  a  little  labor  now  and  then  would  be 
inadequate  to  the  purpose,  or  that,  where  the  in- 
terests of  so  many  thousand  persons  were  likely 
to  be  affected,  constant  exertion  would  be  neces- 
sary. I  felt  certain  that,  if  ever  the  matter  were 
to  be  taken  up,  there  could  be  no  hope  of  success, 
except  it  should  be  taken  up  by  some  one,  who 
would  make  it  an  object  or  business  of  his  life. 
I  thought  too  that  a  man's  life  might  not  be  more 
than  adequate  to  the  accomplishment  of  the  end. 
But  I  knew  of  no  one  who  could  devote  such  a  por- 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  175 

tion  of  time  to  it.  Sir  Charles  Middleton,  though 
he  was  so  warm  and  zealous,  was  greatly  occupied 
in  the  discharge  of  his  office.  Mr.  Langton  spent 
a  great  portion  of  his  time  in  the  education  of  his 
children.  Dr.  Baker  had  a  great  deal  to  do  in  the 
performance  of  his  parochial  duty.  The  Quakers 
were  almost  all  of  them  in  trade.  I  could  look 
therefore  to  no  person  but  myself ;  and  the  ques- 
tion was,  whether  I  was  prepared  to  make  the 
sacrifice.  In  favor  of  the  undertaking  I  urged 
to  myself,  that  never  was  any  cause,  which  had 
been  taken  up  by  man  in  any  country  or  in  any 
age,  so  great  and  important ;  that  never  was  there 
one  in  which  so  much  misery  was  heard  to  cry 
for  redress  ;  that  never  was  there  one,  in  which  so 
much  good  could  be  done  ;  never  one,  in  which 
the  duty  of  Christian  charity  could  be  so  exten- 
sively exercised  ;  never  one,  more  worthy  of  the 
devotion  of  a  whole  life  towards  it ;  and  that,  if  a 
man  thought  properly,  he  ought  to  rejoice  to  have 
been  called  into  existence,  if  he  were  only  permit- 
ted to  become  an  instrument  in  forwarding  it  in 
any  part  of  its  progress.  Against  these  sentiments 
on  the  other  hand  I  had  to  urge,  that  I  had  been 
designed  for  the  church  ;  that  I  had  already  ad- 
vanced as  far  as  deacon's  orders  in  it ;  that  my 
prospects  there  on  account  of  my  connexions  were 
then  brilliant ;  that,  by  appearing  to  desert  my 
profession,  my  family  Would  be  dissatisfied,  if  not 
unhappy.  These  thoughts  pressed  upon  me,  and 
rendered  the  conflict  difficult.  But  the  sacrifice 
of  my  prospects  staggered  me,  I  own,  the  most* 


176  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

When  the  other  objections,  which  I  have  related, 
occurred  to  me,  my  enthusiasm  instantly,  like  a 
flash  of  lightning,  consumed  them  :  but  this  stuck 
to  me,  and  troubled  me.  1  had  ambition.  I  had 
a  thirst  after  worldly  interest  and  honors,  and  I 
could  not  extinguish  it  at  once.  I  was  more  than 
two  hours  in  solitude  under  this  painful  conflict. 
At  length  I  yielded,  not  because  I  saw  any  reason- 
able prospect  of  success  in  my  new  undertaking, 
(for  all  cool  headed  and  cool  hearted  men  would 
have  pronounced  against  it,)  but  in  obedience,  I 
believe,  to  a  higher  Power.  And  this  I  can  say, 
that  both  on  the  moment  of  this  resolution,  and 
for  some  time  afterwards,  I  had  more  sublime 
and  happy  feelings  than  at  any  former  period  of 
my  life. 

Having  now  made  up  my  mind  on  the  subject, 
I  informed  Mr.  Ramsay,  that  in  a  few  days  I 
should  be  leaving  Teston,  that  I  might  begin  my 
labors,  according  to  the  pledge  I  had  given  him. 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  177 


CHAPTER  IX. 


Continuation  of  the  fourth  class  of  forerunners  and  coadjutors 
up  to  1787. — Author  resolves  upon  the  distribution  of  his  book. — 
Mr.  Sheldon — Sir  Herbert  Mackworth — Lord  Newhaven — Lord 
Balgonie  (now  Leven) — Lord  Hawke — Bishop  Porteus. — Author 
visits  African  vessels  in  the  Thames — and  various  persons  for 
further  information.— Visits  also  members  of  Parliament — Sir 
Richard  Hill— Mr.  Powys  (late  Lord  Lilford) — Mr.  Wilberforce 
and  others — Conduct  of  the  latter  on  this  occasion. 


On  my  return  to  London,  I  called  upon  William 
Dillwyn,  to  inform  him  of  the  resolution  I  had 
made  at  Teston,  and  found  him  at  his  town  lodg- 
ings in  the  Poultry.  I  informed  him  also,  that  I 
had  a  letter  of  introduction  in  my  pocket  from 
Sir  Charles  Middleton  to  Samuel  Hoare,  with 
whom  I  was  to  converse  on  the  subject.  The 
latter  gentleman  had  interested  himself  the  year 
before  as  one  of  the  committee  for  the  black  poor 
in  London,  whom  Mr.  Sharp  was  sending  under 
the  auspices  of  government  to  Sierra  Leone.  He 
was  also,  as  the  reader  may  see  by  looking  back, 
a  member  of  the  second  class  of  coadjutors,  or 
of  the  little  committee  which  had  branched  out 
of  the  Quakers  in  England  as  before  described. 
William  Dillwyn  said  he  would  go  with  me  and 
introduce  me  himself.  On  our  arrival  in  Lombard- 
street,  I  saw  my  new  friend,  with  whom  we  con- 
versed for  some  time.  From  thence  I  proceeded* 
accompanied  by  both,  to  the  house  of  James  Phil- 
lips in  George-yard,  to  whom  1  was  desirous  o& 


178  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

communicating  my  resolution  also.  We  found 
him  at  home,  conversing  with  a  friend  of  the 
same  religious  society,  whose  name  was  Joseph 
Gurney  Bevan.  I  then  repeated  my  resolution 
before  them  all.  We  had  much  friendly  and  satis- 
factory conversation  together.  I  received  much 
encouragement  on  every  side,  and  I  fixed  to  meet 
them  again  at  the  place  where  we  then  were  in 
three  days. 

On  the  evening  of  the  same  day  1  waited  upon 
Granville  Sharp  to  make  the  same  communica- 
tion to  him.  He  received  it  with  great  pleasure, 
and  he  hoped  I  should  have  strength  to  proceed. 
From  thence  I  went  to  the  Baptist-head  coffee- 
house, in  Chancery-lane,  and  having  engaged 
with  the  master  of  the  house,  that  I  should  always 
have  one  private  room  to  myself  when  1  wanted 
it,  I  took  up  my  abode  there,  in  order  to  be  near 
my  friend  Richard  Phillips  of  Lincoln's  Inn,  from 
whose  advice  and  assistance  I  had  formed  con- 
siderable expectations. 

The  first  matter  for  our  deliberation,  after  we 
had  thus  become  neighbors,  was  Avhat  plan  I  ought 
to  pursue  to  give  effect  to  the  resolution  I  had 
taken. 

After  having  discussed  the  matter  two  or  three 
times  at  his  chambers,  it  seemed  to  be  our  opin- 
ion, That  as  members  of  the  legislature  could  do 
more  to  the  purpose  in  this  question  than  any 
other  persons,  it  would  be  proper  to  circulate  all 
the  remaining  copies  of  my  work  among  these,  in 
order  that   they  might  thus   obtain   information 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  179 

upon  the  subject.  Secondly,  That  it  would  be 
proper  that  I  should  wait  personally  upon  several 
of  these  also.  And  thirdly,  That  I  should  be 
endeavoring  in  the  interim  to  enlarge  my  own 
knowledge,  that  I  might  thus  be  enabled  to  answer 
the  various  objections,  which  might  be  advanced 
on  the  other  side  of  the  question,  as  well  as  be- 
come qualified  to  be  a  manager  of  the  cause. 

On  the  third  day,  or  at  the  time  appointed,  I 
went  with  Richard  Phillips  to  George-yard,  Lom- 
bard-street, where  I  met  all  my  friends  as  before. 
I  communicated  to  them  the  opinion  we  had 
formed  at  Lincoln's  Inn,  relative  to  my  future 
proceedings  in  the  three  different  branches  as  now 
detailed.  They  approved  the  plan.  On  desiring 
a  number  of  my  books  to  be  sent  to  me  at  my 
new  lodgings  for  the  purpose  of  distribution, 
Joseph  Gurney  Bevan,  who  was  stated  to  have 
been  present  at  the  former  interview,  seemed 
uneasy,  and  at  length  asked  me  if  I  was  going 
to  distribute  these  at  my  own  expense.  I  re- 
plied, I  was.  He  appealed  immediately  to  those 
present  whether  it  ought  to  be  allowed.  He 
asked  whether,  when  a  young  man  was  giving 
up  his  time  from  morning  till  night,  they,  who 
applauded  his  pursuit  and  seemed  desirous  of 
co-operating  with  him,  should  allow  him  to  make 
such  a  sacrifice,  or  whether  they  should  not  at 
least  secure  him  from  loss ;  and  he  proposed 
directly  that  the  remaining  part  of  the  edition 
should  be  taken  off  by  subscription,  and  in  order 
that  my  feelings  might  not  be  hurt  from  any  sup* 


180  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

posed  stain  arising  from  the  thought  of  gaining 
any  thing  by  such  a  proposal,  they  should  be  paid 
for  only  at  the  prime  cost.  I  felt  myself  much 
obliged  to  him  for  this  tender  consideration  about 
me,  and  particularly  for  the  latter  part  of  it,  under 
which  alone  I  accepted  the  offer.  Samuel  Hoare 
was  charged  with  the  management  of  the  sub- 
scription, and  the  books  were  to  be  distributed  as 
I  had  proposed,  and  in  any  way  which  I  myself 
might  prescribe. 

This  matter  having  been  determined  upon,  my 
first  care  was  that  the  books  should  be  put  into 
proper  hands.  Accordingly  I  went  round  among 
my  friends  from  day  to  day,  wishing  to  secure 
this  before  I  attended  to  any  of  the  other  objects. 
In  this  I  was  much  assisted  by  my  friend  Richard 
Phillips.  Mr.  Langton  began  the  distribution  of 
them.  He  made  a  point  either  of  writing  to  or 
of  calling  upon  those,  to  whom  he  sent  them. 
Dr.  Baker  took  the  charge  of  several  for  the  same 
purpose.  Lord  and  Lady  Scarsdale  of  others. 
Sir  Charles  and  Lady  Middleton  of  others.  Mr. 
Sheldon,  at  the  request  of  Richard  Phillips,  intro- 
duced me  by  letter  to  several  members  of  parlia- 
ment, to  whom  I  wished  to  deliver  them  myself. 
Sir  Herbert  Mackworth,  when  spoken  to  by  the 
latter,  offered  his  services  also.  He  seemed  to  be 
particularly  interested  in  the  cause.  He  went 
about  to  many  of  his  friends  in  the  House  of  Com- 
mons, and  this  from  day  to  day,  to  procure  their 
favor  towards  it.  Lord  Newhaven  was  applied 
to,  and  distributed  some.     Lord  Balgonie   (now 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  181 

Leven),  took  a  similar  charge.  The  late  Lord 
Hawke,  who  told  me  that  he  had  long  felt  for  the 
sufferings  of  the  injured  Africans,  desired  to  be 
permitted  to  take  his  share  of  the  distribution 
among  members  of  the  House  of  Lords,  and  Dr. 
Porteus,  now  bishop  of  London,  became  another 
coadjutor  in  the  same  work. 

This  distribution  of  my  books  having  been  con- 
signed to  proper  hands,  I  began  to  qualify  myself, 
by  obtaining  further  knowledge,  for  the  manage- 
ment of  this  great  cause.  As  1  had  obtained  the 
principal  part  of  it  from  reading,  I  thought  I  ought 
now  to  see  what  could  be  seen,  and  to  know  from 
living  persons  what  could  be  known,  on  the  sub- 
ject, with  respect  to  the  first  of  these  points,  the 
river  Thames  presented  itself  as  at  hand.  Ships 
were  going  occasionally  from  the  port  of  London 
to  Africa,  and  why  could  I  not  get  on  board  them 
and  examine  for  myself  1  After  diligent  inquiry, 
I  heard  of  one  which  had  just  arrived.  I  found 
her  to  be  a  little  wood  vessel,  called  the  Live- 
ly, captain  Williamson,  or  one  which  traded  to 
Africa  in  the  natural  productions  of  the  country, 
such  as  ivory,  beeswax,  Malaguetta  pepper,  palm- 
oil,  and  dyewoods.  I  obtained  specimens  of  some 
of  these,  so  that  1  now  became  possessed  of  some 
of  those  things  of  which  I  had  only  read  before. 
On  conversing  with  the  mate,  he  showed  me  one 
or  two  pieces  of  the  cloth  made  by  the  natives, 
and  from  their  own  cotton.  L  prevailed  upon 
him  to  sell  me  a  piece  of  each.  Here  new  feel- 
ings arose,  and  particularly  when  I  considered  that 

VOL.  I.  16 


182  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

persons  of  so  much  apparent  ingenuity,  and  capa- 
ble of  such  beautiful  work  as  the  Africans,  should 
be  made  slaves,  and  reduced  to  a  level  with  the 
brute  creation.  My  reflections  here  on  the  better 
use  which  might  be  made  of  Africa  by  the  substi- 
tution of  another  trade,  and  on  the  better  use 
which  might  be  made  of  her  inhabitants,  served 
greatly  to  animate,  and  to  sustain  me  amidst  the 
labor  of  my  pursuits. 

The  next  vessel  I  boarded  was  the  Fly,  captain 
Colley :  Here  I  found  myself  for  the  first  time  on 
the  deck  of  a  slave-vessel.  The  sight  of  the 
rooms  below  and  of  the  gratings  above,  and  of 
the  barricado  across  the  deck,  and  the  explanation 
of  the  uses  of  ail  these,  filled  me  both  with  mel- 
ancholy and  horror.  I  found  soon  afterwards  a 
fire  of  indignation  kindling  within  me.  I  had 
now  scarce  patience  to  talk  with  those  on  board. 
I  had  not  the  coolness  this  first  time  to  go  leisurely 
over  the  places  that  were  open  tome.  I  got  away 
quickly.  But  that  which  I  thought  I  saw  horrible 
in  this  vessel  had  the  same  effect  upon  me  as  that 
which  I  thought  I  had  seen  agreeable  in  the  other, 
namely,  to  animate  and  to  invigorate  me  in  my 
pursuit. 

But  I  will  not  trouble  the  reader  with  any  fur- 
ther account  of  my  water-expeditions,  while  at- 
tempting to  perfect  my  knowledge  on  this  subject. 
I  was  equally  assiduous  in  obtaining  intelligence 
wherever  it  could  be  had;  and  being  now  always 
on  the  watch,  I  was  frequently  falling  in  with  in- 
dividuals, from  whom  I  gained  something.     My 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  188 

object  was  to  see  all  who  had  been  in  Africa,  but 
more  particularly  those  who  had  never  been  in- 
terested, or  who  at  any  rate  were  not  then  inter- 
ested, in  the  trade.  I  gained  accordingly  access 
very  early  to  general  Rooke ;  to  lieutenant  Dal- 
rymple,  of  the  army  ;  to  captain  Fiddes,  of  the 
engineers  ;  to  the  reverend  Mr.  Newton  ;  to  Mr. 
Nisbett,  a  surgeon  in  the  Minories ;  to  Mr.  De- 
vaynes,  who  was  then  in  parliament,  and  to  many 
others  ;  and  I  made  it  a  rule  to  put  down  in  writ- 
ing, after  every  conversation,  what  had  taken 
place  in  the  course  of  it.  By  these  means  things 
began  to  unfold  themselves  to  me  more  and  more, 
and  I  found  my  stock  of  knowledge  almost  daily 
on  the  increase. 

While,  however,  I  was  forwarding  this,  I  was 
not  inattentive  to  the  other  objects  of  my  pursuit, 
which  was  that  of  waiting  upon  members  person- 
ally. The  first  I  called  upon  was  sir  Richard 
Hill.  At  the  first  interview  he  espoused  the  cause. 
I  waited  then  upon  others,  and  they  professed 
themselves  friendly  ;  but  they  seemed  to  make 
this  profession  more  from  the  emotion  of  good 
hearts,  revolting  at  the  bare  mention  of  the  Slave- 
trade  than  from  any  knowledge  concerning  it. 
One,  however,  whom  I  visited,  Mr.  Powys  (the 
late  lord  Lilford),  with  whom  I  had  been  before 
acquainted  in  Northamptonshire,  seemed  to  doubt 
some  of  the  facts  in  my  book,  from  a  belief  that 
human  nature  was  not  capable  of  proceeding  to 
such  a  pitch  of  wickedness.  I  asked  him  to  name 
his  facts.     He  selected  the  case  of  the  hundred 


184  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

and  thirty-two  slaves  who  were  thrown  alive  into 
the  sea  to  defraud  the  underwriters.  I  promised 
to  satisfy  him  fully  upon  this  point,  and  went 
immediately  to  Granville  Sharp,  who  lent  me 
his  account  of  the  trial,  as  reported  at  large  from 
the  notes  of  the  short-hand  writer,  whom  he  had 
employed  on  the  occasion.  Mr.  Powys  read  the 
account.  He  became,  in  consequence  of  it,  con- 
vinced, as,  indeed,  he  could  not  otherwise  be,  of 
the  truth  of  what  I  had  asserted,  and  he  declared 
at  the  same  time  that,  if  this  were  true,  there  was 
nothing  so  horrible  related  of  this  trade,  which 
might  not  immediately  be  believed.  Mr.  Powys 
had  been  always  friendly  to  this  question,  but  now 
he  took  a  part  in  the  distribution  of  my  books. 

Among  those  whom  I  visited,  was  Mr.  Wilber- 
force.  On  my  first  interview  with  him,  he  stated 
frankly,  that  the  subject  had  often  employed  his 
thoughts,  and  that  it  was  near  his  heart.  He 
seemed  earnest  about  it,  and  also  very  desirous 
of  taking  the  trouble  of  inquiring  further  into  it. 
Having  read  my  book,  which  I  had  delivered  to 
him  in  person,  he  sent  for  me.  He  expressed 
a  wish  that  I  would  make  him  acquainted  with 
some  of  my  authorities  for  the  assertions  in  it, 
which  I  did  afterwards  to  his  satisfaction.  He 
asked  me  if  I  could  support  it  by  any  other  evi- 
dence. I  told  him  I  could.  I  mentioned  Mr. 
Newton,  Mr.  Nisbett,  and  several  others  to  him. 
He  took  the  trouble  of  sending  for  all  these.  He 
made  memorandums  of  their  conversation,  and, 
sending  for  me  afterwards,  showed  them  to  me. 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  185 

On  learning  my  intention  to  devote  myself  to  the 
cause,  he  paid  me  many  handsome  compliments. 
He  then  desired  me  to  call  upon  him  often,  and 
to  acquaint  him  with  my  progress  from  time  to 
time.  He  expressed  also  his  willingness  to  afford 
me  any  assistance  in  his  power  in  the  prosecution 
of  my  pursuits. 

The  carrying  on  of  these  different  objects, 
together  with  the  writing  which  was  connected 
with  them,  proved  very  laborious,  and  occupied 
almost  all  my  time.  I  was  seldom  engaged  less 
than  sixteen  hours  in  the  day.  When  I  left  Tes- 
ton  to  begin  the  pursuit  as  an  object  of  my  life, 
I  promised  my  friend  Mr.  Ramsay  a  weekly  ac- 
count of  my  progress.  At  the  end  of  the  first 
week  my  letter  to  him  contained  little  more  than 
a  sheet  of  paper.  At  the  end  of  the  second  it 
contained  three  ;  at  the  end  of  the  third  six ; 
and  at  the  end  of  the  fourth  I  found  it  would 
be  so  voluminous,  that  I  was  obliged  to  decline 
writing  it. 


VOL.  V  16 


* 


186  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 


CHAPTER  X. 

Continuation  of  the  fourth  class  of  forerunners  and  coadjutors 
up  to  1787. — Author  goes  on  to  enlarge  his  knowledge  in  the 
different  departments  of  the  subject — communicates  more  fre- 
QUENTLY with  Mr.  Wilberforce. — Meetings  now  appointed  at  the 
house  of  the  latter.— Dinner  at  Mr.  Langton's  — Mr.  Wilber- 
force pledges  himself  there  to  take  up  the  subject  in  Parlia- 
ment.— Remarkable  junction,  in  consequence,  of  all  the  four 
classes  of  forerunners  and  coadjutors  before  mentioned. — Com- 
mittee formed  out  of  these  on  the  22d  of  May,  1787,  for  the 
abolition  of  the  slave-trade. 

The  manner  in  which  Mr.  Wilberforce  had 
received  me,  and  the  pains  which  he  had  taken, 
and  was  still  taking,  to  satisfy  himself  of  the  truth 
of  those  enormities  which  had  been  charged  upon 
the  Slave-trade,  tended  much  to  enlarge  my  hope, 
that  they  might  become  at  length  the  subject  of  a 
parliamentary  inquiry.  Richard  Phillips  also,  to 
whom  I  made  a  report  at  his  chambers  almost 
every  evening  of  the  proceedings  of  the  day,  had 
begun  to  entertain  a  similar  expectation.  Of 
course,  we  unfolded  our  thoughts  to  one  another. 
From  hence  a  desire  naturally  sprung  up  in  each 
of  us  to  inquire,  whether  any  alteration  in  conse- 
quence of  this  new  prospect  should  be  made  in  my 
pursuits.  On  deliberating  upon  this  point,  it 
seemed  proper  to  both  of  us,  that  the  distribution 
of  the  books  should  be  continued ;  that  I  should 
still  proceed  in  enlarging  my  own  knowledge  ;  and 
that  I  should  still  wait  upon  members  of  the  legis- 
lature, but  with  this  difference,  that  I  should  never 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  187 

lose  sight  of  Mr.  Wilberforce,  but,  on  the  other 
hand,  that  I  should  rather  omit  visiting  some 
others,  than  paying  a  proper  attention  to  him. 

One  thing  however  appeared  now  to  be  neces- 
sary, which  had  not  yet  been  done.  This  was  to 
inform  our  friends  in  the  city,  upon  whom  I  had 
all  along  occasionally  called,  that  we  believed  the 
time  was  approaching,  when  it  would  be  desirable 
that  we  should  unite  our  labors,  if  they  saw  no 
objection  to  such  a  measure  ;  for,  if  the  Slave- 
trade  were  to  become  a  subject  of  parliamentary 
inquiry  with  a  view  to  the  annihilation  of  it,  no 
individual  could  perform  the  work  which  would 
be  necessary  for  such  a  purpose.  This  work  must 
be  a  work  of  many  ;  and  who  so  proper  to  assist 
in  it  as  they,  who  had  before  so  honorably  la- 
bored in  it  ?  In  the  case  of  such  an  event  large 
funds  also  would  be  wanted,  and  who  so  proper  to 
procure  and  manage  them  as  these  ?  A  meeting 
was  accordingly  called  at  the  house  of  James 
Phillips,  when  these  our  views  were  laid  open. 
When  I  stated  that  from  the  very  time  of  my 
hopes  beginning  to  rise  I  had  always  had  those 
present  in  my  eye  as  one  day  to  be  fellow -laborers. 
William  Dillwyn  replied,  that  from  the  time  they 
had  first  heard  of  the  Prize  Essay,  they  also  had 
had  their  eyes  upon  me,  and,  from  the  time  they 
had  first  seen  me,  had  conceived  a  desire  of  mak- 
ing the  same  use  of  me  as  I  had  now  expressed 
a  wish  of  making  of  them,  but  that  matters  did 
not  appear  ripe  at  our  first  interview.  Our  pro- 
posal, however,  was  approved,  and  an  assurance 


188  THE    HISTORY    OP    THE 

was  given,  that  an  union  should  take  place,  as 
soon  as  it  was  judged  to  be  seasonable.  It  was 
resolved  also,  that  one  day  in  the  week*  should 
be  appointed  for  a  meeting  at  the  house  of  James 
Phillips,  where  as  many  might  attend  as  had 
leisure,  and  that  I  should  be  there  to  make  a 
report  of  my  progress,  by  which  we  might  all 
judge  of  the  fitness  of  the  time  of  calling  our- 
selves an  united  body.  Pleased  now  with  the 
thought  that  matters  were  put  into  such  a  train, 
I  returned  to  my  former  objects. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  say  any  thing  more  of 
the  first  of  these  objects,  which  was  that  of  the 
further  distribution  of  my  book,  than  that  it  was 
continued,  and  chiefly  by  the  same  hands. 

With  respect  to  the  enlargement  of  my  knowl- 
edge, it  was  promoted  likewise.  I  now  gained 
access  to  the  Custom-house  in  London,  where 
I  picked  up  much  valuable  information  for  my 
purpose. 

Having  had  reason  to  believe  that  the  Slave- 
trade  was  peculiarly  fatal  to  those  employed  in 
itj  I  wished  much  to  get  copies  of  many  of  the 
muster-rolls  from  the  Custom-house  at  Liverpool 
for  a  given  time.  James  Phillips  wrote  to  his 
friend  William  Rathbone,  who  was  one  of  his 
own  religious  society,  and  who  resided  there,  to 

*  At  these  weekly  meetings  I  met  occasionally  Joseph  "Woods, 
George  Harrison,  and  John  Lloyd,  three  of  the  other  members,  who 
belonged  to  the  committee  of  the  second  class  of  forerunners  and 
coadjutors  as  before  described.  I  had  seen  all  of  them  before)  but 
I  do  not  recollect  the  time  when  I  first  met  them. 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  189 

procure  them.  They  were  accordingly  sent  up. 
The  examination  of  these,  which  took  place  at 
the  chambers  of  Richard  Phillips,  was  long  and 
tedious.  We  looked  over  them  together.  We 
usually  met  for  this  purpose  at  nine  in  the  evening, 
and  we  seldom  parted  till  one,  and  sometimes 
not  till  three  in  the  morning.  When  our  eyes 
were  inflamed  by  the  candle,  or  tired  by  fatigue, 
we  used  to  relieve  ourselves  by  walking  out  with- 
in the  precincts  of  Lincoln's  Inn,  when  all  seemed 
to  be  fast  asleep,  and  thus,  as  it  werej  in  solitude 
and  in  stillness  to  converse  upon  them,  as  well 
as  upon  the  best  means  of  the  further  promotion 
of  our  cause.  These  scenes  of  our  early  friend- 
ship and  exertions  I  shall  never  forget.  I  often 
think  of  them  both  with  astonishment  and  with 
pleasure.  Having  recruited  ourselves  in  this  man- 
ner, we  used  to  return  to  our  work.  From  these 
muster-rolls  I  may  now  observe,  that  we  gained 
the  most  important  information.  We  ascertained 
beyond  the  power  of  contradiction,  that  more  than 
half  of  the  seamen,  who  went  out  with  the  ships 
in  the  Slave-trade,  did  not  return  with  them,  and 
that  of  these  so  many  perished,  as  amounted  to 
one-fifth  of  all  employed.  As  to  what  became 
of  the  remainder,  the  muster-rolls  did  not  inform 
us.  This,  therefore,  was  left  to  us  as  a  subject 
for  our  future  inquiry. 

In  endeavoring  to  enlarge  my  knowledge,  my 
thoughts  were  frequently  turned  to  the  West  In- 
dian part  of  the  question,  and  in  this  department 
my  friend  Richard  Phillips  gained  me  important 


190  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

intelligence.  He  put  into  my  hands  several  doc- 
uments concerning  estates  in  the  West  Indies, 
which  he  had  mostly  from  the  proprietors  them- 
selves, where  the  slaves  by  mild  and  prudent  usage 
had  so  increased  in  population,  as  to  supersede 
the  necessity  of  the  Slave-trade. 

By  attending  to  those  and  to  various  other  parts 
of  the  subject,  I  began  to  see  as  it  were  with 
new  eyes  :  I  was  enabled  to  make  several  neces- 
sary discriminations,  to  reconcile  things  before 
seemingly  contradictory,  and  to  answer  many 
objections  which  had  hitherto  put  on  a  formida- 
ble shape.  But  most  of  all  was  I  rejoiced  at 
the  thought  that  I  should  soon  be  able  to  prove 
that  which  I  had  never  doubted,  but  which  had 
hitherto  been  beyond  my  power  in  this  case,  that 
Providence,  in  ordaining  laws  relative  to  the 
agency  of  man,  had  never  made  that  to  be  wise 
which  was  immoral,  and  that  the  Slave-trade 
would  be  found  as  impolitic  as  it  was  inhuman 
and  unjust. 

In  keeping  up  my  visits  to  members  of  parlia- 
ment, I  was  particularly  attentive  to  Mr.  Wilber- 
force,  whom  I  found  daily  becoming  more  inter- 
ested in  the  fate  of  Africa.  I  now  made  to  him 
a  regular  report  of  my  progress,  of  the  sentiments 
of  those  in  parliament  whom  I  had  visited,  of  the 
disposition  of  my  friends  in  the  city  of  whom  he 
had  often  heard  me  speak,  of  my  discoveries  from 
the  Custom-houses  of  London  and  Liverpool,  of 
my  documents  concerning  West  India  estates,  and 
of  all,  indeed,  that  had  occurred  to  me  worth 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  191 

mentioning.  He  had  himself  also  been  making 
his  inquiries,  which  he  communicated  to  me  in 
return.  Our  intercourse  had  now  become  frequent, 
no  one  week  elapsing  without  an  interview.  At 
one  of  these,  I  suggested  to  him  the  propriety 
of  having  occasional  meetings  at  his  own  house, 
consisting  of  a  few  friends  in  parliament,  who 
might  converse  on  the  subject.  Of  this  he  ap- 
proved. The  persons  present  at  the  first  meeting 
were  Mr.  Wilberforce,  the  honorable  John  Villiers, 
Mr.  Powys,  Sir  Charles  Middleton,  Sir  Richard- 
Hill,  Mr.  Granville  Sharp,  Mr.  Ramsay,  Dr.  Gre- 
gory, (who  had  written  on  the  subject,  as  before 
mentioned)  and  myself.  At  this  meeting  I  read 
a  paper,  giving  an  account  of  the  light  I  had 
collected  in  the  course  of  my  inquiries,  with  ob- 
servations as  well  on  the  impolicy  as  on  the 
wickedness  of  the  trade.  Many  questions  arose 
out  of  the  reading  of  this  little  essay.  Many 
answers  followed.  Objections  were  started  and 
eanvassed.  In  short,  this  measure  was  found  so 
useful,  that  certain  other  evenings  as  well  as 
mornings  were  fixed  upon  for  the  same  purpose. 

On  reporting  my  progress  to  my  friends  in  the 
city,  several  of  whom  now  assembled  once  in  the 
week,  as  I  mentioned  before  to  have  been  agreed 
upon,  and  particularly  on  reporting  the  different 
meetings  which  had  taken  place  at  the  house  of 
Mr.  Wilberforce,  on  the  subject,  they  were  of 
opinion  that  the  time  was  approaching  when  we 
might  unite,  and  that  this  union  might  prudently 
commence  as  soon  as  ever  Mr.  Wilberforce  would 


192  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

give  his  word  that  he  would  take  up  the  question 
in  parliament.  Upon  this  I  desired  to  observe, 
that  though  the  latter  gentleman  had  pursued  the 
subject  with  much  earnestness,  he  had  never  yet 
dropped  the  least  hint  that  he  would  proceed  so 
far  in  the  matter,  but  I  would  take  care  that  the 
question  should  be  put  to  him,  and  I  would  bring 
them  his  answer. 

In  consequence  of  the  promise  I  had  now  made, 
I  went  to  Mr.  Wilberforce.  But  when  I  saw 
him,  I  seemed  unable  to  inform  him  of  the  object 
of  my  visit.  Whether  this  inability  arose  from 
any  sudden  fear  that  his  answer  might  not  be 
favorable,  or  from  a  fear  that  I  might  possibly  in- 
volve him  in  a  long  and  arduous  contest  upon 
this  subject,  or  whether  it  arose  from  an  awful 
sense  of  the  importance  of  the  mission,  as  it  re- 
lated to  the  happiness  of  hundreds  of  thousands 
then  alive,  and  of  millions  then  unborn,  I  cannot 
say.  But  I  had  a  feeling  within  me  for  which  I 
could  not  account,  and  which  seemed  to  hinder 
me  from  proceeding.  And  I  actually  went  away 
without  informing  him  of  my  errand. 

In  this  situation  I  began  to  consider  what  to  do, 
when  I  thought  I  would  call  upon  Mr.  Langton, 
tell  him  what  had  happened,  and  ask  his  advice. 
I  found  him  at  home.  We  consulted  together. 
The  result  was,  that  he  was  to  invite  Mr.  Wilber- 
force and  some  others  to  meet  me  at  a  dinner  at 
his  own  house,  in  two  or  three  days,  when  he  said 
he  had  no  doubt  of  being  able  to  procure  an  an- 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  193 

swer,  by  some  means  or  other,  to  the  question 
which  I  wished  to  have  resolved. 

On  receiving  a  card  from  Mr.  Langton,  I  went 
to  dine  with  him.  I  found  the  party  consist 
of  Sir  Charles  Middleton,  Mr.  Wilberforce,  Mr. 
Hawkins  Browne,  Mr.  Windham,  Sir  Joshua 
Reynolds,  and  Mr.  Boswell.  The  latter  was  then 
known  as  the  friend  of  Dr.  Johnson,  and  after- 
wards as  the  writer  of  his  Tour  to  the  Hebrides. 
After  dinner  the  subject  of  the  Slave-trade  was 
purposely  introduced.  Many  questions  were  put 
to  me,  and  I  dilated  upon  each  in  my  answers, 
that  I  might  inform  and  interest  those  present  as 
much  as  I  could.  They  seemed  to  be  greatly  im- 
pressed with  my  account  of  the  loss  of  seamen  in 
the  trade,  and  with  the  little  samples  of  African 
cloth,  which  I  had  procured  for  their  inspection. 
Sir  Joshua  Reynolds  gave  his  unqualified  appro- 
bation of  the  abolition  of  this  cruel  traffic.  Mr. 
Hawkins  Browne  joined  heartily  with  him  in 
sentiment ;  he  spoke  with  much  feeling  upon  it, 
and  pronounced  it  to  be  barbarous,  and  contrary 
to  every  principle  of  morality  and  religion.  Mr. 
Boswell,  after  saying  the  planters  would  urge  that 
the  Africans  were  made  happier  by  being  car- 
ried from  their  own  country  to  the  West  Indies, 
observed,  "  Be  it  so.  But  we  have  no  right  to 
make  people  happy  against  their  will."  Mr. 
Windham,  when  it  was  suggested  that  the  great 
importance  of  our  West  Iudian  islands,  and  the 
grandeur  of  Liverpool,  would  be  brought  against 
those  who  should  propose  the  abolition  of   the 

vol.  i.  17 


194  THE     HISTORY     OF     THE 

Slave-trade,  replied  "  We  have  nothing  to  do  with 
the  policy  of  the  measure.  Rather  let  Liverpool 
and  the  islands  be  swallowed  up  in  the  sea,  than 
this  monstrous  system  of  iniquity  be  carried  on."* 
While  such  conversation  was  passing-,  and  when 
all  appeared  to  be  interested  in  the  cause,  Mr. 
Langton  put  the  question,  about  the  proposal  of 
which  I  had  been  so  diffident,  to  Mr.  Wilberforce, 
in  the  shape  of  a  delicate  compliment.  The  latter 
replied,  that  he  had  no  objection  to  bring  forward 
the  measure  in  Parliament,  when  he  was  better 
prepared  for  it,  and  provided  no  person  more 
proper  could  be  found.  Upon  this,  Mr.  Hawkins 
Browne  and  Mr.  Windham  both  said  they  would 
support  him  there.  Before  I  left  the  company,  I 
took  Mr.  Wilberforce  aside,  and  asked  him  if  I 
might  mention  this  his  resolution  to  those  of  my 
friends  in  the  city,  of  whom  he  had  often  heard 
me  speak,  as  desirous  of  aiding  him  by  becoming 
a  committee  for  the  purpose.  He  replied,  I 
might.  I  then  asked  Mr.  Langton,  privately,  if 
he  had  any  objection  to  belong  to  a  society  of 
which  there  might  be  a  committee  for  the  abo- 
lition of  the  Slave-trade.  He  said  he  should  be 
pleased  to  become  a  member  of  it.  Having 
received  these  satisfactory  answers,  I  returned 
home. 

The  next  day,  having  previously  taken  down 

*  I  do  not  know  upon  what  grounds,  after  such  strong  expres- 
sions, Mr.  Bos  well,  in  the  next  year,  and  Mr.  Windham,  after 
having  supported  the  cause  for  three  or  four  years,  became  in- 
imical to  it. 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  195 

the  substance  of  the  conversation  at  the  dinner,  I 
went  to  James  Phillips,  and  desired  that  our  friends 
might  be  called  together  as  soon  as  they  conve- 
niently could,  to  hear  my  report.  In  the  interim  I 
wrote  to  Dr.  Peckard,  and  waited  upon  Lord 
Scarsdale,  Dr.  Baker,  and  others,  to  know  (sup- 
posing a  society  were  formed  for  the  abolition  of 
the  Slave-trade)  if  I  might  say  they  would  belong 
to  it  1  All  of  them  replied  in  the  affirmative,  and 
desired  me  to  represent  them,  if  there  should  be 
any  meeting  for  this  purpose. 

At  the  time  appointed,  I  met  my  friends.  I 
read  over  the  substance  of  the  conversation  which 
had  taken  place  at  Mr.  Langton's.  No  difficulty 
occurred.  All  were  unanimous  for  the  formation 
of  a  committee.  On  the  next  day  we  met  by 
agreement  for  this  purpose.  It  was  then  resolved 
unanimously,  among  other  things,  That  the  Slave- 
trade  was  both  impolitic  and  unjust.  It  was 
resolved  also,  That  the  following  persons  be  a 
committee  for  procuring  such  information  and 
evidence,  and  publishing  the  same,  as  may  tend 
to  the  abolition  of  the  Slave-trade,  and  for  direct- 
ing the  application  of  such  moneys  as  have  been 
already,  and  may  hereafter  be  collected  for  the 
above  purpose : — 

Granville  Sharp,  Thomas  Clarkson, 

William  Dillwyn,  Richard  Phillips, 

Samuel  Hoare,  John  Barton, 

George  Harrison,  Joseph  Hooper, 

John  Lloyd,  James  Phillips, 

Joseph  Woods,  Philip  Sansom. 


196  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

All  these  were  present.  Granville  Sharp,  who 
stands  at  the  head  of  the  list,  and  who,  as  the 
father  of  the  cause  in  England,  was  called  to  the 
chair,  may  be  considered  as  representing  the 
first  class  of  forerunners  and  coadjutors,  as  it  has 
been  before  described.  The  five  next,  of  whom 
Samuel  Hoare  was  chosen  as  the  treasurer,  were 
they  who  had  been  the  committee  of  the  second 
class,  or  of  the  Quakers  in  England,  with  the 
exception  of  Dr.  Knowles,  who  was  then  dying, 
but  who,  having  heard  of  our  meeting,  sent  a 
message  to  us,  to  exhort  us  to  proceed.  The  third 
class,  or  that  of  the  Quakers  in  America,  may 
be  considered  as  represented  by  William  Dillwyn, 
by  whom  they  were  afterwards  joined  to  us  in 
correspondence.  The  two  who  stand  next,  and 
in  which  I  am  included,  may  be  considered  as 
representing  the  fourth,  most  of  the  members  of 
which  we  had  been  the  means  of  raising.  Thus, 
on  the  twenty-second  of  May  1787,  the  represen- 
tatives of  all  the  four  classes,  of  which  I  have 
been  giving  a  history  from  the  year  1516,  met 
together,  and  were  united  in  that  committee,  to 
which  I  have  been  all  along  directing  the  atten- 
tion of  the  reader ;  a  committee,  which,  laboring 
afterwards  with  Mr.  Wilberforce  as  a  parliamen- 
tary head,  did,  under  Providence,  in  the  space  of 
twenty  years,  contribute  to  put  an  end  to  a  trade 
which,  measuring  its  magnitude  by  its  crimes  and 
sufferings,  was  the  greatest  practical  evil  that 
ever  afflicted  the  human  race. 


Xw-Ycrk,Pub.  by  John  S.  Taylor 


J^pTTTT, 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  197 

After  the  formation  of  the  committee,*  notice 
was  sent  to  Mr.  Wilberforce  of  the  event,  and  a 
friendship  began,  which  has  continued  uninter- 
ruptedly between  them,  from  that  to  the  present 
day. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

The  preceding  history  of  the  different  classes  of  the  fore- 
runners AND  COADJUTORS,  TO  THE  TIME  OF  THE  FORMATION  OF  THE 
COMMITTEE,  COLLECTED  INTO  ONE  VIEW  BY  MEANS  OF  A  MAP. — EXPLANA- 
TION  OF   THIS   MAP — AND   OBSERVATIONS    UPON   IT. 

As  the  preceding  history  of  the  different  classes 
of  the  forerunners  and  coadjutors,  to  the  time 
of  their  junction,  or  to  the  formation  of  the  com- 
mittee, as  just  explained,  may  be  thought  inter- 
esting by  many,  I  have  endeavored,  by  means 
of  the  annexed  map,  so  to  bring  it  before  the 
reader,  that  he  may  comprehend  the  whole  of  it 
at  a  single  view. 

The  figure  beginning  at  A  and  reaching  down 
to  X  represents  the  first  class  of  forerunners,  and 
coadjutors  up  to  the  year  1787,  as  consisting  of  so 
many  springs  or  rivulets,  which  assisted  in  making 
and  swelling  the  torrent  which  swept  away  the 
Slave-trade. 


*  All  the  members  were  of  the  society  of  the  Quakers,  except 
Messrs.  Sharp,  Sansom,  and  myself.     Joseph  Gurney  Bevan  was 
present  on  the  day  before  this  meeting.    He  desired  to  belong  to 
the  society,  but  to  be  excused  from  belonging  to  the  committee. 
VOL.  I.  17* 


198  •  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

The  figure  from  B  to  C  and  from  C  to  X  repre- 
sents the  second  class,  or  that  of  the  Quakers  in 
England,  up  to  the  same  time.  The  stream  on 
the  right  hand  represents  them  as  a  body,  and  that 
on  the  left,  the  six  individuals  belonging  to  them, 
who  formed  the  committee  in  1783. 

The  figure  from  B  to  D  represents  the  third 
class,  or  that  of  the  Quakers  in  America  when 
joined  with  others  in  1774.  The  stream  passing 
from  D  through  E  to  X  shows  how  this  class  was 
conveyed  down,  as  it  were,  so  as  to  unite  witrl 
the  second.  That  passing  from  D  to  Y  shows  its 
course  in  its  own  country,  to  its  enlargement  in 
1787.  And  here  1  may  observe,  that  as  the  dif- 
ferent streams  which  formed  a  junction  at  X, 
were  instrumental  in  producing  the  abolition  of 
the  Slave-trade  in  England,  in  the  month  of 
March  1807,  so  those,  whose  effects  are  found 
united  at  Y,  contributed  to  produce  the  same 
event  in  America,  in  the  same  month  of  the  same 
year. 

The  figure  from  F  to  X  represents  the  fourth 
class  up  to  1787. 

X  represents  the  junction  of  all  the  four  classes 
in  the  committee  instituted  in  London  on  the 
twenty-second  day  of  May,  1787. 

The  parallel  lines  G,  H,  I,  K,  represent  differ- 
ent periods  of  time,  showing  when  the  forerunners 
and  coadjutors  lived.  The  space  between  G  and 
H  includes  the  space  of  fifty  years,  in  which  we 
find  but  few  laborers  in  this  cause.  That  between 
H   and  I  includes  the  same  portion  of  time  in 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  199 

which  we  find  them  considerably  increased,  or 
nearly  doubled.  That  between  I  and  K  repre- 
sents the  next  thirty-seven  years.  But  here  we 
find  their  increase  beyond  all  expectation,  for  we 
find  four  times  more  laborers  in  this  short  term, 
than  in  the  whole  of  the  preceding  century. 

In  looking  over  the  map,  as  thus  explained,  a 
number  of  thoughts  suggest  themselves,  some  of 
which  it  may  not  be  improper  to  detail.  And 
first,  in  looking  between  the  first  and  second  paral- 
lel, we  perceive,  that  Morgan  Godwyn,  Richard 
Baxter,  and  George  Fox,  the  first  a  clergyman  of 
the  Established  Church,  the  second  a  divine  at  the 
head  of  the  Nonconformists,  and  the  third  the 
founder  of  the  religious  society  of  the  Quakers, 
appeared  each  of  them  the  first  in  his  own  class, 
and  all  of  them  about  the  same  time,  in  behalf  of 
the  oppressed  Africans.  We  see  then  this  great 
truth  first  apparent,  that  the  abolition  of  the  Slave- 
trade  took  its  rise,  not  from  persons,  who  set  up  a 
cry  for  liberty,  when  they  were  oppressors  them- 
selves, nor  from  persons  who  were  led  to  it  by 
ambition,  or  a  love  of  reputation  among  men,  but 
Where  it  was  most  desirable,  namely,  from  the 
teachers  of  Christianity  in  those  times. 

This  account  of  its  rise  will  furnish  us  with 
some  important  lessons.  And  first,  it  shows  us 
the  great  value  of  religion.  We  see,  when  moral 
disorders  become  known,  that  the  virtuous  are 
they  who  rise  up  for  the  removal  of  them.  Thus 
Providence  seems  to  have  appointed  those  who 
devote  themselves  most  to  his  service,  to  the  hon- 


200  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

orable  office  of  becoming  so  many  agents,  under 
his  influence,  for  the  correction  of  the  evils  of  life. 
And  as  this  account  of  the  rise  of  the  abolition  of 
the  Slave-trade  teaches  us  the  necessity  of  a  due 
cultivation  of  religion,  so  it  should  teach  us  to 
have  a  brotherly  affection  for  those,  who,  though 
they  may  differ  from  us  in  speculative  opinions 
concerning  it,  do  yet  show  by  their  conduct  that 
they  have  a  high  regard  for  it.  For  though  God- 
wyn,  and  Baxter,  and  Fox,  differed  as  to  the  arti- 
cles of  their  faith,  we  find  them  impelled  by  the 
spirit  of  Christianity,  which  is  of  infinitely  more 
importance  than  a  mere  agreement  in  creeds,  to 
the  same  good  end. 

In  looking  over  the  different  streams  in  the  map, 
as  they  are  discoverable  both  in  Europe  and  Amer- 
ica, we  are  impressed  with  another  truth  on  the 
same  subject,  which  is,  that  the  Christian  religion 
is  capable  of  producing  the  same  good  fruit  in  all 
lands.  However  men  may  differ  on  account  of 
climate,  or  language,  or  government,  or  laws,  or 
however  they  may  be  situated  in  different  quarters 
of  the  globe,  it  will  produce  in  them  the  same  vir- 
tuous disposition,  and  make  them  instruments  for 
the  promotion  of  happiness  in  the  world. 

In  looking  between  the  two  first  parallels,  where 
we  see  so  few  laborers,  and  in  contemplating  the 
great  increase  of  these  between  the  others,  we  are 
taught  the  consoling  lesson,  that  however  small 
the  beginning  and  slow  the  progress  may  appear 
in  any  good  work  which  we  may  undertake,  we 
need  not  be  discouraged  as  to  the  ultimate  result 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  201 

of  our  labors;  for  though  our  cause  may  appear 
stationary,  it  may  only  become  so,  in  order  that  it 
may  take  a  deeper  root,  and  thus  be  enabled  to 
stand  better  against  the  storms  which  may  after- 
wards beat  about  it. 

In  taking  the  same  view  again,  we  discover  the 
manner  in  which  light  and  information  proceed 
under  a  free  government  in  a  good  cause.  An 
individual,  for  example,  begins;  he  communicates 
his  sentiments  to  others.  Thus,  while  alive,  he 
enlightens ;  when  dead,  he  leaves  his  works  behind 
him.  Thus,  though  departed,  he  yet  speaks,  and 
his  influence  is  not  lost.  Of  those  enlightened 
by  him,  some  become  authors,  and  others  actors 
in  their  turn.  While  living,  they  instruct,  like 
their  predecessors;  when  dead,  they  speak  also. 
Thus  a  number  of  dead  persons  are  encouraging 
us  in  libraries,  and  a  number  of  living  are  convers- 
ing and  diffusing  zeal  among  us  at  the  same 
time.  This,  however,  is  not  true  in  any  free  and 
enlightened  country  with  respect  to  the  propaga- 
tion of  evil.  The  living  find  no  permanent  en- 
couragement, and  the  dead  speak  to  no  purpose 
in  such  a  case. 

This  account  of  the  manner  in  which  light  and 
information  proceed  in  a  free  country,  furnishes 
us  with  some  valuable  knowledge.  It  shows  us, 
first,  the  great  importance  of  education;  for  all 
they  who  can  read  may  become  enlightened. 
They  may  gain  as  much  from  the  dead  as  from 
the  living.  They  may  see  the  sentiments  of  for- 
mer ages.     Thus  they  may  contract,  by  degrees^ 


202  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

habits  of  virtuous  inclination,  and  become  fitted 
to  join  with  others  in  the  removal  of  any  of  the 
evils  of  life. 

It  shows  us,  secondly,  how  that  encouraging- 
maxim  may  become  true,  That  no  good  effort  is 
ever  lost.  For  if  he,  who  makes  the  virtuous 
attempt,  should  be  prevented  by  death  from  suc- 
ceeding in  it,  can  he  not  speak,  though  in  the 
tomb  \  Will  not  his  works  still  breathe  his  senti- 
ments upon  it.  ]  May  not  the  opinions,  and  the 
facts,  which  he  has  recorded,  meet  the  approbation 
of  ten  thousand  readers,  of  whom  it  is  probable, 
in  the  common  course  of  things,  that  some  will 
branch  out  of  him  as  authors,  and  others  as  actors 
or  laborers,  in  the  same  cause  ? 

And,  lastly,  it  will  show  us  the  difficulty  (if  any 
attempt  should  be  made)  of  reversing  permanently 
the  late  noble  act  Of  the  legislature  for  the  aboli- 
tion of  the  Slave-trade.  For  let  us  consider  how 
many,  both  of  the  living  and  the  dead,  could  be 
made  to  animate  us.  Let  us  consider  too,  that 
this  is  the  cause  of  mercy,  justice,  and  religion ; 
that  as  such,  it  will  always  afford  renewed  means 
of  rallying ;  and  that  the  dead  will  always  be 
heard  with  interest^  and  the  living  with  enthu- 
siasm, upon  it. 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  203 


CHAPTER   XII. 

Author  devotes  this  chapter  to  considerations  relative  to  him 
self— fears  that  by  the  frequent  introduction  of  himself  to 
the  notice  of  the  reader  he  may  incur   the   charge  of  osten 
TATioN. — Observations  on  such  a  charge. 

Having  brought  my  History  of  the  Abolition  of 
the  Slave-trade  up  to  the  month  of  May,  1787,  I 
purpose  taking  the  liberty,  before  I  proceed  with 
it,  to  devote  this  chapter  to  considerations  relative 
to  myself.  This,  indeed,  seems  to  be  now  neces- 
sary :  for  1  have  been  fearful  for  some  pages  past, 
and,  indeed,  from  the  time  when  1  began  to  intro- 
duce myself  to  the  notice  of  the  reader,  as  one  of 
the  forerunners  and  coadjutors  in  this  great  cause, 
that  I  might  appear  to  have  put  myself  into  a 
situation  too  prominent,  so  as  even  to  have  incur- 
red the  charge  of  ostentation.  But  if  there  should 
be  some,  who,  in  consequence  of  what  they  have 
already  read  of  this  history,  should  think  thus 
unfavorably  of  me,  what  must  their  opinion  ulti- 
mately be,  when  unfortunately,  I  must  become 
still  more  prominent  in  it !  Nor  do  I  know  in 
what  manner  I  shall  escape  their  censure.  For 
if,  to  avoid  egotism,  I  should  write,  as  many  have 
done,  in  the  third  person,  what  would  this  profit 
me?  The  delicate  situation,  therefore,  in  which  I 
feel  myself  to  be  placed,  makes  me  desirous  of 
saying  a  few  words  to  the  reader  on  this  subject. 

And  first,  I  may  observe,  that  several  of  my 


204  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

friends  urged  me  from  time  to  time,  and  this  long 
before  the  abolition  of  the  Slave-trade  had  been 
effected,  to  give  a  history  of  the  rise  and  progress 
of  the  attempt,  as  far  as  it  had  been  then  made. 
But  I  uniformly  resisted  their  application. 

When  the  question  was  decided  last  year,  they 
renewed  their  request.  They  represented  to  me, 
that  no  person  knew  the  beginning  and  progress 
of  this  great  work  so  well  as  myself;  that  it  was 
a  pity  that  such  knowledge  should  die  with  me  ; 
that  such  a  history  would  be  useful ;  that  it  would 
promote  good  feelings  among  men  ;  that  it  would 
urge  them  to  benevolent  exertions  ;  that  it  would 
supply  them  with  hope  in  the  midst  of  these;  that 
it  would  teach  them  many  valuable  lessons  ;  these 
and  other  things  were  said  to  me.  But,  encour- 
aging as  they  were,  I  never  lost  sight  of  the  ob- 
jection, which  is  the  subject  of  this  chapter ;  nor 
did  I  ever  fail  to  declare,  that  though,  considering 
the  part  I  had  taken  in  this  great  cause,  I  might 
be  qualified  better  than  some  others,  yet  it  was  a 
task  too  delicate  for  me  to  perform.  I  always 
foresaw  that  I  could  not  avoid  making  myself  too 
prominent  an  object  in  such  a  history,  and  that  I 
should  be  liable,  on  that  account,  to  the  suspicion 
of  writing  it  for  the  purpose  of  sounding  my  own 
praise. 

With  this  objection  my  friends  were  not  satis- 
fied. They  answered,  that  I  might  treat  the 
History  of  the  Abolition  of  the  Slave-trade  as  a 
species  of  biography,  or  as  the  history  of  a  part  of 
my  own  life  :    that  people,  who  had  much  less 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  205 

weighty  matters  to  communicate,  wrote  their  own 
histories  ;  and  that  no  one  charged  them  with 
vanity  for  so  doing. 

I  own  I  was  not  convinced  by  this  answer.  I 
determined,  however,  in  compliance  with  their 
wishes,  to  examine  the  objection  more  minutely, 
and  to  see  if  I  could  overcome  it  more  satisfac- 
torily tomy  own  mind.  With  this  view,  I  endeav- 
ored to  anticipate  the  course  which  such  a  his- 
tory would  take.  I  saw  clearly,  in  the  first  place, 
that  there  were  times,  for  months  together,  when 
the  committee  for  the  abolition  of  the  Slave-trade 
was  laboring  without  me,  and  when  I  myself  for 
an  equal  space  of  time  was  laboring  in  distant 
parts  of  the  kingdom  without  them.  Hence  I  per- 
ceived that,  if  my  own  exertions  were  left  out, 
there  would  be  repeated  chasms  in  this  history, 
and,  indeed,  that  it  could  not  be  completed  with- 
out the  frequent  mention  of  myself.  And  I  was 
willing  to  hope  that  this  would  be  so  obvious  to 
the  good  sense  of  the  reader,  that  if  he  should 
think  me  vain-glorious  in  the  early  part  of  it,  he 
would  afterwards,  when  he  advanced  in  the  peru- 
sal of  it,  acquit  me  of  such  a  charge.  This  con- 
sideration was  the  first,  which  removed  my  objec- 
tion on  this  head.  That  there  can  be  no  ground 
for  any  charge  of  ostentation,  as  far  as  the  origin 
of  this  history  is  concerned,  so  I  hope  to  convince 
him  there  can  be  none,  by  showing  him  in  what 
light  I  have  always  viewed  myself  in  connexion 
with  the  committee,  to  which  I  have  had  the 
honor  to  belong. 

vol.  i.  18 


206  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

I  have  uniformly  considered  our  committee  for 
the  abolition  of  the  Slave-trade,  as  we  usually 
consider  the  human  body,  that  is,  as  made  up  of 
a  head  and  of  various  members,  which  had  dif- 
ferent offices  to  perform.  Thus,  if  one  man  was 
an  eye,  another  was  an  ear,  another  an  arm,  and 
another  a  foot.  And  here  I  may  say,  with  great 
truth,  that  I  believe  no  committee  was  ever  made 
up  of  persons,  whose  varied  talents  were  better 
adapted  to  the  work  before  them.  Viewing"  then 
the  committee  in  this  light,  and  myself  as  in  con- 
nexion with  it,  I  may  deduce  those  truths,  with 
which  the  analogy  will  furnish  me.  And  first,  it 
will  follow,  that  if  every  member  has  performed 
his  office  faithfully,  though  one  may  have  done 
something  more  than  another,  yet  no  one  of  them 
in  particular  has  any  reason  to  boast.  With  what 
propriety  could  the  foot,  though  in  the  execution 
of  its  duty  it  had  become  weary,  say  to  the  finger, 
"  Thou  hast  done  less  than  I ;"  when  the  finger 
could  reply  with  truth,  "  I  have  done  all  that  has 
been  given  me  to  do  !"  It  will  follow  also,  that 
as  every  limb  is  essentially  necessary  for  the  com- 
pletion of  a  perfect  work ;  so  in  the  case  before 
us,  every  one  was  as  necessary  in  his  own  office, 
or  department,  as  another.  For  what,  for  exam- 
ple, could  I  myself  have  done  if  I  had  not  derived 
so  much  assistance  from  the  committee  ?  What 
could  Mr.  Wilberforce  have  done  in  Parliament, 
if  I,  on  the  other  hand,  had  not  collected  that 
great  body  of  evidence,  to  which  there  was  such 
a  constant  appeal  ?     And  what  could  the  com- 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  207 

mittee  have  done  without  the  parliamentary  aid 
of  Mr.  Wilberforce  1  And  in  mentioning  this  neces- 
sity of  distinct  offices  and  talents  for  the  accom- 
plishment of  the  great  work,  in  which  we  have 
been  all  of  us  engaged,  I  feel  myself  bound  by  the 
feelings  of  justice  to  deliver  it  as  my  opinion  in 
this  place,  (for,  perhaps,  I  may  have  no  other 
opportunity,)  that  knowing,  as  I  have  done,  so 
many  members  of  both  houses  of  our  legislature, 
for  many  of  whom  I  have  had  a  sincere  respect, 
there  was  never  yet  one,  who  appeared  to  me  to 
be  so  properly  qualified,  in  all  respects,  for  the 
management  of  the  great  cause  of  the  abolition 
of  the  Slave-trade,  as  he,  whose  name  I  have  just 
mentioned.  His  connexions,  but  more  particu- 
larly his  acquaintance  with  the  first  minister  of 
state,  were  of  more  service  in  the  promotion  of  it, 
than  they,  who  are  but  little  acquainted  with  po- 
litical movements,  can  well  appreciate.  His  habits 
also  of  diligent  and  persevering  inquiry  made  him 
master  of  all  the  knowledge  that  was  requisite 
for  conducting  it.  His  talents  both  in  and  out  of 
Parliament  made  him  a  powerful  advocate  in  its 
favor.  His  character,  free  from  the  usual  spots 
of  human  imperfection,  gave  an  appropriate  lustre 
to  the  cause,  making  it  look  yet  more  lovely,  and 
enticing  others  to  its  support.  But  most  of  all, 
the  motive,  on  which  he  undertook  it,  insured 
its  progress.  For  this  did  not  originate  in  views 
of  selfishness,  or  of  party,  or  of  popular  applause, 
but  in  an  awful  sense  of  his  duty  as  a  Christian. 
It  was  this,  which  gave  him  alacrity  and  courage 


208  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

in  his  pursuit.  It  was  this,  which  made  him 
continue  in  his  elevated  situation  of  a  legislator, 
though  it  was  unfavorable,  if  not  to  his  health, 
at  least  to  his  ease  and  comfort.  It  was  this, 
which  made  him  incorporate  this  great  object 
among  the  pursuits  of  his  life,  so  that  it  was  daily 
in  his  thoughts.  It  was  this,  which,  when  year 
after  year  of  unsuccessful  exertion  returned,  oc- 
casioned him  to  be  yet  fresh  and  vigorous  in 
spirit,  and  to  persevere  till  the  day  of  triumph. 

But  to  return  :  There  is  yet  another  considera- 
tion, which  I  shall  offer  to  the  reader  on  this 
subject,  and  with  which  I  shall  conclude  it.  It 
is  this ;  that  no  one  ought  to  be  accused  of  vanity 
until  he  has  been  found  to  assume  to  himself  some 
extraordinary  merit.  This  being  admitted,  I  shall 
now  freely  disclose  the  view,  which  I  have  always 
been  desirous  of  taking  of  my  own  conduct  on 
this  occasion,  in  the  following  words  : — 

As  Robert  Barclay,  the  apologist  for  the  Qua- 
kers, when  he  dedicated  his  work  to  Charles  the 
Second,  intimated  to  this  prince,  that  any  merit, 
which  the  work  might  have,  would  not  be  derived 
from  his  patronage  of  it,  but  from  the  Author 
of  all  spiritual  good ;  so  I  say  to  the  reader,  with 
respect  to  myself,  that  I  disclaim  all  praise  on 
account  of  any  part  I  may  have  taken  in  the  pro- 
motion of  this  great  cause,  for  that  I  am  desirous 
above  all  things  to  attribute  my  best  endeavors 
in  it  to  the  influence  of  a  superior  Power ;  of 
Him,  I  mean,  who  gave  me  a  heart  to  feel ;  who 
gave  me  courage  to  begin ;  and  perseverance  to 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  209 

proceed ;  and  that  I  am  thankful  to  Him,  and 
this  with  the  deepest  feeling  of  gratitude  and  hu- 
mility, for  having  permitted  me  to  become  useful, 
in  any  degree,  to  my  fellow  creatures. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

Author  returns  to  his  history. — Committee  formed  as  before 
mentioned — its  proceedings. — author  produces  a  summary  view 
of  the  Slave-trade  and  of  the  probable  consequences  of  its 
abolition.— Wrongs  of  Africa,  by  Mr.  Roscoe,  generously  pre- 
sented to  The  committee. — Important  discussion  as  to  the  object 
of  the  committee. — Emancipation  declared  to  be  no  part  of  it. — 
Committee  decides  on  its  public  title. — Author  requested  to 
go  to  Bristol,  Liverpool  and  Lancaster,  to  collect  further  in- 
formation on  the  subject  of  the  trade. 

I  return  now,  after  this  long  digression,  to  the 
continuation  of  my  history. 

It  was  shown  in  the  latter  part  of  the  tenth 
chapter,  that  twelve  individuals,  all  of  whom  were 
then  named,  met  together,  by  means  which  no  one 
could  have  foreseen,  on  the  twenty-second  of  May, 
1787  ;  and  that,  after  having  voted  the  Slave-trade 
to  be  both  unjust  and  impolitic,  they  formed  them- 
selves into  a  committee  for  procuring  such  infor- 
mation and  evidence,  and  for  publishing  the  same, 
as  might  tend  to  the  abolition  of  it,  and  for  direct- 
ing the  application  of  such  money,  as  had  been 
already  and  might  hereafter  be  collected  for  that 
purpose.  At  this  meeting  it  was  resolved  also,  that 
no  less  than  three  members  should  form  a  quo- 

vol.  i.  18* 


$10  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

rum  ;  that  Samuel  Hoare  should  be  the  treasurer ; 
that  the  treasurer  should  pay  no  money  but  by 
order  of  the  committee  ;  and  that  copies  of  these 
resolutions  should  be  printed  and  circulated,  in 
which  it  should  be  inserted  that  the  subscriptions 
of  all  such  as  were  willing  to  forward  the  plans 
of  the  committee,  should  be  received  by  the  trea- 
surer or  any  member  of  it. 

On  the  twenty-fourth  of  May,  the  committee 
met  again  to  promote  the  object  of  its  institution. 

The  treasurer  reported  at  this  meeting,  that  the 
subscriptions  already  received,  amounted  to  one 
hundred  and  thirty-six  pounds. 

As  I  had  foreseen,  long  before  this  time,  that 
my  Essay  on  the  Slavery  and  Commerce  of  the 
Human  Species  was  too  large  for  general  circula- 
tion, and  yet  that  a  general  circulation  of  knowl- 
edge on  this  subject  was  absolutely  necessary,  I 
determined,  directly  after  the  formation  of  the 
committee,  to  write  a  short  pamphlet  consisting 
only  of  eight  or  ten  pages  for  this  purpose.  I 
called  it  A  Summary  View  of  the  Slave-trade,  and 
of  the  probable  Consequences  of  its  Abolition.  It 
began  by  exhibiting  to  the  reader  the  various  un- 
justifiable ways  in  which  persons  living  on  the 
coast  of  Africa  became  slaves.  It  then  explained 
the  treatment  which  these  experienced  on  their 
passage,  the  number  dying  in  the  course  of  it,  and 
the  treatment  of  the  survivors  in  the  colonies  of 
those  nations  to  which  they  were  carried.  It  then 
announced  the  speedy  publication  of  a  work  on  the 
Impolicy  of  the  Trade,  the  contents  of  which,  as 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  211 

far  as  I  could  then  see,  I  gave  generally  under  the 
following  heads  :  Part  the  first,  it  was  said,  would 
show,  that  Africa  was  capable  of  offering  to  us  a 
trade  in  its  own  natural  productions  as  well  as  in 
the  persons  of  men  ;  that  the  trade  in  the  persons 
of  men  was  profitable  but  to  a  few  ;  that  its  value 
was  diminished  from  many  commercial  consid- 
erations ;  that  it  was  also  highly  destructive  to 
our  seamen  ;  and  that  the  branch  of  it,  by  which 
we  supplied  the  island  of  St.  Domingo  with  slaves, 
was  peculiarly  impolitic  on  that  account.  Part 
the  second,  it  was  said,  would  show,  that,  if  the 
slaves  were  kindly  treated  in  our  colonies,  they 
would  increase  ;  that  the  abolition  of  the  trade 
would  necessarily  secure  such  a  treatment  to  them, 
and  that  it  would  produce  many  other  advantages 
which  would  be  then  detailed. 

This  little  piece  I  presented  to  the  committee  at 
this  their  second  meeting.  It  was  then  duly  read 
and  examined ;  and  the  result  was,  that,  after 
some  little  correction,  it  was  approved,  and  that 
two  thousand  copies  of  it  were  ordered  to  be 
printed,  with  lists  of  the  subscribers  and  of  the 
committee,  and  to  be  sent  to  various  parts  of  the 
kingdom. 

On  June  the  seventh  the  committee  met  again 
for  the  dispatch  of  business,  when,  among  other 
things,  they  voted  their  thanks  to  Dr.  Baker,  of 
Lower  Grosvenor-street,  who  had  been  one  of  my 
first  assistants,  for  his  services  to  the  cause. 

At  this  committee,  John  Barton,  one  of  the 
members  of  it,  stated  that  he  was  commissioned 


212  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

by  the  author  of  a  poem,  entitled,  The  Wrongs  of 
Africa,  to  offer  the  profits,  which  might  arise  from 
the  sale  of  that  work,  to  the  committee,  for  the 
purpose  of  enabling  them  to  pursue  the  object  of 
their  institution.  This  circumstance  was  not  only 
agreeable,  inasmuch  as  it  showed  us,  that  there 
were  others  who  felt  with  us  for  the  injured  Afri- 
cans, and  who  were  willing  to  aid  us  in  our  de- 
signs, but  it  was  rendered  still  more  so,  when  we 
were  given  to  understand  that  the  poem  was  writ- 
ten by  Mr.  Roscoe  of  Liverpool,  and  the  preface 
to  it  by  the  late  Dr.  Currie,  who  then  lived  in  the 
same  place.  To  find  friends  to  our  cause  rising 
up  from  a  quarter,  where  we  expected  scarcely 
any  thing  but  opposition,  was  very  consolatory  and 
encouraging.  As  this  poem  was  well  written,  but 
cannot  now  be  had,  I  shall  give  the  introductory 
part  of  it,  which  is  particularly  beautiful,  to  the 
perusal  of  the  reader.     It  begins  thus  : 

"  Offspring  of  Love  divine,  Humanity ! 
To  whom,  his  eldest  born,  th'  Eternal  gave 
Dominion  o'er  the  heart ;  and  taught  to  touch 
Its  varied  stops  in  sweetest  unison  ; 
And  strike  the  string  that  from  a  kindred  breast 
Responsive  vibrates !  from  the  noisy  haunts 
Of  mercantile  confusion,  where  thy  voice 
Is  heard  not ;  from  the  meretricious  glare 
Of  crowded  theatres,  where  in  thy  place 
Sits  Sensibility,  with  wat'ry  eye, 
Dropping  o'er  fancied  woes  her  useless  tear ; — 
Come  thou,  and  weep  with  me  substantial  ills ; 
And  execrate  the  wrongs,  that  Afric's  sons, 
Torn  from  their  natal  shore,  and  doom'd  to  bear 
The  yoke  of  servitude  in  foreign  climes, 
Sustain.    Nor  vainly  let  our  sorrows  flow, 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  213 

Nor  let  the  strong  emotion  rise  in  vain ; 
But  may  the  kind  contagion  widely  spread, 
Till  in  its  flame  the  unrelenting  heart 
Of  avarice  melt  in  softest  sympathy — 
And  one  bright  blaze  of  universal  love 
In  grateful  incense  rises  up  to  Heaven ! 

u  Form'd  with  the  same  capacity  of  pain, 
The  same  desire  of  pleasure  and  of  ease, 
Why  feels  not  man  for  man !  When  nature  shrinks 
From  the  slight  puncture  of  an  insect's  sting, 
Faints,  if  not  screen'd  from  sultry  suns,  and  pines 
Beneath  the  hardship  of  an  hour's  delay 
Of  needful  nutriment ; — when  Liberty 
Is  priz'd  so  dearly,  that  the  slightest  breath. 
That  ruffles  but  her  mantle,  can  awake 
To  arms  un warlike  nations,  and  can  rouse 
Confed'rate  states  to  vindicate  her  claims: — 
How  shall  the  suff'rer  man  his  fellow  doom 
To  ills  he  mourns  or  spurns  at ;  tear  with  stripes 
His  quiv'ring  flesh ;  with  hunger  and  with  thirst 
Waste  his  emaciate  frame ;  in  ceaseless  toils 
Exhaust  his  vital  powers  ;  and  bind  his  limbs 
In  galling  chains  !  Shall  he,  whose  fragile  form 
Demands  continual  blessing  to  support 
Its  complicated  texture,  air,  and  food, 
Raiment,  alternate  rest,  and  kindly  skies, 
And  healthful  seasons,  dare  with  impious  voice 
To  ask  those  mercies,  whilst  his  selfish  aim 
Arrests  the  general  freedom  of  their  course ; 
And,  gratified  beyond  his  utmost  wish, 
Debars  another  from  the  bounteous  store !" 

In  this  manner  was  the  subject  of  this  beautiful 
poem  introduced  to  the  notice  of  the  public.  But 
I  have  no  room  for  any  further  extracts,  nor  time 
to  make  any  further  comment  upon  it.  I  can 
only  add,  that  the  committee  were  duly  sensible  as 
well  of  its  merits,  as  of  the  virtuous  and  generous 


214  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

disposition  of  the  author,  and  that  they  requested 
John  Barton  to  thank  him  in  an  appropriate  man- 
ner for  his  offer,  which  he  was  to  say  they  ac- 
cepted gratefully. 

At  this  sitting,  at  which  ten  members  were 
present  out  of  the  twelve,  a  discussion  unexpect- 
edly arose  on  a  most  important  subject.  The 
committee,  finding  that  their  meetings  began  to 
be  approved  by  many,  and  that  the  cause  under 
their  care  was  likely  to  spread,  and  foreseeing 
also  the  necessity  there  would  soon  be  of  making 
themselves  known  as  a  public  body  throughout 
the  kingdom,  thought  it  right  that  they  should 
assume  some  title,  which  should  be  a  permanent 
one,  and  which  should  be  expressive  of  their  future 
views.  This  gave  occasion  to  them  to  reconsider 
the  object  for  which  they  had  associated,  and  to 
fix  and  define  it  in  such  a  manner,  that  there 
should  be  no  misunderstanding  about  it  in  the 
public  mind.  In  looking  into  the  subject,  it  ap- 
peared to  them  that  there  were  two  evils,  quite 
distinct  from  each  other,  which  it  might  become 
their  duty  to  endeavor  to  remove.  The  first  was 
the  evil  of  the  Slave-trade,  in  consequence  of 
which  many  thousand  persons  were  every  year 
fraudulently  and  forcibly  taken  from  their  country, 
their  relations,  and  friends,  and  from  all  that  they 
esteemed  valuable  in  life.  The  second  was  the 
evil  of  slavery  itself,  in  consequence  of  which  the 
same  persons  were  forced  into  a  situation,  where 
they  were  deprived  of  the  rights  of  men,  where 
they  were  obliged  to  linger  out  their  days  subject 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  215 

to  excessive  labor  and  cruel  punishments,  and 
where  their  children  were  to  inherit  the  same 
hard  lot.  Now  the  question  was,  which  of  the 
two  evils  the  committee  should  select  as  that,  to 
which  they  should  direct  their  attention  with  a 
view  of  the  removal  of  it ;  or  whether,  with  the 
same  view,  it  should  direct  its  attention  to  both 
of  them. 

It  appeared  soon  to  be  the  sense  of  the  com*- 
mittee,  that  to  aim  at  the  removal  of  both  would 
be  to  aim  at  too  much,  and  that  by  doing  this  we 
might  lose  all. 

The  question  then  was,  which  of  the  two  they 
were  to  take  as  their  object.  Now  in  considering 
this  question  it  appeared  that  it  did  not  matter 
where  they  began,  or  which  of  them  they  took, 
as  far  as  the  end  to  be  produced  was  the  thing 
desired.  For,  first,  if  the  Slave-trade  should  be 
really  abolished,  the  bad  usage  of  the  slaves  in 
the  colonies,  that  is,  the  hard  part  of  their  slavery, 
if  not  the  slavery  itself,  would  fall.  For,  the 
planters  and  others  being  unable  to  procure  more 
slaves  from  the  coast  of  Africa,  it  would  follow 
directly,  whenever  this  great  event  should  take 
place,  that  they  must  treat  those  better,  whom 
they  might  then  have.  They  must  render  mar- 
riage honorable  among  them.  They  must  estab- 
lish the  union  of  one  man  with  one  wife.  They 
must  give  the  pregnant  women  more  indulgences. 
They  must  pay  more  attention  to  the  rearing  of 
their  offspring.  They  must  work  and  punish  the 
adults  with  less  rigor.     Now  it  was  to  be  appre- 


216  THE    HISTORY    OP    THE 

hended  that  they  could  not  do  these  things,  with- 
out seeing  the  political  advantages  which  would 
arise  to  themselves  from  so  doing ;  and  that,  rea- 
soning upon  this,  they  might  be  induced  to  go 
on  to  give  them  greater  indulgences,  rights,  and 
privileges  in  time.  But  how  would  every  such 
successive  improvement  of  their  condition  operate, 
but  to  bring  them  nearer  to  the  state  of  freemen  1 
In  the  same  manner  it  was  contended,  that  the  bet- 
ter treatment  of  the  slaves  in  the  colonies,  or  that 
the  emancipation  of  them  there,  when  fit  for  it, 
would  of  itself  lay  the  foundation  for  the  abolition 
of  the  Slave-trade.  For,  if  the  slaves  were  kindly 
treated,  that  is,  if  marriage  were  encouraged 
among  them;  if  the  infants  who  should  be  born 
were  brought  up  with  care ;  if  the  sick  were 
properly  attended  to  ;  if  the  young  and  the  adult 
were  well  fed  and  properly  clothed,  and  not  over- 
worked, and  not  worn  down  by  the  weight  of 
severe  punishments,  they  would  necessarily  in- 
crease, and  this  on  an  extensive  scale.  But  if  the 
planters  were  thus  to  get  their  laborers  from  the 
births  on  their  own  estates,  then  the  Slave-trade 
would  in  time  be  no  longer  necessary  to  them, 
and  it  would  die  away  as  an  useless  and  a  noxious 
plant.  Thus  it  was  of  no  consequence,  which 
of  the  two  evils  the  committee  were  to  select  as 
the  object  for  their  labors  ;  for,  as  far  as  the  end 
in  view  only  was  concerned,  that  the  same  end 
would  be  produced  in  either  case. 

But   in  looking  further   into   this  question,   it 
seemed  to  make  a  material  difference  which  of  the 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  217 

two  they  selected,  as  far  as  they  had  in  view  the 
due  execution  of  any  laws,  which  might  be  made 
respecting  them,  and  their  own  prospect  of  success 
in  the  undertaking.  For,  by  aiming  at  the  aboli- 
tion of  the  Slave-trade,  they  were  laying  the  axe 
at  the  very  root.  By  doing  this,  and  this  only, 
they  would  not  incur  the  objection,  that  they  were 
meddling  with  the  property  of  the  planters,  and 
letting  loose  an  irritated  race  of  beings,  who,  in 
consequence  of  all  the  vices  and  infirmities,  which 
a  state  of  slavery  entails  upon  those  who  undergo 
it,  were  unfit  for  their  freedom.  By  asking  the 
government  of  the  country  to  do  this,  and  this 
only,  they  were  asking  for  that,  which  it  had  an 
indisputable  right  to  do  ;  namely,  to  regulate  or* 
abolish  any  of  its  branches  of  commerce  ;  whereas 
it  was  doubtful,  whether  it  could  interfere  with 
the  management  of  the  internal  affairs  of  the  colo- 
nies, or  whether  this  was  not  wholly  the  province 
of  the  legislatures  established  there.  By  asking 
the  government,  again,  to  do  this  and  this  only, 
they  were  asking  what  it  could  really  enforce.  It 
could  station  its  ships  of  war,  and  command  its 
custom-houses,  so  as  to  carry  any  act  of  this  kind 
into  effect.  But  it  could  not  ensure  that  an  act 
to  be  observed  in  the  heart  of  the  islands  should 
be  enforced.*     To  this  it  was  added,  that  if  the 

*  The  late  correspondence  of  the  governors  of  our  colonies  with 
Lord  Camden  in  his  official  situation,  but  particularly  the  state- 
ments made  by  Lord  Seaforth  and  General  Prevost,  have  shown 
the  wisdom  of  this  remark,  and  that  no  dependence  was  to  be 
had  for  the  better  usage  of  the  slaves  but  upon  the  total  abolition, 
of  the  trade, 

VOL.  I.  19 


218  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

committee  were  to  fix  upon  the  annihilation  of 
slavery  as  the  object  of  their  labors,  the  Slave- 
trade  would  not  fall  so  speedily  as  it  would  by  a 
positive  law  for  the  abolition  ;  because,  though 
the  increase  from  the  births  might  soon  supply 
all  the  estates  now  in  cultivation  with  laborers, 
yet  new  plantations  might  be  opened  from  time  to 
time  in  different  islands,  so  that  no  period  could 
be  fixed  upon,  when  it  could  be  said  that  it  would 
cease. 

Impressed  by  these  arguments,  the  committee 
were  clearly  of  opinion,  that  they  should  define 
their  object  to  be  the  abolition  of  the  Slave-trade, 
and  not  of  the  slavery  which  sprung  from  it. 
Hence  from  this  time,  and  in  allusion  to  the 
month  when  this  discussion  took  place,  they  styled 
themselves  in  their  different  advertisements,  and 
reports,  though  they  were  first  associated  in  the 
month  of  May,  The  committee  instituted  in  June 
1787,  for  effecting  the  Abolition  of  the  Slave- 
trade.  Thus,  at  the  very  outset,  they  took  a 
ground  which  was  for  ever  tenable.  Thus  they 
were  enabled  also  to  answer  the  objection,  which 
was  afterwards  so  constantly  and  so  industriously 
circulated  against  them,  that  they  were  going  to 
emancipate  the  slaves.  And  I  have  no  doubt  that 
this  wise  decision  contributed  greatly  to  their  suc- 
cess ;  for  I  am  persuaded  that,  if  they  had  adopted 
the  other  object,  they  could  not  for  years  to  come, 
if  ever,  have  succeeded  in  their  attempt. 

Before  the  committee  broke  up,  I  represented 
to   them   the   necessity   there  was   of  obtaining 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  219 

further  knowledge  on  all  those  individual  points, 
which  might  be  said  to  belong  to  the  great  subject 
of  the  abolition  of  the  Slave-trade.  In  the  first 
place,  this  knowledge  was  necessary  for  me,  if  I 
were  to  complete  my  work  on  the  Impolicy  of 
this  Trade,  which  work  the  Summary  View,  just 
printed,  had  announced  to  the  world.  It  would 
be  necessary  also,  in  case  the  Slave-trade  should 
become  a  subject  of  parliamentary  inquiry ;  for 
this  inquiry  could  not  proceed  without  evidence, 
And  if  any  time  was  peculiarly  fit  for  the  procur- 
ing of  such  information  or  evidence,  it  was  the 
present.  At  this  time  the  passions  of  men  had 
not  been  heated  by  any  public  agitation  of  the 
question,  nor  had  interest  felt  itself  biased  to 
conceal  the  truth.  But  as  soon  as  ever  it  should 
be  publicly  understood,  that  a  parliamentary  in- 
quiry was  certain,  (which  we  ourselves  believed 
would  be  the  case,  but  which  interested  men  did 
not  then  know,)  we  should  find  many  of  the  ave- 
nues to  information  closed  against  us.  I  proposed 
therefore  that  some  one  of  the  committee  should 
undertake  a  journey  to  Bristol,  Liverpool,  and 
Lancaster,  where  he  should  reside  for  a  time  to 
collect  further  light  upon  this  subject ;  and  that 
if  others  should  feel  their  occupations  or  engage- 
ments to  be  such  as  would  make  such  a  journey 
unsuitable,  I  would  undertake  it  myself.  I  beg- 
ged therefore  the  favor  of  the  different  members 
of  the  committee,  to  turn  the  matter  over  in  their 
minds  by  the  next  meeting,  that  we  might  then 


220  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

talk  over   and   decide   upon  the  propriety  of  the 
measure. 

The  committee  held  its  fourth  meeting  on  the 
twelfth  of  June.  Among  the  subjects  which  were 
then  brought  forward,  was  that  of  the  journey 
before  mentioned.  The  propriety,  and  indeed  even 
the  necessity  of  it  was  so  apparent,  that  I  was 
requested  by  all  present  to  undertake  it,  and  a 
minute  for  that  purpose  was  entered  upon  our 
records.  Of  this  journey,  as  gradually  unfolding 
light  on  the  subject,  and  as  peculiarly  connected 
with  the  promotion  of  our  object,  I  shall  now  give 
an  account ;  after  which  I  shall  return  to  the  pro-^ 
ceedings  of  the  committee. 


CHAPTER  XIY. 

Author  arrives  at  Bristol. — Introduction  to  Quaker  families 
there. — Objects  of  his  inquiry. — III  usage  of  seamen  on  board 
the  ship  Brothers. — Obtains  a  knowledge  of  several  articles  of 
African  produce. — DR.  Camplin— Dean  Tucker — Mr.  Henry  Sul- 
gar. — Procures  an  authenticated  account  of  the  treacherous 
massacre  at  Calebar. — III  usage  of  the  seamen  of  the  ship  Al- 
fred.— Painful  feelings  of  the  author  on  this  occasion. 

Having  made  preparations  for  my  journey,  I 
took  my  leave  of  the  different  individuals  of  the 
committee.  I  called  upon  Mr.  Wilberforce,  also, 
with  the  same  design.  He  was  then  very  ill,  and 
in  bed.  Sir  Richard  Hill  and  others  were  sitting 
by  his  bed-side.     After  conversing  as  much  as  he 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  221 

well  could  in  his  weak  state,  he  held  out  his 
hand  to  me,  and  wished  me  success.  When  I 
left  him,  I  felt  much  dejected.  It  appeared  to 
me  as  if  it  would  be  in  this  case,  as  it  is  often 
in  that  of  other  earthly  things,  that  we  scarcely 
possess  what  we  repute  a  treasure,  when  it  is 
taken  from  us. 

I  determined  to  take  this  journey  on  horse- 
back, not  only  on  account  of  the  relaxed  state  in 
which  I  found  myself,  after  such  close  and  con- 
stant application,  but  because  I  wished  to  have  all 
my  time  to  myself  upon  the  road,  in  order  the 
better  to  reflect  upon  the  proper  means  of  promot- 
ing this  great  cause.  The  first  place  I  resolved 
to  visit  was  Bristol.  Accordingly  1  directed  my 
course  thither.  On  turning  a  corner,  within  about 
a  mile  of  that  city,  at  about  eight  in  the  evening, 
I  came  within  sight  of  it.  The  weather  was 
rather  hazy,  which  occasioned  it  to  look  of  un- 
usual dimensions.  The  bells  of  some  of  the 
churches  were  then  ringing  ;  the  sound  of  them 
did  not  strike  me,- till  I  had  turned  the  corner 
before  mentioned,  when  it  came  upon  me  at  once. 
It  filled  me  almost  directly,  with  a  melancholy 
for  which  I  could  not  account.  I  began  now  to 
tremble,  for  the  first  time,  at  the  arduous  task  I 
had  undertaken,  of  attempting  to  subvert  one  of 
the  branches  of  the  commerce  of  the  great  place 
which  was  then  before  me.  I  began  to  think  of 
the  host  of  people  I  should  have  to  encounter  in 
it.  I  anticipated  much  persecution  in  it  also  ;  and 
I  questioned  whether  I  should  even  get  out  of  it 

VOL.  I.  19* 


222  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

alive,  But  in  journeying  on,  I  became  more  calm 
and  composed.  My  spirits  began  to  return.  In 
these  latter  moments  I  considered  my  first  feelings 
as  useful,  inasmuch  as  they  impressed  upon  me 
the  necessity  of  extraordinary  courage,  and  activity, 
and  perseverance,  and  of  watchfulness,  also,  over 
my  own  conduct,  that  I  might  not  throw  any  stain 
upon  the  cause  I  had  undertaken.  When,  there- 
fore, I  entered  the  city,  I  entered  it  with  an  un- 
daunted spirit,  determining  that  no  labor  should 
make  me  shrink,  nor  danger,  nor  even  persecution, 
deter  me  from  my  pursuit. 

My  first  introduction  was  by  means  of  a  letter 
to  Harry  Gandy,  who  had  then  become  one  of  the 
religious  society  of  the  Quakers.  This  introduc- 
tion to  him  was  particularly  useful  to  me,  for  he 
had  been  a  seafaring  man.  In  his  early  youth  he 
had  been  of  a  roving  disposition ;  and,  in  order 
to  see  the  world,  had  been  two  voyages  in  the 
Slave-trade,  so  that  he  had  known  the  nature  and 
practices  of  it.  This  enabled  him  to  give  me 
much  useful  information  on  the  subject ;  and  as 
he  had  frequently  felt,  as  he  grew  up,  deep  afflic- 
tion of  mind  for  having  been  concerned  in  it,  he 
was  impelled  to  forward  my  views  as  much  as 
possible  under  an  idea  that  he  should  be  thus 
making  some  reparation  for  the  indiscreet  and 
profane  occupations  of  his  youth. 

I  was  also  introduced  to  the  families  of  James 
Harford,  John  Lury,  Matthew  Wright,  Philip  De- 
bell  Tucket,  Thomas  Bonville,  and  John  Waring  ; 
all  of  whom  were  of  the  same  religious  society.     I 


ABOLITION    OP    THE    SLAVE-f HADE.  22& 

gained  an  introduction,  also,  soon  afterwards,  to 
George  Fisher.  These  were  my  first  and  only 
acquaintance  at  Bristol  for  some  time.  I  derived 
assistance  in  the  promotion  of  my  object  from  all 
of  them ;  and  it  is  a  matter  of  pleasing  reflection, 
that  the  friendships  then  formed  have  been  kept 
alive  to  the  present  time. 

The  objects  I  had  marked  down  as  those  to  be 
attended  to,  were  :  to  ascertain  what  were  the  na- 
tural productions  of  Africa,  and,  if  possible,  to  ob- 
tain specimens  of  them,  with  a  view  of  forming  a 
cabinet  or  collection ;  to  procure  as  much  infor- 
mation as  I  could,  relative  to  the  manner  of  ob- 
taining slaves  on  the  continent  of  Africa,  of  trans- 
porting them  to  the  West  Indies,  and  of  treating 
them  there  ;  to  prevail  upon  persons,  having  a 
knowledge  of  any  or  all  of  these  circumstances, 
to  come  forward  to  be  examined  as  evidences 
before  parliament,  if  such  an  examination  should 
take  place  ;  to  make  myself  still  better  acquainted 
with  the  loss  of  seamen  in  the  Slave-trade  ;  also 
with  the  loss  of  those  who  were  employed  in  the 
other  trades  from  the  same  port ;  to  know  the 
nature,  and  quantity,  and  value  of  the  imports  and 
exports  of  goods  in  the  former  case  :  there  were 
some  other  objects,  which  I  classed  under  the 
head  of  Miscellaneous. 

In  my  first  movements  about  this  city,  I  found 
that  people  talked  very  openly  on  the  subject  of 
the  Slave-trade.  They  seemed  to  be  well  ac- 
quainted with  the  various  circumstances  belonging 
to  it.     There  were  facts,  in  short,  in  every  body's 


224  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

mouth,  concerning  it ;  and  every  body  seemed  to 
execrate  it,  though  no  one  thought  of  its  abolition. 
In  this  state  of  things  I  perceived  that  my  course 
was  obvious  ;  for  I  had  little  else  to  do,  in  pursu- 
ing two  or  three  of  my  objects,  than  to  trace  the 
foundation  of  those  reports  which  were  in  cir- 
culation. 

On  the  third  of  July  I  heard  that  the  ship  Bro- 
thers,* then  lying  in  King-road  for  Africa,  could 
not  get  her  seamen,  and  that  a  party  which  had 
been  put  on  board,  becoming  terrified  by  the  pros^> 
pect  of  their  situation,  had  left  her  on  Sunday 
morning.  On  inquiring  further,  I  found  that  those 
who  had  navigated  her  on  her  last  voyage,  thirty- 
two  of  whom  had  died,  had  been  so  dreadfully 
used  by  the  captain,  that  he  could  not  get  hands 
in  the  present.  It  was  added,  that  the  treatment 
of  seamen  was  a  ciying  evil  in  this  trade,  and 
that  consequently  few  would  enter  into  it,  so  that 
there  was  at  all  times  a  great  difficulty  in  procur- 
ing them,  though  they  were  ready  enough  to 
enter  into  other  trades. 

The  relation  of  these  circumstances  made  me 
acquainted  with  two  things,  of  which  I  had  not 
before  heard :  namely,  the  aversion  of  seamen  to 
engage,  and  the  bad  usage  of  them  when  engaged, 
in  this  cruel  trade ;  into  both  which,  I  determined 
immediately  to  inquire. 


*  I  abstain  from  mentioning  the  names  of  the  captain  of  this  or 
of  other  vessels,  lest  the  recording  of  them  should  give  pain  to  rela- 
tives who  can  have  had  no  share  in  their  guilt, 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  &25 

1  conceived  that  it  became  me  to  be  very  cau- 
tious about  giving  ear  too  readily  to  reports;  and 
therefore,  as  I  cOuld  easily  learn  the  truth  of  one 
of  the  assertions  which  had  been  made  to  me,  I 
thought  it  prudent  to  ascertain  this,  and  to  judge, 
by  the  discovery  I  should  make  concerning  it, 
what  degree  of  credit  might  be  due  to  the  rest. 
Accordingly,  by  means  of  my  late  friend,  Truman 
Harford,  the  eldest  son  of  the  respectable  family 
of  that  name,  to  which  I  have  already  mentioned 
myself  to  have  been  introduced,  I  gained  access  to 
the  muster-roll  of  the  ship  Brothers.  On  looking 
Over  the  names  of  her  last  crew,  I  found  the  mel- 
ancholy truth  confirmed,  that  thirty-two  of  them 
had  been  placed  among  the  dead. 

Having  ascertained  this  circumstance,  I  became 
eager  to  inquire  into  the  truth  of  the  others,  but 
more  particularly  of  the  treatment  of  one  of  the 
seamen,  which,  as  it  was  reported  to  me,  exceeded 
all  belief.  His  name  was  John  Dean ;  he  was  a 
black  man,  but  free.  The  report  was,  that  for  a 
trifling  circumstance,  for  which  he  was  in  nowise 
to  blame,  the  captain  had  fastened  him  with  his 
belly  to  the  deck,  and  that,  in  this  situation,  he 
had  poured  hot  pitch  upon  his  back,  and  made 
incisions  in  it  with  hot  tongs. 

Before,  however,  I  attempted  to  learn  the  truth 
of  this  barbarous  proceeding,  I  thought  I  Would 
look  into  the  ship's  muster-roll,  to  see  if  I  could 
find  the  name  of  such  a  man.  On  examination 
I  found  it  to  be  the  last  on  the  list.  John  Dean,  it 
appeared,  had  been  one  of  the  original  crew,  hav*. 


226  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

ing  gone  on  board,  from  Bristol,  on  the  twenty- 
second  day  of  July,  1785. 

On  inquiring  where  Dean  was  to  be  found,  my 
informant  told  me  that  he  had  lately  left  Bristol  for 
London.  I  was  shown,  however,  to  the  house 
where  he  had  lodged.  The  name  of  his  landlord 
was  Donovan.  On  talking  with  him  on  the  sub- 
ject, he  assured  me  that  the  report  which  I  had 
heard  was  true  ;  for  that  while  he  resided  with 
him  he  had  heard  an  account  of  his  usage  from 
some  of  his  ship-mates,  and  that  he  had  often 
looked  at  his  scarred  and  mutilated  back. 

On  inquiring  of  Donovan  if  any  other  person  in 
Bristol  could  corroborate  this  account,  he  referred 
me  to  a  reputable  tradesman  living  in  the  Market- 
place. Having  been  introduced  to  him,  he  told 
me  that  he  had  long  known  John  Dean  to  be  a 
sober  and  industrious  man ;  that  he  had  seen  the 
terrible  indentures  on  his  back  ;  and  that  they 
were  said  to  have  been  made  by  the  captain,  in 
the  manner  related,  during  his  last  voyage. 

While  I  was  investigating  this  matter  further,  I 
was  introduced  to  Mr.  S}7denham  Teast,  a  respect- 
able ship-builder  in  Bristol,  and  the  owner  of  ves- 
sels trading  to  Africa  in  the  natural  productions 
of  that  country.  I  mentioned  to  him  by  accident 
what  I  had  heard  relative  to  the  treatment  of 
John  Dean.     He  said  it  was  true.     An  attorney* 


*  I  afterwards  found  out  this  attorney.  He  described  the  trans- 
action to  me,  as  by  report,  it  had  taken  place>  and  informed  me 
that  he  had  made  the  captain  of  the  Brothers  pay  for  his  barbarity. 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  227 

in  London  had  then  taken  up  his  cause,  in  conse- 
quence of  which  the  captain  had  been  prevented 
from  sailing,  till  he  could  find  persons  who  would 
be  answerable  for  the  damages  which  might  be 
awarded  against  him  in  a  court  of  law.  Mr. 
Teast  further  said,  that,  not  knowing,  at  that  time, 
the  cruelty  of  the  transaction  to  its  full  extent, 
he  himself  had  been  one  of  the  securities  for  the 
captain  at  the  request  of  the  purser*  of  the  ship. 
Finding,  however,  afterwards,  that  it  was  as  the 
public  had  stated3  he  was  sorry  that  he  had  ever 
interfered  in  such  a  barbarous  case. 

This  transaction,  which  I  now  believed  to  be 
true,  had  the  effect  of  preparing  me  for  crediting 
whatever  I  might  hear  concerning  the  barbarities 
said  to  be  practised  in  this  trade.  It  kindled  also 
a  fire  of  indignation  within  me,  and  produced  in 
me  both  anxiety  and  spirit  to  proceed.  But  that 
which  excited  these  feelings  the  most,  was  the 
consideration,  that  the  purser  of  this  ship,  know- 
ing, as  he  did,  of  this  act  of  cruelty,  should  have 
sent  out  this  monster  again.  This,  I  own,  made 
me  think  that  there  was  a  system  of  bad  usage  to 
be  deliberately  practised  upon  the  seamen  in  this 
employment,  for  some  purpose  or  other  which  I 
could  then  neither  comprehend  nor  ascertain. 

But  while  I  was  in  pursuit  of  this  one  object,  I 
was   not   unmindful  of  the   others  which  I  had 


*  The  purser  of  a  ship,  at  Bristol,  is  the  person  who  manages 
the  out-fit,  as  well  as  the  trade,  and  who  is  often  in  part  owner  of 
her. 


228  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

marked  out  for  myself.  I  had  already  procured 
an  interview,  as  I  have  mentioned,  with  Mr.  Sy- 
denham Teast.  I  had  done  this  with  a  view  of 
learning  from  him  what  were  the  different  produc- 
tions of  the  continent  of  Africa,  as  far  as  he  had 
been  able  to  ascertain  from  the  imports  by  his  own 
vessels.  He  was  very  open  and  communicative. 
He  had  imported  ivory,  red-wood,  cam-wood,  and 
gum-copal.  He  purposed  to  import  palm  oil. 
He  observed  that  bees-wax  might  be  collected  also 
upon  the  coast.  Of  his  gum-copal  he  gave  me  a 
specimen.  He  furnished  me  also  with  two  differ- 
ent specimens  of  unknown  woods,  which  had  the 
appearance  of  being  useful.  One  of  his  captains, 
he  informed  me,  had  been  told  by  the  natives,  that 
cotton,  pink  in  the  pod,  grew  in  their  country. 
He  was  of  opinion,  that  many  valuable  produc- 
tions might  be  found  upon  this  continent. 

Mr.  Biggs,  to  whom  I  gained  an  introduction 
also,  was  in  a  similar  trade  with  Mr.  Teast ;  that 
is,  he  had  one  or  two  vessels,  which  skimmed,  as 
it  were,  the  coast  and  rivers,  for  what  they  could 
get  of  the  produce  of  Africa,  without  having  any 
concern  in  the  trade  for  slaves.  Mr.  Biggs  gave 
me  a  specimen  of  gum  Senegal,  of  yellow  wood, 
and  of  Mailaguetta  and  Cayenne  pepper.  He 
gave  me  also  small  pieces  of  cloth  made  and  dyed 
by  the  natives,  the  colors  of  which  they  could 
only  have  obtained  from  materials  in  their  own 
country.  Mr.  Biggs  seemed  to  be  assured,  that 
if  proper  persons  were  sent  to  Africa  on  discovery, 
they  would  find  a  rich  mine  of  wealth  in  the  nat- 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  229 

ural  productions  of  it,  and  in  none  more  advan- 
tageous to  this  as  a  manufacturing  nation,  than  in 
the  many  beautiful  dyes  which  it  might  furnish. 

From  Thomas  Bonville  I  collected  two  speci- 
mens of  cloth  made  by  the  natives,  and  from  others 
a  beautiful  piece  of  tulip-wood,  a  small  piece  of 
wood  similar  to  mahogany,  and  a  sample  of  fine 
rice,  all  of  which  had  been  brought  from  the  same 
continent. 

Among  the  persons  whom  I  found  out  at  Bris- 
tol, and  from  whom  I  derived  assistance,  were 
Dr.  Camplin,  and  the  celebrated  Dean  Tucker. 
The  former  was  my  warm  defender ;  for  the  West- 
Indian  and  African  merchants,  as  soon  as  they 
discovered  my  errand,  began  to  calumniate  me. 
The  Dean,  though  in  a  very  advanced  age,  felt 
himself  much  interested  in  my  pursuit.  He  had 
long  moved  in  the  political  world  himself,  and 
was  desirous  of  hearing  of  what  was  going  for- 
ward that  was  new  in  it,  but  particularly  about  so 
desirable  a  measure  as  that  of  the  abolition  of  the 
Slave-trade.*  He  introduced  me  to  the  Custom- 
house at  Bristol.  He  used  to  call  upon  me  at  the 
Merchant's  Hall,  while  I  was  transcribing  the 
muster-rolls  of  the  seamen  there.  In  short,  he 
seemed  to  be  interested  in  all  my  movements. 
He  became  also  a  warm  supporter  both  of  me  and 
of  my  cause. 

*  Dean  Tucker,  in  his  Reflections  on  the  Disputes  between 
Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  published  in  1785,  had  passed  a  severe 
censure  on  the  British  planters  for  the  inhuman  treatment  of  their 
slaves. 

vol.  i.  20 


230  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

Among  others,  who  were  useful  to  me  in  my 
pursuit,  was  Mr.  Henry  Sulgar,  an  amiable  min- 
ister of  the  gospel  belonging  to  the  religious  soci- 
ety of  the  Moravians  in  the  same  city.  From  him 
I  first  procured  authentic  documents  relative  to 
the  treacherous  massacre  at  Calabar.  This  cruel 
transaction  had  been  frequently  mentioned  to  me ; 
but  as  it  had  taken  place  twenty  years  before,  I 
could  not  find  one  person  who  had  been  engaged 
in  it,  nor  could  I  come,  in  a  satisfactory  manner, 
at  the  various  particulars  belonging  to  it.  My 
friend,  however,  put  me  in  possession  of  copies  of 
the  real  depositions  which  had  been  taken  in  the 
ease  of  the  King  against  Lippincott  and  others 
relative  to  this  event,  namely,  of  captain  Floyd,  of 
the  city  of  Bristol,  who  had  been  a  witness  to  the 
scene,  and  of  Ephraim  Robin  John,  and  of  Anco- 
na  Robin  Robin  John,  two  African  chiefs,  who 
had  been  sufferers  by  it.  These  depositions  had 
been  taken  before  Jacob  Kirby,  and  Thomas  Sy- 
mons,  esquires,  commissioners  at  Bristol  for  taking 
affidavits  in  the  court  of  King's  Bench.  The 
tragedy,  of  which  they  gave  a  circumstantial  ac- 
count, I  shall  present  to  the  reader  in  as  concise  a 
manner  as  I  can. 

In  the  year  1767,  the  ships  Indian  Queen,  Duke 
of  York,  Nancy,  and  Concord,  of  Bristol,  the  Ed- 
gar, of  Liverpool,  and  the  Canterbury,  of  London, 
lay  in  Old  Calabar  river. 

It  happened  at  this  time  that  a  quarrel  subsisted 
between  the  principal  inhabitants  of  Old  Town 
and  those  of  New  Town,  Old  Calabar,  which  had: 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  231 

originated  in  a  jealousy  respecting  slaves.  The 
captains  of  the  vessels  now  mentioned  joined  in 
sending  several  letters  to  the  inhabitants  of  Old 
Town,  but  particularly  to  Ephraim  Robin  John, 
who  was  at  that  time  a  grandee  or  principal  inhab- 
itant of  the  place.  The  tenor  of  these  letters 
was,  that  they  were  sorry  that  any  jealousy  or 
quarrel  should  subsist  between  the  two  parties  ; 
that  if  the  inhabitants  of  Old  Town  would  come 
on  board,  they  would  afford  them  security  and 
protection ;  adding  at  the  same  time,  that  their 
intention  in  inviting  them  was,  that  they  might 
become  mediators,  and  thus  heal  their  disputes. 

The  inhabitants  of  Old  Town,  happy  to  find 
that  their  differences  were  likely  to  be  accom- 
modated, joyfully  accepted  the  invitation.  The 
three  brothers  of  the  grandee  just  mentioned,  the 
eldest  of  whom  was  Amboe  Robin  John,  first  en- 
tered their  canoe,  attended  by  twenty-seven  others^ 
and,  being  followed  by  nine  canoes,  directed  their 
course  to  the  Indian  Queen.  They  were  dispatch- 
ed from  thence  the  next  morning  to  the  Edgar, 
and  afterwards  to  the  Duke  of  York,  on  board  of 
which  they  went,  leaving  their  canoe  and  attend- 
ants by  the  side  of  the  same  vessel.  In  the  mean 
time  the  people  on  board  the  other  canoes  were 
either  distributed  on  board,  or  lying  close  to,  the 
other  ships. 

This  being  the  situation  of  the  three  brothers^ 
and  of  the  principal  inhabitants  of  the  place,  the 
treachery  now  began  to  appear.  The  crew  of 
the  Duke  of  York,  aided  by  the  captain  and  matesj 


232  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

and  armed  with  pistols  and  cutlasses,  rushed  into 
the  cabin,  with  an  intent  to  seize  the  persons 
of  their  three  innocent  and  unsuspicious  guests. 
The  unhappy  men,  alarmed  at  this  violation  of  the 
rights  of  hospitality,  and  struck  with  astonish- 
ment at  the  behaviour  of  their  supposed  friends, 
attempted  to  escape  through  the  cabin  windows, 
but  being  wounded  were  obliged  to  desist,  and  to 
submit  to  be  put  in  irons. 

In  the  same  moment,  in  which  this  atrocious 
attempt  had  been  made,  an  order  had  been  given 
to  fire  upon  the  canoe,  which  was  then  lying  by 
the  side  of  the  Duke  of  York.  The  canoe  soon 
filled  and  sunk,  and  the  wretched  attendants  were 
either  seized,  killed,  or  drowned.  Most  of  the 
other  ships  followed  the  example.  Great  numbers 
were  additionally  killed  and  drowned  on  the  occa- 
sion, and  others  were  swimming  to  the  shore. 

At  this  juncture  the  inhabitants  of  New  Town, 
who  had  concealed  themselves  in  the  bushes  by 
the  water  side,  and  between  whom  and  the  com- 
manders of  the  vessels  the  plan  had  been  pre- 
viously concerted,  came  out  from  their  hiding 
places,  and,  embarking  in  their  canoes,  made  for 
such  as  were  swimming  from  the  fire  of  the  ships. 
The  ships'  boats  also  were  manned,  and  joined  in 
the  pursuit.  They  butchered  the  greatest  part 
of  those  whom  they  caught.  Many  dead  bodies 
were  soon  seen  upon  the  sands,  and  others  were 
floating  upon  the  water  ;  and  including  those  who 
were  seized  and  carried  off,  and  those  who  were 
drowned   and  killed,  either  by  the  firing  of  the 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  233 

ships  or  by  the  people  of  New  Town,  three  hun- 
dred were  lost  to  the  inhabitants  of  Old  Town  on 
that  day. 

The  carnage,  which  I  have  been  now  describ- 
ing, was  scarcely  over,  when  a  canoe,  full  of  the 
principal  people  of  New  Town,  who  had  been  the 
promoters  of  the  scheme,  dropped  along-side  of 
the  Duke  of  York.  They  demanded  the  person 
of  Amboe  Robin  John,  the  brother  of  the  grandee 
of  Old  Town,  and  the  eldest  of  the  three  on 
board.  The  unfortunate  man  put  the  palms  of 
his  hands  together,  and  beseeched  the  commander 
of  the  vessel,  that  he  would  not  violate  the  rights 
of  hospitality  by  giving  up  an  unoffending  stranger 
to  his  enemies.  But  no  entreaties  could  avail. 
The  commander  received  from  the  New  Town 
people  a  slave,  of  the  name  of  Econg,  in  his  stead, 
and  then  forced  him  into  the  canoe,  where  his 
head  was  immediately  struck  off  in  the  sight 
of  the  crew,  and  of  his  afflicted  and  disconsolate 
brothers.  As  for  them,  they  escaped  his  fate ;  but 
they  were  carried  off  with  their  attendants  to  the 
West  Indies,  and  sold  for  slaves. 

The  knowledge  of  this  tragical  event  now  fully 
confirmed  me  in  the  sentiment,  that  the  hearts  of 
those,  who  were  concerned  in  this  traffic,  became 
unusually  hardened,  and  that  I  might  readily  be- 
lieve any  atrocities,  however  great,  which  might 
be  related  of  them.  It  made  also  my  blood  boil 
as  it  were  within  me.  It  gave  a  new  spring  to 
my  exertions.  And  I  rejoiced,  sorrowful  as  I 
otherwise  was,  that  I  had  visited  Bristol,  if  it  had 

vol.  i.  20* 


234  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

been  only  to  gain  an  accurate  statement  of  this 
one  fact. 

In  pursuing  my  objects,  I  found  that  reports 
were  current,  that  the  crew  of  the  Alfred  slave- 
vessel,  which  had  just  returned,  had  been  barbar- 
ously used,  but  particularly  a  young  man  of  the 
name  of  Thomas,  who  had  served  as  the  surgeon's 
mate  on  board  her.  The  report  was,  that  he  had 
been  repeatedly  knocked  down  by  the  captain  ; 
that  he  had  become  in  consequence  of  his  ill 
usage  so  weary  of  his  life,  that  he  had  three  times 
jumped  overboard  to  destroy  it ;  that  on  being 
taken  up  the  last  time  he  had  been  chained  to 
the  deck  of  the  ship,  in  which  situation  he  had 
remained  night  and  day  for  some  time  ;  that  in 
consequence  of  this  his  health  had  been  greatly 
impaired  ;  and  that  it  was  supposed  he  could  not 
long  survive  this  treatment. 

It  was  with  great  difficulty,  notwithstanding  all 
my  inquiries,  that  I  could  trace  this  person.  I  dis- 
covered him,  however,  at  last.  He  was  confined 
to  his  bed  when  I  saw  him,  and  appeared  to  me 
to  be  delirious.  I  could  collect  nothing  from  him- 
self relative  to  the  particulars  of  his  treatment. 
In  his  intervals  of  sense,  he  exclaimed  against 
the  cruelty  both  of  the  captain  and  of  the  chief 
mate,  and  pointing  to  his  legs,  thighs  and  body, 
which  were  all  wrapped  up  in  flannel,  he  endeav- 
ored to  convince  me  how  much  he  had  suffered 
there.  At  one  time  he  said  he  forgave  them. 
At  another  he  asked,  if  I  came  to  befriend  him. 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  235 

At  another  he  looked  wildly,  and  asked  if  I  meant 
to  take  the  captain's  part  and  to  kill  him. 

I  was  greatly  affected  by  the  situation  of  this 
poor  man,  whose  image  haunted  me  both  night 
and  day,  and  I  was  meditating  how  most  effectu- 
ally to  assist  him,  when  I  heard  that  he  was 
dead. 

I  was  very  desirous  of  tracing  something  fur- 
ther on  this  subject,  when  Walter  Chandler,  of 
the  society  of  the  Quakers,  who  had  been  daily 
looking  out  for  intelligence  for  me,  brought  a 
young  man  to  me  of  the  name  of  Dixon.  He  had 
been  one  of  the  crew  of  the  same  ship.  He  told 
me  the  particulars  of  the  treatment  of  Thomas, 
with  very  little  variation  from  those  contained  in 
the  public  report.  After  cross-examining  him  in 
the  best  manner  I  was  able,  I  could  find  no  incon- 
sistency in  his  account. 

I  asked  Dixon  how  the  captain  came  to  treat 
the  surgeon's  mate  in  particular  so  ill.  He  said 
he  had  treated  them  all  much  alike.  A  person 
of  the  name  of  Bulpin,  he  believed,  was  the  only 
one  who  escaped  bad  usage  in  the  ship.  With 
respect  to  himself,  he  had  been  cruelly  used  so 
early  as  in  the  outward  bound  passage,  which 
had  occasioned  him  to  jump  overboard.  When 
taken  up  he  was  put  into  irons,  and  kept  in  these 
for  a  considerable  time.  He  was  afterwards  ill 
used  at  different  times,  and  even  so  late  as  within 
three  or  four  days  of  his  return  to  port.  For  just 
before  the  Alfred  made  the  island  of  Lundy,  he 


236  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

was  struck  by  the  captain,  who  cut  his  under  lip 
into  two.  He  said  that  it  had  bled  so  much,  that 
the  captain  expressed  himself  as  if  much  alarmed ; 
and  having  the  expectation  of  arriving1  soon  at 
Bristol,  he  had  promised  to  make  him  amends,  if 
he  would  hold  his  peace.  This  he  said  he  had 
hitherto  done,  but  he  had  received  no  recompense. 
In  confirmation  of  his  own  usage,  he  desired  me 
to  examine  his  lip,  which  I  had  no  occasion  to  do, 
having  already  perceived  it,  for  the  wound  was 
apparently  almost  fresh. 

I  asked  Dixon,  if  there  was  any  person  in  Bris- 
tol, besides  himself,  who  could  confirm  to  me  this 
his  own  treatment,  as  well  as  that  of  the  other  un- 
fortunate man  who  was  now  dead.  He  referred 
me  to  a  seaman  of  the  name  of  Matthew  Pyke. 
This  person,  when  brought  to  me,  not  only  related 
readily  the  particulars  of  the  usage  in  both  cases, 
as  I  have  now  stated  them,  but  that  which  he  re- 
ceived himself.  He  said  that  his  own  arm  had 
been  broken  by  the  chief  mate  in  Black  River, 
Ja,maica,  and  that  he  had  also  by  the  captain's 
orders,  though  contrary  to  the  practice  in  merchant 
vessels,  been  severely  flogged.  His  arm  appeared 
to  be  then  in  pain.  And  I  had  a  proof  of  the 
punishment  by  an  inspection  of  his  back. 

I  asked  Matthew  Pyke,  if  the  crew  in  general 
had  been  treated  in  a  cruel  manner.  He  replied, 
they  had,  except  James  Bulpin.  I  then  asked 
where  James  Bulpin  was  to  be  found.  He  told 
me  where  he  had  lodged,  but  feared  he  had  gone 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TfeADE.  23? 

home  to  his  friends  in  Somersetshire,  I  think  some- 
where in  the  neighborhood  of  Bridgewater. 

I  thought  it  prudent  to  institute  an  inquiry  into 
the  characters  of  Thomas,  Dixon,  and  Matthew 
Pyke,  before  I  went  further.  The  two  former  I 
found  were  strangers  in  Bristol,  and  I  could  collect 
nothing  about  them.  The  latter  was  a  native  of 
the  place,  had  served  his  time  as  a  seaman  from 
the  port,  and  was  reputed  of  fair  character. 

My  next  business  was  to  see  James  Bulpin.  I 
found  him  just  setting  off  for  the  country.  He 
stopped,  however,  to  converse  with  me.  He  was  a 
young  man  of  very  respectable  appearance  and  of 
mild  manners.  His  appearance,  indeed,  gave  me 
reason  to  hope  that  I  might  depend  upon  his  state- 
ments ;  but  I  was  most  of  all  influenced  by  the 
consideration,  that,  never  having  been  ill  used 
himself,  he  could  have  no  inducement  to  go  be* 
yond  the  bounds  of  truth  on  this  occasion.  He 
gave  me  a  melancholy  confirmation  of  all  the 
three  cases.  He  told  me  also  that  one  Joseph 
Cunningham  had  been  a  severe  sufferer,  and  that 
there  was  reason  to  fear  that  Charles  Horselerj 
another  of  the  crew,  had  been  so  severely  beaten 
over  the  breast  with  a  knotted  end  of  a  rope 
(which  end  was  of  the  size  of  a  large  ball,  and 
had  been  made  on  purpose)  that  he  died  of  it. 
To  this  he  added,  that  it  was  now  a  notorious 
fact,  that  the  captain  of  the  Alfred,  when  mate 
of  a  slave-ship,  had  been  tried  at  Barbadoes  for 
the  murder  of  one  of  the  crew,  with  whom  he 


238  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

had  sailed*  but  that  he  had  escaped  by  bribing  the 
principal  witness  to  disappear.* 

The  reader  will  see,  the  further  I  went  into  the 
history  of  this  voyage,  the  more  dismal  it  became. 
One  miserable  account,  when  examined,  only 
brought  up  another.  I  saw  no  end  to  inquiry. 
The  great  question  was,  what  was  I  to  do  ?  I 
thought  the  best  thing  would  be  to  get  the  captain 
apprehended,  and  make  him  stand  his  trial  either 
for  the  murder  of  Thomas  or  of  Charles  Horseler. 
I  communicated  with  the  late  Mr.  Bulges,  an  emi- 
nent attorney  and  the  deputy  town-clerk,  on  this 
occason.  He  had  shown  an  attachment  to  me  on 
account  of  the  cause  I  had  undertaken,  and  had 
given  me,  privately,  assistance  in  it.  I  say  pri- 
vately ;  because,  knowing  the  sentiments  of  many 
of  the  corporate  body  at  Bristol,  under  whom  he 
acted,  he  was  fearful  of  coming  forward  in  an  open 
manner.  His  advice  to  me  was,  to  take  notes  of 
the  case  for  my  own  private  conviction,  but  to  take 
no  public  cognizance  of  it.  He  said  that  seamen, 
as  soon  as  their  wages  were  expended,  must  be  off 
to  sea  again.  They  could  not  generally,  as  lands- 
men do,  maintain  themselves  on  shore.  Hence  I 
should  be  obliged  to  keep  the  whole  crew  at  my 
own  expense  till  the  day  of  trial,  which  might  not 
be  for  months  to  come.  He  doubted  not  that,  in 
the  interim,  the  merchants  and  others  would  in- 

*  Mr.  Sampson,  who  was  surgeon's  mate  of  the  ship,  in  which 
the  captain  had  thus  served  as  a  mate,  confirmed  to  me  afterwards 
this  assertion,  having  often  heard  him  boast  in  the  cabin,  "  how  he 
had  tricked  the  law  on  that  occasion." 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  239 

veigle  many  of  them  away  by  making  them  boat- 
swains and  other  inferior  officers  in  some  of  their 
ships  ;  so  that,  when  the  day  of  trial  should  come, 
I  should  find  my  witnesses  dispersed  and  gone. 
He  observed  moreover,  that,  if  any  of  the  officers 
of  the  ship  had  any  notion  of  going  out  again 
under  the  same  owners,*  I  should  have  all  these 
against  me.  To  which  he  added  that,  if  I  were 
to  make  a  point  of  taking  up  the  cause  of  those 
whom  I  found  complaining  of  hard  usage  in  this 
trade,  I  must  take  up  that  of  nearly  all  who  sailed 
in  it ;  for  that  he  only  knew  of  one  captain  from 
the  port  in  the  Slave-trade,  who  did  not  deserve 
long  ago  to  be  hanged.  Hence  I  should  get  into 
a  labyrinth  of  expense,  and  difficulty,  and  uneasi-*. 
ness  of  mind,  from  whence  I  should  not  easily  find 
a  clew  to  guide  me. 

This  advice,  though  it  was  judicious,  and 
founded  on  a  knowledge  of  law  proceedings,  I 
found  it  very  difficult  to  adopt.  My  own  disposi- 
tion was  naturally  such,  that  whatever  I  engaged 
in  I  followed  with  more  than  ordinary  warmth. 

*  The  seamen  of  the  Alfred  informed  the  purser  of  their  ill  usage. 
Matthew  Pyke  not  only  showed  him  his  arm  and  his  back,  but 
acquainted  him  with  the  murder  of  Charles  Horseler,  stating  that 
he  had  the  instrument  of  his  death  in  his  possession.  The  purser 
seemed  more  alive  to  this  than  to  any  other  circumstance,  and 
wished  to  get  it  from  him.  Pyke,  however,  had  given  it  to  me. 
Now  what  will  the  reader  think,  when  he  is  informed  that  the 
purser,  after  all  this  knowledge  of  the  captain's  cruelty,  sent  him 
out  again,  and  that  he  was  the  same  person  who  was  purser  of 
the  Brothers,  and  who  had  also  sent  out  the  captain  of  that  ship  a 
second  time,  as  has  been  related,  notwithstanding  his  barbarities  in 
£brmer  voyages ! 


240  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

I  could  not  be  supposed  therefore,  affected  and 
interested  as  I  then  was,  to  be  cool  and  tranquil 
on  this  occasion.  And  yet  what  would  my  worthy 
friend  have  said,  if  in  this  first  instance  I  had 
opposed  him  ?  I  had  a  very  severe  struggle  in  my 
own  feelings  on  this  account.  At  length,  though 
reluctantly,  I  obeyed.  But  as  the  passions,  which 
agitate  the  human  mind,  when  it  is  greatly  in- 
flamed, must  have  a  vent  somewhere,  or  must 
work  off  as  it  were,  or  in  working  together  must 
produce  some  new  passion  or  effect ;  so  I  found 
the  rage,  which  had  been  kindling  within  me, 
subsiding  into  the  most  determined  resolutions 
of  future  increased  activity  and  perseverance.  I 
began  now  to  think  that  the  day  was  not  long 
enough  for  me  to  labor  in.  I  regretted  often  the 
approach  of  night,  which  suspended  my  work, 
and  I  often  welcomed  that  of  the  morning,  which 
restored  me  to  it.  When  I  felt  myself  weary,  I 
became  refreshed  by  the  thought  of  what  I  was 
doing ;  when  disconsolate,  I  was  comforted  by  it. 
I  lived  in  hope  that  every  day's  labor  would  fur- 
nish me  with  that  knowledge,  which  would  bring 
this  evil  nearer  to  its  end ;  and  I  worked  on, 
under  these  feelings,  regarding  neither  trouble  nor 
danger  in  the  pursuit. 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.         241 


CHAPTER   XV. 

Author  confers  with  the  inhabitants  of  Bridgewater  relative 
to  a  petition  to  parliament  in  behalf  of  the  abolition — re- 
TURNS to  Bristol — discovers  a  scandalous  mode  of  procuring  sea- 
men for  the  Slave-trade — and  of  paying  them — makes  a  com- 
parative  VIEW   of   their    loss    in   this    and   in  other   trades — 

PROCURES  IMPORTS  AND  EXPORTS— EXAMINES  THE  CONSTRUCTION  AND 
ADMEASUREMENT  OF  SLAVE-SHIPS — OF  THE  FLY  AND  NEPTUNE. — DIFFI- 
CULTY OF  PROCURING  EVIDENCE. — CASE  OF  GARDINER  OF  THE  PIL- 
GRIM—OF  Arnold  of  the  Ruby — some   particulars  of  the  latter 

IN  HIS  FORMER  VOYAGES. 

Having  heard  by  accident,  that  the  inhabitants 
of  the  town  of  Bridgewater  had  sent  a  petition  to 
the  House  of  Commons,  in  the  year  1785,  for  the 
abolition  of  the  Slave-trade,  as  has  been  related 
in  a  former  part  of  the  work,  I  determined,  while 
my  feelings  were  warm,  to  go  there,  and  to  try  to 
find  out  those  who  had  been  concerned  in  it,  and 
to  confer  with  them  as  the  tried  friends  of  the 
cause.  The  time  seemed  to  me  to  be  approaching, 
when  the  public  voice  should  be  raised  against 
this  enormous  evil.  I  was  sure  that  it  was  only 
necessary  for  the  inhabitants  of  this  favored  island 
to  know  it,  to  feel  a  just  indignation  against  it. 
Accordingly  I  set  off.  My  friend  George  Fisher, 
who  was  before  mentioned  to  have  been  of  the 
religious  society  of  the  Quakers,  gave  me  an  in- 
troduction to  the  respectable  family  of  Ball,  which 
was  of  the  same  religious  persuasion.  I  called 
upon  Mr.  Sealey,  Anstice,  Crandon,  Chubb,  and 
others.     I  laid  open  to  those,  whom  1  saw,  the 

vol.  i.  21 


242  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

discoveries  I  had  made  relative  to  the  loss  and  ill 
treatment  of  seamen  ;  at  which  they  seemed  to 
be  much  moved ;  and  it  was  agreed,  that,  if  it 
should  be  thought  a  proper  measure,  (of  which  I 
would  inform  them  when  I  had  consulted  the 
committee,)  a  second  petition  should  be  sent  to 
Parliament  from  the  inhabitants,  praying  for  the 
abolition  of  the  Slave-trade.  With  this  view  I 
left  them  several  of  my  Summary  Views,  before 
mentioned,  to  distribute,  that  the  inhabitants 
might  know  more  particularly  the  nature  of  the 
evil,  against  which  they  were  going  to  complain. 
On  my  return  to  Bristol,  I  determined  to  inquire 
into  the  truth  of  the  reports  that  seamen  had  an 
aversion  to  enter,  and  that  they  were  inveigled, 
if  not  often  forced,  into  this  hateful  employment. 
For  this  purpose  1  was  introduced  to  a  landlord 
of  the  name  of  Thompson,  who  kept  a  public 
house  called  the  Seven  Stars.  He  was  a  very 
intelligent  man,  was  accustomed  to  receive  sailors, 
when  discharged  at  the  end  of  their  voyages,  and 
to  board  them  till  their  vessels  went  out  again, 
or  to  find  them  births  in  others.  He  avoided, 
however,  all  connexion  with  the  Slave-trade,  de- 
claring that  the  credit  of  his  house  would  be 
ruined,  if  he  were  known  to  send  those,  who  put 
themselves  under  his  care,  into  it. 

From  him  I  collected  the  truth  of  all  that  had 
been  stated  to  me  on  this  subject.  But  I  told 
him  I  should  not  be  satisfied  until  I  had  beheld 
those  scenes  myself,  which  he  had  described  to 
me ;  and  I  entreated  him  to  take  me  into  them> 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  243 

saying  that  I  would  reward  him  for  all  his  time 
and  trouble,  and  that  I  would  never  forget  him 
while  I  lived.  To  this  he  consented  ;  and  as 
three  or  four  slave-vessels  at  this  time  were  pre- 
paring for  their  voyages,  it  was  time  that  we 
should  begin  our  rounds.  At  about  twelve  at 
night  we  generally  set  out,  and  were  employed  till 
two  and  sometimes  three  in  the  morning.  He  led 
me  from  one  of  those  public  houses  to  another, 
which  the  mates  of  the  slave-vessels  used  to 
frequent  to  pick  up  their  hands.  These  houses 
were  in  Marsh-street,  and  most  of  them  were 
then  kept  by  Irishmen.  The  scenes  witnessed  in 
these  houses  were  truly  distressing  to  me  ;  and 
yet,  if  I  wished  to  know  practically  what  I  had 
purposed,  I  could  not  avoid  them.  Music,  dan- 
cing, rioting,  drunkenness,  and  profane  swearing, 
were  kept  up  from  night  to  night.  The  young 
mariner,  if  a  stranger  to  the  port,  and  unacquaint- 
ed with  the  nature  of  the  Slave-trade,  was  sure 
to  be  picked  up.  The  novelty  of  the  voyages, 
the  superiority  of  the  wages  in  this  over  any 
other  trade,  and  the  privileges  of  various  kinds, 
were  set  before  him.  Gulled  in  this  manner  he 
was  frequently  enticed  to  the  boat,  which  was 
waiting  to  carry  him  away.  If  these  prospects 
did  not  attract  him,  he  was  plied  with  liquor  till 
he  became  intoxicated,  when  a  bargain  was  made 
over  him  between  the  landlord  and  the  mate. 
After  this  his  senses  were  kept  in  such  a  constant 
state  of  stupefaction  by  the  liquor,  that  in  time 
the  former  might  do  with  him  what  he  pleased. 


244  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

Seamen  also  were  boarded  in  these  houses,  who, 
Avhen  the  slave-ships  were  going  out,  but  at  no 
other  time,  were  encouraged  to  spend  more  than 
they  had  money  to  pay  for ;  and  to  these,  when 
they  had  thus  exceeded,  but  one  alternative  was 
given,  namely,  a  slave-vessel,  or  a  jail.  These  dis- 
tressing scenes  I  found  myself  obliged  frequently 
to  witness,  for  I  was  no  less  than  nineteen  times 
occupied  in  making  these  hateful  rounds.  And 
I  can  say  from  my  own  experience,  and  all  the 
information  I  could  collect  from  Thompson  and 
others,  that  no  such  practices  were  in  use  to  obtain 
seamen  for  other  trades. 

The  treatment  of  the  seamen  employed  in  the 
Slave-trade  had  so  deeply  interested  me,  and  now 
the  manner  of  procuring  them,  that  I  was  deter- 
mined to  make  myself  acquainted  with  their 
whole  history ;  for  I  found  by  report,  that  they 
were  not  only  personally  ill-treated,  as  I  have 
already  painfully  described,  but  that  they  were 
robbed  by  artifice  of  those  wages,  which  had  been 
held  up  to  them  as  so  superior  in  this  service. 
All  persons  were  obliged  to  sign  articles,  that,  in 
case  they  should  die  or  be  discharged  during  the 
voyage,  the  wages  then  due  to  them  should  be 
paid  in  the  currency  where  the  vessel  carried  her 
slaves,  and  that  half  of  the  wages  due  to  them 
on  their  arrival  there  should  be  paid  in  the  same 
manner,  and  that  they  were  never  permitted  to 
read  over  the  articles  they  had  signed.  By  means 
of  this  iniquitous  practice  the  wages  in  the  Slave- 
trade,  though  nominally  higher  in  order  to  induce 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  245 

seamen  to  engage  in  it,  were  actually  lower  than 
in  other  trades.  All  these  usages  I  ascertained 
in  such  a  manner,  that  no  person  could  doubt  the 
truth  of  them.  I  actually  obtained  possession  of 
articles  of  agreement  belonging  to  these  vessels, 
which  had  been  signed  and  executed  in  former 
voyages.  I  made  the  merchants  themselves,  by 
sending  those  seamen,  who  had  claims  upon 
them,  to  ask  for  their  accounts  current  with  their 
respective  ships,  furnish  me  with  such  documents 
as  would  have  been  evidence  against  them  in  any 
court  of  law.  On  whatever  branch  of  the  system 
I  turned  my  eyes,  I  found  it  equally  barbarous. 
The  trade  was,  in  short,  one  mass  of  iniquity  from 
the  beginning  to  the  end. 

I  employed  myself  occasionally  in  the  Mer- 
chant's Hall,  in  making  copies  of  the  muster-rolls 
of  ships  sailing  to  different  parts  of  the  world,  that 
I  might  make  a  comparative  view  of  the  loss  of 
seamen  in  the  Slave-trade,  with  that  of  those  in 
the  other  trades  from  the  same  port.  The  result 
of  this  employment  showed  me  the  importance  of 
it :  for,  when  I  considered  how  partial  the  inhabit- 
ants of  this  country  were  to  their  fellow  citizens, 
the  seamen  belonging  to  it,  and  in  what  estima- 
tion the  members  of  the  legislature  held  them, 
by  enforcing  the  Navigation  Act,  which  they  con- 
sidered to  be  the  bulwark  of  the  nation,  and  by 
giving  bounties  to  certain  trades,  that  these  might 
become  so  many  nurseries  for  the  marine,  I 
thought  it  of  great  importance  to  be  able  to  prove, 
as  I  was  then  capable  of  doing,  that  more  persons 

vol.  i.  21  * 


246  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

would  be  found  dead  in  three  slave-vessels  from 
Bristol,  in  a  given  time,  than  in  all  the  other  ves- 
sels put  together,  numerous  as  they  were,  belong- 
ing to  the  same  port. 

I  procured,  also,  an  account  of  the  exports  and 
imports  for  the  year  1786,  by  means  of  which  I 
was  enabled  to  judge  of  the  comparative  value  of 
this  and  the  other  trades. 

In  pursuing  another  object,  which  was  that  of 
going  on  board  the  slave-ships,  and  learning  their 
construction  and  dimensions,  I  was  greatly  struck, 
and  indeed  affected,  by  the  appearance  of  two 
little  sloops,  which  were  fitting  out  for  Africa,  the 
one  of  only  twenty-five  tons,  which  was  said  to  be 
destined  to  carry  seventy ;  and  the  other  of  only 
eleven,  which  was  said  to  be  destined  to  carry 
thirty  slaves.  I  was  told  also  that  which  was 
more  affecting,  namely,  that  these  were  not  to  act 
as  tenders  on  the  coast,  by  going  up  and  down 
the  rivers,  and  receiving  three  or  four  slaves  at  a 
time,  and  then  carrying  them  to  a  large  ship, 
which  was  to  take  them  to  the  West  Indies,  but 
that  it  was  actually  intended,  that  they  should 
transport  their  own  slaves  themselves ;  that  one 
if  not  both  of  them  were,  on  their  arrival  in  the 
West  Indies,  to  be  sold  as  pleasure  vessels,  and 
that  the  seamen  belonging  to  them  were  to  be 
permitted  to  come  home  by  what  is  usually  called 
the  run. 

This  account  of  the  destination  of  these  little 
vessels,  though  it  was  distressing  at  first,  appeared 
to  me  afterwards,  on  cool  reasoning,  to  be  incred- 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.         247 

ifole.  I  thought  that  my  informants  wished  to  im- 
pose upon  me,  in  order  that  I  might  make  state- 
ments which  would  carry  their  own  refutation 
with  them,  and  that  thus  I  might  injure  the  great 
cause  which  I  had  undertaken.  And  I  was  much 
inclined  to  be  of  this  opinion,  when  I  looked  again 
at  the  least  of  the  two  :  for  any  person,  who  was 
tall,  standing  upon  dry  ground  by  the  side  of  her, 
might  have  overlooked  every  thing  upon  her  deck. 
I  knew  also  that  she  had  been  built  as  a  pleasure 
boat  for  the  accommodation  of  only  six  persons 
upon  the  Severn.  I  determined,  therefore,  to  sus- 
pend my  belief  till  I  could  take  the  admeasure- 
ment of  each  vessel.  This  I  did  ;  but  lest,  in  the 
agitation  of  my  mind  on  this  occasion,  I  should 
have  made  any  mistake,  I  desired  my  friend 
George  Fisher  to  apply  to  the  builder  for  his  ad- 
measurement also.  With  this  he  kindly  complied. 
When  he  obtained  it  he  brought  it  me.  This 
account,  which  nearly  corresponded  with  my  own, 
was  as  follows  : — In  the  vessel  of  twenty-five  tons, 
the  length  of  the  upper  part  of  the  hold,  or  roof, 
of  the  room  where  the  seventy  slaves  were  to  be 
stowed,  was  but  little  better  than  ten  yards,  or 
thirty-one  feet.  The  greatest  breadth  of  the  bot- 
tom, or  floor,  was  ten  feet  four  inches,  and  the 
least  five.  Hence,  a  grown  person  must  sit  down 
all  the  voyage,  and  contract  his  limbs  within  the 
narrow  limits  of  three  square  feet.  In  the  vessel 
of  eleven  tons,  the  length  of  the  room  for  the 
thirty  slaves  was  twenty-two  feet.  The  greatest 
breadth  of  the  floor  was  eight,  and  the  least  four, 


248  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

The  whole  height  from  the  keel  to  the  beam  was 
but  five  feet  eight  inches,  three  feet  of  which  were 
occupied  by  ballast,  cargo,  and  provisions,  so  that 
two  feet  eight  inches  remained  only  as  the  height 
between  the  decks.  Hence,  each  slave  would 
have  only  four  square  feet  to  sit  in,  and,  when  in 
this  posture,  his  head,  if  he  were  a  full-grown  per- 
son, would  touch  the  ceiling,  or  upper  deck. 

Having  now  received  this  admeasurement  from 
the  builder,  which  was  rather  more  favorable  than 
my  own,  I  looked  upon  the  destination  of  these 
little  vessels  as  yet  more  incredible  than  before. 
Still  the  different  persons,  whom  1  occasionally 
saw  on  board  them,  persisted  in  it  that  they  were 
going  to  Africa  for  slaves,  and  also  for  the  num- 
bers mentioned,  which  they  were  afterwards  to 
carry  to  the  West  Indies  themselves.  I  desired, 
however,  my  friends,  George  Fisher,  Truman 
Harford,  Harry  Gandy,  Walter  Chandler,  and 
others,  each  to  make  a  separate  inquiry  for  me 
on  this  subject ;  and  they  all  agreed  that,  im- 
probable as  the  account  both  of  their  destination, 
and  of  the  number  they  were  to  take,  might  ap- 
pear, they  had  found  it  to  be  too  true.  I  had 
soon  afterwards  the  sorrow  to  learn  from  official 
documents  from  the  Custom-house,  that  these 
little  vessels  actually  cleared  out  for  Africa,  and 
that  now  nothing  could  be  related  so  barbarous 
of  this  traffic,  which  might  not  instantly  be  be- 
lieved. 

In  pursuing  my  different  objects  there  was  one, 
which,  to  my  great  vexation,  I  found  it  extremely 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  249 

difficult  to  attain.  This  was  the  procuring  of  any 
assurance  from  those,  who  had  been  personally- 
acquainted  with  the  horrors  of  this  trade,  that  they 
would  appear,  if  called  upon,  as  evidence  against 
it.  My  friend,  Harry  Gandy,  to  whom  I  had 
been  first  introduced,  had  been  two  voyages,  as  I 
before  mentioned  ;  and  he  was  willing,  though  at 
an  advanced  age,  to  go  to  London,  to  state  pub- 
licly all  he  knew  concerning  them.  But  with 
respect  to  the  many  others  in  Bristol,  who  had 
been  to  the  coast  of  Africa,  I  had  not  yet  found 
one,  who  would  come  forward  for  this  purpose. 
There  were  several  old  Slave-captains  living  there, 
who  had  a  great  knowledge  of  the  subject.  I 
thought  it  not  unreasonable,  that  I  might  gain 
one  or  two  good  evidences  out  of  these,  as  they 
had  probably  long  ago  left  the  concern,  and  were 
not  now  interested  in  the  continuance  of  it.  But 
all  my  endeavors  were  fruitless.  I  sent  messages 
to  them  by  different  persons,  i  met  them  in  all 
ways.  I  stated  to  them,  that  if  there  was  nothing 
objectionable  in  the  trade,  seeing  it  labored  under 
such  a  stigma,  they  had  an  opportunity  of  coming 
forward  and  of  wiping  away  the  stain.  If,  on 
the  other  hand,  it  was  as  bad  as  represented,  then 
they  had  it  in  their  power,  by  detailing  the  crimes 
which  attached  to  it,  of  making  some  reparation, 
or  atonement,  for  the  part  they  had  taken  in  it. 
But  no  representations  would  do.  All  intercourse 
was  positively  forbidden  between  us  ;  and  when- 
ever they  met  me  in  the  street,  they  shunned  me 
as  if  I  had  been  a  mad  dog.    I  could  not  for  some 


250  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

time  account  for  the  strange  disposition  which 
they  thus  manifested  towards  me  ;  but  my  friends 
helped  me  to  unravel  it,  for  I  was  assured  that 
one  or  two  of  them,  though  they  went  no  longer 
to  Africa  as  captains,  were  in  part  owners  of 
vessels  trading  there  ;  and,  with  respect  to  all  of 
them,  it  might  be  generally  said,  that  they  had 
been  guilty  of  such  enormities,  that  they  would  be 
afraid  of  coming  forward  in  the  way  I  proposed, 
lest  any  thing  should  come  out  by  which  they 
might  criminate  themselves.  I  was  obliged  then 
to  give  up  all  hope  of  getting  any  evidence  from 
this  quarter,  and  I  saw  but  little  prospect  of 
getting  it  from  those,  who  were  then  actually  de- 
riving their  livelihood  from  the  trade.  And  yet 
I  was  determined  to  persevere.  For  I  thought 
that  some  might  be  found  in  it,  who  were  not  yet 
so  hardened  as  to  be  incapable  of  being  awakened 
on  this  subject.  I  thought  that  others  might  be 
found  in  it,  who  wished  to  leave  it  upon  princi- 
ple, and  that  these  would  unbosom  themselves  to 
me.  And  I  thought  it  not  improbable  that  I 
might  fall  in  with  others,  who  had  come  unex- 
pectedly into  a  state  of  independence,  and  that 
these  might  be  induced,  as  their  livelihood  would 
be  no  longer  affected  by  giving  me  information, 
to  speak  the  truth. 

I  persevered  for  weeks  together  under  this  hope, 
but  could  find'  no  one  of  all  those,  who  had  been 
applied  to,  who  would  have  any  thing  to  say  to 
me.  At  length  Walter  Chandler  had  prevailed 
upon  a  young  gentleman,  of  the  name  of  Gardi* 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  251 

ner,  who  was  going  out  as  surgeon  of  the  Pilgrim, 
to  meet  me.  The  condition  was,  that  we  were  to 
meet  at  the  house  of  the  former,  but  that  we  were 
to  enter  in  and  go  out  at  different  times,  that  is, 
we  were  not  to  be  seen  together. 

Gardiner,  on  being  introduced  to  me  said  at 
once,  that  he  had  often  wished  to  see  me  on  the 
subject  of  my  errand,  but  that  the  owner  of  the 
Pilgrim  had  pointed  me  out  to  him  as  a  person, 
whom  he  would  wish  him  to  avoid.  He  then 
laid  open  to  me  the  different  methods  of  obtain^ 
ing  slaves  in  Africa,  as  he  had  learned  from  those 
on  board  his  own  vessel  in  his  first,  or  former, 
voyage.  He  unfolded  also  the  manner  of  their 
treatment  in  the  Middle  Passage,  with  the  various 
distressing  scenes  which  had  occurred  in  it.  He 
stated  the  barbarous  usage  of  the  seamen  as  he 
had  witnessed  it,  and  concluded  by  saying,  that 
there  never  was  a  subject,  which  demanded  so 
loudly  the  interference  of  the  legislature  as  that 
of  the  Slave-trade. 

When  he  had  finished  his  narrative,  and  an- 
swered the  different  questions  which  I  had  pro- 
posed to  him  concerning  it,  I  asked  him  in  as 
delicate  a  manner  as  I  could,  How  it  happened, 
that  seeing  the  trade  in  this  horrible  light,  he  had 
consented  to  follow  it  again  1  He  told  me  frankly, 
that  he  had  received  a  regular  medical  education, 
but  that  his  relations,  being  poor,  had  not  been 
able  to  set  him  up  in  his  profession.  He  had 
saved  a  little  money  in  his  last  voyage.  In  that, 
which  he  was  now  to  perform,  he  hoped  to  save  a 


252  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

little  more.  With  the  profits  of  both  voyages 
together,  he  expected  he  should  be  able  to  furnish 
a  shop  in  the  line  of  his  profession,  when  he  would 
wipe  his  hands  of  this  detestable  trade. 

I  then  asked  him,  Whether  upon  the  whole  he 
thought  he  had  judged  prudently,  or  whether  the 
prospect  of  thus  enabling  himself  to  become  in- 
dependent, would  counterbalance  the  uneasiness 
which  might  arise  in  future  *?  He  replied,  that  he 
had  not  so  much  to  fear  upon  this  account.  The 
trade,  while  it  continued,  must  have  surgeons. 
But  it  made  a  great  difference  both  to  the  crew 
and  to  the  slaves,  whether  these  discharged  their 
duty  towards  them  in  a  feeling  manner,  or  not. 
With  respect  to  himself,  he  was  sure  that  he 
should  pay  every  attention  to  the  wants  of  each. 
This  thought  made  his  continuance  in  the  trade 
for  one  voyage  longer  more  reconcileable.  But  he 
added,  as  if  not  quite  satisfied,  "  Cruel  necessity !" 
and  he  fetched  a  deep  sigh. 

We  took  our  leave,  and  departed,  the  one  a  few 
minutes  after  the  other.  The  conversation  of  this 
young  man  was  very  interesting.  I  was  much 
impressed  both  by  the  nature  and  the  manner  of 
it.  I  wished  to  secure  him,  if  possible,  as  an  evi- 
dence for  Parliament,  and  thus  save  him  from  his 
approaching  voyage  :  but  I  knew  not  what  to  do» 
At  first,  I  thought  it  would  be  easy  to  raise  a  sub- 
scription to  set  him  up.  But  then,  I  was  aware 
that  this  might  be  considered  as  bribery,  and  make 
his  testimony  worth  nothing.  I  then  thought  that 
the  committee  might  detain  him  as  an  evidence^ 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  253 

and  pay  him,  in  a  reasonable  manner,  for  his  sus- 
tenance, till  his  testimony  should  be  called  for. 
But  I  did  not  know  how  long  it  would  be  before 
his  examination  might  take  place.  It  might  be 
a  year  or  two.  I  foresaw  other  difficulties  also ; 
and  I  was  obliged  to  relinquish  what  otherwise 
I  should  have  deemed  a  prize. 

On  reviewing  the  conversation  which  had  pass- 
ed between  us  after  my  return  home,  I  thought, 
considering  the  friendly  disposition  of  Gardiner 
towards  us,  I  had  not  done  all  I  could  for  the 
cause  ;  and,  communicating  my  feelings  to  Walter 
Chandler,  he  procured  me  another  interview.  At 
this,  I  asked  him  if  he  would  become  an  evidence, 
if  he  lived  to  return.  He  replied,  very  heartily, 
that  he  would.  I  then  asked  him,  if  he  would 
keep  a  journal  of  facts  during  his  voyage,  as  it 
would  enable  him  to  speak  more  correctly,  in  case 
he  should  be  called  upon  for  his  testimony.  He 
assured  me,  he  would,  and  that  he  would  make 
up  a  little  book  for  that  purpose.  I  asked  him, 
lastly,  When  he  meant  to  sail.  He  said,  As  soon 
as  the  ship  could  get  all  her  hands.  It  was  the 
intention  to  sail  to-morrow,  but  that  seven  men, 
whom  the  mates  had  brought  drunk  out  of  Marsh- 
street  the  evening  before,  were  so  terrified  when 
they  found  they  were  going  to  Africa,  that  they 
had  seized  the  boat  that  morning,  and  had  put 
themselves  on  shore.  I  took  my  leave  of  him, 
entreating  him  to  follow  his  resolutions  of  kindness 
both  to  the  sailors  and  the  slaves,  and  wished  him 
a  speedy  and  a  safe  return. 

VQL.  I,  %% 


254  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

On  going  one  day  by  the  Exchange,  after  this 
interview  with  Gardiner,  I  overheard  a  young 
gentleman  say  to  another,  "  that  it  happened  on 
the  coast,  last  year,  and  that  he  saw  it."  I  wish- 
ed to  know  who  he  was,  and  to  get  at  him  if  I 
could.  I  watched  him  at  a  distance  for  more 
than  half  an  hour,  when  I  saw  him  leave  his  com- 
panion. I  followed  him  till  he  entered  a  house. 
I  then  considered  whether  it  would  be  proper,  and 
in  what  manner,  to  address  him  when  he  should 
come  out  of  it.  But  I  waited  three  hours,  and  I 
never  saw  him.  I  then  concluded  that  he  either 
lodged  where  I  saw  him  enter,  or  that  he  had  gone 
to  dine  with  some  friend.  I  therefore  took  notice 
of  the  house,  and,  showing  it  afterwards  to  several 
of  my  friends,  desired  them  to  make  him  out  for 
me.  In  a  day  or  two  I  had  an  inteiview  with  him. 
His  name  was  James  Arnold.  He  had  been  two 
voyages  to  the  coast  of  Africa  for  slaves ;  one 
as  surgeon's  mate  in  the  Alexander,  in  the  year 
1785,  and  the  other  as  surgeon  in  the  Little  Pearl, 
in  the  year  1786,  from  which  he  had  not  then 
very  long  returned. 

I  asked  him  if  he  was  willing  to  give  me  any 
account  of  these  voyages,  for  that  I  was  making 
an  inquiry  into  the  nature  of  the  Slave-trade. 
He  replied,  he  knew  that  I  was.  He  had  been 
cautioned  about  falling  in  with  me.  He  had, 
however,  taken  no  pains  to  avoid  me.  It  was  a 
bad  trade,  and  ought  to  be  exposed. 

I  went  over  the  same  ground  as  I  had  gone  with 
Gardiner  relative  to  the  first  of  these  voyages,  or 


ABOLITION    OP    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  255 

that  in  the  Alexander.  It  is  not  necessary  to  de- 
tail the  particulars.  It  is  impossible,  however,  not 
to  mention,  that  the  treatment  of  the  seamen  on 
board  this  vessel  was  worse  than  I  had  ever  before 
heard  of.  No  less  than  eleven  of  them,  unable  to 
bear  their  lives,  had  deserted  at  Bonny  on  the 
coast  of  Africa,  which  is  a  most  unusual  thing", 
choosing  all  that  could  be  endured,  though  in  a 
most  inhospitable  climate,  and  in  the  power  of  the 
natives,  rather  than  to  continue  in  their  own  ship. 
Nine  others  also,  in  addition  to  the  loss  of  these, 
had  died  in  the  same  voyage.  As  to  the  rest,  he 
believed,  without  any  exception,  that  they  had 
been  badly  used. 

In  examining  him  with  respect  to  his  second 
voyage,  or  that  in  the  Little  Pearl,  two  circum- 
stances came  out  with  respect  to  the  slaves,  which 
I  shall  relate  in  few  words. 

The  chief  mate  used  to  beat  the  men-slaves  on 
very  trifling  occasions.  About  eleven  one  even- 
ing, the  ship  then  lying  off  the  coast,  he  heard  a 
noise  in  their  room.  He  jumped  down  among 
them  with  a  lanthorn  in  his  hand.  Two  of  those, 
who  had  been  ill-used  by  him,  forced  themselves 
out  of  their  irons,  and,  seizing  him,  struck  him 
with  the  bolt  of  them,  and  it  was  with  some  diffi- 
culty that  he  was  extricated  from  them  by  the 
crew. 

The  men-slaves,  unable  now  to  punish  him,  and 
finding  they  had  created  an  alarm,  began  to  pro- 
ceed to  extremities.  They  endeavored  to  force 
themselves  up  the  gratings,  and  to  pull  down  a 


256  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

partition  which  had  been  made  for  a  sick-birth ; 
when  they  were  fired  upon  and  repressed.  The 
next  morning  they  were  brought  up  one  by  one  ; 
when  it  appeared  that  a  boy  had  been  killed,  who 
was  afterwards  thrown  into  the  sea. 

The  two  men,  however,  who  had  forced  them- 
selves out  of  irons,  did  not  come  up  with  the  rest, 
but  found  their  way  into  the  hold,  and  armed 
themselves  with  knives  from  a  cask,  which  had 
been  opened  for  trade.  One  of  them  being  called 
to  in  the  African  tongue  by  a  black  trader,  who 
was  then  on  board,  came  up,  but  with  a  knife  in 
each  hand  ;  when  one  of  the  crew,  supposing  him 
yet  hostile,  shot  him  in  the  right  side,  and  killed 
him  on  the  spot. 

The  other  remained  in  the  hold  for  twelve 
hours.  Scalding  water  mixed  with  fat  was  poured 
down  upon  him,  to  make  him  come  up.  Though 
his  flesh  was  painfully  blistered  by  these  means, 
he  kept  below.  A  promise  was  then  made  to  him 
in  the  African  tongue  by  the  same  trader,  that 
no  injury  should  be  done  him,  if  he  would  come 
among  them.  To  this  at  length  he  consented. 
But  on  observing,  when  he  was  about  half  way 
up,  that  a  sailor  was  armed  between  decks,  he 
flew  to  him,  and  clasped  him,  and  threw  him 
down.  The  sailor  fired  his  pistol  in  the  scuffle, 
but  without  effect.  He  contrived,  however,  to 
fracture  his  skull  with  the  butt-end  of  it,  so  that 
the  slave  died  on  the  third  day. 

The  second  circumstance  took  place  after  the 
arrival  of  the  same  vessel  at  St.  Vincent's.    There 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  257 

was  a  boy-slave  on  board,  who  was  very  ill  and 
emaciated.  The  mate,  who,  by  his  cruelty,  had 
been  the  author  of  the  former  mischief,  did  not 
choose  to  expose  him  to  sale  with  the  rest,  lest 
the  small  sum  he  would  fetch  in  that  situation 
should  lower  the  average  price,  and  thus  bring 
down*  the  value  of  the  privileges  of  the  officers 
of  the  ship.  This  boy  was  kept  on  board,  and 
no  provisions  allowed  him.  The  mate  had  sug- 
gested the  propriety  of  throwing  him  overboard, 
but  no  one  would  do  it.  On  the  ninth  day  he  ex- 
pired, having  never  been  allowed  any  sustenance 
during  that  time. 

I  asked  Mr.  Arnold  if  he  was  willing  to  give 
evidence  of  these  facts  in  both  cases.  He  said 
he  had  only  one  objection,  which  was,  that  in  two 
or  three  days  he  was  to  go  in  the  Ruby,  on  his 
third  voyage  :  but  on  leaving  me,  he  said  that  he 
would  take  an  affidavit  before  the  mayor  of  the 
truth  of  any  of  those  things  which  he  had  related 
to  me,  if  that  would  do ;  but,  from  motives  of 
safety,  he  should  not  choose  to  do  this  till  within 
a  few  hours  before  he  sailed. 

In  two  or  three  days  after  this,  he  sent  for  me. 
He  said  the  Ruby  would  leave  King-road  the 
next  day,  and  that  he  was  ready  to  do  as  he  had 


*  Officers  are  said  to  be  allowed  the  privilege  of  one  or  more 
slaves,  according  to  their  rank.  When  the  cargo  is  sold,  the  sum 
total  fetched  is  put  down,  and  this  being  divided  by  the  number  of 
slaves  sold,  gives  the  average  price  of  each.  Such  officers,  then, 
receive  this  average  price  for  one  or  more  slaves,  according  to  their 
privileges,  but  never  the  slaves  themselves. 

vol.  i.  22* 


258  THE     HISTORY    OF    THE 

promised.  Depositions  were  accordingly  made 
out  from  his  own  words.  I  went  with  him  to  the 
residence  of  George  Daubeny,  esquire,  who  was 
then  chief  magistrate  of  the  city,  and  they  were 
sworn  to  in  his  presence,  and  witnessed  as  the  law 
requires. 

On  taking  my  leave  of  him,  I  asked  him  how 
he  could  go  a  third  time  in  such  a  barbarous  em- 
ploy. He  said  he  had  been  distressed.  In  his 
voyage  in  the  Alexander  he  had  made  nothing  ; 
for  he  had  been  so  ill  used,  that  he  had  solicited 
his  discharge  in  Grenada,  where,  being  paid  in 
currency,  he  had  but  little  to  receive.  When  he 
arrived  in  Bristol  from  that  island,  he  was  quite 
penny  less  ;  and  finding  the  Little  Pearl  going  out, 
he  was  glad  to  get  on  board  her  as  her  surgeon, 
which  he  then  did  entirely  for  the  sake  of  bread. 
He  said,  moreover,  that  she  was  but  a  small  ves- 
sel, and  that  his  savings  had  been  but  small  in 
her.  This  occasioned  him  to  apply  for  the  Ruby, 
his  present  ship ;  but  if  he  survived  this  voyage 
he  would  never  go  another.  I  then  put  the  same 
question  to  him  as  to  Gardiner,  and  he  promised  to 
keep  a  journal  of  facts  and  to  give  his  evidence, 
if  called  upon,  on  his  return. 

The  reader  will  see,  from  this  account,  the  dif- 
ficulty I  had  in  procuring  evidence  from  this  port. 
The  owners  of  vessels  employed  in  the  trade 
there,  forbad  all  intercourse  with  me.  The  old 
captains,  Avho  had  made  their  fortunes  in  it,  would 
not  see  me.  The  young,  who  were  making  them, 
could  not  be  supposed  to  espouse  my  cause,  to 


ABOLITION    OP    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  259 

the  detriment  of  their  own  interest.  Of  those 
whose  necessities  made  them  go  into  it  for  a 
livelihood^  I  could  not  get  one  to  come  forward, 
without  doing  so  much  for  him  as  would  have 
amounted  to  bribery.  Thus,  when  I  got  one  of 
these  into  my  possession,  I  was  obliged  to  let  him 
go  again.  I  was,  however,  greatly  consoled  by 
the  consideration,  that  I  had  procured  two  senti- 
nels to  be  stationed  in  the  enemy's  camp,  who 
keeping  a  journal  of  different  facts,  would  bring  me 
some  important  intelligence  at  a  future  period. 


CHAPTER  XVL 

Author  goes  to  Monmouth — confers  relative  to  a  petition  from 
that  place — returns  to  bristol — is  introduced  to  alexander 
Falconbridge— takes  cne  of  the  mates  of  the  Africa  out  of 
that  ship — visits  disabled  seamen  from  the  ship  thomas — puts 
a  chief  mate  into  prison  for  the  murder  of  wllliam  llnes. — 
ill  usage  of  seamen  in  various  other  slave-vessels — secures 
Crutwell's  Bath  paper  in  favor  of  the  abolition — lays  the 
foundation  of  a  committee  at  bristol — and  of  a  petition  from 
thence  also — takes  his  leave  of  that  city. 

By  this  time  I  began  to  feel  the  effect  of  my 
labors  upon  my  constitution.  It  had  been  my 
practice  to  go  home  in  the  evening  to  my  lodg- 
ings, about  twelve  o'clock,  and  then  to  put  down 
the  occurrences  of  the  day*  This  usually  kept  me 
up  till  one,  and  sometimes  till  nearly  two  in  the 
morning.  When  I  went  my  rounds  in  Marsh- 
street,  I  seldom  got  home  till  two,  and  into  bed 


260  THE    HISTORY   OF    THE 

till  three.  My  clothes,  also,  were  frequently  wet 
through  with  the  rains.  The  cruel  accounts  I  was 
daily  in  the  habit  of  hearing,  both  with  respect  to 
the  slaves,  and  to  the  seamen  employed  in  this 
wicked  trade,  from  which,  indeed,  my  mind  had 
no  respite,  often  broke  my  sleep  in  the  night,  and 
occasioned  me  to  awake  in  an  agitated  state.  All 
these  circumstances  concurred  in  affecting  my 
health.  I  looked  thin  ;  my  countenance  became 
yellow.  I  had  also  rheumatic  feelings.  My 
friends,  seeing  this,  prevailed  upon  me  to  give 
myself  two  or  three  days  relaxation.  And  as  a 
gentleman,  of  whom  I  had  some  knowledge,  was 
going  into  Carmarthenshire,  I  accompanied  him 
as  far  as  Monmouth. 

After  our  parting  at  this  place,  I  became  rest- 
less and  uneasy,  and  longed  to  get  back  to  my 
work.  I  thought,  however,,  that  my  journey  ought 
not  to  be  wholly  useless  to  the  cause  ;  and  hear- 
ing that  Dr.  Davis,  a  clergyman  at  Monmouth, 
was  a  man  of  considerable  weight  among  the  in- 
habitants, I  took  the  liberty  of  writing  him  a  let- 
ter, in  which  I  stated  who  I  was,  and  the  way  in 
which  I  had  lately  employed  myself,  and  the  great 
wish  I  had  to  be  favored  with  an  interview  with 
him  ;  and  I  did  not  conceal  that  it  would  be  very 
desirable,  if  the  inhabitants  of  the  place  could 
have  that  information  on  the  subject  which  would 
warrant  them  in  so  doing,  that  they  should  peti- 
tion the  legislature  for  the  abolition  of  the  Slave- 
trade.  Dr.  Davis  returned  me  an  answer,  and 
received  me.     The  questions  which  he  put  to  me 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  261 

Were  judicious.  He  asked  me,  first,  whether,  if 
the  slaves  were  emancipated,  there  would  not  be 
much  confusion  in  the  islands  ?  I  told  him  that 
the  emancipation  of  them  was  no  part  of  our  plan. 
We  solicited  nothing  but  the  stopping  of  all  future 
importations  of  them  into  the  islands.  He  then 
asked  what  the  planters  would  do  for  laborers. 
I  replied,  they  would  find  sufficient  from  an  in- 
crease of  the  native  population,  if  they  were  obliged 
to  pay  attention  to  the  latter  means.  We  dis* 
coursed  a  long  time  upon  this  last  topic.  I  have 
not  room  to  give  the  many  other  questions  he  pro- 
posed to  me.  No  one  was  ever  more  judiciously 
questioned.  In  my  turn,  I  put  him  into  posses- 
sion of  all  the  discoveries  I  had  made.  He  ac- 
knowledged the  injustice  of  the  trade.  He  con- 
fessed, also,  that  my  conversation  had  enlightened 
him  as  to  the  impolicy  of  it ;  and  taking  some 
of  my  Summary  Views  to  distribute,  he  said,  he 
hoped  that  the  inhabitants  would,  after  the  pe- 
rusal of  them,  accede  to  my  request. 

On  my  return  to  Bristol,  my  friends  had  pro*, 
cured  for  me  an  interview  with  Mr.  Alexander 
Falconbridge,  who  had  been  to  the  coast  of  Africa, 
as  a  surgeon,  for  four  voyages  ;  one  in  the  Tartar, 
another  in  the  Alexander,  and  two  in  the  Emilia, 
slave-vessels. 

On  my  introduction  to  him,  I  asked  him  if  he 
had  any  objection  to  give  me  an  account  of  the 
cruelties,  which  were  said  to  be  connected  with 
the  Slave-trade.  He  answered,  without  any  re*, 
serve,  that  he  had  not ;  for  that  he  had  now  done 


262  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

with  it.  Never  were  any  words  more  welcome 
to  my  ears  than  these,  "  Yes  ;  I  have  done  with 
the  trade,"  and  he  said  also,  that  he  was  free  to 
give  me  information  concerning  it.  Was  he  not, 
then,  one  of  the  very  persons,  whom  I  had  so  long 
been  seeking,  but  in  vain  1 

To  detail  the  accounts  which  he  gave  me  at 
this  and  at  subsequent  interviews,  relative  to  the 
different  branches  of  this  trade,  would  fill  no  ordi- 
nary volume.  Suffice  it  to  say  in  general  terms, 
as  far  as  relates  to  the  slaves,  that  he  confirmed 
the  various  violent  and  treacherous  methods  of  pro- 
curing them  in  their  own  country  ;  their  wretched 
condition,  in  consequence  of  being  crowded  to- 
gether, in  the  passage  ;  their  attempts  to  rise  in 
defence  of  their  own  freedom,  and  when  this  was 
impracticable,  to  destroy  themselves  by  the  refusal 
of  sustenance,  by  jumping  overboard  into  the  sea, 
and  in  other  ways  ;  the  effect  also  of  their  situa- 
tion upon  their  minds,  by  producing  insanity  and 
various  diseases  ;  and  the  cruel  manner  of  dis- 
posing of  them  in  the  West  Indies,  and  of  separa- 
ting relatives  and  friends. 

With  respect  to  the  seamen  employed  in  this 
trade,  he  commended  captain  Frazer  for  his  kind 
usage  to  them,  under  whom  he  had  so  long  serv- 
ed. The  handsome  way  in  which  he  spoke  of 
the  latter  pleased  me  much,  because  I  was  wil- 
ling to  deduce  from  it  his  own  impartiality,  and 
because  I  thought  I  might  infer  from  it  also  his 
regard  to  truth  as  to  other  parts  of  his  narrative. 
Indeed  I  had  been  before  acquainted  with  this  cir- 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  263 

eumstance.  Thompson,  of  the  Seven  Stars,  had 
informed  me  that  Frazer  was  the  only  man  sail- 
ing out  of  that  port  for  slaves,  who  had  not  been 
guilty  of  cruelty  to  his  seamen  :  and  Mr.  Burges 
alluded  to  it,  when  he  gave  me  advice  not  to  pro- 
ceed against  the  captain  of  the  Alfred  ;  for  he  then 
said,  as  I  mentioned  in  a  former  chapter,  "  that 
he  knew  but  one  captain  in  the  trade,  who  did  not 
deserve  long  ago  to  be  hanged."  Mr.  Falcon- 
bridge,  however,  stated,  that  though  he  had  been 
thus  fortunate  in  the  Tartar  and  Emilia,  he  had 
been  as  unfortunate  in  the  Alexander ;  for  he  be- 
lieved there  were  no  instances  upon  naval  record, 
taken  altogether,  of  greater  barbarity,  than  of  that 
which  had  been  exercised  towards  the  seamen  in 
this  voyage.  In  running  over  these,  it  struck  me 
that  I  had  heard  of  the  same  from  some  other 
quarter,  or  at  least  that  these  were  so  like  the 
others,  that  I  was  surprised  at  their  coincidence. 
On  taking  out  my  notes,  I  looked  for  the  names 
of  those  whom  I  recollected  to  have  been  used  in 
this  manner ;  and  on  desiring  Mr.  Falconbridge 
to  mention  the  names  of  those  also  to  whom  he 
alluded,  they  turned  out  to  be  the  same.  The 
mystery,  however,  was  soon  cleared  up,  when  I 
told  him  from  whom  I  had  received  my  intelli- 
gence :  for  Mr.  Arnold,  the  last-mentioned  person 
in  the  last  chapter,  had  been  surgeon's  mate  under 
Mr.  Falconbridge  in  the  same  vessel. 

There  was  one  circumstance  of  peculiar  impor- 
tance, but  quite  new  to  me,  which  I  collected 
from  the  information  which  Mr.  Falconbridge  had 


264  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

given  me.  This  was,  that  many  of  the  seamen, 
who  left  the  slave-ships  in  the  West  Indies  were 
in  such  a  weak,  ulcerated,  and  otherwise  dis- 
eased state,  that  they  perished  there.  Several 
also  of  those  who  came  home  with  the  vessels, 
were  in  the  same  deplorable  condition.  This  was 
the  case,  Mr.  Falcoubridge  said,  with  some  who 
returned  in  the  Alexander.  It  was  the  case  also 
wxith  many  others  ;  for  he  had  been  a  pupil,  for 
twelve  months,  in  the  Bristol  Infirmary,  and  had 
had  ample  means  of  knowing  the  fact.  The 
greatest  number  of  seamen,  at  almost  all  times, 
who  were  there,  were  from  the  slave-vessels. 
These,  too,  were  usually  there  on  account  of  dis- 
ease, whereas  those  from  other  ships  were  usually 
there  on  account  of  accidents.  The  health  of 
some  of  the  former  was  so  far  destroyed,  that  they 
were  never  wholly  to  be  restored.  This  informa- 
tion was  of  great  importance  ;  for  it  showed  that 
they  who  were  reported  dead  upon  the  muster- 
rolls,  were  not  all  that  were  lost  to  the  country  by 
the  prosecution  of  this  wicked  trade.  Indeed,  it 
was  of  so  much  importance,  that  in  all  my  future 
interviews  with  others,  which  were  for  the  purpose 
of  collecting  evidence,  I  never  forgot  to  make  it  a 
subject  of  inquiry. 

I  can  hardly  say  how  precious  I  considered  the 
facts  with  which  Mr.  Falconbridge  had  furnished 
me  from  his  own  experience,  relative  to  the  dif- 
ferent branches  of  this  commerce.  They  were  so 
precious,  that  I  began  now  to  be  troubled  lest  I 
should  lose  them.     For,  though  he  had  thus  pri- 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  265 

vately  unbosomed  himself  to  me,  it  did  not  fol- 
low that  he  would  come  forward .  as  a  public  evi- 
dence. I  was  not  a  little  uneasy  on  this  account. 
I  was  fearful  lest,  when  I  should  put  this  question 
to  him,  his  future  plan  of  life,  or  some  little  nar- 
row consideration  of  future  interest,  would  pre- 
vent him  from  giving  his  testimony,  and  I  delayed 
asking  him  for  many  days.  During  this  time, 
however,  I  frequently  visited  him  ;  and  at  length, 
when  I  thought  I  was  better  acquainted,  and 
probably  in  some  little  estimation,  with  him,  I 
ventured  to  open  my  wishes  on  this  subject.  He 
answered  me  boldly,  and  at  once,  that  he  had  left 
the  trade  upon  principle,  and  that  he  would  state 
all  he  knew  concerning  it,  either  publicly  or  pri- 
vately, and  at  any  time  when  he  should  be  called 
upon  to  do  it.  This  answer  produced  such  an 
effect  upon  me,  after  all  my  former  disappoint- 
ments, that  I  felt  it  all  over  my  frame.  It  ope- 
rated like  a  sudden  shock,  which  often  disables 
the  impressed  person  for  a  time.  So  the  joy  I 
felt  rendered  me  quite  useless,  as  to  business,  for 
the  remainder  of  the  day. 

I  began  to  perceive  in  a  little  time  the  advan- 
tage of  having  cultivated  an  acquaintance  with 
Thompson  of  the  Seven  Stars.  For  nothing  could 
now  pass  in  Bristol,  relative  to  the  seamen  em- 
ployed in  this  trade,  but  it  was  soon  brought  to 
me.  If  there  was  any  thing  amiss,  I  had  so 
arranged  matters  that  I  was  sure  to  hear  of  it, 
He  sent  for  me  one  day  to  inform  me  that  several 
qf  the  seamen,  who  had  been  sent  out  of  Marsh- 

vol.  i.  23 


266  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

street  into  the  Prince,  which  was  then  at  King- 
road,  and  on  the  point  of  sailing  to  Africa  for 
slaves,  had,  through  fear  of  ill  usage  on  the  voy- 
age, taken  the  boat  and  put  themselves  on  shore. 
He  informed  me  at  the  same  time  that  the  sea- 
men of  the  Africa,  which  was  lying  there  also  and 
ready  to  sail  on  a  like  voyage,  were  not  satisfied, 
for  that  they  had  been  made  to  sign  their  articles 
of  agreement,  without  being  permitted  to  see 
them.  To  this  he  added  that  Mr.  Sheriff,  one  of 
the  mates  of  the  latter  vessel,  was  unhappy  also 
on  this  account.  Sheriff  had  been  a  mate  in  the 
West  India  trade,  and  was  a  respectable  man  in 
his  line.  He  had  been  enticed  by  the  captain  of 
the  Africa,  under  the  promise  of  peculiar  advan- 
tages, to  change  his  voyage.  Having  a  wife  and 
family  at  Bristol,  he  was  willing  to  make  a  sacri- 
fice on  their  account.  But  when  he  himself  was 
not  permitted  to  read  the  articles,  he  began  to  sus- 
pect bad  work,  and  that  there  would  be  nothing 
but  misery  in  the  approaching  voyage.  Thomp- 
son entreated  me  to  extricate  him,  if  I  could. 
He  was  sure,  he  said,  if  he  went  to  the  Coast  with 
that  man,  meaning  the  captain,  that  he  would 
never  return  alive. 

I  was  very  unwilling  to  refuse  any  thing  to 
Thompson.  I  was  deeply  bound  to  him  in  grati- 
tude for  the  many  services  he  had  rendered  me, 
but  I  scarcely  saw  how  I  could  serve  him  on  this 
occasion.  I  promised,  however,  to  speak  to  him 
in  an  hour's  time.  I  consulted  my  friend  Truman 
Harford  in  the  interim  ;  and.  the  result  was,  that 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE*  267 

he  and  I  should  proceed  to  King-road  in  a  boat, 
go  on  board  the  Africa,  and  charge  the  captain  in 
person  with  what  he  had  done,  and  desire  him  to 
discharge  Sheriff,  as  no  agreement,  where  fraud 
or  force  was  used  in  the  signatures,  could  be 
deemed  valid.  If  we  were  not  able  to  extricate 
Sheriff  by  these  means,  we  thought  that  at  least 
we  should  know,  by  inquiring  of  those  whom  we 
should  see  on  board,  whether  the  measure  of  hin- 
dering the  men  from  seeing  their  articles  on  sign- 
ing them  had  been  adopted.  It  would  be  useful 
to  ascertain  this,  because  such  a  measure  had 
been  long  reported  to  be  usual  in  this,  but  was 
said  to  be  unknown  in  any  other  trade. 

Having  passed  the  river's  mouth  and  rowed 
towards  the  sea,  we  came  near  the  Prince  first, 
but  pursued  our  destination  to  the  Africa.  Mr. 
Sheriff  was  the  person  who  received  us  on  board. 
I  did  not  know  him  till  I  asked  his  name.  I  then 
told  him  my  errand,  with  which  he  seemed  to  be 
much  pleased.  On  asking  him  to  tell  the  captain 
that  I  wished  to  speak  with  him,  he  replied  that  he 
was  on  shore.  This  put  me  to  great  difficulty,  as 
I  did  not  know  then  what  to  do.  I  consulted  with 
Truman  Harford,  and  it  was  our  opinion,  that  we 
should  inquire  of  the  seamen,  but  in  a  very  quiet 
manner,  by  going  individually  to  each,  if  they  had 
ever  demanded  to  see  the  articles  on  signing  them, 
and  if  they  had  been  refused.  We  proposed  this 
question  to  them.  They  replied,  that  the  captain 
had  refused  them  in  a  savage  manner,  making  use 
of  threats  and  oaths.     There  was  not  one  contra- 


268  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

dictory  voice  on  this  occasion.  We  then  asked 
Mr.  Sheriff  what  we  were  to  do.  He  entreated 
vis  by  all  means  to  take  him  on  shore.  He  was 
sure  that  under  such  a  man  as  the  captain,  and 
particularly  after  the  circumstance  of  our  coming 
on  board  should  be  made  known  to  him,  he  would 
never  come  from  the  coast  of  Africa  alive.  Upon 
this,  Truman  Harford  called  me  aside,  and  told 
me  the  danger  of  taking  an  officer  from  the  ship ; 
for  that,  if  any  accident  should  happen  to  her,  the 
damage  might  all  fall  upon  me.  I  then  inquired 
of  Mr.  Sheriff  if  there  was  any  officer  on  board, 
who  could  manage  the  ship.  He  pointed  one  out 
to  me,  and  I  spoke  to  him  in  the  cabin.  This 
person  told  me  I  need  be  under  no  apprehension 
about  the  vessel,  but  that  every  one  would  be 
sorry  to  lose  Mr.  Sheriff.  Upon  this  ground,  Tru- 
man Harford,  who  had  felt  more  for  me  than  for 
himself,  became  now  easy.  We  had  before  con- 
cluded, that  the  obtaining  any  signature  by  fraud 
or  force  would  render  the  agreement  illegal.  We 
therefore  joined  in  opinion,  that  we  might  take 
away  the  man.  His  chest  was  accordingly  put 
into  our  boat.  We  jumped  into  it  with  our  rowers, 
and  he  followed  us,  surrounded  by  the  seamen, 
all  of  whom  took  an  affectionate  leave  of  him,  and 
expressed  their  regret  at  parting.  Soon  after  this 
there  was  a  general  cry  of  "  Will  you  take  me 
too  V*.  from  the  deck  ;  and  such  a  sudden  move- 
ment appeared  there,  that  we  were  obliged  to  push 
off  directly  from  the  side,  fearing  that  many  would 
jump  into  our  boat  and  go  with  us. 


ABOLITION    OP    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  269 

After  having  left  the  ship,  Sheriff  corroborated 
the  desertion  of  the  seamen  from  the  Prince,  as  be- 
fore related  to  me  by  Thompson.  He  spoke  also 
of  the  savage  disposition  of  his  late  captain,  which 
he  had  even  dared  to  manifest  though  lying  in  an 
English  port.  I  was  impressed  by  this  account  of 
his  rough  manners  ;  and  the  wind  having  risen 
before  and  the  surf  now  rolling  heavily,  I  began 
to  think  what  an  escape  I  might  have  had ;  how 
easy  it  would  have  been  for  the  savage  captain,  if 
he  had  been  on  board,  or  for  any  one  at  his  insti- 
gation, to  have  pushed  me  over  the  ship's  side. 
This  was  the  first  time  I  had  ever  considered  the 
peril  of  the  undertaking.  But  we  arrived  safe  ; 
and  though  on  the  same  evening  I  left  my  name 
at  the  captain's  house,  as  that  of  the  person  who 
had  taken  away  his  mate,  I  never  heard  more 
about  it. 

In  pursuing  my  inquiries  into  the  new  topic 
suggested  by  Mr.  Falconbridge,  I  learnt  that  two 
or  three  of  the  seamen  of  the  ship  Thomas,  which 
had  been  arrived  now  nearly  a  year  from  the 
Coast,  were  in  a  very  crippled  and  deplorable 
state.  I  accordingly  went  to  see  them.  One  of 
them  had  been  attacked  by  a  fever,  arising  from 
circumstances  connected  with  these  voyages.  The 
inflammation,  which  had  proceeded  from  it,  had 
reached  his  eyes.  It  could  not  be  dispersed  ;  and 
the  consequence  was,  that,  he  was  then  blind.  The 
second  was  lame.  He  had  badly  ulcerated  legs, 
and  appeared  to  be  very  weak.  The  third  was  a 
mere  spectre.     I  think  he  was  the  most  pitiable 

vol.  i.  23  * 


270  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

object  I  ever  saw.  I  considered  him  as  irrecover- 
ably gone.  They  all  complained  to  me  of  their 
bad  usage  on  board  the  Thomas.  They  said  they 
had  heard  of  my  being  in  Bristol,  and  they  hoped 
I  would  not  leave  it,  without  inquiring  into  the 
murder  of  William  Lines. 

On  inquiring  who  William  Lines  was,  they  in- 
formed me  that  he  had  been  one  of  the  crew  of  the 
same  ship,  and  that  all  on  board  believed  that  he 
had  been  killed  by  the  chief  mate ;  but  they  them- 
selves had  not  been  present  when  the  blows  were 
given  him.  They  had  not  seen  him  till  after- 
wards ;  but  their  shipmates  had  told  them  of  his 
cruel  treatment,  and  they  knew  that  soon  after- 
wards he  had  died. 

In  the  course  of  the  next  day,  the  mother  of 
Lines,  who  lived  in  Bristol,  came  to  me  and  re- 
lated the  case.  I  told  her  there  was  no  evidence 
as  to  the  fact,  for  that  I  had  seen  three  seamen, 
who  could  not  speak  to  it  from  their  own  knowl- 
edge. She  said  there  were  four  others  then  in 
Bristol  who  could.  I  desired  her  to  fetch  them. 
When  they  arrived  I  examined  each  separately, 
and  cross-examined  them  in  the  best  manner  I 
was  able.  I  could  find  no  variation  in  their  ac- 
count, and  I  was  quite  convinced  that  the  murder 
had  taken  place.  The  mother  was  then  importu- 
nate that  I  should  take  up  the  case.  I  was  too 
much  affected  by  the  narration  I  had  heard  to  re- 
fuse her  wholly,  and  yet  I  did  not  promise  that  I 
would.  I  begged  a  little  time  to  consider  of  it. 
During  this  I  thought  of  consulting  my  friend 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  2T1 

Burges.  Bat  I  feared  he  would  throw  cold  water 
upon  it,  as  he  had  done  in  the  case  of  the  captain 
of  the  Alfred.  I  remembered  well  what  he  had 
then  said  to  me,  and  yet  I  felt  a  strong  disposition 
to  proceed.  For  the  trade  was  still  going  on. 
Every  day,  perhaps,  some  new  act  of  barbarity 
was  taking  place.  And  one  example,  if  made, 
might  counteract  the  evil  for  a  time.  I  seemed 
therefore  to  incline  to  stir  in  this  matter,  and 
thought,  if  I  should  get  into  any  difficulty  about 
it,  it  would  be  better  to  do  it  without  consulting 
Mr.  Burges,  than,  after  having  done  it,  to  fly  as 
it  were  in  his  face.  I  then  sent  for  the  woman, 
and  told  her,  that  she  might  appear  with  the  wit- 
nesses at  the  Common  Hall,  where  the  magis- 
trates usually  sat  on  a  certain  day. 

We  all  met  at  the  time  appointed,  and  I  deter- 
mined to  sit  as  near  to  the  mayor  as  I  could  get. 
The  hall  was  unusually  crowded.  One  or  two 
slave-merchants,  and  two  or  three  others,  who 
were  largely  concerned  in  the  West  India  trade, 
were  upon  the  bench.  For  I  had  informed  the 
mayor  the  day  before  of  my  intention,  and  he,  it 
appeared,  had  informed  them.  I  shall  never  for- 
get the  savage  looks  which  these  people  gave  me ; 
which  indeed  were  so  remarkable,  as  to  occasion 
the  eyes  of  the  whole  court  to  be  turned  upon 
me.  They  looked  as  if  they  were  going  to  speak 
to  me,  and  the  people  looked  as  if  they  expected 
me  to  say  something  in  return.  They  then  got 
round  the  mayor,  and  began  to  whisper  to  him,  as 
I  supposed,  on  the  business  before  it  should  come 


%1%  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

on.  One  of  them,  however,  said  aloud  to  the  for- 
mer, but  fixing  his  eyes  upon  me,  and  wishing  me 
to  overhear  him,  "  Scandalous  reports  had  lately 
been  spread,  but  sailors  were  not  used  worse  in 
Guineamen  than  in  other  vessels."  This  brought 
the  people's  eyes  upon  me  again.  I  was  very 
much  irritated,  but  I  thought  it  improper  to  say 
any  thing.  Another,  looking  savagely  at  me, 
said  to  the  mayor,  "  that  he  had  known  captain 
Vicars  a  long  time  ;  that  he  was  an  honorable 
man,*  and  would  not  allow  such  usage  in  his 
ship.  There  were  always  vagabonds  to  hatch  up 
things  :"  and  he  made  a  dead  point  at  me,  by  put- 
ting himself  into  a  posture  which  attracted  the 
notice  of  those  present,  and  by  staring  me  in  the 
face.  I  could  now  no  longer  restrain  myself,  and 
I  said  aloud  in  as  modest  a  manner  as  1  could, 
"You,  sir,  may  know  many  things  which  1  do  not. 
But  this  I  know,  that  if  you  do  not  do  your  duty, 
you  are  amenable  to  a  higher  court."  The  mayor 
upon  this  looked  at  me,  and  directly  my  friend 
Mr.  Burges,  who  was  sitting  as  the  clerk  to  the 
magistrates,  went  to  him  and  whispered  some- 
thing in  his  ear  ;  after  which  all  private  conver- 


*  "We  may  well  imagine  what  this  person's  notion  of  another 
man's  honor  was  ;  for  he  was  the  purser  of  the  Brothers  and  of  the 
Alfred,  who,  as  before  mentioned,  sent  the  captains  of  those  ships 
out  a  second  voyage,  after  knowing  their  barbarities  in  the  former. 
And  he  was  also  the  purser  of  this  very  ship  Thomas,  where  the 
murder  had  been  committed.  I  by  no  means,  however,  wish  by 
these  observations  to  detract  from  the  character  of  captain  Vicars^ 
as  he  had  no  concern  in  the  cruel  deed* 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  273 

sation  between  the  mayor  and  others  ceased,  and 
the  hearing  was  ordered  to  come  on. 

I  shall  not  detain  the  reader  by  giving  an  ac- 
count of  the  evidence  which  then  transpired.  The 
four  witnesses  were  examined,  and  the  case  was 
so  far  clear.  Captain  Vicars,  however  was  sent 
for.  On  being  questioned,  he  did  not  deny  that 
there  had  been  bad  usage,  but  said  that  the  young 
man  had  died  with  the  flux.  But  this  assertion 
went  for  nothing  when  balanced  against  the  facts 
which  had  come  out ;  and  this  was  so  evident, 
that  an  order  was  made  out  for  the  apprehension 
of  the  chief  mate.  He  was  accordingly  taken  up. 
The  next  day,  however,  there  was  a  rehearing  of 
the  case,  when  he  was  returned  to  the  jail,  where 
he  was  to  lie  till  the  Lords  of  the  Admiralty 
should  order  a  sessions  to  be  held  for  the  trial  of 
offences  committed  on  the  high  seas. 

This  public  examination  of  the  case  of  William 
Lines,  and  the  way  in  which  it  ended,  produced 
an  extraordinary  result ;  for  after  this  time  the 
slave-captains  and  mates,  who  used  to  meet  me 
suddenly,  used  as  suddenly  to  start  from  me,  in- 
deed to  the  other  side  of  the  pavement,  as  if  I  had 
been  a  wolf,  or  tiger,  or  some  dangerous  beast 
of  prey.  Such  of  them  as  saw  me  before  hand, 
used  to  run  up  the  cross  streets  or  lanes,  which 
were  nearest  to  them,  to  get  away.  Seamen,  too, 
came  from  various  quarters  to  apply  to  me  for 
redress.  One  came  to  me,  who  had  been  treated 
ill  in  the  Alexander,  when  Mr.  Falconbridge  had 
been  the  surgeon  of  her.    Three  came  to  me,  who 


274  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

had  been  ill  used  in  the  voyage  which  followed, 
though  she  had  then  sailed  under  a  new  captain. 
Two  applied  to  me  from  the  Africa,  who  had  been 
of  her  crew  in  the  last  voyage.  Two  from  the 
Fly.  Two  from  the  Wasp.  One  from  the  Little 
Pearl,  and  three  from  the  Pilgrim  or  Princess, 
when  she  was  last  upon  the  coast. 

The  different  scenes  of  barbarity,  which  these 
represented  to  me,  greatly  added  to  the  affliction 
of  my  mind.  My  feelings  became  now  almost 
insupportable.  I  was  agonized  to  think  that  this 
trade  should  last  another  day.  I  was  in  a  state 
of  agitation  from  morning  till  night.  I  determined 
I  would  soon  leave  Bristol.  I  saw  nothing  but 
misery  in  the  place.  I  had  collected  now,  I  be- 
lieved, all  the  evidence  it  would  afford ;  and  to 
stay  in  it  a  day  longer  than  was  necessary,  would 
be  only  an  interruption  for  so  much  time  both  of 
my  happiness  and  of  my  health.  I  determined 
therefore  to  do  only  two  or  three  things,  which 
I  thought  to  be  proper,  and  to  depart  in  a  few 
days. 

And  first  I  went  to  Bath,  where  I  endeavored 
to  secure  the  respectable  paper  belonging  to  that 
city  in  favor  of  the  abolition  of  the  Slave-trade. 
This  I  did  entirely  to  my  satisfaction,  by  relating 
to  the  worthy  editor  all  the  discoveries  I  had 
made,  and  by  impressing  his  mind  in  a  forcible 
manner  on  the  subject.  And  it  is  highly  to  the 
honor  of  Mr.  Crutwell,  that  from  that  day  he 
never  ceased  to  defend  our  cause  ;  that  he  never 
made  a  charge  for  insertions  of  any  kind  ;  but  that 


ABOLITION    OF    THE    SLAVE-TRADE.  275 

he  considered  all  he  did  upon  this  occasion  in  the 
light  of  a  duty,  or  as  his  mite  given  in  charity  to 
a  poor  and  oppressed  people. 

The  next  attempt  was  to  lay  the  foundation  of 
a  committee  in  Bristol,  and  of  a  petition  to  Par- 
liament from  it  for  the  abolition  of  the  Slave- 
trade.  I  had  now  made  many  friends.  A  gen- 
tleman of  the  name  of  Paynter  had  felt  himself 
much  interested  in  my  labors.  Mr.  Joseph  Har- 
ford, a  man  of  fortune,  of  great  respectability  of 
character,  and  of  considerable  influence,  had  at- 
tached himself  to  the  cause.  Dr.  Fox  had  as- 
sisted me  in  it.  Mr.  Hughes,  a  clergyman  of  the 
Baptist  church,  was  anxious  and  ready  to  serve  it. 
Dr.  Camplin,  of  the  Establishment,  with  several  of 
his  friends,  continued  steady.  Matthew  Wright, 
James  Harford,  Truman  Harford,  and  all  the 
Quakers  to  a  man,  were  strenuous,  and  this  on 
the  best  of  principles,  in  its  support.  To  all 
these  I  spoke,  and  I  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing 
that  my  wishes  were  likely  in  a  short  time  to  be 
gratified  in  both  these  cases. 

It  was  now  necessary  that  I  should  write  to  the 
committee  in  London.  I  had  written  to  them  only 
two  letters,  during  my  absence  ;  for  I  had  devoted 
myself  so  much  to  the  great  object  I  had  under- 
taken, that  I  could  think  of  little  else.  Hence 
some  of  my  friends  among  them  were  obliged  to 
write  to  different  persons  at  Bristol,  to  inquire  if  I 
was  alive.  I  gave  up  a  day  or  two,  therefore,  to 
this  purpose.  I  informed  the  committee  of  all  my 
discoveries  in  the  various  branches  to  which  my 


276  THE    HISTORY    OF    THE 

attention  had  been  directed,  and  desired  them  in 
return  to  procure  me  various  official  documents 
for  the  port  of  London,  which  I  then  specified. 
Having  done  this,  I  conferred  with  Mr.  Falcon- 
bridge,  relative  to  being  with  me  at  Liverpool.  I 
thought  it  right  to  make  him  no  other  offer  than 
that  his  expenses  should  be  paid.  He  acceded 
to  my  request  on  these  disinterested  terms  ;  and 
I  took  my  departure  from  Bristol,  leaving  him  to 
follow  rne  in  a  few  days. 


END    OF    VOL.    I. 


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Hints  to  Parents  on  the  Early  Reli- 
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New- York.  18mo.  with  a  steel  engraving.     Price  37^  cts. 

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Dr.  Spring's  Hints  to  Parents. — One  of  the  prettiest  lit- 
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Hints  to  Parents,  on  the  Religious  Education  of  Chil- 
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ral address.  It  bears  the  impress  of  his  talents  and  piety — 
his  enlarged  views  and  catholic  spirit.  To  analyze  it 
would  convey  no  adequate  idea  of  its  merits.  His  theme 
is  the  ministry  of  reconciliation — "  the  chosen  medium  by 
which  God  conciliates  men — the  mighty  moral  enginery 
that  accomplishes  his  brightest  wonders — the  authentic 
diplomacy  of  the  King  of  kings  working  salvation  in  the 
midst  of  the  earth."  The  manner  in  which  he  treats  his 
subject,  in  relation  to  the  importance  of  the  Christian  min- 
istry, and  the  kind  of  ministry  needed  in  this  age  and  na- 
tion, we  need  hardly  remark  will  amply  repay  the  perusal 
of  his  brethren,  if  not  be  interesting  and  instructive  to  the 
church  at  large. 

"  Error  scenting  notoriety  "  may  not  altogether  like  the 


3 

©dor  of  this  little  book;  and  the  "lynx-eyed  defecters  oj 
heresy  "  will  not  be  forward  to  approve  a  work  in  which 
they  are  handled  with  unsparing  severity;  but  by  "all  the 
favorers  on  principle  of  a  pious,  sound,  educated,  scriptural, 
and  accomplished  ministry  in  the  church  of  God,  and 
throughout  the  whole  world,  as  the  ministry  we  need, 
to  whom  this  little  volume  is  most  respectfully  inscribed," 
it' will  be  read,  and,  we  trust,  circulated. 

THe.  Christianas  Pocket  Companion* — 

Selected  from  the  works  of  John  Rogers,  Dr.  Owen, 
David  Brainerd,  President  Edwards,  and  others, 
with  an  Introduction  by  Rev.  John  Blatchford,  of 
Bridgeport,  Conn.     25  cents. 

The  folio wi«g  is  from  Mr.  filatchlbrd's  Letter  to  Ihe  Publisher: 

I  am  happy  to  learn,  through  your  letter  of  last  evening, 
your  design  of  publishing  the  little  work  containing  the 
private  rules  by  which  the  lives  of  such  men  as  Edwards, 
and  Brainerd,  and  Rogers,  and  Mason,  were  regulated. 

That  little  volume  (which  is  the  only  copy  that  I  have 
ever  met  with)  was,  for  many  of  the  last  years  of  his  life, 
the  pocket-companion  of  my  honored  father,  the  late  Sa- 
muel Blatchford,  D.  D.  of  Lansingburgh.  This  circum- 
stance alone  Would  give  it  a  value  in  my  estimation — as 
also  with  the  many  who  were  associated  with  him  as  a 
father  in  the  ministry,  as  well  as  those  who  were  per- 
mitted to  receive  "the  message  of  salvation  from  his  lips.'1 

But  in  addition  to  this,  who  is  there  that  loves  the  cause 
of  Christ  and  the  souls  of  men  among  the  ministers  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  in  our  day,  that  has  not  often,  amid  the  .toils 
and  discouragements  and  anxieties  which  so  thickly  beset 
their  path,  turned  away  to  such  men,  and  inquired  the  se- 
cret, if  any  there  was,  by  which  they  accomplished  so 
much  for  the  Church,  and  secured  to  themselves  a  charac- 
ter for  such  eminent  holiness?  This  little  book  answers 
these  questions,  and  introduces  us  to  these  "men  of  God," 
in  the  closet,  in  the  family,  in  the  social  circle,  in  the  la- 
bors of  the  pull  pit,  and  in  the  discharge  of  their  multiplied 
parochial  duties^  and  I  am  confident  that  no  one  can  rise 
from  its  perusal  without  being  incited  to  more  prayer  and 
more  diligfence  in  their  varied   efforts  to  adorn  the  "doc- 


,     4 

trines  of  Christ  their  Savior  "  themselves,  and  in  preach- 
ing Christ  and  him  crucified  to  others. 

Wishing  you  all  success  in  your  undertaking,  I  would 
most  fervently  commend  it  to  the  blessing  of  God,  believing 
that  in  giving  it  to  the  public,  you  will  greatly  subserve  the 
best  of  causes,  and  in  a  very  acceptable  manner. 

JOHN  BLATCHFORD. 

From  the  New-York  Observer. 

Christian's  Pocket- Companion, — This  very  small  but 
neat  manual,  just  published,  is  a  compilation  of  some  of 
the  purest  sentiments  and  holiest  aspirations  of  such  men 
as  Owen,  Rogers,  Brainerd,  and  President  Edwards.  We 
venture  to  say  that  no  Christian  can  make  it  the  familiar 
companion  of  his  heart,  as  well  as  "pocket,"  without  be- 
coming evidently  a  holier  and  a  happier  man. 

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The  Practical  Thoughts  consists  of  forty-six  articles  on 
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pity  of  the  Lord,  Christian  duty,  death,  &c. ;  the  last  of 
which  are  "  Heaven's  Attractions  "  and  "  The  Heavenly 
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have  done  what  I  recommend,  we  shall  be  close  upon  the 
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There  the  sainted  author  laid  down  his  pen,  leaving  the 
article  unfinished,  and  went,  none  can  doubt,  to  enjoy  the 
blessed  reality  of  the  scenes  he  had  been  so  vividly  de- 
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minds  were  impressed  with  them  as  they  first  appeared : 
they  reproved  the  inconsistent  Christian,  roused  the  slum- 
bering, and  poured  a  precious  balm  into  many  an  afflicted 


bosom.  While  writing  them,  the  author  buried  a  beloved 
wife,  and  had  daily  more  and  more  sure  indications  that 
the  hour  of  his  own  departure  was  at  hand;  and  God  en- 
abled him,  from  the  depths  of  his  own  Christian  experience, 
to  open  rich  fountains  of  blessing  for  others. 

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other  series.  There  is  the  same  sprightliness  of  the  imagi- 
nation, the  same  clearness,  originality,  and  richness  of 
thought,  with  a  keenness  of  argument,  and  sometimes 
irony,  that  exposes  the  baseness  and  shamelessness  of  the 
dogmas  and  superstitions  of  Popery,  and  that  must  carry 
home  conviction  to  the  understanding  and  heart  of  every 
unprejudiced  reader.  Piece  by  piece  the  delusion,  not  to 
say  imposition,  of  that  misnamed  church  are  exposed,  un- 
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bacy of  the  Clergy,  Purgatory,  Canonizing  Saints,  Lafay- 
ette not  at  Rest,  The  Leopold  Reports,  Supererogation, 
Convents,  &c.  We  know  of  nothing  that  has  yet  been 
issued  which  so  lays  open  the  deformities  of  Popery  to 
common  minds,  or  is  so  admirably  adapted  to  save  our 
country  from  its  wiles,  and  to  guard  the  souls  of  men  from 
its  fatal  snares. 

A  View  of  the  American  Slavery  Ques- 
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byterian Church.     31  \  cents. 

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6 

southern  brethren  against  the  enormity  of  slavery,  and  of 
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and  with  too  many,  perhaps,  from  culpable  indifference — 
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very, and  yield  up  even  the  right  of  discussing  its  evils, 
and  exhorting  to  its  abandonment ;  and  hence  Mr.  Bar- 
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to  northern  recusants,  while  its  doctrines  will  of  course  be 
abhorrent  to  that  chivalrous  region  where  slavery  is  deemed 
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Terms,  two  dollars  per  annum,  payable  in  advance. 

Also  Agent  for 

The  Sabbath  School  Visiter,  published  by 
the  .Massachusetts  Sabbath  School  Society.  Edited  by 
Rev.  Asa  Bullard,  Boston.    50  cents. 

Also  Agent  for 

The  Missionary  Herald.  Published  for  the 
American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions. 
Monthly.     $1  50  a  year. 

Also  Publisher  of 

The  Naval  Magazine.   Edited  by  the  Rev.  C.  S. 

Stewart,  M.  A.  of  the  U.  S.  Navy.    $3  00  a  year,  payable 
in  advance. 

J.  S.  T.  has  also  a  large  and  choice  selection  of  Mis- 
cellaneous works,  suitable  for  Sunday  School  Libraries; 
together  with  Theological,  Classical,  Moral,  and  Religious 
Books,  Stationary,  &c.  all  of  which  he  will  sell  at  the  low- 
est prices. 

A  constant  supply  of  the  Publications  of  the  Massachu- 
setts Sabbath  School  Society,  the  American  Sunday  School 


8 

Union,  and  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Sunday  School 
Union,  at  the  same  prices  as  sold  at  their  respective  Depo- 
sitories. 

'% 

N.  B.  Orders  from  the  country  will  be  immediately 
attended  to,  and  books  forwarded  according  to  directions. 
Should  the  selection  of  books  for  Sunday  Schools  be  left 
with  J.  S.  T.,  and  he  should  forward  any  which  should  not 
suit  the  purchaser,  they  may  be  returned,  and  the  money 
will  be  refunded,  or  other  books  given  in  exchange.  Those 
wishing  to  purchase,  are  invited  to  call  and  examine  his 
stock. 


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