t

respecter of persons? Shall I not entertain the fond, the pleasing, hope, that Congress will, at their ensuing session, enter on the consideration of this truly important subject; and begin to make arrangements for the effectual relief of the oppressed, exiled sons and daughters of Africa?

To the reader, the question will naturally occur, Why has the author given us no account of the mode of treating slaves in the Spanish colonies, the southern states of North America, and other countries? Suffice it to say in answer, the treatment of slaves in all those countries is, in great part, similar to that in the English, French, Dutch, and other colonies, which I have visited; and of whose slaves I have spoken. The fact is, slavery, however modified or meliorated, is a bitter draught; and, in its worst form, poisonous to mankind. In the representation I have given,

my

readers may see, as in a mirror, the state of slavery, both in the West-Indies, and in the American states. There is, however, this difference, the African in North America suffers not a little from cold, from which his countrymen in the West-India islands are exempted; the climate in the latter being much more congenial to that of their native country than the for

mer,

Far is the writer from wishing to give any

offence; but in justice he must say, that, in many instances, the proprietors of plantations of tobacco and rice in the southern states,* have treated not only Africans, and convicts from Great Britain, but reputable, though poor, people, who, to pay for their passage from Europe, have been obliged to sell their services for five, though two years were more than an adequate compensation; with as great severity as Africans suffer in the sugar islands. But this is not all; though America be a country in which provisions are superabundant, many of those unhappy beings in the southern states have been pinched in their daily food. This is not all; slave-holders in those states have confined to hard labour, their own countrymen in iron chains. Indented servants have been, on the most trifling occasions, tied up and cruelly lashed. They have been forced to drag iron wrings, of ten or twelve pounds weight,hammered round their ankles; and to sleep, as they could, with heavy iron chains, and crooks round their necks. Here, however, I must observe, that the condition of the unhappy slaves is tolerable or intolerable, as the master

* The citizens of the southern states in general, are by no means included in our animadversion, we firmly believe, many virtuous and honourable persons in those states, abhor slavery, and deprecate its concomitant evils, as much as any people.

is a man of clemency or cruelty. But, how seldom does it happen, that either the proprietors or the superintendants of slaves are men of humanity and feeling? Seldom, indeed, does this happen either in the West-India islands or the southern states. A master, an overseer of slaves, and yet a man of humanity! Is not this a contradiction? From what I have seen in Georgia, the leeward islands, particularly Jamaica and Hispaniola, the windward islands, particularly, Grenada, St. Vincent, St. Christophers, Mountserrat, St. Eustatia, St. Bartholomew, and others, which I have visited; and from information, verbal and written, concerning the usage of slaves in the southern states, and other places, which I have not seen, I solemnly declare, as in the presence of the Almighty Searcher of all hearts, and final Judge of all men, and all their actions, that I never yet knew one master or manager of slaves, including myself, till conscience effectually checked and stopt me in the criminal carreer, that treated them with any tolerable degree of humanity or tenderness. To expatiate on the forlorn condition of slaves in the southern part of the United States, is unnecessary. Their hopeless situation cannot be altogether unknown to the friends of humanity in any part of the Union. But, were the enslaved Africans treated with more huma

nity in the southern states, I could not but ask, can this be a sufficient compensation for the unequalled hardships and miseries they suffered in their own country, in their way to the slave-ships; and on the middle passage? What violent commotions, and sanguinary wars have been excited and fomented by the emissaries and agents of slavetraders, on the African shore! and excited, fomented solely for the inhuman purpose of procuring slaves! Though I have been a hundred miles up the country, from the shore, I cannot say, that I ever saw any of those bloody engage

ments.

The following is an account of one of their battles, as described by a trader, who was witness to the scene. "I was sent, with several

others in a small sloop up the river Niger, to purchase slaves: we had some free negroes with us in the practice; and as the vessels are liable to frequent attacks from the negroes on one side of the river, or the Moors on the other, they are all armed. As we rode at anchor a long way up the river, we observed a large number of negroes in huts by the river's side, and for our own safety kept a wary eye on them. Early next morning we saw from our mast-head a numerous body approaching, with apparently but little or

2

der, but in close array. They approached very fast, and fell furiously on the inhabitants of the town, who seemed to be quite surprized, but nevertheless, as soon as they could get together, fought stoutly. They had some fire-arms, but made very little use of them, as they came directly to close fighting with their spears, lances, and sabres. Many of the invaders were mounted on small horses; and both parties fought for about half an hour with the fiercest animosity, exerting much more courage and perseverence than I had ever before been witness to amongst them. The women and children of the town clustered together to the water's edge, running, shrieking up and down with terror, waiting the event of the combat, till their party gave way and took to the water, to endeavour to swim over to the Barbary side. They were closely pursued even into the river by the victors, who, though they came for the purpose of getting slaves, gave no quarter, their cruelty even prevailing over their avarice. They made no prisoners, but put all to the sword without mercy. Horrible indeed was the carnage of the vanquished on this occasion, and as we were within two or three hundred yards of them, their cries and shrieks affected us extremely. We had got up our anchor at the beginning of the fray, and now stood