entertained to promote gradual abolition itself. On receiving the recommendation of the Crown, it is true, the Colonial Affembly of St. Chriftopher's declared that they meant to take it into confideration, and act upon it in the manner they fhould think mott proper to carry its fuggeftions and regulations into effect. So far there is an appearance of returning juftice. It is, however, very remarkable that thefe Refolutions ftate more generally than any evidence ever before given, the exceffive cruelty, the wicked purfecuting fpirit of the drivers and the taskmafters of the poor African. Undoudtedly their own declaration will be received by Honourable Gentlemen as good and fubftantial evidence of the tranfactions in the colony of St. Christopher. On paft occafions it has been denied that any acts of cruelty, that any mixture of injuftice, ever characterised the conduct of mafters of flaves in the Weft Indies; but here, Sir, is a proof of injuftice and cruelty having prevailed in one colony, and of their being felt as fources of mifchief by the planters themfelves; for, in the Refolutions I have mentioned, they fay, that even thofe flaves who are well cloathed, and well fed, are not worth fo much to the owners as if they enjoyed other comforts, This reflection, in my mind a very rational one, does not find its limits here. They go on to fay, that if gardens, bits of land, and certain fmall privileges were allowed the negroes, they would foon exhibit in their conduct the valuable changes to be operated on even weak minds by fuch comforts. In fhort, they emphatically fay, the flaves would then do good.'

"Here, Sir, I come to that part of thefe Refolutions on which is founded my declaration that the planters are not willing to abolish the trade. Sir, they itate that they are not certain whether the acts of their Parliament are diftinctly before the Houfe of Commons; no doubt meaning to infinuate that their local regulations ought to fuperfede the wholefome Refolutions of the British Parliament. They fay, Your Committee observe that wherever the Legislature has found any grievances or offences committed against the rights of humanity, they have always adopted proceedings calculated to remedy them; in the former exercife of the rights of ownership, where two or three inftances of maiming and mutilating the flaves occurred, the Le giflature paffed provifions to apply a remedy; it does not therefore appear to your Committee that any further laws are neceffary, as they find that the criminal courts have always taken cognizance of offences committed against flaves in the fame manner as they have against white or free perfons.' I am unwilling, Sir, to detain the Houfe long with obfervations on this fubject, but the Refolutions of the Affembly of St. Chriftopher's, folemnly paffed, are perhaps more important than all the evidence

which has been laid on the table of the House of Commons.-— The object, Sir, I with to point out is, that when the Affembly defcribed the enormity of the evil, when they felt and regretted the cruelty which prevailed, they yet thought the Act palled far exceeded all ideas of punishment. Although, Sir, I was not unacquainted with thefe proceedings of the colonifts, fo little difpofed was I to ftate them loofely, or fo as to wound the feelings of Honourable Gentlemen, that I never till now brought them before the Houfe. But as they are stated by themselves, I think it fair now to bring the facts forward, and argue from them in fupport of the measure I have to propofe.

"In the month of December 1783, an Act of Affembly was paffed to prevent the cutting off limbs. The penalty for cutting off a limb was ftated at 500l. and fix month's imprifonment.--Three months after, in St. Chriftopher's, two men, one of the name of Jordan, were profecuted for cutting off their flaves' ears---one a female and the other a male flave. These acts were attended with circumstances not only of cruelty, but inhuman pleafantry. About eight or ten months afterwards, not without various delays, they were found guilty, and one of them fined 100l. another 50l. but not imprifoned. Another inftance of cruelty occurred in the cafe of an infant only fix months old, whose mouth was cut, I need not say inhumanly, from ear to ear, by a perfon of the name of Herbert. This poor unoffending infant was his own child, and, notwithstanding this, when he came to be tried for the offence, the jury found a special verdict, fubject to the opinion of the court, whether the mo derate correction of a slave by its master was a crime indictable? The court took time to confider this verdict, and fined the offender forty fhillings currency. Thus was it obvious the Legiflature doubted its own energy, by not judging under the authority of its own Acts. And it is to be obferved, that, after that profecution, this man became the most popular in the ifland, and profecuted the Provost Marshal (Gaoler in this country) for not delivering up his flave, the poor infant whom he had immolated; the Marthal was caft, and would have paid the fine but for an informality in the proceeding. Knowing, therefore, that when no queftion of equality of rights exifted to provoke coercive or fevere measures, the Affembly did not punish such cruelty, can we expect that the planters will abolish the Slave Trade. They cannot be expected to do it, and they will not. The experiments to make the flaves comfortable were fimple; but if it was meant to pass colonial laws to alter the nature of their food, &c. it must be evident, that different flaves will require different portions of food, different degrees of comfort of every kind. But will this be done? I believe not. The people of Grenada and

Jamaica

Jamaica know that as the flaves cannot give evidence in their own cafe, all regulations to ameliorate their condition are mere mockery.

"But there is fomething more than all this; that they themfelves declare, that not only are flaves wanted to fill up the chafms in the different gangs, but they avow that they mean to go on till all the island is placed in a ftate of cultivation. I therefore contend, that if you do as my Right Honourable Friend did, couple the Address to his Majefty with a Refolution of abolition, you will then bring the queftion to fomething certain. Men will begin then to look into their own cafes; they will examine into the degree of food and cloathing neceffary, and that great principle of felf-intereft will then begin to operate; but without that all your regulations will be merely wafte-paper. I wish, then, to draw this conclufion, that fo far from its being any objection to the motion for abolishing the Slave Trade in a given time, that it comes after the former addrefs, that it is quite compatible with it. I have faid that great reforms were adopted by the Weft India planters. Why? Because they expected that the trade would be abolished, and that the Houfe would be faithful to its own regulations. Perhaps, Sir, I have confumed more of the time of the Houfe than was neceffary upon this topic, but I have felt it of importance that their attention should be directed to it. In point of fact, every charge we ever made against the trade has been confirmed, and every plea we urged has been more clearly illuftrated, and rendered unquestionable.

"I do not wish to go again into all the difgufting particulars of the manner in which the flaves are obtained upon the coaft of Africa, and upon the system adopted; but yet I muft ftill complain that Gentlemen have directed their attention too much to the political part of the queftion, and to the Weft Indies, and Have looked too little to the dreadful confequences of the trade in Africa. It was not furprifing that the events which we ftated as likely to happen have happened. We find that the trade produced civil wars, and individual acts of oppression; that fuperftition was promoted, in order to furnish the means of fupply; that drunkennefs, debauchery, tyranny, injuftice, every fpecies of profligacy and vice were encouraged, to the exclufion of every principle of right and comfort and civilization; and that all this was done to fecure fupplies of flaves. We find that the administration of juftice, the fource of confolation and protection in other countries, was made in Africa the fource of encouragement to the Slave Trade; and that, as was well faid by a Gentleman who is now a Member of this House, the inhabitants were made wolves and tigers, and beafts of prey against each other. These are facts which were established then, and

which have been proved by every fresh account. Yet there is another part of this queftion, which is, that the people of Africa are not incapable of civilization. They are disposed to receive instruction, and to enter into commercial intercourfe. I mentioned before, what I now must remind the House of, that we ascertained one fact which ought never to be forgotten; we found that, in the interior of the country, many hundred miles up, where the face of a white man had never been seen, that the people were advanced in civilization, in profperity, in all the relations of focial life, in all the domeftic enjoyments, fome centuries more than the inhabitants upon the coaft. Sir, can there be a greater reproach to a country that pretends to civilization and refinement, that these people have advanced more than one or two centuries in all that renders life desirable, than those with whom you have established an intercourfe? and that they only defire never to be curfed with your friendship? This, therefore, has rendered the conclufion I have drawn ftill more clear. Sir, can there now be a doubt that the House ought to give effect to their refolution, and render this partial juftice to the abused natives of Africa? Upon other topics it will be unnecessary to say much, though they have acquired fresh light and importance fince the fubject was laft before the House.

"But there is one, above all, upon which I have been enabled to acquire more information: I mean, in particular, to intreat the House seriously to confider what is likely to be the effect to the fecurity and domeftic quiet of the Inland, of going on increafing the importation of flaves: I allude to the fyftem purfued by the French: I now know for a certainty, that, in two of their islands, a degree of emancipation has been carried into effect, and that twelve thousand have been difciplined to act in their caufe. Is this a time, under fuch circumftances, when this fyftem has been eftablifhed in Guadaloupe, and another ifland, is this a time for you to be rendering it continually more difficult to bring about that happy fyftem, when you will meliorate the fituation of the flaves, and render their condition more defirable? It was ftated, by a very well informed Gentleman, that the great and more than ufual importation of flaves was one of the causes of an infurrection in Jamaica; yet ftill, in direct contradiction to all thofe opinions, you go on importing crowds of thofe unhappy victims. But there is fomething more than all this would the Houfe believe, that, not only are the fresh importations continued, but that the flave ships, taken by the enemy, the flaves in which are made free as foon as taken, are more than fufficient to meet any force which you can fend from Europe to oppofe them? We are therefore continuing this fyftem of cruelty, and for what? To furnish the enemy with the means of

resistance

refittance. This is a point which must come home to every Member of the House: for he will confider, that he may entail a large expence upon his Conftituents. I haye learnt what has been the number of flave ships taken by the enemy. In the year 1796, I find it actually noted in Lloyd's books, that as many fhips were taken as contained three thousand flaves. In 1797, as many as contained from fixteen to feventeen hundred, befides all that were taken upon the coast of Africa. This is a thing to be well confidered by thofe who feel rather for the principle of intereft, than for the humanity of the measure. We afford the enemy, by continuing the trade, more refources than we can meet; and for this it is, that we are rendering ourselves unjust, cruel, and criminal. Sir, I can only fay for one, that I proteít against all the confequences that may refult from the system; and folemnly and feriously do I believe, that the moft fatal effects to the peace of the country will refult from it. I wash my hands from the blood. If the Refolution, which it is now my intention to move, had been adopted in the year 1788, there would have been two hundred thousand flaves lefs in the islands. Sir, I am defirous, in times like thefe, that the foul ftain which that traffic has impofed on the national character, fhould be removed, and that our love of justice, and love of mankind, should no longer be a question with the world. Undoubtedly, there is one other topic, which, in juftice to my own feelings, I cannot but notice. I fhall, however, fay but little upon it. It is, that I have recently read a paper, in which it was ftated, that, in another country, the altar of God had been polluted, and the goddefs of reafon placed on it. If this trade continues, what can be faid, but that you have dethroned the true God, and set up the god of gain and of mammon. This may not alarm those who deny the Providence of human affairs, but, in recognizing it, I truft I fhall not be called an enthufiaft, because we are not come to that pafs when Providence will not interfere in our affairs. The history of human affairs teaches us, that vice begets milery, while imprudence is followed by misfortune. In this, Providence is manifeft, and it will be to dethrone the Supreme Being too much, to increase thofe evils already felt by the fuffering Africans. But it is time, Sir, that I should no longer obtrude on the patience of the Houfe; I have given you my fentiments without reserve, and if I should fail this night in the motion I am now about to make, I fhall at leaft feel the fatisfaction that I have done my duty. I fhall feel, that I have called upon the Houfe to confider well my propofition, before they decide and come to a determination, not lefs involving their own intereft than that of humanity and juftice." He concluded by obferving, that he would move for leave to bring in a Bill for No. 22. ** abolifhing

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