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 ^Compiled from various British Publications,] 
 
 BOSTON: 
 PUBLISHED BY ISAAC KNAPP 
 
 18 36. 
 

CONTENTS. 
 
 Pag:e. 
 
 Introduction, . , 5 
 
 Great Anti-Slavery Meeting at Birming- 
 ham, Oct. 14, 1835, 13 
 
 Soiree, in honor of Mr. Thompson, at 
 
 Glasgow, Jan. 25, 1836, . ... 33 
 Address presented to Mr. Thompson at 
 An Entertainment given by the inhab- 
 itants of Edinburgh, Feb. 19, 1836, . 58 
 Lecture at Edinburgh, Jan. 27, 1836, . 64 
 
 Jan. 31, '' . 77 
 " " Feb. 8, " . 85 
 
 " at Glasgow, 96 
 
 Remarks at the Newcastle-upon-Tyne 
 
 Peace Meeting, 108 
 
 Lecture at Glasgow, Jan. 29, 1836, . 117 
 
 Address to Ministers, 141 
 
 Proceedings at the 2d Annual Meeting 
 of the Glasgow Emancipation Society, 
 
 March 1, 1836, 150 
 
 Meetings in London, 176 
 
 2 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 While Mr. Thompson remained in this 
 country, it is well known that one of the fa- 
 vorite accusations of the pro-slavery press 
 against him, was, that he came hither a fugi- 
 tive from justice — that obliged to leave Eng- 
 land, he visited America to avoid transporta- 
 tion to Botany Bay. To his persevering slan- 
 derers it signified nothing that he had the at- 
 testation of some of the best nien of Great 
 Britain, to the excellence of his character as 
 a man and a Christian, and the incalculable 
 value of his services in the cause of humani- 
 ty ; it mattered not that he came as the repre- 
 sentative of a noble body of Philanthropists — 
 including men illustrious for their talents 
 and attainments, learned divines, able legis- 
 ators, good and wise and pure-minded men 
 — highly esteemed on both sides of the Atlan- 
 tic, for their sterling worth, their ardent piety 
 and active benevolence and devotion to every 
 
VI INTRODUCTION. 
 
 good word and work. It mattered not that 
 his own deportment here, was such as cor- 
 roborated the favorable testimonials of his 
 British friends — that he bore himself as a gen- 
 tleman and a Christian — that he exhibited 
 not only those qualities which dazzle and de- 
 light, and extort admiration, but those also 
 which command respect and enchain aflfec- 
 tion. All this went for nothing. Enough 
 was it for the enemies of impartial liberty — 
 the apologists of legalized man-stealing, that 
 Mr. Thompson's unrivalled eloquence was 
 enlisted on the side of justice, truth, and the 
 equal rights of man — enough that he was an 
 enemy and a formidable enemy to that ini- 
 quitous system which they had set themselves 
 to excuse and defend. By unwearied efforts 
 in the work of calumny and abuse, by con- 
 stant reiteration of gross falsehoods and in- 
 flammatory appeals to passion and prejudice 
 and national jealousy, they at length succeed- 
 ed in arraying against him a feeling of such 
 bitter hostility that he could no longer, with- 
 out exposing his life to imminent peril, con- 
 tinue to prosecute the purposes of his benev- 
 olent mission among us, and his friends here, 
 though reluctant to part with him and relin- 
 
INTRODUCTION. VU 
 
 quisli the anticipated advantages of his co- 
 operation, felt constrained to counsel his de- 
 parture from our shores. 
 
 And whither did he fly ? Why, verily — he 
 returned directly to that land which his ca- 
 lumniators declare that he was forced to leave, 
 that he might escape an ignominious punish- 
 ment. And how was he received there t — ■ 
 Were the officers of justice standing ready to 
 seize him, the instant he should again set 
 foot on British soil ? Was the convict ship 
 waiting to receive him on board, and then 
 hoist sail for New Holland 1 The answer 
 may be gathered from the following pages, 
 which describe the manner of his reception 
 in his native country, and contain accounts of 
 various meetings which he has attended, and 
 reports, more or less full, of the speeches he 
 has delivered, since his arrival there. 
 
 A more full refutation of the foul slander 
 which represented him as ' bankrupt in repu- 
 tation' in his own country, could not be de- 
 sired, than is furnished by the warm and cor- 
 dial — nay, the enthusiastic welcome which 
 has met him in every part of the island which 
 he has yet visited. Glasgow, Edinburgh 
 Newcastle and London have given loud and 
 
Vlll INTRODUCTION. 
 
 united testimony to the fact, that Geofge 
 Thompson is indeed the man whom the peo- 
 ple of Great Britain delight to honor. He has 
 in truth, made a triumphal progress through 
 the United Kingdoms, everywhere hailed with 
 acclamations of joy, loaded with caresses and 
 greeted with the hearty congratulations of all 
 classes of people, on his safe return from his 
 arduous, and to a very good degree, success- 
 ful mission. Especially has he been honored 
 with the highly favorable notice and friendly 
 attentions and commendations of those whose 
 friendship is peculiarly valuable — of those 
 * whose own high merit claims the praise 
 they give.' 
 
 First after his arrival, comes the splendid 
 Soiree in Glasgow, on Monday, the 25th of 
 January, at which the large hall used on the 
 occasion, was at an early hour, ' crowded with 
 a brilliant assembly ' convened to do him hon- 
 or. The most eminent persons in the city, 
 clergy and laymen, were present and active 
 in the proceedings of the evening — eloquent 
 addresses were given, and spirited resolutions 
 adopted, condemning in strong terms the sla- 
 very and prejudice against color existing in 
 America, and expressing the * high admira- 
 
INTRODUCTION. IX 
 
 tion ' which the meeting entertained ' of the 
 blameless propriety, distinguished talent and 
 noble self-devotion ' exhibited by Mr. T. in 
 prosecuting the objects of his mission to this 
 country ; as well as the gratitude to God which 
 was felt for the success that had attended his 
 labors, and for his safe return. 
 
 The demonstrations of applause with which 
 Mr. Thompson was received on entering the 
 hall, and when he rose to speak, as well as 
 repeatedly in the course of his remarks, are 
 represented by the Glasgow papers, to have 
 been enthusiastic and vehement beyond de- 
 scription. A most unusual and unaccounta- 
 ble reception truly, for a man just returned 
 from a voyage made to escape transportation 
 as a criminal ! 
 
 We next find Mr. T. at Edinburgh, to which 
 place he went on the 26th of January, and 
 where on the evening of the 27th he met the 
 ladies and gentlemen forming the Commit- 
 tees of the Edinburgh Emancipation Society, 
 and gave a narrative of his doings in Ameri- 
 ca, which is declared in the Edinburgh pa- 
 pers, to have been ' to every one present far 
 more than satisfactory.' Resolutions highly 
 complimentary to himself, and decidedly ap- 
 
X INTRODUCTION. 
 
 proving his conduct in the United States, were 
 unanimously adopted. [See page 74 of this 
 volume.] 
 
 On the next evening — Thursday, Jan. 28th, 
 at a public meeting of the members and friend 
 of the same Society, which consisted of more 
 than two thousand persons, admitted by tick* 
 ets, he gave an account of his mission, and 
 was received with the same indications of un- 
 qualified approbation, as at Glasgow. His 
 first appearance called out 'several distinct 
 rounds of applause,' and the cheering was 
 frequently repeated during the evening. 
 
 The next day Mr. T. returned to Glasgow, 
 and in the evening gave a lecture on Ameri- 
 can slavery, in Dr. Wardlaw's chapel, to a 
 large audience. Such was the anxiety to 
 hear him, that long before the hour of meet- 
 ing, the house was filled. His reception, as 
 on the former occasion, was such as evinced 
 that he was the universal favorite. The re- 
 marks made by the Chairman of the meeting, 
 Rev. Dr. Heugh, at the close of the lecture, 
 and greeted with unequivocal tokens of ap- 
 proval by the assembly, [See page 140] will 
 serve to show the estimation in which they 
 held their ^excellent Missionary.' 
 
INTRODUCTION. XI 
 
 From Glasgow he again went to Edinburgh, 
 and on Monday evening, Feb. 1st, addressed 
 an adjourned meeting of the Edinburgh Eman- 
 cipation Society, in continuation of the pre- 
 ceeding Thursday's discourse, on the subject 
 of his American mission. As before, he was 
 loudly and repeatedly applauded. At the 
 conclusion of his address, Rev. Dr. Ritchie 
 moved, and the meeting unanimously adopt- 
 ed, a series of resolutions, couched in lan- 
 guage of the highest commendation of Mr. 
 Thompson's character and conduct, and ex- 
 pressive of deep sympathy with the Abolition- 
 ists of this country, and at the same time re- 
 buking with kindness and Christian fidelity, 
 the churches, ministers and professors in 
 America, who give their support to the ini- 
 quitous system of slavery. 
 
 The next Monday evening, Feb. 8th, Mr. 
 Thompson attended and took part in a public 
 meeting of the inhabitants of Edinburgh, held 
 for the purpose of expressing their views of 
 slavery in the United States. The Lord Pro- 
 vost of the city presided, and a large number 
 of the most distinguished citizens, among 
 whom were nearly twenty clergymen, appear- 
 ed upon the platform. When, after several 
 
XII INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Other gentlemen had spoken, Mr. T. rose to 
 address the meeting, he was greeted, as usu- 
 al, * with tremendous applause.' Among the 
 resolutions adopted, was one which spoke in 
 laudatory terms, of his talents and services in 
 the cause of emancipation. 
 
 The inhabitants of Edinburgh, not yet sat- 
 isfied with what they had done to honor him, 
 gave Mr. Thompson an entertainment, on the 
 evening of February 19th, at which an ad- 
 dress, signed on behalf of the meeting, by R. 
 K. Greville, L. L. D., Chairman, was present- 
 ed to him, full of the warmest expressions of 
 admiration, esteem and affection ; eulogizing 
 his eloquence, zeal, prudence and truly chris- 
 tian spirit ; and expressing ardent wishes for 
 his future prosperity and happiness. 
 
 Mr. Thompson was in Glasgow on the first 
 of March, at the second annual meeting of 
 the Glasgow Emancipation Society, and of 
 course participated in the exercises, and was 
 greeted by the assembly with the customary 
 tribute of applause. Honorable mention was 
 made of his name, both in the speeches de- 
 livered, and the resolutions adopted on that 
 occasion, and also in the Society's * Address 
 to the Ministers of Religion and the Friends 
 
INTRODUCTION. XllI 
 
 of Negro Emancipation,' dated on the 10th 
 of the followinor month. 
 
 On Monday, the 28th of March, he arrived 
 at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and in the evening, 
 lectured to a very numerous audience, on 
 American slavery. It may not be amiss to 
 state here — since one of the charges against 
 Mr. T. is, that his whole employment in Eng- 
 land is to slander and vilify this country — 
 that * in every lecture,' as he declares in a 
 letter to Mr. Garrison, he strives ' to do full 
 justice to America, by referring to the many 
 noble and mighty institutions to which she 
 has given birth, and to her unexampled and 
 unbounded facilities for greatness and useful- 
 ness.' In the lecture just mentioned, a New- 
 castle paper says, that * he spoke of the United 
 States, in terms which, if transferred to his 
 own country, would be a high panegyric' 
 
 A few brief extracts from the letter to Mr. 
 Garrison, will show his farther operations in 
 Newcastle. 
 
 * Tuesday, 29th. Had the unspeakable 
 honor of being entertained as the advocate of 
 the negro, at a splendid tea-party in the spa- 
 cious Music Hall. About 600 persons were 
 present. The widely known and justly be- 
 loved bard of Negro Freedom, James Mont- 
 
XIV INTRODUCTION. 
 
 gomery, was present and delivered a tlirilling 
 address.' 
 
 * Wednesday, 30th. By particular request, 
 pleaded tlie cause of the London Missionary 
 Society, with special reference to the Society's 
 operations in the West Indies.' 
 
 * Thursday, 31st. Attended a great meet- 
 ing of the Anti-Slavery Society, at which the 
 Society was re-organized, and became the 
 * Newcastle-upon-Tyne Society for the ex- 
 tinction of Slavery and the Slave Trade 
 throughout the world.' 
 
 * Friday, April 1st. Had the privilege of 
 advocating the cause of Temperance in the 
 Friends' meeting-house, which was far, very 
 far too small for the numbers that flocked to 
 hear.' 
 
 At this meeting too, the British papers 
 speak of the high praises which he bestowed 
 upon America — especially for her zeal and 
 success in the Temperance reformation. 
 
 * Monday, April 4th. By special request, 
 attended two meetings of the Wesleyan Mis- 
 sionary Society. 
 
 Wednesday, 6th. Held a very numerous 
 meeting of ladies in the Friends' meeting- 
 house. After an address of nearly two hours, 
 a Society for promoting Universal Emancipa- 
 tion was formed, and a host of ladies enlisted 
 on the spot as contributors, collectors, distrib- 
 utors of tracts, &c. &c.' 
 
INTROBUCTIOK, %f 
 
 On Tuesday evening, the 5th, I went over 
 to Sunderland, and again spoke on behalf of 
 the Wesleyan Missionary Society.' 
 
 * Thursday, 7th. Attended the annual 
 meeting of the Peace Society, in Newcastle, 
 and spoke for nearly two hours in favor of 
 radical peace principles,' 
 
 Of all these addresses, this volume con- 
 tains only that given to the Peace Society^ 
 which will be found commencing on the 109th 
 page. From the marked and emphatic ex- 
 pressions of approval with which this was re- 
 ceived, and from the comments upon the 
 speeches and the speaker, contained on page 
 108, the reader may infer what the people of 
 Newcastle think of Mr. T.'s character, intel- 
 lectual and moral. 
 
 On the 1st of June, and again, by adjourn- 
 ment, on the SOth, Mr. Thompson addressed 
 a very large assembly at Rev. Mr. Price's 
 chapel in London, on the subject of his Amer- 
 ican mission, and in vindication of his treat- 
 ment of Dr. Cox, at the second Anniversary 
 of the American Anti-Slavery Society. Here, 
 as everywhere else, he was received with the 
 strongest manifestations of approbation, and 
 the verdict of the audience was evidently most 
 
XVI INTRODUCTION. 
 
 decidedly in his favor, and condemnatory of 
 the conduct of Dr. C. vj^hich, on the occasion 
 just alluded to, he had so severely rebuked. 
 
 Besides the meetings at which Mr. Thomp- 
 son was present, this volume contains the pro- 
 ceedings of one held at Birmingham last fall, 
 (while he was still in this country,) at which 
 the West India Apprenticeship was discuss- 
 ed, and its abolition, and the substitution for 
 it, of immediate and entire emancipation, was 
 strenuously advocated by the several speak- 
 ers. 
 
 The contents of the volume having been 
 received from time to time in detached por- 
 tions, and very irregularly, and put in type as 
 they came to hand, are not arranged in the 
 chronological order of events. To supply, in 
 some measure, this deficiency, the several 
 meetings have been noticed in this introduc- 
 tion, in the order in which they occurred. 
 
 C. C. BURLEIGH. 
 
 Boston, Sept. 1836. 
 
GREAT 
 
 ANTI-SLAVERY MEETING, 
 
 AT BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND. 
 
 At a public meeting- of the inhabitants of the 
 Borough of Birminghan), held at the Town Hall, 
 on Wednesday, October 14, 1835, Paul Moon 
 James, Esq. High Bailiff, in the Chair, ' To take 
 into consideration the cruel oppressions and ag- 
 gravated sufferings to which the negroes are still 
 subjected in our Colonies under the name of Ap- 
 prenticeship, notwithstanding the enormous sum 
 of twenty millions sterling granted to the West 
 Indians by the British Parliament — also to con- 
 sider the propriety of presenting a Memorial to 
 Lord Melbourne, and the adoption of such Reso- 
 lutions as the Meeting may deem expedient.' 
 
 The Chairman, in opening the business of the 
 meeting said, whatever difference of opinion 
 might liave existed, as to the mode of getting rid 
 of slavery, there was none whatever as to the ne- 
 cessity of the measure itself. All were agreed 
 that slavery ought to be abolished altogether. It 
 ■was this feeling unanimously expressed through- 
 out the nation that operated on a willing govern- 
 ment, and which induced them to proclaim the 
 triumph of humanity in the emancipation of the 
 2 
 
14 GREAT MEETING 
 
 negroes. Many excGllent men blamed the gov- 
 ernment for the money given in compensation. 
 He, ibr one, must say, he thought the compensa- 
 tion just to this country — England had been a guil- 
 ty nation, and it appeared but just that she should 
 Bhare a portion of the punishment. Entertaining 
 these sentiments he agreed to the measure as a 
 sin offering for the guilt of the nation. It had 
 been the habit of his life to endeavor to pursue a 
 moderate course, and after long experience he had 
 found it the best; therefore, on this occasion he 
 ■would recommend a course of moderation. In a 
 few short years the slaves would be entirely free, 
 and in the possession of all those blessings to 
 U'hich they were entitled. The government were 
 of this opinion, and if the people did their duty, 
 and called upon the Legislature to do theirs, they 
 would, no doubt, do it fearlessly, and after all, the 
 event was in tiie hands of Providence. (Loud 
 cheering,) 
 
 Joshua Scholefield, Esq. M. P. in presenting 
 the first resolution, expressed the regret he felt, 
 and that of every friend of humanity, at the dis- 
 appointment of their just expectations with regard 
 to the clause respecting apprenticeships. It was 
 the understanding on the part of the abolitionists 
 that the period of apprenticeship was to have been 
 coercion of labor iJi its mildest Jorni, similar to 
 what constitutes the service of apprenticeship in this 
 country ; whereas, it had been made, on the con- 
 trary, by the planters, a period for an increased 
 exaction of labor, by which the slave-owner gets 
 out of the bones and sinews of the negro, the la- 
 bor of fourteen years. He differed in opinion 
 with those who thought no compensation ought to 
 have been made to the owners of slaves, for the 
 
AT BIRMINGHAM. 15 
 
 laws of tliG country Iiad sanctioned the traffic in 
 human flesh and human blood, and the man who 
 had invested his money in the horrible trade, was 
 as much entitled to the protection of the law, as 
 he who made an investment in any other article 
 of le<Talised commerce, although, for his own parf, 
 so great was his abhorrence of tiiis inhuman deal- 
 infT, that lie should prefer to be a slave rather than 
 be an owner of slaves. (Cheers.) 
 
 The Rev. Mr. Marsh seconded the resolution, 
 and after a few prefaratory remarks, said, there 
 was but one feeling pervading that meeting, and 
 that was, that their fellow-men and their fellow- 
 citizens should enjoy the same liberties as them- 
 selves. (Applause.) Why was the balance of 
 power in Europe considered so essential — why, to 
 prevent the power of the multitude from tramp- 
 ling upon the rights and liberties of the {"cw. — 
 (Cheers.) What, he would ask the Chairman, was 
 the object of the meeting? Were they met that 
 night to advocate the liberty of the Slave ? Why 
 he thought that the public opinion of the nation 
 and twenty millions of money had secured it; but 
 it appeared he was mistaken : the JVegro was still 
 ill slavery, and all their labor had been in vain. It 
 had been asserted, that there was a danger in 
 emancipating the Slave, because he was likely to 
 abuse his liberty. This he considered most falla- 
 cious reasoning, because it was applicable to eve- 
 ry man who abused any favor conferred upon him. 
 In the committee, the other day, they had had a 
 discussion on the word indi^^j^nation. supposing it 
 to be too strong a term, but he did not vote for 
 the omission of the word ; for, he felt the utmost 
 indignation on reflecting that after the sacrifice 
 of twenty millions of their money the same state 
 
16 GREAT MEETING 
 
 of things existed in the Colonies. He stood not 
 now in America, where the professors of liberty 
 would not alloio him to open his mouth. (Cries of 
 • sljame, shame.') He stood before John Bull, who 
 •was an honest and right-feeling fellow. He would 
 give more money to do good than the rest of the 
 world, but he did not like to be cheated. (Hear, 
 hear.) They had met together that evening to 
 ask what had been done with their money, and to 
 declare publicly that if the twenty millions which 
 they had given for the liberty of the Negroes was 
 not properly applied, they would not sit down 
 content under the injustice. [The Rev. gentle- 
 man, after an appropriate speech, concluded by 
 seconding the resolution, which was carried unan- 
 imously.] 
 
 Mr. George Edmonds came forward and was 
 received with loud cheering. He agreed with the 
 High Bailiff that the abolition of Slavery had 
 been determined upon by the people of England, 
 but what was the fa«t ? Was Slavery abolished ? 
 JVo, it ivas not. He was quite sure they would 
 hear that night from gentlemen in the meeting, 
 that so far from its being abolished, they had still 
 an apprenticeship of slavery:^ and that the friends 
 of the negroes were now in that position which 
 rendered it necessary to start again. He was 
 surprised to hear the chairman talk of the triumph 
 which they had achieved. It was true it was a 
 triumph of virtue on the part of the people, who 
 had determined on the emancipation of the slaves ; 
 but if all he had heard and read upon the subject 
 was correct, there could be no doubt but all their 
 efforts had been frustrated. The slavery now 
 practiced was real slavery, and hence he was 
 warranted in saying that in point of fact the peo- 
 
AT BIRMINGHAM- 17 
 
 pie had not obtained any triumph : it ivas nothing 
 more than a mere delusion. The chairman had 
 said that England was a guilty nation. To this, 
 in the sense implied in the observation of that 
 gentleman, he could not subscribe. Were the 
 people of England guilty, because they stood by 
 before the passing of the Reform Bill, when they 
 had no voice in parliament, and saw the system 
 of slavery carried on ? No, they were not. 
 Where, he would ask, was his, (Mr. Edmond's) 
 guilt, when he had been incessant in his efforts to 
 rouse the public feeling against it? Where was 
 the chairman's guilt when he was writing eloquent 
 poems upon the subject, and would, if possible, 
 have inspired every human being with the same 
 detestation of the system which he himself felt? 
 (Cheers.) Would he not have given pounds to 
 have been able to abolish slavery, and in doing so 
 to gratify his own heart? Although, as he had 
 said, it was a triumph of virtue, still he did not 
 think that the people ought to have paid twenty 
 millions of money for that triumph. (Cheers.) 
 fVhat a villanous government it ivas, and ivhat an 
 atrocious villain Lord Stanley tvas, to propose to 
 give such a sum of money. The original intention 
 was to give fifteen millions, and from some reason 
 only known to the actors in the scheme, it was 
 raised to twenty millions. He should like to have 
 the whole afPiir investigated, and the reasons 
 fully ascertained, why the people were compelled 
 to pay that money. But they were a guilty na- 
 tion! In what did their guilt consist? Why, 
 they eat the sugar. Well, but did they not pay 
 for it? They were a guilty nation only in not 
 compelling the government to emancipate the 
 slaves free of any expense either to themselves or 
 the British public. He asserted the government 
 2* 
 
18 GREAT MEETING' 
 
 were the only guilty party, and not the people. 
 (Hear, hear.) Well, they paid twenty millions, 
 and this was called a sin-offering, and the people 
 ■were consequently the sinners. Did the people 
 ever inflict the whip, or did they ever sanction 
 such an inhuman practice ? No! they never did, — 
 and he defied any man to show any connexion 
 between the people and the system ; only that 
 they did not rise up and knock down the Govern- 
 ment who had dared to perpetuate such a disgrace 
 to the nation. (Applause.) The people, however, 
 so far from participating in the crime, were willing 
 to make any sacrifice to remove the evil; and 
 hence their tacit consent to such a lavish expen- 
 diture to effect the object. They knew, it was 
 true, that the slave-owners were devils, actuated by 
 the basest avarice ; still, they thought that twenty 
 millions would have satisfied them ; but what was 
 their reward for thus liberally rewarding them .^ 
 Why, a new and systematic plan of punishment 
 had been adopted by them, and acted upon with 
 the utmost cruelty. According to the present 
 system, the child might now be separated from 
 the mother! The negro who happened to lose 
 half a day was compelled to work three days as a 
 punishment; and the most villanous part of this 
 regulation or law was, that the three days' labor 
 thus imposed on the unfortunate being went to 
 the planter, who often struggled to find out imag- 
 inary faults in order to inflict a real injury. 
 (Hear, hear.) If an unfortunate mother sat down 
 in the fields, and was so inhuman as to spend half 
 an hour in ministering to the wants of her infant, 
 she was subject to punishment, — if one of the 
 negroes rambled in the fields, he was to be pun- 
 ished, — if he got drunk, he had to work four days 
 as a punishment ; although, perchance, it might 
 
AT BIRMINGHAM. 19 
 
 happen that the planter, for the base purpose of 
 getting- this additional labor, might have made 
 him drunk for the purpose. (Sliaine, shame.) By 
 this base system of giving to the pla'iiter tiie truiis 
 of the delinquencies of the negroes, every induce- 
 ment was held out to the vilest scliemes, to entrap 
 them into tije commission of what was ternied an 
 offence. Again, if the negro used what was 
 termed insolence, or expressed what might per- 
 haps amount to no more than a genteel expression 
 of dissatisfaction, he was subject to twenty-nine 
 lashes. (Siiame.) Again, if one of them took a 
 sugar-cane, he was liable to 250 stripes, or three 
 months' imprisonment, and as a wind-up to this 
 infamous system, if one of them was found carry- 
 ing' a knife in his pocket without the permission of 
 his master, he Avas subject to thirty-nine lashes. 
 These were some of the laws under the new sys- 
 tem, and lie would now put it to the meeting to 
 say whether or not the people of England had not 
 been completely humbugged out of the money 
 Avhich they had paid. (Applause.) Notwithstand- 
 ing, however, all this, s^entlemen had talked of 
 moderation, fie was free to admit, because he 
 believed it to be the fact, that the Chairman and 
 Mr. Scholefield, who had talked of moderation, 
 were influenced by a desire to conciliate all par- 
 ties; but he unhesitatingly said, that if those gen- 
 tlemen said what they really thought upon the 
 subject, they v/ould not have talked of moderation. 
 It was impr>ssible for any man acquainted with the 
 history of negro slavery, — »'ho knew that a sacri- 
 fice of twenty millions had been paid to get rid of 
 it, — and who, after all, saw the system carried on 
 with refined crueltv, to speak or think iviih moder- 
 ation upon the subject. In conclusion he would 
 say, Why did not the Government at once exer- 
 
20 GREAT MEETING 
 
 cise their power, and put an end to the system ? 
 Was it to be endured, that a set of villanoiis 
 planters were to receive twenty millions of British 
 money, and still persist in inflicting cruelties, 
 which outraged every feeling of humanity ? 
 (Cheers.) 
 
 The Rev. J. Riland briefly proposed the next 
 resolution. 
 
 The Rev. J. Burnett next presented himself, 
 and was received with loud cheers. He said that 
 he fell pleasure in seconding the resolution that 
 had just been moved, and in attempting to do so, 
 he ought in the first place to apologise to the peo- 
 ple of Birmingham for appearing before them as 
 a stranger, upon a subject which has called to- 
 gether so much both of the body and mind of this 
 great town, although that subject was of such a 
 character as must necessarily interest those who 
 were strangers to them as well as those who were 
 numbered among themselves. He had not, how- 
 ever, appeared to-night as a volunteer, for he had 
 been requested to come forward by the Society, 
 that had convened the present meeting. He 
 trusted, therefore, to receive all the kind indul- 
 gence that this meeting would accord to one of 
 its own fellow-townsmen, although he had not the 
 honor to rank amongst them. (Cheers.) Indeed 
 from every thing which he knew of Birmingham, 
 he should at once conclude that the mere circum- 
 stance of seconding a resolution connected with 
 the rights of his fellow-men would be sufficient 
 to secure to him their indulgence. (Hear, hear.) 
 Without flattering them, for to flattery he had 
 ever been an adversary, he would say that the 
 kindness of Birmingham extended to every thing 
 
AT BIRMINGHAN. ' 21 
 
 but despotism and tyranny, and long might Bir- 
 mingham against those combined powers of dark- 
 ness, raise its manly voice, until the sun shall 
 cease to set upon a slave or rise upon a tyrant. 
 (Loud cheers.) Having offered these reasons for 
 at all appearing upon this occasion, he felt dispo- 
 sed to take their advice, and he moderate, but he 
 hoped they would allow him to be moderate in 
 his own way. (Cheers and laughter.) He held 
 it to be moderation to cry out when he saw men 
 in possession of the minds and bodies and souls 
 of their fellow-creatures — he held it to be mode- 
 ration to €RY OUT when he saw the wretched fe- 
 males still subjected to the lash — he held it to be 
 perfect moderation to cry out when he discovered 
 men attempting to throw something like the guise 
 of a political creed over eight hundred thousand of 
 his fellow-men laboring under oppressive bond- 
 age. So far from remaining silent, had he a 
 voice loud as the Atlantic wave, as it lashed those 
 islands so Ions' stained with blood, he would Q-ive 
 that voice its loudest emphasis in crying out 
 againt the abominations of slavery. (Immense 
 cheering.) These ivere his views of moderation; 
 and when he discovered gentlemen sitting down 
 with all the coolness of arithmeticians, calcula- 
 ting the prices of men and the value of blood ; — 
 looking to the children rising into life, and to the 
 aged moving towards the tomb, and exclaiming 
 with the voice of oppression, these are the men 
 to be disposed of, and counting the number of 
 their victims as they would the bricks and stones 
 of the palaces in which they dwelt; (cheers) 
 when he discovered this, and found the result of 
 their calculations translated into memorials, and 
 submitted deliberately and coldly to the Legisla- 
 ture — when he discovered this, he held it to bo 
 
22 GREAT MEETING 
 
 moderation to denounce the cool and deliberate 
 wickedness of such men. (Cheers.) It might be 
 asked if all those proceedings were really going 
 forward, whef.her they had thus been carried on 
 in past generations, and how it was that this cry- 
 ing iniquity had been so long winked at ? There 
 was a time, and Birmingham knew it well, when 
 with those matters the nation had nothing to do 
 — when men stood in the high places of honor 
 behind the throne, directing the machines of gov- 
 ernment, and when the nation was never consult- 
 ed, and never knew any thing about the matter. 
 But the British lion has at length been roused — 
 he had shaken the dew-drops from his mane — 
 the people had at length asserted their rights, and 
 now, should any attempt be made to violate the 
 liberties of the human race, he wouldat once ac- 
 knowledge that the nation were guilty of the 
 crime. (Cheers.) Now that they could see, and 
 could hear and could give their opinion on what 
 was doing — now that the curtain had been drawn, 
 and that they could approach the pavilion of the 
 Constitution, should they allow such injustice to 
 be perpetrated, then indeed would they be verily 
 guilty. It was to wipe away those stains that 
 would otherwise rest upon them that they were 
 assembled there that night, for the purpose of 
 telling the Executive that they were moderate,hut 
 that in the West Indies there were men so im- 
 moderate that they could bear with them no lon- 
 ger. (Cheers.) Their fathers knew nothing of 
 the slave question, compared with the present 
 generation ; but had they been ever so "well in- 
 formed upon the subject, and had their voice been 
 heard in the Legislature, some whipper-in would 
 have been found to gather a majority against 
 them, and the system would have gone on. 
 
AT BIRMINGHAM. 23 
 
 (Cheers.) He would ask this meeting in its sound 
 thinking as well as sound feeling, why the Act 
 referred to that night had been allowed to pass 
 into a law ? The reason was this — the nation 
 was but arousing itself from its slumber — they 
 were taken unprepared at the moment — they were 
 led on by a lew, who felt their weakness, and 
 stood undecided and trenibling, not knowing how 
 far a people in these new and embryo circum- 
 stances would consent to support them. He had 
 no doubt if the friends of the Negro had felt the 
 advance of the main body of the people at their 
 back, they never would have accepted such an act 
 as had been passed, nor would the legislature have 
 had the temerity to propose it, and never have at- 
 tempted to pass it. (Cheers.) Under these cir- 
 cumstances, therefore, the act must be regarded 
 as a matter of compromise — of compromise aris- 
 ing out of the timidity of one party, and the cupid- 
 ity of another. He did not wonder, therefore, 
 that the act had found its way into being, but he 
 was truly delighted to find such an assembly had 
 come together for the purpose of revoking it. 
 (Cheers.) Could there be greater criminals than 
 those who persecuted their fellow men ? Why 
 in legislating for the slaves did they enter into 
 something like a commercial bargain, as if they 
 had to do with honorable and honest men? In 
 the West Indies, society was not like that of this 
 country — there it had risen out of scenes of blood 
 and generations of bondage — in blood it attained 
 its maturity, in blood it 'moved, lived, and had 
 its being.' (Loud cheers.) It was necessary that 
 this should have been taken into account ; but the 
 question was, with the framers of the measure, 
 whether they should offend the planters by throw- 
 ing surmises into the act against them. Common 
 
24 GREAT MEETING 
 
 sense should have told them not to insult them, 
 but commen prudence should have taught them 
 enough of their history to take care of them. 
 (Cheers.) Taking this view of the act, they might 
 have expected that it would present something 
 calculated to benefit the Negro. The act had for 
 its object the freedom of the slave, compensation 
 to the masters, and the industry and good conduct 
 of the slaves for a time. These were the objects 
 as stated in the act; and in dealing with such 
 men, it might have been supposed that the Gov- 
 ernment would have taken care to prevent them 
 from abusing its provisions — one half of the act 
 was occupied about the compensation of the plan- 
 ters, but the same degree of care was not adopted 
 to secure equal benefits to the negroes. Were 
 Gentlemen aware that slaves could be sold, and 
 were actually sold at the present moment? Were 
 they aware that they could be handed over in 
 legacies like money and cattle from one proprie- 
 tor to another by the act itself? This was, how- 
 ever, the fact, for the law still sanctioned the 
 sale of human beings in the West India Colo- 
 nies, under the name of apprentices. (Cries of 
 'shame, shanie.') It was said that the appren- 
 ticeship was for the benefit of the slave, inasmuch 
 as it secured him employment, and it was asked 
 what would become of him if he had not masters 
 on whom he could depend ? The idea of sending 
 them abroad about their business was considered 
 horrible, and it was gravely asked under such cir- 
 cumstances what would become of them ? Why, 
 they would do precisely as the men of Birming- 
 ham would do if they were sent about their busi- 
 ness by their employers. Seek employment else- 
 where and procure it, leaving their masters to 
 starve upon the unwrought materials. There 
 
AT BIRMINGHAM. 5i5 
 
 must be a working population or a starving one, 
 and it was quite evident that the planters and 
 slave-owners of Jamaica could not subsist with- 
 out the labor of the slave, no more than the slave 
 could live without the capital of his employer. 
 The Rev, Gentleman here entered into an analy- 
 sis of the Act of Parliament, relative to its ope- 
 ration on the Slaves, and clearly proved that it 
 was an Act framed for the exclusive benefit of the 
 planter, to the injury of the unfortunate negro, 
 whom it professed to relieve. The Rev. Gentle- 
 man next detailed in eloquent and affecting lan- 
 guage, the worthlessnese of the Act, alluding 
 particularly to the cruelties inflicted on the Slave 
 through the medium of the Special Magistracy, 
 who, in nine cases out of ten, were willing in- 
 struments in the hands of the slaveholder. In 
 proof of this, he read an extract from the letter 
 of a slave-owner to one of the Magistrates, in 
 which he endeavored by every argument to in- 
 duce him to resort to the most violent and brutal 
 measures, for the purpose of punishing some un- 
 happy Slaves, against wjiom he had conceived a 
 dislike, for having neglected his orders. He 
 thought, on the whole, the conduct of the friends 
 of the Netrro, in now demandintr the final aboli- 
 tion of the system, was perfectly moderate. They 
 had done every thing in their oower to conciliate 
 the planter, but they had found him incorrigible, 
 and the British public must never again consult 
 them in reference to the interests of the Slave. 
 The planters had said, they had no right to take 
 the Slave without paying them. The people con- 
 sented, and gave them an average of nearly thir- 
 ty pounds a-head, and yet these fellows turned 
 round and said they were robbed, because they 
 were not allowed to do as they liked with them. 
 3 
 
26 GREAT MEETING 
 
 He considered it now the bounden duty of the 
 friends of the Slave to unite as before, tronm one 
 end of the kingdom to the other, and to demand 
 from the Legislature the fulfilment of the bar- 
 gain which they had entered into, and never to 
 cease from their exertions until they had effect- 
 ed the full, complete, entire, and unqualified eman- 
 cipation of the Negro. (Loud cheers.) The? 
 Rev. Gentleman, after a powerful speech of which 
 the above is but an outline, concluded by second-- 
 ing the resolution. 
 
 The Rev. Robert B. Hall, of Boston, wa^ 
 here introduced to the meeting, as one of the 
 original twelve who had formed the first Abolition 
 Society in the United States. After a few ob- 
 servations, the Rev. Gentleman proceeded to say 
 that he was an American. (Cheers.) Ho was 
 proud of his country, but he had no sympathy 
 with her crimes, and least of all thatcrime which 
 converted the image of God into a brute. He 
 was grieved to acknowledge that his ovvn coun- 
 try stood prominent in this guilt; and in making 
 this acknowledgment he did not love America 
 less, but he loved the cause of liberty still more. 
 (Cheers.) He could not but recollect there were 
 that night two millions of his fellow-citizens 
 groaning in bondage, who expected him as a con- 
 sistent American, to be their advocate. He should 
 now go into some facts interesting to the audience 
 before him, in reference to the state of slavery in 
 America. The Rev. Gentleman here entered 
 into the history of Anti-Slavery Societies, which 
 commenced immediately after the declaration of 
 American Independence, and had since continued 
 to increase in numbers and in influence. He 
 gave a melancholy picture of the enormities at 
 
AT BIRMINGHAM. 'Z i 
 
 present perpetrating in that country, the particu- 
 lars of M'hich have already appeared in the public 
 prints. He came before them as the advocate of 
 the American Slaves, and he trusted that the ex- 
 ample now set by England would operate upon 
 America, and at last compel them to the adoption 
 of a full and complete measure of emancipation. 
 If England would but do its duty, slavery would 
 soon cease to exist. [We regret that our limits 
 preclude the possibility of giving more than a 
 faint outline of the Rev. Gentleman's speech, 
 which was received with marked approbation 
 throughout.] 
 
 Tin Rev. J. Scoble, Secretary to the London 
 Anti-Slavery Society, in an animated speech, 
 spoke to the resolution ; and in doing so referred 
 to the history of Slavery in the Colonies. He 
 took a rapid view of the measures brought for- 
 Avard by Government, and deprecated in strong 
 terms the trickery resorted to by Lord Stanley, 
 for tlie purpose of obtaining the enormous sum of 
 money of the disposal of which they had that 
 evening beard so much just complaint. The 
 Rev. Gentleman concluded by drawing an affect- 
 ing picture of the present wretched state of the 
 Negroes in the West Indies, from which it ap- 
 j'.eared that their condition was in many respects 
 Averse than under the old system. 
 
 The Rev. T. Swax, in seconding the resolu- 
 tion, said that, on this question tliere could not 
 be a dissentient voice. All who were in the least 
 degree acquainted with the subject must be of 
 one mind, and make known to the friends of the 
 Negro throughout the empire the dark and affect- 
 ing circumstances of the case. Blessed be God, 
 
28 GREAT MEETING 
 
 in their highly favored country the friends of the 
 Negro were to be found. Britons were anxious 
 that Slaves might cease to breathe in any part of 
 the world ; they were unacquainted ivith an aris- 
 tocracy consisting merely in the color of the skin^ 
 
 AND THEY DESPISED THAT CANTING AND DAS- 
 TARDLY REPUBLIC ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE 
 
 Atlantic, which boasted its love of liberty, and 
 respect for the rights of man, whilst at the same 
 time it held in the most degrading bondage, and 
 shut out from celestial knowledge, from two to 
 three millions of its subjects. (Loud cheers.) In 
 reference to the new system of Slavery in their 
 own Colonies, he would say — what a delusion! 
 How mortifying ! how miserably had they been 
 disappointed — how completely had the benevo- 
 lent designs of the humane been thwarted on that 
 day, when the slaves were brought under the ha- 
 ted Stanley scheme of Apprenticeship — (loud 
 cheers) — a system which had proved to be w^rse 
 than Slavery, Tjjore. i^j'/e than slavery; — a system 
 of the most refined cruelty. Such was l)is opinion 
 of the system, that he believed Satan himself must 
 have been at the right hand of the man ivhen the 
 infernal plan ■presented itself to his disordered im- 
 agination. (Cheers.) The horrid facts in the 
 case must be blazoned forth throughout the length 
 and breadth of the land — facts which required 
 only to be known to call forth general indigna- 
 tion. He concluded by expressing his conviction, 
 that the Christians of Birmingham would not be 
 silent — they would speak out — they would cry 
 aloud, and their voice would be h.eard in the Sen- 
 ate ; it would enter the ears, and he trusted, would 
 move the heart of their King ; it would go out to 
 the ends of the earth ; it would be heard in the 
 islands of the West ; it would cause the slaves 
 
AT BIRMINGHAM. 29 
 
 to rejoice, the missionaries to triumph, and the 
 tyrants to tremble — (cheers) — it would he heard in 
 slave-cursed America, and the painted hypo- 
 crites would quail, and be convinced that they re- 
 quired a REVIVAL indeed. (Cheers.) To the men 
 of Birmingham, as the principal agitators, Britain 
 was indebted for the Reform Bill, and would they 
 be silent so long as Slavery continued in any part 
 of the world. No! the thunders of their united 
 voices, raised in indignation, would roll onward 
 till the slaves were freed from the galling yoke 
 of an unnatural despotism. [The Rev. Gentle- 
 man concluded amidst loud applause.] 
 
 The Rev. J. A. James next presented himself 
 to the meeting, and was received with enthusias- 
 tic cheers. He said that the resolution which 
 had been moved by Mr. Swan, and which he was 
 requested to second, arose by natural and neces- 
 sary consequence out of that which preceded it, 
 for if it were indeed a fact, which abundant evi- 
 dence from various and independent sources prov- 
 ed that it was, that the Apprenticeship Act, in- 
 stead of being a measure of relief to the Negro, 
 had been used as an instrument of cruelty ; if 
 the stipendiary Magistrates sent out to be the ex- 
 positors and defenders of his rights had become 
 his oppressors ; if females were still exposed and 
 flogged, and the men suffered corporeal punish- 
 ment contrary to law ; if the Colonial Legisla- 
 tors were pertinacious in resisting all the benefi- 
 cial operations of the Imperial Act, and discover- 
 ed a perverse ingenuity in thwarting all the be- 
 nevolent intentions of the mother country — then 
 what remained for that meeting to do, but to be 
 satisfied no longer with remedial palliatives and 
 half measures, but to go back at once to the po- 
 3* 
 
30 t;RF,AT MEETING 
 
 aition they formerly occupied, from, lohich ihey 
 had been lured in an evil day, and demand for the 
 Negroea, immediate, complete, and unconditional 
 emancipation. (CheciH.) lie was quite aware 
 that it vvaa a hold, decisive, and to many doubt- 
 leaa, a startling reqiiirement, to ask for the aboli- 
 tion of an Act, which had cost this country twen- 
 ty million sterling, wiiich had so recently been 
 passed witli all tlie most impressive formalities of 
 a British Leirislatiire, which had been considered 
 the great charter of Negro liberty, and a mighty 
 achievement of English benevolence. (Cheers.) 
 But, ht was hold enough to ask for this hold mea- 
 sure, and he wished the meeting distinctly to un- 
 derstand, that this was the object of the resolu- 
 tion now waiting its adoption. He was quite a- 
 ware that he should he mot with the objection 
 that such a measure would bo a direct breacii of 
 national faith, for so indeed It was viewed by 
 some. He would be one of the last men to ad- 
 vise the attempt to do away with the Act, if such 
 a step involved any compromise of principle, or 
 brought any stain upon our national honor. 
 (Cheers,) It is true when he first read the plan 
 of Lord Stanley, lie threw it down with indigna- 
 tion and exclaimed, rather than accept so partial 
 a measure, he would fight the whole battle over 
 again. (Cheers.) But still, had the Colonists 
 faithfully and with good intention fulfilled their 
 part of the contract, he would never liave asked 
 for its being set asid(!, but would have quietly 
 waited for the expiration of its tf-rm. But when 
 instead of this, they received it in the first in- 
 stance with the surly proiul of disappointed tyran- 
 ny, and since then they had extracted much of the 
 little honey it contai nod, and envenomed its poison ; 
 since they had employed all the gubtleties of law 
 
AT BIRMINGHAM. 31 
 
 and all the chicanery of legislation to nullify its 
 beneficial provisions, since she had passed acts 
 contrary to its spirit and design, he felt no deli- 
 cacy in going up to the Legislature, and asking 
 them to tear it in pieces, and scatter it to the winds 
 of heaven. Faith had been broken, notoriously, 
 publicly and shamelessly broken ; but by whom? 
 By the Colonists. The apprenticeship Act had 
 failed in its object, and ought to he repealed. For 
 what was that object? let it be loudly repeated, 
 and emphatically declared, that this object was 
 not to pay twenty millions to the planters. This, 
 it is true, was one of its provisions and enact- 
 ments, but not the main object of the bill ; but its 
 great design was, to give a measure of substan- 
 tial freedom to the Negro, and to impose no more 
 restrictions than were necessary to carry it into 
 safe and easy operation. This then had signally 
 failed, and the delusive statute ought to be imme- 
 diately annulled. He congratulated his fellow- 
 townsmen on the honor, of which they may be al- 
 most proud, of being the first town in the empire 
 that had raised its public and indignant voice a- 
 gainst the present state of our Negro fellov/-sub- 
 jects ; they had given the key-note to that chorus, 
 loud and deep, of sympathy for the Negroes, and 
 resentment against their oppressors, which was 
 about to be raised, he hoped, through the length 
 and breadth of the land. Let them go on to take 
 an interest in this cause. They had liberty, they 
 enjoyed it, and would suffer no man to take it 
 from them. 
 
 Captain C. R. Moorsom, R. N. said, that after 
 the statements which had been submittnd to them 
 that evening, of the effects which had resulted 
 from the Apprenticeship Scheme, he could not 
 
32 GREAT MEETING. 
 
 refrain from saying a word or two upon the sub- 
 ject. Tlie good-natured Lord Althorpe had as- 
 sured them that whenever the measure was 
 brought forward, it should be a useful and satis- 
 factory one. And was it so ? (Cries of No, No.) 
 He was happy to perceive, however, the deter- 
 mination manifested by the meeting to persevere 
 until the system was totally abolished. He trust- 
 ed, when the gentleman who had given the no- 
 tice of a motion on the subject in the ensuing 
 Parliament, brought the question again before 
 his country, that he would be backed by the mor- 
 al sense and moral power of the people ; and 
 should he encounter that subtle enemy of the col- 
 ored race, — that apostate Whig, — that recreant to 
 liberty, — Stanley ; — hand to hand, foot to foot, 
 with an unflinching mind, and unfluttering heart, 
 he shall there meet him and convince him that it 
 is as futile as dishonorable, to attempt to stop the 
 progressof negro emancipation. (Cheers.) While 
 he felt fully confident of the triumphs of justice 
 and of mercy, he also felt assured that every con- 
 trivance would be had recourse to by the planters 
 to weave round the negro the meshes of slavery ; 
 and would he not have the power to do so, as no 
 doubt he would have the will? (Cheers.) Capt. 
 Moorsom concluded by moving the fourth resolu- 
 tion. 
 
 The meeting occupied from six in the evening 
 until ten, and during the whole time the utmost 
 interest was manifested by the immense assem- 
 bly. 
 
SOIREE. 
 
 Monday, a Soiree was held in tlie Monteith 
 Rooms, Buchanan street, in honor of Mr. George 
 Thompson, the enlig-htened and uncompromising' 
 advocate of Negro Emancipation. At seven 
 o'clock, the large and splendid hall was crowded 
 with a brilliant assembly, awaiting in anxious ex- 
 pectation the illustrious individual Avhom they 
 were met to honor. Shortly after the hour, he 
 entered the room, accompanied by several mem- 
 bers of the Glasgow Emancipation committee and 
 their friends, among whom were the Rev. "Dr. 
 Kidston, Rev. Messrs. Anderson, King, and P. 
 Brewster, of Paisley ; Messrs. James .Johnston, 
 R. Kettle, &c. &c. The reception of Mr. George 
 Thompson was beyond description, and forcibly 
 exhibited how highly the assembly appreciated 
 the valuable services he had rendered to the glo- 
 rious cause of emancipation. The applause hav- 
 ing subsided, it was moved that on account of the 
 absence of Dr. Wardlaw, W. P.Paton,Esq. should 
 take the chair, and the motion having been carried 
 by acclamation, 
 
34 MOIliHK. 
 
 Tlio ('iiAiitiviA.N Hilid ho wiiH f;.\coo(liii;i;Iy sorry 
 l.liat Dr. Wiirdluvv Imd bt'f.'M prevented by dorncH- 
 t.ic iiillic.t.ioii IroiM prcNidiii;^ iirii()ii;>; t.lictn, iin iitid 
 b«J(;ri iiiliiiiiilrd. lli; r(M_>r<'l,l,(«d tlii; MbH(!iic,(! ofiui 
 uctivo !uid /(iiilnii:-! rri(!ii(l oI'iIk; ciuihi;, wliic.h llicy 
 AVIUM,' iii(;l. !.(» hidior, in tlnj iMirson of one of ilM 
 inoHt diH!iii^MiiHli(Ml iidvocatcM, b(3cai]K(! he would 
 have Jilli.'d ho much bi'ttf.'r tho horiorablo ollico to 
 which they had iippointed hiiri. For iiitMHidfit' ho 
 ini^fht biy ehiiiri iii uny dci^rfMj to the hoii(»r, it 
 WIIH Iroiii his hiiviii'i h)ii<i; hiMiii ihe advociitc ol' 
 iVcjodotri — iJiiiverMiil troiHloin. (('heern.) And il" 
 liny thinjr coidd (Micourniro liitn to uiidertiilu; \\u: 
 diitioH ol' the onice it woidd bo to Hee, oti hjokiii;^' 
 round him, ho many coiintenanceH in which he 
 conhl read that their uymputhietJ were uniLed in 
 thu uume Jioly cause. 
 
 The Rov. Wm. Anokhsoiv, in rirtinf; to move ilio 
 firnt resolntien, was rec('iv(ui wiili hnid cht-erin;,'-- 
 Jlo Hpoke nearly an I'oHowh. VVh(!n our excenent 
 
 ffiieHt iirHt appounul amonjr iih, it wan wilh a warm 
 leart; ho raujo to hearlH mm warm- warm with 
 Hympalhy lor l\n' allliclcd Neijro, and warm with 
 zea! lor the hr(.akinf.f of his bondn. in tlu s(» (tir- 
 <MimHtan«.eH, one meetin/4" wan enou;(h to unite uh, 
 <.)ne Htroke waH en<mjrh to weld the ^rlouin;^ nui- 
 teriaJH into iin indiHsoluble brotherhood. The 
 HtMitinuMJtH of IVifMulship wo hav(! conceived for 
 liim, are, no doubt, to I)e ascribed chii'fly to that 
 conununily <d" Hympathy to which I have just ad- 
 verted. IJut I leel I wiuild be duiu^,'' injuslice lo 
 Mr. T., were I to ascrd»e it (uitiridy to tiuit cauHo. 
 JMh perHonal, indivi(bnil, (piiililicationM havt^, iin- 
 tU)nl)t(Mlly, had ;.!friM>t indueiuM! in th(! matter. I 
 refer not to Ida intellecHMd (puililiculions. Huch 
 
flOIREE. 35 
 
 gifts, unless connected with moral qualities, make 
 Jio coiKincst of the lnjart. VVJjit, then, in the ciisc 
 of our fri(Mul in this rc^Hpocl? Ho camo uiiumo- 
 us witii powers of discussion, powers of debate, 
 powers of analyzing evidence, powois of classify- 
 ing evidence, j)owers of exposing it, powers of 
 confiiming it, i)owcrH oi rr;a.suning, ))o\vors of de- 
 clamation, powers of liU(Mor to make us huigii, 
 powers of pathos to make ns weep, powers of lire 
 to stir us up to vengeance, powers as varied as 
 those of the lyre of Timotheus, and of greater 
 strength — (enthusiastic chtM-rs,) JSncii j)ow(!rs, 
 that w(; all at onct; gave way, and put him in llie 
 iirst ])l;ic(% that of the elder hrolher of t)ur I'iman- 
 cipatiou family — the Captain of our great moral 
 enterprise. (Renewed cheering.) And how did 
 lie bear himself undiir these honors? Did his 
 morality break down? ])id any of us ever sec 
 any symploni ol'sell-c'onceit in him, or of niu-tnred 
 vanity ? Did any oi' us ever feel he had cause 
 for complaining of his presuming over liim? 
 Never. We have indeed seen his eye, that which 
 his Maker gave him to be used for holy purposes, 
 gathering fire and sparkling with the c-onscious- 
 ness of the power of the thunderholt which Ik^ was 
 forging within his bosom for the destruction of 
 his adversary; but Avhen he had launched it, 
 and scathed him, and prostrated him, could we 
 gatlier from any e.\))rcssion eitlu^rof word or lo(df, 
 that he took personal consiupuMice to himself for 
 what he had done ? (('lie(!rs.) No, all tlu^ expres- 
 Bion was, the Slave has done this Ibr you, 8ir ; but 
 for iiim I would not injure a feeling of your heart. 
 It is this destitution of personal vanity, J am con- 
 vinced, in V(M-y trying circmnstances, which has 
 won for our friend the peculiarly tender (^ndc^ar- 
 ment with which we all regard ium. The time 
 
36 SOIREE. 
 
 came, when the battle having been fought for th© 
 Negroes of our own Colonies, that spirit which 
 first carried us into the field, and which acquired 
 strength during the conflict, sought for other ad- 
 ventures of benevolence. It is a spirit which will 
 not be at rest, so long as there is a slave on the 
 earth. (Cheers.) Our attention was turned to 
 America, and dearly as we loved Mr. Thompson, 
 and perilous although the adventure was,we grudg- 
 ed him not to the oppressed of that land. It appear-* 
 ed perilous from the beginning. In these perilous 
 circumstances we sent lorth our friend ; and now 
 that he is with us again in health and life, let us 
 bless God for his preservation. What has he ac- 
 complished ? We expect much. We had had 
 experience of his talents, his zeal, his fortitude, 
 and of his prudence too. For, notwithstanding 
 the ardor of his mind, and the provoking circum- 
 stances in which he managed our own cause, who 
 ever heard an ungentlemanly expression drop 
 from his lips ? High as our confidence was in 
 him, he has labored to an extent far beyond our 
 calculation ; and far beyond our calculation has 
 been his success. He has kindled a flame in 
 America, it is said, which will not be extinguished. 
 This is not the correct representation. He has 
 gone with the torch of liberty throughout its for- 
 ests, kindling it at a tliousand points, and soon it 
 will be a universal conflagration. According, 
 then, to the motion which I am about to make, let 
 us unite in bles^^ing God for our friend's achieve- 
 ments, and that, through perils he is among us to 
 be employed as God, and we under God, may 
 afterwards see fit to determine. (General cheer- 
 ing,'which lasted for some time.) 
 
 *rhe motion was seconded by Mr. Patrick Le- 
 them, and agreed to by enthusiastic acclamation* 
 
SOIREE. 37 
 
 Mr. Thompson, on rising-, was greeted with the 
 most enthusiastic applause, which was renewed 
 again and again. On its subsiding, he observed 
 that he well recollected the feelings which, on a 
 similar occasion to the present, about two years 
 ago, had embarrassed and well nigh overpowered 
 him, nor were his emotions on the present occa- 
 sion less calculated to embarrass and paralyse. 
 You have been listening with delight, continued 
 Mr. T., to the extraordinary eloquence of my 
 friend — if there be anything by winch I am more 
 affected than another — if there be any sounds that 
 fall on mortal ears, which thrill my mind more 
 than others, they are the sounds of eloquence, and 
 such eloquence as that to which we have now 
 been listening. But in proportion to the delight 
 with which, under other circumstances, I should 
 have listened to my friend, has been my distress 
 on this occasion. His eloquence has been devot- 
 ed to the multiplication and to the magnifying of 
 my merits and my abilities. His splendid tribute 
 I know not how to acknowledge, because, in sin- 
 cerity, I renounce all claim to the panegyric ; but 
 while I renounce all claim to the praise our friend 
 has bestowed on me, let it not be supposed that I 
 am insensible to the kindness and to the confi- 
 dence in me that has prompted it. There is only 
 one thing which, next to the approbation of my 
 conscience, and the approbation of my God, I 
 prize above your approbation, and that is what I 
 believe I have obtained — the blessing of the per- 
 ishing. (Applause.) O, Sirs, if there is one thing 
 which has rewarded me more than another, more 
 even than your smiles and your repeated assur- 
 ces of support, sent to me across the Atlantic, by 
 those who have so steadfastly, so zealously, so 
 undeviatingly managed the affairs of this Society, 
 4 
 
38 SOIREE. 
 
 it has been when traversing the streets of Boston, 
 and New- York, and Philadelphia, to meet the 
 black man with the tear of gratitude standing in 
 his eye — to see and to feel that I had his blessing 
 out of a full heart. I do not say more than what 
 I feel when I say I would rather have the blessing 
 of the outcast, the perishing, the persecuted negro 
 of America, than to walk o'er rose-strewed paths, 
 under triumphal arches, with the oppressor of the 
 black man, crying Hosanna, Hosanna,in the high- 
 est. (Great applause.) .That reward was what I 
 sought, and I hope I did not do it even for that. 
 I trust that in all my labors in America I have 
 gone upon the principle upon which all here act 
 when they do act, viz: because they are obliged 
 to do it — obliged by their consciences, by a con- 
 straint which is far higher and stronger, even by 
 that great principle to which the apostle refers 
 when he says, 'The love of Christ constraineth 
 us, because we thus judge,' &c. (Applause.) Our 
 friend has well said that the Mission was a peril- 
 ous one. It was a perilous one, and you, at this 
 moment, I believe, have no just conception of the 
 perils to which all the friends of Abolition are 
 called to pass through. They have not alone to 
 sacrifice reputation, and honor, and fame, for they 
 who have been at the very pinnacle of popularity 
 suddenly fall into the depth of infamy ; but they 
 have to face positive dangers, and the malice and 
 false accusations of all the prejudiced and inter- 
 ested. I was particularly marked out for their 
 attacks because T was a foreigner, because I had 
 come from a distant shore. In vain did I appeal 
 to their splendid Missionary enterprises so deeply 
 fixed on the aff'ections of the American citizens. 
 In vain did I point them to those who were en- 
 deavoring to Ptop the rolling car, and quench the 
 
SOIREE. 39 
 
 funeral pile, and make the resplendent glories of 
 the cross eclipse the crescent of Mahomet. (Rap- 
 turous applause.) They contended that I was a 
 foreigner, attacliing their political institutions, and 
 they sought to banish me as a traitor and an in- 
 cendiary. Yet, remembering what I had promised 
 to you, and to my God, and to his suffering child- 
 ren, I went forward. (Cheers.) Our friend has 
 said, it has been a successful mission. Thank 
 God it has been so. This night I call upon you 
 devoutly to render thanks to him who has honor- 
 ed our efforts with so much success, and who has 
 blessed the humble endeavors of the humble indi- 
 vidual whom you now honor. I keep within the 
 bounds when I say that my mission has far trans- 
 cended my most sanguine expectations. 
 
 When I last parted from you I expected to be 
 absent for a period of three years, but during the 
 one year I have spent in America, much more 
 has been effected than I believed would have 
 been done at the end of three years — (loud cheers.) 
 The whole country is aroused — every newspaper 
 is discussing the subject — many of them ably and 
 fearlessly taking the right side of the question. 
 I may mention one, the New- York Evening Post, 
 one of the ablest supporters of the existing ad- 
 ministration. The whole population is roused ; 
 every class, every condition, upon that wide 
 spread territory are discussing the question — 
 (cheers.) I did not think to see at the end of 
 one year upwards of three hundred Anti-Slavery 
 Societies, all energetic, composed of men and 
 women devoted beyond the powers of any lan- 
 guage I can employ to describe. I did not ex- 
 pect so soon to see the servants of God of all 
 denominations rising and putting on the harness 
 in this sacred cause ; I did not expect, Sir, to see 
 
40 SOIREE. 
 
 christian America, at the end of one year, already 
 in the attitude of Sampson feeling for the pillars 
 of the temple, that, lifting it from its foundation, 
 it might tumble for ever to the earth. (Vehement 
 cheering.) And yet that is the attitude of America 
 at this moment,nor will it be long ere this Sampson 
 grasps the columns of this blood-stained fabric. 
 (Continued cheering.) The other evening when 
 I was speaking of what the Methodists, and Pres- 
 byterians, and Baptists, and Congregationalists 
 were doing, and what the Unitarians were going 
 to do, I did not recollect to say that those minis- 
 ters of different denominations Avho have been 
 brought over, were once prejudiced as strongly 
 as were those whose documents I read to you, 
 and the reading of which caused, I doubt not, 
 your very flesh to creep. To corroborate this 
 sentiment, Mr. Thompson read one or two ex- 
 tracts from a letter which he had received from a 
 respected minister in Boston, in which he solemn- 
 ly renounced his former prejudices against the 
 colored population, and pledged himself hence- 
 forward to engage heart and hand in the great 
 question of immediate emancipation. Mr. T. 
 then concluded his eloquent speech, which was 
 listened to throughout with the most intense in- 
 terest, with the following well merited tribute of 
 respect to Dr. Wardlaw and other zealous labor- 
 ers in the same noble cause. I must, however, 
 before I sit down be allowed to express my un- 
 feigned regret that a domestic calamity should 
 prevent us from having amongst us to-night our 
 beloved friend Dr. Wardlaw, who has stood by 
 this cause through evil and through good report, 
 and who, though calumniated, defamed, traduced, 
 has meekly, yet boldly, unostentatiously, yet un- 
 flinchingly, advocated this cause. Oh, Sir, let us 
 
SOIREE. 41 
 
 prize such men, let us love thcrr), let us remem- 
 ber that the gfreat and the good are on our side, 
 that the greatest and the best are with us, that 
 the Wardlaws and the Heughs, and the Ander- 
 sons, and the Brewsters, and the Kidstons, and 
 the Kings, are on our side. You will remember, 
 when I referred, at that tremendous meeting in 
 another place, to the striking contrast between 
 the supporters of him who has been endeavoring 
 to accomplish your wislies in a distant land, and 
 the supporters of another gentleman who has now 
 the cabalistic initials of M. P., appended to his 
 name. (Great laughter.) Then, I could stand 
 forth and say, 'lam supported by those whom 
 God supports,' and I am still so supported. I do 
 not think I have lost a friend in Glasgow. I can 
 only say I have done nothing to deserve to lose 
 one ; and if I have offimded by being too faith- 
 ful, I would still be faithful, and if I saw niy 
 friends on earth dropping off like leaves in au- 
 tumn, and 1 had no one to support me, I would 
 still stand upon the rock of trutii and confide in 
 the God of truth. I know, houever, you are still 
 with me, you still richly reward me, and 1 belir^'e 
 you will continue to labor along with mo till not 
 only the Antilles shall be free, but until the Sonth- 
 ern States of America shall be free, and all the 
 other Slave-cursed districts of the world shall be 
 free, until there shall not be on the circumference 
 of the globe, one man yielding to the ruthless 
 hand of a despot, an unwilling and sorrowful la- 
 bor. (Loud "land long continued cheering.) 
 
 Mr. Jas. Johnston- rose for the purpose of 
 reading a letter addressed to the Ladies of Great 
 Britain, by the Ladies Anti-Slavery Associations 
 of New-England, signed by the accomplished, 
 
 pious, and heroic President and Secretary, who 
 
 4* 
 
42 SOIREE. 
 
 SO admirably conducted their meeting, when sur- 
 rounded by the s^entlemen savages of Boston. 
 The letter was addressed to the Ladies, but he 
 did not think that it would be necessary for the 
 gentlemen present to shut their ears while he 
 read it. It contained nothing which would be 
 likely to make them esteem the fair sex less. 
 
 To THE Women of Great Britaijt. 
 
 Dear Friends, 
 
 We write to you from the heat of a commotion, un- 
 paralleled in our remembrance, and the scene we wit- 
 ness, and wish we could find adequate words to de- 
 scribe, is one of awful sublimity. 
 
 But how can we embody so vast a subject in so 
 slight a sketch as time permits ? How can we in a 
 few words picture to your minds the awakening of a 
 nation from a dream of Peace, and Freedom,and Glory, 
 to a reality of Strife, and Slavery, and Dishonor ? 
 
 Here are the noble few, half-spent, yet strong in 
 heart, struggling to stay the headlong descent ot the 
 many. Here are the frantic many rushing down to 
 the abyss, with eyes yet closed, and brains yet under 
 the influence of their feverish dream. Here are the 
 miscalled wise and prudent, the mistaken, benevolent 
 and compassionate, the imbecile and office-seeking 
 Statesman, the time-serving and timid Clergy — the 
 Wealthy, the Fashionable, the Literary, the blind- 
 leaders of the blind, the self-styled religious, all join- 
 ing to heap opprobrium and persecution upon those 
 who would fain save them from the swift-walking de- 
 struction that threatens our noon-day. 
 
 Foremost among this band of steadfast hearted 
 stands George Thompson. We fervently thank God 
 who put it into the mind of Great Britain to send him 
 to our aid. His piety and eloquence, his incorrupti- 
 ble integrity, his devoted self-sacrifice, his unrivalled 
 talents, have given a wonderful impulse to the cause. 
 
SOIREE. 43 
 
 In proportion to his usefulness has the cry been rais- 
 ed that he should * depart out of our coasts.' Now 
 that his life is in danger from the assassin every mo- 
 njent that he remains in this country, we, too, think 
 it is time that he should depart. "What a revelation 
 has the past year flashed upon our minds. 
 
 Slavery has infected the life-blood and inflamed the 
 heart of the nation. It is a literal fact that never a- 
 mong the bloodiest race of the most persecuting age, 
 was concealment more necessary to preserve the life 
 of a defender of unpopular truth. Such a one has 
 not merely assassination to apprehend — he holds his 
 life and property at the mercy of a mob of those who 
 call themselves the ' wealth and standing, the influ- 
 ence and respectability of the country,' who are striv- 
 ing to establish an aristocratic order of things, without 
 those adjuncts and circumstances which in Europe 
 seem to justify such an order. Scenes of outrage 
 have become so common as to follow regularly upon 
 the expression of our opinions. The spirit of north- 
 ern Liberty is commanded to yield to the spirit of 
 southern Slavery, and we are made to feel in our own 
 persons that the violation of the rights of the black 
 man has made the rights of the white man insecure. 
 So simple a matter as the annual meeting of our so- 
 ciety, caused the representatives of the slave interest 
 in this city to rush to the spot in numbers, not less 
 than 4 or 5,000, for the avowed purpose of putting a 
 stop to the meeting, by taking the life of Mr. Thomp- 
 son, who they conjectured was to address us. Not 
 finding him, they seized Mr. Garrison, and his life 
 was hardly saved by the most desperate exertions. 
 Mr. Thompson has been for weeks a prisoner to his 
 room. The abolitionists dare not allow him lo risk his 
 life further. Notwithstanding their wrongs, they are 
 true patriots, and independently of their fervent 
 friendship to the man, and the deep sense of the value 
 of his life to the cause, they shudder at the probabil- 
 ity, that his blood may be upon the head of this peo- 
 ple, if he remains longer. Even his wife and little 
 ones are unsafe. These are horrible truths. We can 
 
44 SOIREE. 
 
 find no words to express our sense of grief and indig- 
 nation ; therefore, we make no comments. We are 
 obliged to bear the sense of them constantly in our 
 minds, and this is a severity of infliction which com- 
 pels us to confess them. We do so with the hope that 
 we may have your sympathy and your prayers, and 
 in the confidence that every contemplation of the 
 present crisis, will strengthen us to renewed exer- 
 tions. One of your authors justly observes, ' the time 
 of preparation for a better order of things, is not a 
 time of favorable appearances. We see on reflection, 
 that the state of a nation has changed for the better, 
 when it has passed from deathly lethargy, though to 
 convulsive life.' 
 
 These considerations are for the present grievous, 
 yet shall they yield the peaceable fruits of righteous- 
 ness to them that are exercised thereby. It is not 
 until the Angel troubleth the pool that it has virtue 
 to heal the impotent who lie about it. Not until 
 men's minds are hot in the furnace, that they yield 
 to the weight of evidence and argument ; and we 
 must not wonder that the blows of these appointed in- 
 struments bringing out sparkles of fiery indignation. 
 
 While the strong are thus engaged in endeavoring 
 to soften and influence, we who are weak, are yet 
 strong in purpose, to continue to use all righteous, 
 christian, and suitable means, to effect the same great 
 objects. Amid our many afflictions, we are sorrow- 
 ing most of all, that we must see his face no more, 
 whom you have sent to give us aid, strength, coun- 
 sel, and courage. He has done all this mo'st effectual- 
 ly, and is hunted for his life as his reward. But a 
 different reward awaits him — the blessings and the 
 thanks of every friend of human freedom, that now 
 breathes, or ever shall breathe, on this Globe — the 
 joy of the host of heaven over the multitudes his min- 
 istrations have blessed — the command which, if ever 
 mortal could, he may conlidently anticipate, to enter 
 also into the joy of his Lord. 
 
 Dear Friends, we boast a common ancestry and lan- 
 guage ; our hearts and our hopes too are one. You, 
 
SOIREE. 45 
 
 as well as ourselves, claim kindred with those ' de- 
 vout and honorable women,' the puritan mothers of 
 New-England. They were wont to commend them- 
 selves to their friends in ' the love of Christ.' Do we 
 not the same when we say, yours in the love of free- 
 dom. 
 
 In behalf of the Ladies' Anti-Slavery Associations 
 in New-England. 
 
 (Signed) MARY S. PARKER, President. 
 
 Maria W. Chapman, Sec. For. Cor. 
 
 The Rev. D. Kinof moved the second resolu- 
 tion, expressive of indignation at the conduct of 
 America, with regard to the slave population. In 
 moving- this resolution, he wished it particularly 
 understood that the indignation expressed, was 
 solely on account of their errors. He disclaimed 
 on his part all personal enmity to the American 
 anti-abolitionists. He wished to act in accord- 
 ance with that great scripture doctrine, which 
 teaches us to hate sin, but to love the sinner, and 
 endeavor through this affection to turn him from- 
 the error of his way. And certainly there was 
 much room for compassion with regard to the er- 
 roneous notions entertained in America on this 
 head. He pitied the slave master, for he was in 
 a state of slavery more degrading than that of the 
 poor negro. His bondage was that of the mind, 
 and consequently was as much greater tlian the 
 other, as mind was superior to matter. But how- 
 ever much he might speak thus of the offender, he 
 would not in any wise spare the offence. For 
 should he speak in an indifferent spirit of the con- 
 duct of the anti-abolitionists, then would he show 
 that he had not a proper love for the benefits of 
 freedom. He would protest therefore against the 
 
46 SOIREE. 
 
 conduct of our brethren on the other side of tbe 
 Atlantic, not alone on account of the evil itself, of 
 which they were guilty, but also on account oi 
 its consequences — on account of the injury to the 
 cause of freedom from these acts being attributed 
 by the enemies of human liberty, to their free sys- 
 tem of government. When acts of cruelty are 
 perpetrated in despotic countries — in Turkey for 
 example, we would at once place it to the account 
 of their system of government; but in America 
 this could not be said with truth, and thus it came 
 that their good was evil spoken of. Looking to 
 the immediate results, it might seem as if it would 
 be better to say less about this foul blot on the 
 American character, but he was in this matter, as. 
 in every other, determined to state the truth, and 
 leave the consequence in the hands of the divine 
 will. (Cheers.) Truth could afford to make many 
 sacrifices, and although deserted by many minis- 
 ters of Christianity! though Republican America 
 was acting in express violation of the obvious dic- 
 tate of its own constitution, yet still they could 
 remember that there was one to defend the right 
 cause — He, who in coming into this world said he 
 carne to bear witness to the truth, and with Him 
 on their side, they had no reason to be afraid. 
 (Cheers.) But America had an excuse to make 
 for her sin. It was ever so with sin ; there was 
 always some excuse. If no other, there was at 
 least that old one, 'the woman gave it me and I 
 did eat.' (Cheers.) The Americans, then, defend- 
 ing themselves, resorted to this excuse ; that it 
 was not the fit time yet for emancipating their 
 slaves. They were quite willing to make Ihem 
 free, but the slaves were not prepared for free- 
 dom. Here was a double wrong committed; for 
 not only did they keep men in bondage, but pro- 
 
SOIUEE, 47 
 
 tended that it was because they were not able to 
 use their freedom aright. But if slaves in Amer- 
 ica were unfit for freedom, who had been the 
 cause of that ? If the slave masters were unwill- 
 ing to use exertions in preparmg them for acting 
 as freemen, who was to blame? If they would 
 rot take pains to instruct them, so that they might 
 exercise with propriety the simple boon of liberty, 
 then the guilt and the folly rest upon their own 
 heads. (Cheers.) Butit was impossible to believe 
 that the Americans were speaking in earnest 
 when they spoke thus, for surely we might think 
 that if they hated slavery, and considered that the 
 want of education was the only objection, they 
 would endeavor to remove it as speedily as pos- 
 sible. But it was easy to see that their preten- 
 sions to liberality on this score were quite un- 
 founded, as they had, instead of endeavoring to 
 enlighten and expand the minds of these poor 
 members of the human family, enacted that 
 no one should teach a slave to read or write, 
 under a very severe penalty. They also pre- 
 tended that it was impossible for us on this 
 side the Atlantic to form an idea of what slavery 
 is in the United States. It was only by going 
 over to that country, that they could view it as 
 all very proper to maltreat the black population, 
 (Cheers.) Among the many arguments by which 
 the common people in America seek to justify 
 their conduct; it was said that the skin of the 
 blacks gave out an offensive odour, and that this 
 was one cause of the prejudice entertained against 
 them. But with regard to this point, av^o are not 
 left to gather all our intelligence of them from the 
 American slave owners. Some of them occasion- 
 ally reached the shores of this country, and so far 
 us he had learned of them, iho^o. who came here 
 
48 SOIREE. 
 
 did not contaminate the atmosphere as they were 
 charged with. Indeed, it was utledij impossible 
 there could be any thing in the effiuvia proceeding 
 from their bodies, or else the nobility and gentry 
 icoidd not be so fond of black servants. (Cheers.) 
 The fact was that what they complained of, did 
 not belong to slaves at all ; it was after they be- 
 came free that the smell was felt to be disagreea- 
 ble. There was one thing, on account of which 
 he felt glad, that they were able to stand up and 
 feel in condemning the sin of America, that we 
 were not self-condemned; that they could not 
 say to us with truth, 'Physician, heal thyself.' — 
 The Americans were ill pleased at this, however, 
 for it showed from the example of our colonies, 
 how safely emancipation might be effected, with- 
 out any of those frightful consequences which 
 were predicted as likely to follow the emancipa- 
 tion of the slaves in the West indies. For sure- 
 ly it cannot be said now, that there will be any 
 danger from that quarter; and as little cause have 
 the Americans to fear any of these terrible re- 
 sults, which, according to many authorities among 
 them, would most certainly follow the immediate 
 emancipation of all the slaves in the United States. 
 (Cheers.) If America would ft)llow his advice, ho 
 would let the example of this country be copied 
 by America in every thing save the clogcjing re- 
 strictions. One galliivjf circumstance with re- 
 gard to slavery in the United States was its being 
 so frequently held up by the Tories as an argu- 
 ment against liberal constitutions, and this covld 
 never he satisfactorily ansnrred, vntil immediate, 
 complete, and unconditional emancipation be ob- 
 tained for the negro. (Cheers.) 
 
 Mr. Kettle said, is it not a melancholy spec- 
 tacle, Mr. Chairman, that in Republican Auieri- 
 
SOIREE. 49 
 
 ca, which owes its origin as a nation to its having" 
 been the refuge of the oppressed and persecuted 
 puritans, and laying claim as it does to being a 
 land of freedom — I say, Sir, is it not heart-sick- 
 ening, that in such a country, claiming such a 
 character^ practical oppression, civil disability, 
 and social despotism, should be found legalized 
 and domesticated as if to hold up to public deri- 
 sion all that is sound in its civil polity, and all 
 that is sincere in its profession of Christianity. — 
 The fact, Sir, at first, no doubt, excites our aston- 
 ishment, and perhaps our indignation ; but if we 
 loolv back to its origin, we shall find more occa- 
 sion for our pity and compassion. I do not stand 
 up, Sir, as the apologist of Slavery or of Slave- 
 holders ; were I to do so, every line of my motion 
 would frown upon me, as well as every feeling 
 of my nature. But, Sir, we should keep in mind 
 that America had become a Slave-dealer, before 
 she became her own mistress, and that her pres- 
 ent circumstances are a part of the Colonial in- 
 heritance left her by us. Would, Sir, that she 
 had had the principle, and the wisdom, to do witq 
 Slavery what she did with her allegiance to this 
 country — to have cast it away from her forever, 
 as unworthy of a land of freemen. Had the first 
 act of her mdependence been the total abolition 
 of slavery, 
 
 'Hail, Columbia, happy land,' 
 
 might then, Sir, and might now, have been said 
 or sung with tenfold more truth. The love of 
 mammon, however, unhappily overcame the lov« 
 of justice; and as in every case, where the laws 
 of God are set asidp, the perversity of man breeds 
 and brings to maturity its own punishment, so has 
 it been, and so will it be with America. As long 
 5 
 
50 SOIREE. 
 
 as she continues an oppressor, she may increase 
 her population, she may extend her commerce, 
 but there is a worm in the bud, which, if not de- 
 stroyed, vvill blast her beauty, and bring her down 
 to the dust of desolation. Her bondmen, like 
 those in Egypt, iiave now increased, and the dif- 
 ficulty of their liberation, viewed as a mere mat- 
 ter ot profit and loss, has also increased; and, 
 however much we in this country may be con- 
 vinced of the propriety of their immediate eman- 
 cipation, yet, we must keep in mind that many of 
 the Americans view the niatter through a very 
 different medium. They look at it. Sir, through 
 a pair of moral spectacles, having one lens 
 compounded of interest and avarice, and the 
 other of pride and prejudice, both of which meet 
 in a common focus causing croriked tilings to look 
 strait, and abominable things bright and beauti- 
 ful. It is upon no other principle that I can ac- 
 count for the views and sentiments of Governor 
 McDiiffie. They could not otherwise have come 
 out of any human head liviuLr in a christian coun- 
 try, in the 35th year of the 19th century of the 
 ehristian era. What, Sir, is America to be told, — 
 busy, bustling, canal-cutting, rail road-making, 
 forest-clearing, city-raising, ship-building, every- 
 wliere-penetrating America, — that domestic Sla- 
 very is the corner stone of her commercial and 
 political prosperity ? Is tlie sapient Governor to 
 put on the spectacles I have referred to, and after 
 reading certain select portions of the bible with 
 them, to tell America, the country of Cotton Ma- 
 ther, and Jonathan Edwards, and Timothy Dwight, 
 and Edward Payson, besides a host of pious fe- 
 males, whose biography has shed on it a lustre 
 briL^htPr far, in our estimation, than that of its pol- 
 iticians and pbiloeophers — that it is oae of the 
 
SOIREE. 51 
 
 plainest appointments of God, an ordinance so 
 distinctly instituted that it cannot be misunder- 
 stood, that they must buy and sell, and beat and 
 buffet their fellow creatures, and fellow christians, 
 provided tliey happen to be a little dark in the 
 complexion, and harness them like oxen, and put 
 out the eyes of their understandings, and shut up 
 their souls in perpetual darkness! Nay. Sir, that 
 they are chalked off, by the the great father of 
 the human family, the God of the universe, for 
 that special end, colored and shaped for the very 
 purpose ; and were they placed in any other posi- 
 tion than that of slaves, the order of nature would 
 be disturbed, and there would be an immense 
 chasm in personal, social, and national morality ! 
 After all, Sir, I feel a kind of respect for this Tiie- 
 oloffical Governor. There is something down- 
 right and straightforward about him, and I would 
 far rather have a man honest in a had cause, than 
 one who acknowledges its badness, and after a few 
 extenuating huts, either pleads for, or passively 
 submits to its continuance. This latter class of 
 persons are the protectors of nearly all tlie legal- 
 ized evils that exist in the world. They are the 
 very body guard of corruptions, moral and politi- 
 cal. They are always in the way of reform, rais- 
 ing their barricadoes of opposition, admitting all 
 the while, the correctness of your statements, the 
 truth of your principles, yet holding in dread 
 abeyance the application of the measures sanc- 
 tioned by them. Such persons may be compared 
 to ' damaged clocks, whose hands and bells dis- 
 sent — conduct sings six, when conscience points 
 at twelve.' Truly, Sir, they are objects of pity ; 
 what an uncomfortable world this must be to them! 
 They are doomed to a constant warfare b'^twixt 
 custom and conscience. They are governed by 
 
53 SOIREE. 
 
 something extrinsic to themselves, apart from 
 their reason, and must go where the public opin- 
 ion of their own little selfish circle may lead them. 
 It is but natural, Sir, that a man's speculative 
 opinionSjOr I might say, admitted principles, should 
 be a little in advance of their full practical exhi- 
 bition. We are so much creatures of habit, and 
 so averse to condemn ourselves, by altering our 
 opinions and practices, that conscience must raise 
 a pretty loud clamor, before we listen to, and obey 
 it. Let us therefore hope, Sir, that those who 
 now remain neutral on this great moral question, 
 will, without much further delay, disband their 
 prejudices, and take up a position more becoming 
 American citizens, to say nothing of christian 
 character. 
 
 I now come. Sir, to the last part of my motion, 
 ■which refers to a class who at all times demand 
 our esteem and affection, and who at the present 
 time have a peculiar claim on our aid, our admi- 
 ration, our sympathy, and our prayers. I mean, 
 Sir, the Christian Abolitionists of America. Upon 
 them, under God, lies the work of ridding their 
 country of this moral and spiritual pestilence. It 
 was the Christian principle of this country that 
 carried Emancipation here, and I am widely mis- 
 taken in my opinion of the religion of America, 
 if the same cause produce not the same effect 
 there. Who can read the writings of GARRisori 
 and BiRNEY, or hear of the faith and fortitude of 
 the female abolitionists of Boston, and call this in 
 question ? We cannot but admire them, or rath- 
 er I should say, admire the grace of God in them. 
 We have only to think what was lately our own 
 circumstances, in order to sympathise with them, 
 and to keep in mind that the heat of the furnace 
 of their trial is seven-fold that of ours; and oh, 
 
SOIREE. 53 
 
 let us not forget that as Christian brethren en- 
 gag-od in a delicate and difficulr, but clfarly de- 
 fined duty, they have a special claim on our pray- 
 ers — that God may direct and sustain them — that 
 they may carry about with them the spirit of 
 Christ— pity for the oppressed, and prayer for the 
 oppressor. We are far removed from them, and 
 can help them but little, but God can help them. 
 Prayer moves the hand that moves the world. 
 He helped us in our late successful struggle, and 
 has done great things for us, whereof we are glad. 
 He can do the same for them. Let us therefore 
 lift up our individual and nniied intercrssions to 
 Him, in t!ie name of our Great High Priest, on 
 their behalf, resting as*ur^•d that if we put our 
 trust in Hini, in this matter, he will not allow our 
 expectation to perish, and that America will yet 
 stand forth among the nations of the earth, with 
 head erect, free, not in name but in reality, re- 
 ligious and happy. 
 
 Mr. Thompson, on aijain presentinrf himself, 
 was received with deafening cticers. Sir, it falls 
 to my lotto close the proceedings of this joyous 
 evening by acknowledging the compliment to 
 myself, and the individuals with whom my name 
 is associated, in the resolution just passed. It 
 would be vain for me to attempt to pronounce a 
 suitable eulogium upon the nnmes of Arthur 
 Tappan and VVilliaim Lloyd Garrison, names 
 now covered with infamy and reproach, but or- 
 dained to stand out in imperishable characters a- 
 midst the annals of American philanthropy. Mr. 
 Tappan, though neither an orator nor an author, 
 but a modest Christian, and a respectable mer- 
 chant — had by his munificent donations been one 
 5* 
 
54 soirce. 
 
 of the main props of the cause of Aholition in 
 America. Mr. Thompson then gave a very long" 
 and interesting account of the commencement of 
 Mr. Tappaii's acquaintance with Mr. Garrison, 
 and their joint labors down to the present time. 
 When the latter, five years and a half ago, lay 
 incarcerated in a dungeon for exposing the hor- 
 rors of American Slavery, the former, who, up 
 to that time, had never seen Mr. Garrison, and 
 scarcely heard of him, entering deeply into his 
 wrongs, sent forward to Baltimore the amount of 
 the fine, and redeemed the man who subsequent- 
 ly became his closest friend, and the acknowl- 
 edged champion of the glorious cause of Ameri- 
 can Emancipation. (Great cheering.) Mr.Thomp- 
 son related a number of anecdotes illustrative of 
 the zeal, suff*eringR, and danger of Mr. Tappan, 
 and then proceeded to speak in terms of the loft- 
 iest admiration of his friend and fellow-laborer, 
 Mr. Garrison. Mr. Thompson also read a part of 
 a letter sent to him by Mr. Garrison, while he 
 was at St. John. These extracts produced a 
 deep sensation in the audience. The christian 
 temper — the martyr-like intrepidity, and devout 
 gratitude which breathed in every sentence, must 
 have placed the Avriter high in the esteem and 
 affections of all who Avere privileged thus to be- 
 come acquainted with him. Mr. Thompson ex- 
 pressed an earnest hope, that the man whose 
 burning words he had just read, would one day 
 speak for himself and his cause, before a Glas- 
 gow auditory — (tremendous cheering.) After 
 relating a variety of anecdotes, many of them 
 highly interesting, — illustrating the safety of im- 
 mediate emancipation — the capacity of the ne- 
 gro — his pacific disposition—his gratitude towards 
 his benefactor — and the folly and wickedness of 
 
SOIREE. 55 
 
 the prejudice that seeks to sink him below hia 
 legitimate rank amongst the family of God, con- 
 cluded by reminding iiis friends around him, that 
 they were enlisted in the cause of universal 
 Emancipation — Emancipation for all, in every 
 clime, who groaned under the fetters of domestic 
 slavery. He also entreated his friends constant- 
 ly to bear in mind that their battle was to be 
 fought upon Christian principle, and by christian 
 means, their object being identified with the glo- 
 ry of God, and the spiritual freedom of the hu- 
 man race. Thus fighting for God, and looking 
 constantly to him for direction and support, they 
 could not err. They could never be defeated, — 
 yet, a little while, and the monster would be 
 slain, and when their holy triumph was attained, 
 Angels in Heaven, with the ransomed and the 
 victors upon earth, would join in shouting, 'Hal- 
 lelujah, Hallelujah, for the Lord God omnipotent 
 reigneth.' (Loud and long continued acclama- 
 tion.) 
 
 It was twelve o'clock ere the assembly broke 
 up, and so highly delighted did all seem that not 
 the slightest symptom of weariness or anxiety to 
 get away was manifested to the last. Indeed. 
 Mr. Thompson, who was the last to address them, 
 was warmly cheered, and encouraged to go on in 
 his last speech. 
 
56 SOIREE. 
 
 At a Public Soiree, given in honor of Mr. 
 Geo. Thompson, on tiie evening of 25th January, 
 instant, and most numerously and respectably at- 
 tended, the following Resolutions were unani- 
 mously adopted : — 
 
 1st, That this Meetinof, with unmingled de- 
 light, welcomes the return of Mr. Thompson 
 from America — seizes this early opportunity to 
 express its high admiration of the blameless pro- 
 priety, distinguished talent, and noble self-devo- 
 tion, with which he has prosecuted the great ob- 
 ject of his mission to the United States, in the 
 face of national prejudice, interested denuncia- 
 tions, and lawless violence — and feels devoutly 
 grateful to that God who, amidst such opposition, 
 has crowned his labors with signal success, and 
 through many perils, brought him again safely to 
 these shores. 
 
 2d. That this Meeting has heard, with deep 
 grief and indignation, of the misrepresentation, 
 calumny, riot, and blood-thirsty violence employ- 
 ed against the friends and advocates of freedom 
 in the United States of America by many of their 
 people in maintainance of. their criminal preju- 
 dice against their fellow-citizens of color, their 
 wicked and extensive system of iron-bondage, 
 and their unhallowed trade in human beings, and 
 this Meeting most solemnly declares its belief 
 that such a prejudice, such a system, and such a 
 trade, are not only opposed to the great princi- 
 ples of their free constitution, but are an open and 
 awful defiance of the rights of humanity, the 
 principles of justice, and the obligations of the 
 Divine law — a perpetuation of ignorance, oppres- 
 sion, cruelty, and the ruin of immortal souls — 
 fearfully provoking the judgments of the Almigh- 
 ty against their land and nation. 
 
SOIREE. 57 
 
 3cl. That whilst this Meeting- deeply laments 
 the conduct of many Christians in the United 
 States who, active in other fields of Christian du- 
 ty, remain neutral in this momentous conflict, or 
 lend their influences to the enemy, it has also 
 great cause of thankfulness to God that many 
 able, enlightened, and pious philanthropists in all 
 parts of the United States, have organized them- 
 selves with heroic firmness in the cause of imme- 
 diate and universal Negro Emancipation — that 
 this Meeting affectionately proffers its friendship 
 and co-operation to these kindred Societies — de- 
 sires to strengthen their hands and to cheer their 
 hearts, and pledges itself to aid them by its ac- 
 tive exertions, its sympathies, and its prayers. 
 
 4th. That this Meeting, whilst it highly appre- 
 ciates the labors of all who have attached them- 
 selves to the cause of the Negro in the United 
 States, cannot resist the loud call for a special 
 tribute to the three men pre-eminently honored 
 under God, by their high talent, their great sac- 
 rifices, their bold defiance of every danger, and 
 their fixed high principle, to originate, sustain, 
 and carry to its present strong position, the Na- 
 tional movement in America for immediate Ne- 
 gro Emancipation, and it does, therefore, tender 
 its most heart felt thanks to Wm. Lloyd Garri- 
 son, Arthur Tappan, and George Thompson, 
 
 WILLIAM P, PATON, Chairman. 
 
ADDRESS 
 
 PRESENTED TO 
 
 GEORGE THOMPSON, Esq. 
 
 Jit an Enter lainmeiit given to him hy the Inhabit- 
 ants of Edinhurgh, in the Jlssemhly Rooms, 
 George Street, on the Evening of the 19th 
 February, 1836. 
 
 Esteemed and Honored Friend: 
 
 This Meeting have come together for the pur- 
 pose of testifying the regard in which you are 
 held by the friends of liberty and humanity in this 
 city, we cannot content ourselves without doing 
 something more than merely offering the homage 
 of our presence and respectful attention to what 
 you may address to us ; and though the manner 
 in which you have been received and listened to 
 by the numerous and intelligent audiences you 
 have had an opportunity of addressing since you 
 last arrived ainong us, as well as the resolutions 
 which have been unanimously passed on several 
 of these occasions, must have satisfied you, not 
 merely as to the estimate formed by the inhabit- 
 ants of Edinburgh of the value of your recent 
 services in the cause of freedom, but also as to 
 the place which you continue to hold in their 
 
AliDRESS. 59 
 
 TV arm and affectionate remembrance 5 yet we 
 cannot refrain from availing ourselves of the 
 privilege afforded by the more unrestrained and 
 social character of the present Meeting, of con- 
 veying to you in a more direct manner the ex- 
 pressiun of our feelings in reference to these 
 points. 
 
 It is now about three years since the inhabitants 
 of Edinburgh iiad first the pleasure of forming 
 your acquaintance, and listening to your address- 
 es on behalf of the oppressed and deeply injured 
 slaves of our own colonies. To the events of that 
 period our memories revert with a peculiar vivid- 
 ness of interest. Arriving at a moment v.'hen the 
 public mind was beginning to be fully awakened 
 to the injustice, impiety, and cruelty of which our 
 nation had so long been guily, in tolerating the 
 continuance of Negro Slavery in our Colonial 
 possessions, you were at once welcomed as a 
 champion in a good cause, and became the instru- 
 ment, in ihe hand of Providence, of informingr and 
 directing our rising zeal, and of bringing our best 
 energies to b-^ar upon the advancement of ihe 
 great cause of Negro Emancipation. We can 
 well remember the effect produced upon the 
 crowded audiences to which you then spoke, by 
 the copious and well-arranged evidence which 
 you adduced as to the actual state of the Slaves 
 in the British Colonies, by the clear and well es- 
 tablished principles of morality, policy, and reli- 
 gion, which you so successfully ap[)lied to the 
 question of Slavery, by the consummate skill with 
 which you baffled the efforts, and exploded the 
 specious sophistries of the agents and apologists 
 of oppression, and by the resistless torrents of 
 eloquence with which you enforced your appeals 
 to the hearts and consciences of those whom your 
 arguments had already convinced. 
 
60 ADDRESS. 
 
 Since then the great work, to the advancement 
 of which your exertions were directed, has, by the 
 Divine blessing, beon accomplished; our country 
 has been relieved from the odious and accursed 
 stain of Slavery; and the great truth that ^man 
 cannot hold property in man ' has been recorded 
 in our statute-book, as one of the settled princi- 
 ples of British Law. To that result the people of 
 Edinburgh may justly claim the honor of having 
 in no mean degree contributed; and to them it 
 will ever be a duty, as it always has been and is 
 still, a pleasure to confess how much of the zeal, 
 energy, and intelligence with which they weio 
 enabled to urge their wishes on behalf of the 
 slave, was owing to the effects produced upon 
 them by the unwearied, talented, and impressive 
 exertions of the gentleman they have now the 
 satisfaction to address. 
 
 During the interval which has elapsed since the 
 auspicious day on which you joined with the in- 
 habitants of this city in celebrating the carrying 
 into effect of the Bill for emancipating the Slaves 
 in the British Colonies, it has been your privilege 
 to advocate the cause of the oppressed in another 
 country, nearly related to our own by the ties of 
 a common descent, a common language, and a 
 common religion, but where your labors have un- 
 happily not met with that triumphant success with 
 which they were crowned here, or which we 
 might have expected them to receive in a land 
 that boasts the possession of such peculiar priv- 
 ileges as America. Your visit to that country we 
 have watched with no incurious or uninterested 
 eye; and, while it has grieved us to learn how 
 the force of an unreasonable, and unnatural preju- 
 dice agamst color, oppresses the minds of our 
 brethren in that country; while we have heard 
 
ADDRESS. 61 
 
 with sorrow and with shame of the gross and 
 glaring inconsistencies into which this prejudice 
 has led men whom we cannot but re<jfard as t'elloW 
 Cnristians; while we have been filled with horror 
 at the recitals you have given us of the injuries, 
 indignities, and cruelties which the unhappy 
 African is doomed to suffer in that land of boasted 
 liberty and piety ; and while we have seen with 
 mingled sensations of indignation and pity, the 
 Ungenerous and even barbarous manner in which 
 you, our beloved friend and trusted representa- 
 tive, have been treated by these republicans of 
 the West; we would nevertheless rejoice in your 
 having engaged in that mission, and congratulate 
 you on the important results which you have been 
 enabled to effect in that country in reference to 
 the object that carried you thither. We thank 
 you for having So ably, so zealously, so prudently, 
 and in a spirit so truly Christian, represented to 
 our brethren on the other side of the Atlantic our 
 views and feelings in regard to this important 
 subject. We offer our thanksgivings to God on 
 your behalf in that you have been preserved and 
 protected amid the many labors you were called 
 to endure, and the threatening dangers to which 
 you were exposed. We rejoice with you on 
 account of the auspicious circumstances in which 
 you loft the cause of Liberty, in that vast and 
 powerful continent. And we pray that the seed 
 you have there sown with much difficulty, and 
 even at the peril of your life, may be watered by 
 the dews from heaven, and may grow up and bring 
 forth an abundant harvest of blessing to mankind, 
 and of glory to God. 
 
 It has afforded us the sincerest pleasure to see 
 you again, and to welcome you back to the scene 
 of your former exertions and triumphs; and now 
 6 
 
6*2 ADDRESS. 
 
 that we are about once more to part, we would 
 solemnly and affectionately commend you to the 
 God of all grace, in whose service you have been 
 laboring, and by wjiose blessing your labors have 
 been crowned with such gratifying success. That 
 He may watch over you and keep you in health 
 and happmess for many years, — that He may 
 abundantly bless you in your future engagements 
 and undertakings, — that He may bestow his pe- 
 culiar favor upon your partner in life, and the 
 children he has given you,— that He may be the 
 breaker up of your way and the guide of your 
 path, — that He may comfort you with the privil- 
 eges and enjoyments of his reconciled presence, — ' 
 and that when his wise and all-gracious purposes 
 with you here are finished. He may receive you 
 with the commendation of a faithful servant, into 
 the rest and glory of heaven, are the objects, dear 
 and honored Friend, of our earnest desire and 
 unceasing prayer on your behalf. With these 
 desires and prayers we will follow you whitherso- 
 ever it may please Providence to direct your 
 steps ; and while we remember you, we will not 
 forget the cause in which you have been engaged, 
 and with which your name is now inseparably 
 connected. In the spirit of our holy religion, and 
 in obedience to one of its express precepts, we 
 will seek to ' remember those that are in bonds 
 as bound with them ;' and pledged as we consider 
 ourselves to be by the most solemn obligations to 
 continued exertion in this great enterprise of 
 Christian benevolence, we would take occasion 
 fron) .ill that you have recently detailed to us, to 
 go forward with increased alacrity and zeal, be- 
 lieving that the time is not far distant when our 
 principles shall be acknowledged wherever the 
 Bible is revered, and when from every nation in 
 
ADDRESS. 63 
 
 Christendom the foul blot of Slavery having^ been 
 washed away, the liberated bondsman shall cease 
 to groan, and rising' from the deg^radation into 
 which he has been plunged, shall, (to use the 
 words of the eloquent Curran,) 'stand redeemed, 
 regenerated, and disenthralled by the irresistible 
 genius of Universal Emancipation.' 
 
 Signed in behalf of the Meeting, 
 ROBERT KA YE GREVILLE,L.L.D., 
 
 Chalrvian, 
 
AMERICAN SLAVERY. 
 
 MR. GEORGE THOMPSON. 
 
 On Thursday evening-, a public meeting of the 
 Edinburgh Emancipation Society, and its friends, 
 was held in the Rev. Dr. Peddie's chapel, Bristo 
 Street, when Mr. Thompson gave an account of 
 his Anti-Slavery Mission to the United States of 
 America. Tiie admission to the meeting was by 
 tickets, sixpence each — each ticket admitting two 
 persons, and as there were upwards of a thousand 
 of these sold, there must have been more than 
 two thousand persons present. We know, also, 
 that a great many persons were disappointed in 
 procuring tickets, so speedily were they all dis- 
 posed of About seven o'clock, Mr. Thompson 
 made his appearance in the pulpit, and was re- 
 ceived with several distinct rounds of the most 
 enthusiastic applause. John Wigham, Jun. Esq. 
 was called to the chair, and in opening the meet- 
 ing said, that from the manifestations which he 
 just witnessed, he was sure they were all anima- 
 ted by one common feeling of delight and satis- 
 faction to find that their able and distinguished 
 ffiend Mr. Thompson had performed the object of 
 his mission so energetically and successfully, and 
 
MEETING AT EDINBURGH. 65 
 
 that he had returned to them in safety, under the 
 extraordinary circumstances in which he had been 
 placed. (Great cheering.) 
 
 Mr. Thompson then rose and was received 
 with a fresh burst of applause. He should not, 
 he said, attempt to describe the feelings of satis- 
 faction with which he gazed upon the laige and 
 intelligent audience which he beheld assembled 
 once more within these well known walls, for the 
 purpose of listening to him who had now the 
 honor to appear before them, and to hear from 
 his lips the progress of those principles which 
 they had there together enunciated and espous- 
 ed, and the triumph of which they had there to- 
 gether celebrated. He dared not trust himself 
 even to attempt an expression of the joy and 
 gratitude which filled his bosom when he beheld 
 them still feeling a deep interest in the cause of 
 human freedom, and found that not only had they 
 not deserted that cause, but that they were rally- 
 ing in even greater numbers around the standard 
 which, they, in by-gone days, had planted and 
 promised to sustain, while there was a fetter on 
 the heel of a single human being on the face of 
 the globe. (Cheers.) He begged to assure the 
 meeting that his own attachment to the cause 
 which he had the honor to advocate remained un- 
 diminished — and not only so, but that it had nev- 
 er even wavered or been weakened ; that it still 
 continued as strong i s ever, and that what he had 
 witnessed in afar-off land, had but the more deep- 
 ly convinced him of the potency and omnipotence 
 of those principles by the advocacy and enforce- 
 ment of which we had succeeded in slaying the 
 monster on our own borders ; that it had only 
 more deeply convinced him that nothing waa 
 6* 
 
66 MEETING AT 
 
 wanting but the unceasing, the persevering pub- 
 lication of those principles, to put an end to sla- 
 very wherever it curses the soil and degrades hu- 
 manity on the face of the earth. (Immense ap- 
 plause.) He had that night to draw their atten- 
 tion to the subject of slavery in the United States 
 of America — to the incongruous institution of 
 domestic slavery in a land of freedom. He wish- 
 ed it to be understood that they were net met 
 there that night, guided and influenced by a mere 
 desire to know what was going on in the United 
 States, as a matter of mere history of contempo- 
 raneous events ; but that they were there to feel 
 a deep interest upon many grounds, in the great 
 question of human rights which was now agita- 
 ting that wide spread territory. (Cheers.) The 
 history of the Anti-Slavery question in America 
 was deeply interesting, as developing the best, 
 the holiest, and the mightiest means of carrying 
 forward a moral revolution ; by the simple enun- 
 ciation of the principles, the supremacy of which 
 was sought to be obtained, without resorting to 
 physical violence ; by the simple action of man 
 upon man ; by opinion operating upon opinion; 
 by merely enlisting the pulpit, the press, and the 
 platform, in the work of that reformation. (Cheers.) 
 The history of the American slavery question 
 was as interesting as it was plain, as displaying 
 the mighty influence of truth when outspoken 
 and fearlessly enunciated without regard to hu- 
 man wisdom or expediency; these having been 
 the means by which a mighty change had been 
 eflfected in America in reference to this question 
 — a change so mighty that, he might venture 
 ■without hesitation to say, no change so great, 
 without the interference of miraculous power had 
 ever been effected in any era of the world. (Great 
 
EDINBURGH. 67 
 
 cheering.) He repeated that it had been effect- 
 ed not by human wisdom, by rank, nor wealth, 
 nor politics, nor learning, nor expediency, but by 
 the mighty lever which is fated to overturn the 
 world, and place it as it should stand, with its 
 apex upwards— it was by 'the foolishness of 
 preachmg.' (Great applause.) That was the 
 mighty agency which he employed in America. 
 The history of the Anti-Slavery question was al- 
 so hio-hly interesting, as bringing us acquainted 
 with some of the noblest specimens of human na- 
 ture— with some of the boldest and purest Re- 
 formers that ever lived. He spoke unhesitating- 
 ly when he said so ; and he should demonstrate 
 the truth of this assertion ere he left the subject. 
 He begged to state, that he was not there that 
 night to m!ike the gulf of feeling and sentiment 
 between Great Britain and America wider than it 
 is— he was not there to publish an act of divorce 
 between them— but to unite them in one common 
 object, one common sympathy, one common prin- 
 ciple, and one common plan, to put an end to sla- 
 very wherever it exists. He wanted to bring the 
 friends of the slave in this country, in contact 
 with the noble and sublime spirits who were wait- 
 ing to embrace them over the blue waters of the 
 Atlantic, and to join them in one indissoluble 
 compact never to relax their moral energy, until 
 they shall have seized the pillars of the blood 
 stained fabric which despotism has reared, and 
 like another Samson, brought it to the ground. 
 (Tremendous cheers.) Oh ! it was something— 
 and It was his rich reward— to become acquamt- 
 ed with men in a distant country, having one 
 common language and one common ancestry, 
 working with us in the same common cause ; it 
 was something to know that the blue waters did 
 
68 MEETING AT 
 
 not divide us ; that we are one in principle ; one 
 in faith ; one in etFort ; that we have the same 
 common object in this world, and the same antic- 
 ipation hereafter ; it was something-, lie said, to 
 know that we were engaged with these wise, 
 holy, and uncompromising men in America, in 
 accelerating the cause of Universal Emancipa- 
 tion. (Great applause.) It was not alone the 
 cause of Anti-Slavery in which he was embark- 
 ed ; it was the cause of Anti-Ignorance — the 
 cause of anti-cvery-thing which degrades, crush- 
 es, withers, and destroys the spirits of mankind. 
 Again, once more ; the question was interesting, 
 because in its developement it made us acquaint- 
 ed with the men and women engaged in it ; their 
 principles and their conduct; and thus called 
 upon us first to admire them, next to commend 
 them, next to imitate them, and adopt the princi- 
 ples by which on the other side of the Atlantic 
 they advance the great work. The Anti-Slavery 
 question in this country was very different from 
 that m America; the struggle was never so sub- 
 lime here as he had witnessed in America — our 
 sacrifices weie never so great; our temptations 
 to swerve were never so strong; our interests 
 when at the closest were never so close, as in the 
 United States. It was never necessary that we 
 should suffer in our reputation ; that we should 
 lose our friends ; the value of our property dete- 
 riorated ; or that we should be deprived of the 
 substance and amount of our profitable trade. 
 But hard as this was, those now engaged in car- 
 rying on this cause in America — men and women 
 without exception — were subjected to it, and sus- 
 tained by high religious principle, they firmly 
 bore up against all these accumulated evils ; 
 and nothing lower, and nothing less, than that 
 
EDINBURGH. 69 
 
 mighty principle could sustain them in a cause, 
 by espousing- which they had every thing to lose, 
 and nothing but infamy to gain. (Cheers,) He 
 stood there not to defame America. 'Twas true 
 they persecuted him, but that was a small matter; 
 'twas true they hunted him like a partridge on the 
 mountains; that he had to lecture with the assas- 
 sin's knife glancing before his eyes ; and his wife 
 and his little ones in danger of falling by the 
 ruthless hands of murderers. All this was true, 
 and much more, but he came not there to tell of 
 aught that he had suffered or done, except in so 
 far as it illustrated the progress of the mighty 
 reformvtion to which he had alluded. (Cheers.) 
 Tie dared not speak slightingly of America. 
 'Twas true he hated her sins — but 'twas not less 
 true he loved her sons. Ilis object was not to 
 overthrow tlie institutions of America, and bring 
 her constitution into disrepute. Slavery might 
 sink, and that constitution still live ; slavery 
 raiirlit fall, and that constitution stand ; slavery 
 might flie and be buried in a grave of infamy, 
 covered with the execrations of mankind, and 
 witness no resurrection ; yet the constitution of 
 America might stand out in unsullied, and more 
 than pristine hfauty, because of the blessing of 
 the world. (Great cheers.) He should like to 
 have an opportunity to speak of America in oth- 
 er respects ; to speak of her as being exalted in 
 arms, and as rich in wealth ; to speak of her ex- 
 tended commrrce — of her acrriculture — of her un- 
 paralleled means of educntion — with the volumc- 
 of Revelation in the hands of all her families hu = 
 those of ht^r degraded bondsmen : with the ordi- 
 nances of religion in abundance ; of her 50,000 
 niinist(u*s, and of her Missionary exertions ; oi 
 all these he could dwell with pleasure, after h 
 
70 MEETING AT 
 
 discussed the question of slavery. But the dam- 
 ninuc plague spot of America, Christian America, 
 Republican America ; America, the land of bibles, 
 and tracts, and missionary societies ; America, 
 who boasted herself on beinfj the freest country 
 on the f-ice of tiie fflobe, America had her slave 
 ships — types of Pandemonium — glidini)- on the 
 surface of the ocean, and put forth her presump- 
 tuous hand and traded in the lives and tlie souls 
 of men ! (Cheers,) VVouIa it be believed that 
 the slaves formed a sixth part of the American 
 population ; every sixth man and woman were 
 slaves — their bodies, their souls, their skill, their 
 enerijy, their posterity, their every thing was un- 
 der the dominion of slavery. 
 
 It was not true that the slave-trade was abol- 
 ished in America; slave auctions were still to be 
 seen — men and women were still to be seen sold 
 like so many cattle. It was to abolish that system 
 he went to America. He did not deny that the 
 weavers of Paisley, that the peasantry of Ireland, 
 and many others of our countrymen were border- 
 ing on starvation. He could not deny this ; but 
 these individuals, poor and miserable iis they were, 
 were still free ; to them the wheel of fortune was 
 still revolving; the starving- of to-day were not 
 the starving of to-morrow ; hope beamed on all ; 
 they may die, but they bequeath liberty to their 
 children, and they, guided by the way-marks 
 which their parents had missed — became the fa- 
 vorites of fortune, and rose to honor, competence 
 and prosperity. He did not seek to exempt the 
 slaves from poverty ; he wanted only to give them 
 freedom. (Great cheering.) But this was not 
 his only mission to America ; he went also to at- 
 tack a sin not surpassed by slavery — the inherent 
 prejudice that prevails against color. So deep 
 
EDINBURGH. 71 
 
 Was this prejudice, that the colored people were 
 denied a pew in the church, a place in the steam 
 boat or coach ; his body is even denied a comer 
 in the usual place of repose for the dead ; and 
 they would deny his soul a place in heaven if 
 they could. The first thing to be done in Amer- 
 ica, is to plead for the slave as for a man ; to es- 
 tablish his title to humanity ; and make him stand 
 before their eyes as a human being. There was 
 one test which he always applied to a man about 
 whose title to the full honors of human nature 
 there was some dispute. He asked not of his 
 clime, his color, or his stature, of the texture of 
 his hair, or the conformation of his limb ; he ask- 
 ed not if he issued from the majestic portals of a 
 palace or from the humble door of a miserable 
 wigwam — he asked but one question, — 'Could 
 he love his God?' And if he answered that in 
 the affirmative, then he recognised his humanity, 
 claimed him as a brother, and elevated him to the 
 position which he himself occupied. (Tremend- 
 ous cheering.) Well, how did he go to Ameri- 
 ca? He went without name and without influ- 
 ence, and without wealth. Well, did he flatter 
 them ? No. He could not call them the freest 
 people, for he did not believe it; he did not call 
 them the wisest people, for he had left Edinburgh, 
 and he could not say so. (Laughter and cheers.) 
 After describing the reception he had received, 
 Mr. Thompson proceeded to say, he had been 
 punned upon, sneered at, and pitied. Even in 
 Edinl)urgh, he understood, he had been called an 
 amiable enthusiast — a title wliich he begged to 
 disclaim. An enthusiast was one who sought to 
 obtain an end without using the means ; and 
 therefore the term applied more to the person 
 
73 MEETING AT 
 
 that used it than to him. He (Mr. Thompson) 
 went leaning upon the arm of the Almighty, and 
 trusting in the enunciation of truth, believing that 
 God is ever with the truth, and that truth is God* 
 He was not an enthusiast, therefore, who by the 
 enunciation of truth seeks to overcome prejudice, 
 and interest, and superstition, but he is an enthu- 
 siast who seeks those ends without using the 
 means. (Cheers.) Mr. T. went on to show the 
 degraded state of the American slaves, and that 
 even Church dignitaries and ministers were slave- 
 holders. One of the Professors, he said, put ta 
 some slaves the revolting question^not oi ivho are 
 are you ? but whose are you ? One answered, I. 
 
 belong to Mr. , and another said I am Mr^ 
 
 such a one's, and another said I am the Congre- 
 gations. This was explained by stating that cer- 
 tain pious persons bequeathed their slaves to the 
 Church by way of endowment, to keep up the 
 preaching of the Gospel ! And it was well known 
 that no slaves were so wretched as those that be- 
 long to the Congregation, which arose from their 
 being, hired out like hacks for short periods of 
 three or six months to persons, who, having no 
 interest in their future welfare, only strived how 
 they could make most out of them for the time.- 
 He affirmed also that the slaves were denied the 
 blessings of religion, and that in the State of Lou- 
 isiana the second 'offence ' of teaching a slave to 
 read the Bible, was punished with death. Ta 
 show that the slave trade still existed, he stated 
 that in the District of Columbia, the license for 
 dealing in slaves was 400 dollars, and that the 
 revenue derivable from this source was applied 
 to the formation of canals and the education ot' 
 the white youth of America. In this same dis- 
 
EDINBRRGH. 73 
 
 trict, a poor man was taken up on suspicion of 
 being a slave ; he was advertised as such, but no 
 one came forward to claim him. In these cir- 
 cumstances what did his oppressors do ? Did 
 they give him compensation for false imprison- 
 ment? No, he he was put up to public auction, 
 and sold to be a slave for life to pay his jail fees ! 
 After some further illustrations of American sla- 
 very, Mr. Thompson turned from what he called 
 the dark side of the picture, and showed the rap- 
 id progress which the principleof slave abolition 
 was making in the number of Societies embarked 
 in the cause, and the extensive funds raised in 
 collections for promoting it, into whicli particu- 
 lars we have neither time nor space to enter. 
 
 At the conclusion of the lecture, the Rev. Dn 
 Ritchie stated that the committee, instead of call- 
 ing upon the meeting to adopt any formal reso- 
 lutions on that occasion respecting the character 
 and conduct of Mr. Thompson, considered it bet- 
 ter to draw up the resolutions leisurely, and bring 
 them forward at the next meeting. 
 
 The meeting then separated about half past 
 nine o'clock. 
 
GEORGE THOMPSON. 
 
 This highly esteemed and intrepid advocate of liu- 
 man freedom, arrived in this city last Tuesday even- 
 ing, and on Wednesday he was met by the Ladies and 
 Gentlemen forming the Committees of the Edinburgh 
 Emancipation Society, in the Saloon of the Royal Hotel. 
 The statement then given by Mr. Thompson with 
 regard to himself, throughout his visit to the United 
 States, was to every one present far more than satis- 
 factory. Of his every movement they highly approv- 
 ed, while his account of America in regard to the sub- 
 ject of slavery, and the prospect of its ultimate extinc- 
 tion, was at once deeply affecting, and most encourag- 
 ing. At the close of his narrative, the following Res- 
 olutions were proposed, and unanimously adopted by 
 both the Committees in union, as conveying their sen- 
 timents on the first occasion on which they enjoyed 
 the pleasure of meeting with their friend. 
 
 1, That it is with feelings of sincere delight and 
 satisfaction, mingled with those of the most poignant 
 regret, that we have listened to the statements now 
 given, by our most esteemed friend, Mr. George 
 Thompson — of delight and satisfaction, on seeing him- 
 self amongst us once more, in perfect safety and in 
 health — but of painful regret at the occasion of his 
 returning so much sooner than it was intended, both by 
 himself and by us, from the United States of America. 
 
 2. That while we have deprecated from the begin- 
 ning, as we now do once more, the most remote idea of 
 
MEETING AT EDINBURGH. 75 
 
 interfering with any sinp;le state, or city, or village 
 tliroughout America, in the arrangement or manage- 
 ment ot their own institutions, still, as we consider it at 
 once AW act o( duty and of kindness, to hold up before 
 all men the great principles of truth and justice, and 
 humanity, and regarding as we do the prevalence of 
 slavery, to involve the habitual violation of a law infi- 
 nitely above all human arrangements; we cannot but 
 deeply deplore, that in a country where our common 
 language is spoken, and loudly demanding to be ac- 
 knowledged as the home of the free, the spirit of 
 persecution against those who merely plead the cause 
 of the oppressed, should have risen to a height which 
 has abridged, if not endangered, all freedom of discus- 
 sion. 
 
 3. That as God hath made of one blood all nations of 
 men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath 
 Himself determined also the bounds of their habitation, 
 we regard the prejudice against color, which has been 
 nursed and cherished for ages throughout the United 
 States, with greater pain and abhorrence than ever — 
 as not merely the fruitful and disgusting source of 
 crime, but of itself alone a daring and contemptuous 
 provocation of our common Creator and final Judge. 
 
 4. That the signal preservation of our valued friend 
 Mr. Thompson, amidst all the violence and malignity 
 of the abettors of Am-eriean slavery, and the measure 
 of success by which his faithful, and zealous, and un- 
 wearied efforts have been crowned, call alike for our 
 devout acknowledgments, regarding them as equal 
 tokens of his having been engaged in a righteous 
 cause ; and that we can now entertain no doubt of the 
 day approaching when, far from being stigmatised as 
 an intruding foreigner, or a foe to harmony and peace, 
 he will be liailed by the moral and upright, the humane 
 and christian citizens of America, as a man who sought 
 only to avert a catastrophe from whicli his native land 
 had happily been delivered, and which America, with 
 all her resources, has now such just reasons both to 
 dread and to deprecate. 
 
76 MEETING AT EDINBURGH. 
 
 5. That with regard to the great cause of human 
 freedom, from the statements given by Mr, Thompson, 
 as well as from other sources of information to which 
 we have had access during his absence, even in the 
 United States we not only find many encouragements 
 to persevere, but in the pure spirit of devotion to the 
 cause evinced by many in that great country, we dis- 
 cover sufficient ground to hope that the progress of 
 America towards universal emancipation, will proceed 
 with accelerated steps, till the rod of the oppressor 
 shall be broken, till there is not one house of bondage 
 on her soil, and America, in the judgment of other 
 nations, becomes fairly entitled to her claim of being 
 the Land of the Free. 
 
 6. That with feelings of strong sympathy, respect, 
 and increased affection towards all those American 
 citizens,, both male and female, who, far from shrink- 
 ing, have remained firm and undaunted, — we feel 
 called upon to remember them before the God of 
 righteousness and peace, with whom all the swellings 
 of human passion are as nothing, that He may continue 
 to preserve them, and enable us to persevere in the 
 great cause ot universal epiancipation, to which we 
 now stand, more than ever, bound to adhere. 
 
 At the close of the meeting, thanks were returned 
 to God, for his most merciful preservation of Mr. 
 Thompson and his family, as well as their safe return, 
 gfter his having accomplished so much in such a lim« 
 lied period, 
 
 I 
 
MR. THOMPSON'S 
 SECOND LECTURE. 
 
 On Monday evening-, an adjourned meeting or 
 the members and friends of the Edinburoh Eman- 
 cipation Society, took place in the Rev. Dr. 
 Browne's Chapel, Bronghton Place, to hear Mr. 
 George Thompson deliver his second address on 
 the subject of iiis anti-slavery mission to the 
 United States of America. The Church was full, 
 but the number present was not so great as at 
 the last lecture — probably from the price of the 
 tickets having been raised — Mr. John Wigham, 
 jun. was again called to the chair. 
 
 Mr. Thompson, who, on his appearance in the 
 pulpit, was rapturously applauded as usual, pro- 
 ceeded to take up the subject where he had left 
 off on the former night. He went on to describe 
 the fierce opposition which the question and its 
 supporters had met with from the Americans. — 
 He stated, that the Senate of Georgia had offer- 
 ed a reward of 5000 dollars for the head of Mr. 
 W. L. Garrison, for promulgating what was de- 
 scribed in the American constitution as self-evi- 
 dent truths, that God made all men equal, and 
 
 •7* 
 
78 MEETING AT 
 
 endowed them with equal rig-htg, any infringement 
 of which, obedience to the laws of nature and of 
 God called upon them to resist. These doctrines 
 the Americans were the first to enunciate to the 
 world, and yet the Senate of Georgia offered 
 5000 dollars for the head of Mr. Garrison, for ad- 
 vocating them. Mr. T. then described the dis- 
 turbances which took place in New-York, in the 
 month of July, 1834, in consequence of an anti- 
 slavery moetinof having taken place, at which a 
 few colored people attended. The mob, he said, 
 rose upon them, and governed the city for three 
 days and nights; a great deal of property was 
 destroyed ; the houses of the most respectable 
 citizens sacked; and a catalogue of outrages per- 
 petrated which would take him all the evening 
 but to refer to. Riots of a similar description had 
 also taken place at several other places. Such 
 was the state of things when he went to America. 
 For several months his labors in the Northern 
 States excited little attention. Several paragraphs 
 concerning him appeared in t!ie Northern papers, 
 but the papers in the Southern States carefully 
 excluded all notice of his movements. In the 
 month of May following his arrival, however, a 
 large meeting of the National Anti-Slavery So- 
 ciety took place in New- York, at which the Re- 
 port of the Society was read. This Report, which 
 gave an account of no fewer than 250 active aux- 
 iliary Societies, scattered up and down the coun- 
 try, fell like a thunder-bolt upon the pro-slavery 
 advocates. They rose like one man, with the 
 determination of pulling down the abolitionists 
 by every means in their power; and mutilation, 
 plunder, and murder, became the order of the day 
 throughout more than half of the United States. 
 The mail-bags were rifled in open day ; and no 
 
EDINBURGH. 
 
 vessel was allowed to send their letters to the 
 post-office without the previous inspection of the 
 * Committee of Vigilance,' which had been ap- 
 pointed by the mob ; and every paper, letter, and 
 pamphlet in any way bearing upon the abolition 
 question, was seized and destroyed. 
 
 Mr. Thompson read numerous quotations from 
 the anti-abolition newspapers, to shew the abu- 
 sive language which was applied to the advocates 
 of slave emancipation, whom they recommended 
 should all be hanged, or otherwise disposed of 
 in an equally summary manner. The quotation 
 of the liberal motto's of some of these papers, 
 along with the intolerant sentiments of their lead- 
 ing articles, created considerable sensation in the 
 meeting, as indeed did the whole of the details 
 of the disgraceful conduct of the pro-slavery ad- 
 vocates in that land of boasted freedom. He 
 stated that a Grand Jury in the county of Fred- 
 erick, had presPHted the Anti-Slavery Society 
 and the colored population, as nuisances that 
 ouffht to be abated by every possible means ; and 
 a Grand Jury in Alab:3ma had voted Geo. Thomp- 
 son a nuisance, (great laughter,) along with J. G. 
 Birney, W. L. Garrison, Arthur Tappan, and 
 Daniel U'Connell, the great Irish orator — (renew- 
 ed laughter and cheers) — for impertinent and un- 
 authorized interfprence with the slaveholders in 
 America. Mr. T. remarked that one part of the 
 American constitution — the liberty of speech, and 
 the liberty of the press — was held to be unalter- 
 able by Conirress ; notwithstanding wfiich, there 
 M'as nothing more common than for public meet- 
 ings to recommend the legislature to put down 
 certain prints, and to put to death certain individ- 
 uals, who advocated the right of the slave, and 
 put up their voice in behalf of the oppressed. — 
 
80 MEETING AT 
 
 He had also to arraign the Christian ministers of 
 America as the most efficient supporters of sla- 
 very — (cries of 'shame.') He blushed to bring 
 that charge forward ; but they would not have a 
 proper view of American slavery without it. — 
 They had to hear perhaps for the first time, that 
 the ministers and elders of the respective bodies 
 of Presbyterians, Baptists, Methodists and Con- 
 gregationalists, were the main pillars of that blood 
 stained fabric which it was the object of the abo- 
 litionists to pull down — (repeated cries of shame.) 
 If these parties would withdraw their counten- 
 ance from slavery, if they would cease to preach 
 the doctrines they now preach ; if they would 
 cease to participate in the gams of the system 
 by which God's image is bought and sold in Amer- 
 ica, slavery would not remain one year. (Great 
 cheering.) This was a grave charge, and might 
 appear strange to them, but that was not his fault, 
 but the fault of the Americans, and the fault of 
 Englishmen who had gone there, and come back 
 here, and said nought about it. (Cheers.) Tiiere 
 was no want of persons to tell all that was good 
 about America, but why did they not give both 
 sides of the question ? It was time that men 
 should learn to tell not only the truth but the 
 whole truth. While he should be ready to give 
 America praise for being before us in many 
 thing's, in this he must say they were far behind 
 us, in thit the clergy of all denominations were 
 not only with the opprPs«or in sentiment, but were 
 found the worst of oppress^ors. Mr. Thompson 
 then went at some length into the proof of these 
 charffps, of which, it will be sufficient for us to 
 say, that it was ample and unequivocal enough in 
 all conscienre. He then proceeded to change 
 the picture, and to show the astonishing altera- 
 
EDINBURGH. 81 
 
 tion which had been effected recently, and the 
 rapid progress which the cause was still making. 
 More than 1000 njinistcrs had already renounced 
 their sentiments, and declared themselves in favor 
 of immediate emancipation, (cheers.) There were 
 already no fewer than 3'20 societies established 
 in 14 or 15 of the American States. So great 
 was the change among the Presbyterian body, 
 that many Synods and Presbyteries were making 
 abolition sentiments a condition of church mem- 
 bership ; and were refusing to allow a minister, 
 being a slaveholder, to mount their pulpits. (Great 
 cheering.) An equally gratifying change had 
 been effected in the sentiments of the Episcopal 
 Methodists, the Baptists, and Congregationalists, 
 large numbers of whom were already acting effi- 
 ciently in the cause. The Unitarians were also 
 rising in favor of the question ; and the celebrat- 
 ed ]Dr. Channing had recently come out with a 
 work in favor of immediate and entire emancipa 
 tion. One of the most cheering evidences of the 
 progress of the cause was perhaps to be found 
 in the fact, that many of the students in the 
 colleges and seminaries of learning in America, 
 were abolitionists. (Cheers.) Mr. T. also pro- 
 duced a number of nevv^spapers which were favor- 
 able to the cause, besides monthly and quarterly 
 periodicals, annuals, and even almanacs of every 
 shape and size. There were also, he said, anti- 
 slavery pictures and poetry published; anti-sla- 
 very fancy sales held ; and petitions got up in all 
 parts of the north. There were also anti-slavery 
 church Conferences, and prayer meetings in abun- 
 dance ; and 50 anti-slavery agents were travel- 
 ling through the country and lecturing on the 
 subject. In this country we had never had above 
 thur or five agents. Mr. Thompson concluded 
 
82 MEETING AT 
 
 by earnestly urging upon one and all the neces- 
 sity of being active in the work of universal 
 eniancipation, by prayer to God, by the exersise 
 of their personal influence with their friends in 
 America, and with the Americans who come to 
 this country. Seven years he believed would not 
 elapse ere slavery would be abolished in America 
 — for the die was already cast, the blow was 
 struck, the day had dawned : and so sure as God 
 reigns, so sure would the principles which He 
 had already blessed — so marvellously blessed — 
 so surely would those principles overthrow the 
 accursed system of slavery. (Great cheering.) 
 
 The Rev. Dr. Ritchie then moved a series of 
 resolutions, which were seconded by Mr. R. Al- 
 exander, Leith, and unanimously carried. 
 
 The meeting then adjourned till Wednesday 
 evening. 
 
 RESOLUTIONS. 
 
 The following resolutions were unanimously 
 adopted at a public meeting of the members and 
 friends of the Edinburgh Emancipation Society, 
 held in Dr. Brown's Chapel, Broughton Place, 
 on Monday, 1st February, 1836, immediately after 
 an Address by Mr. George Tiiompson, giving a 
 detail of his late visit to the United States. 
 
 John Wigham, Jr. Esq., in the Chair. 
 
 1. After what has been now and formerly stat- 
 ed by Mr. George Thompson, we are fully per- 
 suaded that he has in spirit, procedure, and suc- 
 cess, exceeded the most sanguine expectations of 
 the Emancipation Society — that by his firmness 
 •and prudence, zeal and perseverance in advocat- 
 ing the cause of the bondsmen in the United 
 
EDINBURGH. 83 
 
 States, he has amply redeemed every pledge giv- 
 en by him to the friends of human freedom, by 
 whom he was deputed — that, amidst obloquy, peril, 
 and physical violence, he continued to persevere 
 until, by the verdict of transatlantic friends, the 
 best judges in this matter, his remaining longer 
 would, without promoting the cause, liave com- 
 promised his own safety. We acknowledge the 
 good hand of Providence that has been around 
 him, bid him cordial welcome to his native shore, 
 renew our expressions of confidence in him as a 
 talented advocate of the liberties of man, and 
 trust that a suitable field may soon be opened for 
 the renewal of his exertions. 
 
 2. We deeply sympathize with our anti-slavery 
 friends in the United States, under the persecu- 
 tions to whicli they have been subjected. We 
 would remind them, that their persecutors are the 
 libellers of the American Constitution, which 
 proclaims the equal rights of all men, while they 
 withhold from 2,000,000 of their fellow-citizens 
 every natural right, and persecute the preachers 
 of the doctrines of the Constitution. That they 
 are the libellers of their Maker, since they found 
 their injustice on that color of the skin which 
 God has given to the negro. That in this, if in 
 any cause, our friends may boldly say, greater is 
 ' He that is with us, than all that can be against 
 us.' We congratulate them on the rapid advance 
 of their cause, exhort them to press onwards, and 
 bid them God speed. 
 
 3. We remember with delijrht the claims of 
 common parentage, lantruage and interests, and 
 rejoice in the many institutions, religious and 
 philanthropic, by which America is signali7ed ; 
 and view with corresponding regret and condem- 
 nation, the support given to slavery by Christian 
 
84 MEETING AT EDINBURGH, 
 
 professors, ministers, and chnrches, and wonid 
 adjure them by our common Christianity and the 
 public shame, thus put upon it, to Aveigh their 
 conduct in the balance of the sanctuary — to give 
 up their horrid traffic in the bodies and souls of 
 men — to put away from among them the accursed 
 thing, to redeem the paet, by awaking to righteous- 
 ness, by emancipating and evangelizing tlieir sa- 
 ble fellow-citizens, and thus do homage to Him 
 who hath niade of one blood all nations of men. 
 
 4. For ourselves, we hail the speedy answer of 
 our prayers, and realization of our hopes, in the 
 emancipation of all the slaves in the United States 
 — we discern it in the fears and wrath of tJje 
 slaveholders— in the absence of moral argument, 
 and in the melancholy substitute, riot and blood- 
 shed. We descry it in the labors of a Garrison, 
 the sacrifices of a Tappan, the fermenting leaven 
 of Theological Seminaries, the christian heroism 
 of female advocates, and in the 320 Anti-Slavery 
 Societies that have grown to maturity within the 
 short space of a year, and especially in the moral 
 character of the cause as that of Truth — of Pat- 
 riotism — of Man — of God — and we pledge our- 
 selves, f)y every moral and Scriptural motive, to 
 adjure every friend of ours beyond the Atlantic, 
 and all that may occasionally visit our land, to 
 use every exertion to bring to a speedy and peace- 
 ful termination, a system so fearfully anomalous 
 and sinful, and Heaven-provoking in a land where 
 Gospel light so much abounds — for the past, we 
 thank God, and for rhe future we take and bid all 
 lathers take courage. 
 
 JOHN WIGHAM, Jr., Chairman. 
 
PUBLIC MEETING 
 
 AT EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND. 
 
 February 8, 1836o 
 AMERICAN SLAVERY. 
 
 On Monday, a public meeting of the inhabit- 
 ants was held in the large Waterloo Room, Re- 
 gent Bridge, for the purpose of expressing their 
 sense of the evils of Slavery, as it exists in the 
 United States of America. The Lord Provost 
 Avas called to the chair. On the platform, we 
 observed the Honorable Henry David Erskine ; 
 Rev. Drs. Dickson, Peddie, and Ritchie ; Rev. 
 Messrs. Gray, Bennie, Liddle, Johnston, French, 
 C. Anderson, Robertson, Tnnes, Peddie, Gould, 
 W. Anderson, Wilkes, Alexander, Thomson, 
 &.C. ; James Crawford and James Moncrieff, Esqs. 
 advocates ; Bailies Macfarlan and Sawers ; Trea- 
 surer Black ; Councillors Duncan, Jameson, and 
 Deuchar, Dr. Greville, G. M. Torrance, Esq. of 
 Kilsaintninian ; William Wemyss, Esq. ; A.Mil- 
 lar, Esq. Master of Merchant Company ; Patrick 
 Tennant, Esq. W. S. ; Henry Tod, Esq. W. S. ; 
 Captain Rose; John Wigham, Jun. Esq.; Alex. 
 Crnickshank, Esq.; Geo. Thompson, Esq.; and 
 between 40 and 50 other gentlemen. 
 
 The Lord Provost shortly slated the objects of 
 the meeting, declaring that it had no ^party ob- 
 
S6 MEETING AT 
 
 ject in view, and was simply to be confined to the 
 objects which was set forth in the placard. 
 
 Mr. Crawford, advocate, then rose and said he 
 had been requested to move the first resolution, 
 and while he regretted that it had not fallen to 
 the lot of some one more competent to do it jus- 
 tice, he claimed this much of merit for himself, 
 that no one could do it more sincerely or more 
 cordially. (Cheers.) lie begged to read the 
 resolution, for he thought that the mere reading 
 of It would relieve hmi from the necessity of 
 making many remarks. 
 
 Resolved, That this Meeting consider slavery un- 
 der every modification, and in every country, as op- 
 posed to the dictates of humanity, the prosperity of 
 nations, and especially to the principles of the Chris- 
 tian religion. That deeply sensible of their obliga- 
 tions to Providence for removing from this nation the 
 stigma of maintaining slavery, this Meeting feel call- 
 ed on, as free citizens of a Christian State, to use eve- 
 ry lawful means for promoting the entire abolition of 
 slavery in every quarter of the world. 
 
 He could not commence his address, without 
 expressing the gratification he felt, at seeing so 
 very numerous and respectable a meeting assem- 
 bled on that interesting occasion. It was en- 
 couraging and in the highest degree refreshing, 
 to see men of every variety of christian persua- 
 sion, and of every shade of political opinion, for- 
 getting all minor differences, and meeting on that 
 occasion on a common ground, for the mainten- 
 ance of a common principle, and t''or the promo- 
 tion of a common cause ; and it was one of the 
 many excellent consequences which resulted 
 from meetings like the present, that is tended to 
 smooth the asperities and sweeten the inter- 
 
EDINBURGH. 87 
 
 course of societ}'', by reminding' each other of the 
 points upon which we are agreed, and teaching 
 us charity respecting points upon which we dif- 
 fer. (Great cheers.) The learned gentleman 
 then proceeded to say that the time was not long 
 gone by, since the question they were then met 
 to consider presented itself in a very different 
 aspect. Many then present might remember the 
 time when the slave trade itself, with all the abom- 
 inations attending on it, was encouraged, sanc- 
 tioned and protected by British law ; and when 
 those who ventured to assail it were derided as 
 visionary dreamers, and idle enthusiasts; yet in 
 course of time, a patriotic government put down 
 the slave trade for ever. (Cheers.) A degrad- 
 ing system of slavery, however, continued to ex- 
 ist in our West India colonies until a very recent 
 date ; and when Britons met to express their hor- 
 ror at the evils of slavery and the guilt of slave- 
 ry, they met to condemn themselves ; they met to 
 denounce a system in the maintenance of which 
 they themselves participated, they met to sympa- 
 thize with the bondage and degradation which 
 they aided in perpetuating. But at length the 
 cry of 800,000 human beings kept by this coun- 
 try in a state of bondage, awakened public feel- 
 ing; and a small but patriotic band, burning to 
 ■wipe away that stam from our country, and anx- 
 ious to vindicate our outraged humanity, com- 
 menced a system of agitation against slavery. 
 (Great cheers.) The learned gentleman then al- 
 luded to the unwearied efforts of Wilberforce and 
 his friends, whose labors had happily been crown- 
 ed with triumphat success, by the passing of the 
 British Colonial Shive Emancipation Act two 
 years ago — the noblest enactment which a Min- 
 ister ever proposed, or a Monarch ever sanction- 
 
gK? MEETING AT 
 
 ed — an enactment which had wiped away the' 
 stain from the character of British justice, and hy 
 which the plague spot which rested on our con- 
 stitution, had been destroyed forever; and now 
 the sun saw not one single slave within our wide 
 realms. (Great cheering.) The peaceful and 
 satisfactory working of that measure too, had put 
 to silence the evil forebodings which were utter- 
 ed respecting its effects. The latest accounts 
 proved that these colonies were never more pros- 
 perous ; that the laborers never more contented ;. 
 and that moral and religious improvement were 
 never making such rapid progress. (Great 
 cheers.) He might also state what had only 
 lately come to his knowledge, that his Majesty's 
 Government had granted the handsome sum of 
 £10,000 to be expended in educating the eman- 
 cipated negroes in our West India colonies ; an 
 apt and beautiful sequel to the good work which 
 they had formerly accomplished. (Great cheers.) 
 After we have succeeded therefore in accom- 
 plishing the successful issue of slavery in this 
 country were we to sit still, to wait calmly, and 
 see slavery in its most unmitigated form main- 
 tained in America? (Cheers.) He admitted 
 there were some views of this question, in which 
 they were not entitled to express their opinions 
 on the subject of American slavery. There were 
 two classes of men who had no such right. Those 
 of our countrymen who viewed the question of 
 slavery as one of worldly policy, had no right to 
 interfere with slavery in America. On the other 
 hand, there was a class of persons who were now 
 loud in protesting against American slavery, who 
 had never protested against it in this country, 
 who now joined in the cry against slavery, not 
 because they abhorred it, but because they dis- 
 
EDINBURGH. 89 
 
 liked America. (Hear, hear, and cheers.) With 
 neither of these classes of men did he mean to 
 co-operate. So far from entering on the ques- 
 tion, from dislike to America, he considered the 
 laws and institutions of that country as vener- 
 able in the eyes of England ; and that the land 
 of Washington, Franklin, Jay, Abbot and Chan- 
 ning, could never be otherwise than interesting 
 to us. (Cheers.) It was for the sake of Ameri- 
 ca herself, that he protested against slavery as 
 being to them as it had been to us, a clog upon 
 its future career of improvement and as being 
 enough to call down the vengeance of heaven 
 upon them, for maintaining so foul a crime. 
 (Great cheers.) It was not because of its impol- 
 icy and inexpediency however, or of its inconsist- 
 ence with republican institutions, or even with 
 humanity, that he would feel himself entitled to 
 interfere with America. It was from a deep con- 
 viction of the sinfulness of slavery, that he con- 
 sidered we were entitled to enter upon the ques- 
 tion. (Cheers.) There were others present, far 
 better able than he was, who would explain how 
 grievously inconsistent slavery was with the prin- 
 ciples of religion. He might point to many such 
 expressions in the scriptures as 'the bondage of 
 sin ' and ' the glorious liberty of the sons of God,' 
 to show that slavery must be something exceed- 
 ingrly detestable when it was used to express the 
 heinousness of sin ; and that liberty must be some- 
 thing inexpressibly delightful when it is em])loy- 
 ed to denote the blessings and the value of holi- 
 ness. (Great cheering.) He might also explain, 
 that no sooner did the principles of Christianity 
 enter into the breast of men, than, if a slave, he 
 panted and burned for freedom: and that, if not 
 a slave, no sooner did the principles of religion 
 8* 
 
90 MEETING AT 
 
 enter into his breast, than he panted to bestow 
 freedom upon all the human race. He might 
 also advert to that simple and beautiful rule, 
 ' Whatsoever ye would that men should do unto 
 you, do ye even so to them;' a rule which ex- 
 cluded every man from having- a slave who was 
 not willing himself to become one — but without 
 entering on these grounds, he would take up the 
 single argument, that the Americans founded ev- 
 ery one of their own rights upon the equality of 
 man ; and he would say, where was their boast- 
 ed freedom and equality when the independent 
 citizens were seen planting their foot on the 
 prostrate body of his fellow-men on account of 
 his difference of color? (Cheers.) After some 
 farther remarks to the same effect, the learned 
 gentleman concluded by remarking, that if we 
 wished to be successful we must proceed to our 
 great duty by proper means, for that he alone was 
 a freeman whom the truth made free, and all were 
 slaves beside. (Great cheering.) 
 
 The Rev. Mr. Bennie then rose to second the 
 resolution brought forward by Mr. Crawford. He 
 said he had great pleasure in meeting his fellow- 
 citizens to declare his abhorrence of the sin and 
 misery of slavery ; and yet he could not suppress 
 a feeling of shame to think that, after all that was 
 done to improve society, for the cultivation of the 
 human mind, and the diffusion of knowledoe, it 
 was still necessary to repeat, to justify and de- 
 fend the proposition, that ' Man is free, and that 
 his fellow man has and can have no right of 
 property in him.' (Great cheering.) There were 
 some questions of so complex and subtle a na- 
 ture, that men of the calmest judgment and the 
 most candid temper might reasonably differ ; but 
 most certainly slavery was not one of these — 
 
EDINBURGH. 91 
 
 «pon that question, every man was qualified to 
 judge. Tlie Rev. Gentleman then proceeded to 
 show that slavery, under whatever modification it 
 might exist, was subversive of morality and re- 
 ligion — was opposed to the dictates of humanity 
 — brutalized the people — placed a barrier against 
 the progress of knowledge, and consequently a- 
 gainst the improvement of society. After refer- 
 ring to the struggle which had taken place in tiiis 
 country upon slavery, and its triumphant success, 
 lie said still tliere were many parts of the world 
 where slavery prevailed, and though he did not 
 Avish to mingle political feelings v/ith moral and 
 religious sentiments, yet he could not help say- 
 ing that the existence of slavery in a land call- 
 ing itself free, rendered the name of liberty dis- 
 trusted, and the boast of it disgusting. (Cheers.) 
 In sitting down, ho would say that they ought not 
 to rest till every link of the fetters had ceased to 
 clink upon the heels of every slave, for 
 
 ' 'Tis liberty alone 
 That gives to life its verdure and perfume, 
 And we are weeds without it.' (Great cheering.) 
 
 The Rev. Mr. Alexander, of Argyle Square 
 Chapel, moved the second resolution. 
 
 Resolved, That this Meetino; view with sincere re- 
 gret the existence of unmitigated Slavery in Ameri- 
 ca, a country connected with Great Britain by many 
 interesting ties ; and conceive it to be their duty pub- 
 licly to express their sentiments on the subject, and 
 to record their detestation of this inhuman and un- 
 christian system. 
 
 He would not take up their time with any re- 
 marks on the evils of slavery, in general, that 
 having been well handled by the Rev. Gentleman 
 
9& MEETING AT 
 
 who had preceded him. He wished to argue the 
 question of American slavery upon the ground of 
 our common humanity. He admitted that the 
 strongest ground was our common Christianity ; 
 but he still thought they might speak to the Ame- 
 ricans on the ground of their common humanity, 
 and take up the question as one of pity and kind- 
 ness. They were entitled to say to the Ameri- 
 caiis — I am a man, bearing within my breast a 
 human heart — nothing connected with humanity 
 is foreign to me — I am an English Gentleman ; 
 and by these ties I am bound to defend the weak- 
 er party — I am bound to stand forth in the de- 
 fence of woman — the weaker party is oppressed 
 by you — woman is degraded, insulted, tortured. 
 Tell me not of the Atlantic that rolls between us 
 — my spirit passes over the Atlantic ; tell me not 
 of your constitution — I tear your charter to 
 pieces. (Great cheering.) I speak as man to 
 man ; you have no right to lacerate my feelings ; 
 withhold your hand : as long as there is might in 
 my arm, and power in my tongue, smite not my 
 brother, smite not my sister. (Great cheering.) 
 He would not describe the horrors of American 
 slavery, though slavery never wore a darker form 
 than in America, but he would ask who taught 
 America the abominable traffic in human flesh ? 
 It was Britain. We had no objection atone time 
 to barter our slaves for their coffee ; and it beho- 
 ved us, therefore, as a matter of justice to un- 
 teach them what we had so unjustly taught them. 
 (Loud cheers.) But it might be asked, will Ame- 
 rica listen to us when we speak? Aye, that she 
 will — the voice of Britain is not so weak but that 
 her voice will be heard across the Atlantic. 
 (Great cheers.) We could hardly calculate, he 
 said, the influence which the expression of En- 
 
EDINBURGIf, 9§5 
 
 glish feeling had upon the Americans. Talk of 
 jjaving no influence ! — There was not a speech 
 made in our Parliament with reference to Ame- 
 rica, which did not go from end to end of that 
 mighty country, and produce an influence which 
 the speeches of no other nation could produce. 
 In conclusion, the Rev. Gentleman remarked,, 
 that America was full of incongruities upon this 
 subject. She was at once a land of Bibles and 
 of blood — a land of Christianity and of cruelty — 
 a land of missions and murders — a land which 
 boasted of unbroken freedom, and yet where man 
 placed his foot upon the neck of man. Such a 
 state of things could not long continue. 
 
 Mr. Moncrieff, advocate, seconded the motion- 
 In urging the principle of abolition upon other 
 nations, we were not speaking of evils which we 
 had never known — we were not preaching tenets 
 which we had not ourselves practised ; nor did 
 we advise a system, the dangers and consequen- 
 ces of which we had not already encountered. 
 It migfht be said that this meeting would have no 
 effect on America. He did not care, so far as 
 they were individually concerned. It was at 
 least a relief to his conscience, to testify to th& 
 truth, though it should have no effect at all. It 
 was still the duty of every Christian man, on eve- 
 ry opportunity, to protest against the guilty phan- 
 tasy, that man could hold property in man. It 
 was true that slavery still existed in many parts 
 of the world ; but our voices could not be heard 
 jn Constantinople or St. Petersburgh, for they 
 did not feel in common with us. But America 
 shared with us in a comLion Christianity and a 
 common freedom, and arguing with them upon 
 the principles of eternal right, it was impossible 
 it should be without effect. Whatever there was. 
 
94 MEETING AT 
 
 in America of patriotism and philanthropy — what- 
 ever of enlightened zeal — whatever of exertion 
 — and it was much — for the diffusion of Christian 
 truth — all was held in conjunction with a load of 
 slavery, and they must either cast it from them, 
 or perish along with it. (Lond cheers.) 
 
 Bailie Macfarlan moved the third resolution. 
 
 Resolved, That the accounts lately received from 
 America regardine; the progress of this great question 
 and the formation and extension of Anti-Slavery So- 
 cieties in that country, are most satisfactory, and af- 
 ford strong ground for hope, that the peaceful efforts 
 of Christian philanthropists may, by the blessing of 
 God, be successful in effecting the abolition of slave- 
 ry, and rescuing the vast colored population from de- 
 gradation, ignorance and vice. 
 
 Mr. Thompson then rose to address the meet- 
 ing in support of the last motion, and was receiv- 
 ed with tremendous applause. He described in 
 his usual felicitious manner, but much to the same 
 effect as in his recent lectures, the state of feel- 
 ing in America on the subject of slavery ; and 
 showed the propriety, if not the absolute neces- 
 sity of Britain sending her voice across the waters 
 in condemnation of that anomalous feature of the 
 American constitution ; and went over the various 
 grounds for believing that the slaves in the Uni- 
 ted States would, in the course of a few years 
 be completely emancipated. 
 
 On the motion of the Rev. John Ritchie, D. D. 
 seconded by Adam Black, Esq., Treasurer of the 
 City, 
 
 Resolved, That the thanks of this Meeting be cor- 
 dially given to George Thompson, Esq. for his intrep- 
 id, able, and successful services in the cause oi 
 
EDINBURGH. 95 
 
 Universal Emancipation, and particularly for his ar- 
 duous and persevering exertions during his recen 
 mission to the United States ot America. 
 
 Thereafter, upon the motion of R. K. Greville, 
 L. L. D., seconded by the Hon. Henry David 
 Erskine, the thanks of the Meeting were given 
 by acclamation to the Lord Provost" for his con- 
 duct in the Chair, and for the interest he has uni- 
 formly shown in the cause of Emancipation. 
 
 JAMES SPITTAL, 
 Lord Provost of Edinburgh. 
 
Mr. THOMPSON'S LECTURE, 
 
 AT GLASGOW, SCOTLAND. 
 
 On Tuesday, April 21, Mr. Thompson de- 
 livered a lecture in Dr. Wardlaw's chapel. The 
 admission was by tickets, on the usual terms. — 
 There was a numerous and highly respectable 
 audience. Besides the Committee, there were 
 on the platform a number of other gentlemen of 
 respectability. The topics discussed were : — 1. 
 The present condition and prospects of the West 
 Indies ; 2. Prejudice against color in America ; 
 and, 3. The progress of the anti-slavery cause, 
 and the growing triumphs over prejudice in the 
 United State?. On these subjects, Mr. Thomp- 
 son spoke for upwards of two hours and a half. 
 
 The Rev. Dr. Wardlaw was voted to the Chair 
 by acclamation. Dr. Wardlaw observed, that 
 though it ever gave him the sincerest pleasure to 
 be present on such occasions like that on xvhich 
 they then met, yet he could not take the Chair, 
 without regretting the absence of the venerable 
 President, Robert Grahame, Esq., and his col- 
 leagues as Vice Presidents, Drs. Heugh and Kids- 
 ton. The absence of his much esteemed friends, 
 Avas occasioned by no want of love for the cause 
 about to be pleaded — far from it. The first-nam- 
 ed gentleman was still in London, and the other 
 
MEETING AT GLASGOW, 97 
 
 two were attending- a meeting of the Secession 
 Synod in Edinburgh. Knowing, as he did, the 
 views of his excellent friend who was about to 
 speak, he could not help feeling that a cause was 
 to be advocated which was closely allied with the 
 doctrines regularly taught in that house. He had 
 a few Sabbaths since remarked, that the first Gen- 
 tile to whom an Apostle was specially commis- 
 sioned to declare the Gospel, was a man of color, 
 an Etliiopean Eunuch. (Applause.) Into his char- 
 iot, the servant and the successor of Christ en- 
 tered, witliout pride, and without prejudice, and 
 preached unto him Jesus. (Applause.) He thought 
 that the text, 'God hath made of one blood all 
 nations of rnen, for to dwell on all the face of the 
 earth,' might very appropriately be chosen as the 
 theme for the night ; but he- would not forestall 
 the remarks of the lecturer, nor longer occupy 
 the time of the meeting. Without furtlier pre- 
 face, he would once more introduce his (Dr. W's) 
 and their beloved friend, Mr. George Thompson. 
 (Applause.) 
 
 Mr. Thompson rose, and was received with ev- 
 ery demonstration of approbation. In attempting- 
 a sketch of Mr. Thompson's very lengthened and 
 animated address, avo can only profess to give a 
 few of the facts with which the various topics 
 brought forward were illustrated and supported. 
 We cannot transfer to paper the glowing lan- 
 guage or vivid thoughts of a speaker delivering 
 himself with the rapidity and energy of Mr. T. 
 The Lecturer observed, that he rose, oppressed 
 by the magnitude and importance of the work 
 before him. To describe the extent, force, cruel- 
 ty, and wickedness of projudicc against color in 
 America — the sorrows and sufferings of the three 
 9 
 
98 MEETING AT 
 
 millions who Avere its patient, unrevenging, and 
 enduring victims — or rightly to advocate the 
 claims of his brother, so toully and fiercely per- 
 secuted by the demon, prejudice ; either of these 
 was a task requiring- powers far greater than any 
 he could pretend to employ. AH that he could 
 do, however, in that, and in every other place, he 
 would do, to disseminate the doctrine of a uni- 
 versal brotherhood, and obtain the recognition, 
 as a practical principle, of the beautiful text al- 
 ready quoted, 'God hath made of one blood all 
 nations of men.' Before he proceeded to take a 
 view of the nature, operations, and cure of prej- 
 udice, he should ask the attention of his auditory 
 to a few facts respecting the West Indies. Doubt- 
 less all who heard him, could remember how many 
 were the predictions oi" ruin, desolation, the anni- 
 hilation of commerce, the shedding of blood, &c. 
 &.C., utterred by our West Indian opponents, who 
 were wont to sit like ill-omened birds upon the 
 crumbling battlements of their blood-cemented 
 fabric, and croak forth their prophecies and male- 
 dictions, if so be they might scare the timid, the 
 wavering, and the credulous, from the work of 
 mercy then in progress. Had these prophecies 
 been verifid ? No; all, all, utterly falsified, and 
 the oracles who uttered them, h« (JMr. T.) thank- 
 ed God, had lived to see the reverse of all they 
 had so confidently foretold. Instead of ruin — 
 prosperity; instead of desolation — verdure and 
 fertility; instead of pillage, spoliation, and rapine 
 — honesty, truth, and attachment ; instead of a 
 relapse into barbarism — a sudden merging forth 
 from darkness and despair, with all their accom- 
 panying misdeeds and miseries, into the hopes, 
 occupations, and energies of civilized and useful 
 life ; instead of servile commotion, pale fear, and 
 
GLASGOW. 99 
 
 midnioht assault — a free and grateful peasantry, 
 a secure and unsuspecting propriety, a tranquil 
 and well ordered community ; instead of the 
 glancing knii'e, the uplifted hatchet, the prowling 
 bandit, and the shrieking victim — were seen the 
 implements of willing husbandry, the negro seek- 
 inu' at eve the bosom of a happy family, and those 
 v/Lo once were visited by the tortures of conscious 
 guilt, and fears of vengeance from an oppressed 
 people, now rejoicing in security and anticipating 
 tie rapid approach of still better days and more 
 beautiful harvests. Such was the state of things 
 in the West Indies with the abatement of the 
 inconveniences, acts of injustice, cases of indi- 
 vidual suffering, &c. &c., (and he confessed they 
 Mere not few) that had grown out of that clumsy, 
 unphilosophical, and iniquitous piece of machin- 
 ery, by some called Stanleyism, but by my Lord 
 Stanley and his abettors, called Apprenticeship. 
 Mr. Thompson then proceeded to lay before the 
 meeting a mass of evidence in support of his as- 
 sertions. The following is an extract of a des- 
 patch from the Marquis of Sligo, Governor of 
 Jfimaica, to Lord Glenelg: — 
 
 The following are a few memoranda respecting Jamai- 
 ca, ilie resiill of some consideration and observation, 
 combined with the best information that could be procur- 
 ed:— 
 
 1. Tiie quality of the sugar made this year, is bona 
 fidf far superior to what has been heretofore made by 
 night work on the majority of estates in this island. 
 
 2. Tliere has been by far less slock lost in this year's 
 crop than in that of preceding years, and in many places, 
 it las been taken off by a smaller number. 
 
 S. The stock are. generally speaking, in much belter 
 coodilion this year, than they were at the close of any 
 fonner year's crop, when they have been so weak that 
 many of them have died in consequence. 
 
100 
 
 MEETING AT 
 
 4. That tho appreiilices generally are evidently becom-- 
 ing more reconciled to the system, and work cheerfully (or 
 money iiire, both night and day, and that they are beconfi- 
 jng better behaved every dRy. 
 
 5. That they may be expected still further to improve, 
 as soon as they begin to feel the natural impetus of edu- 
 cation and religion, and as they gel rid of the system of 
 deceit which Slavery occasioned, in order to save ihein- 
 from oppression. 
 
 G. That several estates will exceed the present crop in 
 the next year, and the majoiity will equal it. 
 
 7. That when this is not the case, it can be traced to 
 sufficient causes, independent of the loss of labor, whiih 
 of course must have considerable effect, when it is recol- 
 lected that on many estates the slaves were compelled not 
 only to work da^' and niglit as long as nature would allow 
 of it, and in such manner as their bodily endurance would 
 permit, for the six week days, but were often compelltid 
 to pot sugar on the Sunday. 
 
 On the whole, I come to the conclusion, that the perfect 
 success of the new system during the continuance of the 
 apprenticeship, depends entirely on the con<iuct of tit«^ 
 white people, and that if it fails, on them will rest the in- 
 tire blame. (Signed) SLIGO. 
 
 In proof of tho truth of what he lind said le- 
 specting- the produce of tlie islands, Mr. T.woild 
 submit, froii) official docu.nnents sent to the ht:)ine 
 g-overnment , the aniomit of sncfar imported into 
 the United Kingdom from tlie West Jndia Islands,, 
 from 5th January, 1833, to 5th January, 1836. 
 
 From Jan. 5, 1833. 
 to Jan. 5, 1834. 
 
 cwt. qr. lb. 
 3,653,611 2 24 
 
 From Jan. 5,1834, 
 to Jan. 5. 1835. 
 
 cwt. qr. 
 3,844.371 3 
 
 From Jan. 5.1f35, 
 to Jan. 5, U36. 
 
 cwt. qr. ll>. 
 3,524,388 - 26 
 
 Let it also be remembered that in some of he 
 qolonies last year they had had much wet, and in 
 others extreme drought. Mr. Thompson referred 
 to certain returns from various parishes in Jainai- 
 
GLASGOW. 101 
 
 ca, furnishing particulars respecting the condition 
 of the past crop (1835,) and the prospects of tiie 
 coming- crop. In tiie vast majority of instances 
 the crop of last year was reputed to be 'over' 
 that of the previous year. In some cases 12,000 
 and 15,000 lbs. of sugar extra had been made. — 
 With reference to the coming crop, and the con- 
 dition of the plantations, the accounts were in 
 general to the following effect: — 'Much improv- 
 ed latterly.' ' Improvement.' ' Much improve- 
 ment.' 'In most satisfactory condition.' 'Great 
 prospect of abundance.' 'In fair forwardness.' 
 ' Unusual crop expected ; plough introduced for 
 the first time, and much approved.' 'Property in 
 better state than last year.' In other and smaller 
 islands the effect has been equally striking and 
 satisfactory. What were the brief but gratifying 
 accounts from the Governors as furnished to the 
 Colonial Secretary at home ? He (Mr. T.) held 
 in his hand extracts from these despatches — 
 Montserrat — ' Perfect state of tranquility.' 
 Bahamas — ' Continued tranquility.' 
 Nevis — 'Tranquility and good order.' 
 Virgin Islands — 'Orderly and peaceable.' 
 Dominica — 'Continued quiet.' 
 St. Vincent — 'No insubordination.' 
 Tobago — 'I am inclined to believe that the is- 
 land of Tobago will be found second to none in 
 point of good conduct on the part of the Appren- 
 tices.' 
 
 Trinidad — 'Realizes the most sanguine hopes 
 of the promoters of the important change.' 
 
 Honduras — ' Never behaved better, or so well 
 before.' 
 
 St. Lucia — 'Tranquil and orderly.' 
 Demerara — 'I deem it my duty farther to re- 
 mark to your Lordship, that since the Ist of Au- 
 9* 
 
102 MEETING AT 
 
 gust there has not been an instance of a white 
 man upon an estate bein^r struck or ill-treated by 
 a negro ; nor has a single building or corn-field 
 been maliciously set fire to.' 
 
 In reference to the comparative state of crime 
 amongst the free inhabitants (white) and the ap- 
 prentices, the colored population of the island, Mr. 
 Thompson quoted the following extract from a 
 letter published in Jamaica in January last : — 
 
 I have been a keen observer of passing events since Ihe 
 1st of August — I have noted almost every circumstance 
 that reached the light, so far as the freed man and the 
 apprentice are concerned, and on this head of crime I 
 will give you my notes. 
 
 From the 1st of August, 1834, to the meeting of the last 
 Assizes, eight3'-one apprentices have been tried before the 
 three Courts in the island. 
 
 For the same period and before the same courtS; 35 Uee 
 men. 
 
 I will furnish you with a table of offences. 
 
 Fjee. Apprentices. 
 Cutting and maiming 
 Manslaughter 
 Larceny 
 Assaults 
 Riot 
 Felony 
 
 Receiving stolen goods 
 Obstn. of Magistrates 
 Murder 
 Burglary 
 
 Horse and Cattle stealing 
 Sheep and Goat stealing 
 Highway robbery 
 Embezzlement 
 Forgery 
 Rape 
 
 53 81 
 
 In the above you will observe, that in the atrocious 
 crimes of murder, manslaughter, felony, cutting and maim- 
 ing, the poor apprentices, without the aid of educatio». 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 7 
 
 2 
 
 5 
 
 35 
 
 20 
 
 8 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 7 
 
 8 
 
 20 
 
 
 
 6 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 
GLASGOW. 103 
 
 without the dawn of religion beaming on their souls, and 
 lighting them to her ' paths of peace,' are considerably in 
 the minority, and that the freemen with more adventitious 
 advantages which their condition afford, stand foremost, 
 and exhibit a lamentable contrast in the commital of hei- 
 nous crimes, when arrayed with the poor, ignorant, forsak- 
 en apprentices. 
 
 Now, I will show the proportion of crime tfaat each class 
 bears on its population. 
 The Militia Return of 1834, which is composed 
 
 entirely of free persons, is 10,000 
 
 Supposed not doing duty, including women and 
 
 children, little more than 4-5lhs 9,000 
 
 19,000 
 
 This makes crime, on the side of the free, about one in 
 357. 
 
 The last Registration of Apprentices 310,000 
 
 Supposed to be manumised 2,000 
 
 308,000 
 
 This makes crime on the side of the apprentice, about 
 1 in 3,802. 
 
 In happy and enlightened England, ' 700 persons were 
 put on their trial in the winters of 1830 and 1831, charged 
 with rioting and arson, and of those 700, how many could 
 read and write ? Only 150 — all the rest were marksmen.' 
 Now, if nearly one-fifth of the number, or 214 in a 1000 
 could read, and commit crimes in a country where educa- 
 tion is Tile, is there not a legitimate ground of excuse for 
 the apprentices, when we consider that education among 
 them is in the ratio of about 19 in a thousand. 
 
 Prejudice against Color. — One of the distin- 
 guishing sins of America was prejudice atrainst 
 color — a negro-hatint^ spirit. An unutterable 
 loathing of the colored man, no matter what his 
 virtues, his talents, his christian graces. An odi- 
 ous aristocracy, founded upon the hue of the skin, 
 the texture of the hair, the conformation of the 
 shin-bone. Yes! there was a strait-haired, pale- 
 skinned, short-heeled, high-nosed aristocracy in 
 America — more exclusive, more oppressive, more 
 
104 MEETING AT 
 
 tenacious, and more offensive than any aristocra- 
 •cy of Rome, or Venice, or England, or France. — 
 He (Mr. T.) firmly believed that there were thou- 
 sands of professing christians in the United States, 
 who would renounce Christ if it were demonstrat- 
 ed that when on earth he tabernacled in the body 
 of a colored man. In illustration of his subject, 
 Mr. Thompson quoted a number of documents 
 put forth by the American Colonization Society, 
 the professing friends of the free colored race, in 
 which they were described as 'a greater Nui- 
 sance than even slaves themselves;' 'a horde of 
 miserable people ;' 'a vile excrescence upon So- 
 ciety ;'' a curse and contagion wherever they 
 reside.' 'An anomalous race of beings, the most 
 depraved upon earth ;' 'a mildew upon our fields, 
 a scourge to our backs, (this, I think, said Mr. T. 
 must be a misprint, it certainly should read a 
 scourge to their haeks,) — (great laughter,) and a 
 stain upon our escutcheon;' 'scarcely reached in 
 their debasement by the heavenly light.' This 
 prejudice, and the treatment occasioned by it, was 
 vindicated by such men as the Rev. R.R.Gurley, 
 Rev. Leonard Bacon, and the Hon. Mr. Calhoun, 
 United States Senator, on the grounds of neces- 
 sity,' 'divine ordination,' 'a primitive, inherent, 
 invincible antipathy,' &c. &c. &c. It required 
 no argument to prove the tendency of this preju- 
 dice to blunt the sympathies ; to call off the at- 
 tention from the woes and wants, and claims of 
 the colored people ; to paralyze benevolence ; to 
 darken the mental vision, and to injure the moral 
 sense. Indeed he (Mr. T.) had been filled with 
 sorrow and astonishment, to perceive the awful 
 lengths to which otherwise good men would go 
 in the perversion of Scripture, and the destruc- 
 tion of the moral obligations, under the influence 
 
GLASGOW. 105 
 
 of this prejudice against color. One of the fruits 
 of prejudice, was the Colonization Society — an 
 institution called into being by prejudice; based 
 upon prejudice; appealing to prejudice; acting 
 in accordance with the demands of prejudice ; 
 ever seeking to gratify prejudice, and incapable 
 of existence, Vv'ithout the aid of prejudice. The 
 white man did not more loath, shun, and detest 
 the colored man, than did the colored man abhor 
 the Colonization Society. It was equally abhorred 
 by all the enlightened and sincere friends of the 
 colored people. Mr. Thompson dwelt at length 
 upon the sufferings, physical and mental, inflicted 
 upon the colored people by this prejudice, and 
 related a great number of anecdotes, of the most 
 aftecting nature. These'we cannot find room to 
 report. TJiey produced a deep impression upon 
 the meeting, and filled all with sorrow and indig- 
 nation, at the existence of so cruel and crusliing 
 a feehng amongst a people professedly christian. 
 ' Who are they,' enquired Mr. Thompson, 'who 
 nre thus treated? ' Do they want intellect. No. 
 Here the lecturer dwelt upon the past greatness, 
 and present capacity of tlie African, and gave 
 some touching and sublime illustrations of the 
 intelh^ctual and moral character of the negro. — 
 Mr. Thompson here read an extract from a work 
 the Costume of the Ancients — by Thomas Hope, 
 2 vol. — London, 1812, page 1. 'The ancient 
 Egyptians were descended from the Ethiopians, 
 and while their blond remained free from any mix- 
 ture with that of European or Asiatic nations, 
 their race seems to have retained obvious traces 
 of the aboriginal negro form and features. Not 
 only all the human figures in their colored hyero- 
 glyphics display a deep swarthy complexion, but 
 every Egyptian monument whether statue or bass- 
 
X06 MEETING AT 
 
 relief, presents the splay feet, the spreading toes, 
 the bow-bent shins, the hjoh meagre calves, the 
 lono- swincrin^ arms, the sharp shoulders, the 
 ..qiuare flutliands, the head when seen prohle, 
 placed not vertically but obliquely on the spine, 
 the iaws and chin consequently very prominent, 
 too-ether with the skinny lips, depressed nose, high 
 cheek bones, large unhemmed ears raised lar 
 above the level of the nostrils, and all the other 
 peculiarities characteristic of the negro contor- 
 mation. It is true the practice prevalent among 
 the Ecrvptians of shaving their heads and beards 
 close to the skin, (which thoy only deviated from 
 when in mourning,) seldom allows their statues 
 to shew that most undeniable symptom of negro 
 extraction, the woolly hair; the heads of their 
 fio-ures generally appearing covered with sorne 
 sort of cap, or when bare, closely shaven. In the 
 few Eo-pytian sculptured personages, however, in 
 which'the hair is introduced, it uniformly ofiers 
 the woolly texture, and the short crisp curls ot 
 that of the negroes ; nor do I know a single speci- 
 men of genuine Egpytian workmanship, in which 
 are seen^any indications of the long sleek hair,^or 
 loose wavv rinirlets of Europeans or Asiatics. — 
 Do they want \rratitude? No. Here also Mr. 
 Thompson introduced a number of interesting 
 facts detailing his own experience in America, 
 and shewino-'the brave and generous attachment 
 of the free'colored people to his Person. Are 
 they sanguinary? No. Here Mr. Thompson 
 referred to their conduct under the most cruel and 
 unprovoked persecutions, and challenged Ameri- 
 ca to point to one instance of bloody retaliation 
 
 Mr. Thompson also read some hicrhly niterest- 
 incr extracts from a letter of the Rev. N. Paul and 
 his lady. We have only room to notice one state- 
 
GLASGOW. 
 
 107 
 
 ment, that the Colored people of Albany, in the 
 state of Nevv--York, had formed an Anti-Slavery 
 Society of 300 members, and had called it the 
 Thompson Abolition Society.' The readino- of 
 Mr. and Mrs. Paul's letter excited much interest, 
 this truly estimable and pious couple havino- left 
 many friends behind them in this city. "^ 
 
 Mr. T. concluded his lecture by uro-in^ his au- 
 ditory to continued and zealous efforts in the 
 cause of Emancipation ; ^hich called forth enthu- 
 siastic applause. 
 
 _ Mr. Thompson stated his intention to deliver 
 in a few days, a lecture to the ladies of Glasgow 
 and its vicinity, on the subject of American Sla- 
 very, with a view to stimulate them to exertion in 
 support of the great work which the Emancipa- 
 tion Society contemplates. The meeting then 
 separated. ^ 
 
MEETING AT NEWCASTLE. 
 
 We take the following- account of Mr. Thomp- 
 son's visit to Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and a sketch 
 of that gentleman's speech at the Peace Meeting-, 
 from the Tyne Mercury of April 12. 
 
 Mr. Thompson, during the last two weeks, has 
 afforded to the inhabitants of Newcastle a high 
 intellectual treat. He is one of the most power- 
 ful and accomplished orators that ever graced a 
 platform ; but, above all, his modest demeanor, 
 his christian beneficence towards all, and particu- 
 larly his ardent and well directed advocacy of the 
 oppressed Negro in our Colonies and in iVmerica, 
 have left an impression on the minds of his nu- 
 merous and crowded audiences tiiat will not read- 
 ily be effaced, and has given such an impetus to 
 the Anti-Slavery Societies of Newcastle, as it is 
 hoped will not be abated until the last link of the 
 last chain of Slavery throughout the world is 
 broken. Mr. Thompson also delivered speeches 
 at two Missionary meetings and at meetings of 
 the Temperance and Peace Societies, crowded 
 almost to suffocation. It is impossible to describe 
 the pleasing and fascinating effect of his elo- 
 quence ; it must be heard tp give a correct idea 
 of it 
 
MEETING AT NEWCASTLE, 109 
 
 SOCIETY EOR THE PROMOTIOM OF PERMANEINT 
 AND UN1VEE.SAL PEACE, 
 
 On Thursday evening* last, the anniversary 
 meeting of the above society was held at Bruns- 
 wick Place Chapel the Rev. Mr. Pengilly in the 
 chair. The Chairman, in opening' the business, 
 briefly commented on the horrid nature of war, as 
 being opposed to the spirit of Christianity ; and 
 intimated to the meeting that their respected friend 
 Mr. Pilkington, and the able and eloquent advo- 
 cate of Universal Emancipation, Mr. George 
 Thompson, would address them on the occasion. 
 
 The Rev. Mr. Orange then read the report, 
 which congratulated the nation on the preserva- 
 tion of peace ; and Mr. Priestman having read 
 the treasurer's account, which left a balance of 
 £6 in the society's hands, the Rev. JMr. Reid mo- 
 ved that the report read be adopted, which was 
 seconded by Mr. Priestman. 
 
 Mr. Geo. Richardson moved the second reso- 
 lution, in an appropriate speech, which was sec- 
 onded by Mr, Pilkington. 
 
 The Rev. Mr. Orange moved the next resolu- 
 tion, and complimented the nation on its com- 
 mercial prosperity, and stated that since peace 
 had been established taxes to the amount of elev- 
 en millions of money had been repealed ; after 
 which 
 
 Mr. Thompson rose to second the motion, and 
 was received with enthusiastic applause. When 
 recently invited to visit Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 
 (said Mr, T,) he had no idea of being so fre- 
 quently called upon to appear before public as- 
 
 10 
 
11€ MEETING AT 
 
 semblies — nor of the variety of benevolent enter- 
 prises, it would be kis privilege to recommend 
 to the countenance and care of ihose whome he 
 had the honor to address. He gladly consented 
 to plead the cause of Education amongst the Ne- 
 groes of the British Colonies — as gladly did he 
 stand forth as the advocate of Universal Emanci- 
 pation, and he rejoiced that Societies had been 
 formed to advance that glorious object. He had 
 also with much readiness appeared as the advo- 
 ,cate of the immediate and entire abolition of the 
 guilty, degrading and voluntary bondage of intem- 
 perance. He could, however, truly say, that 
 with equal pleasure, he stood forth as the advo- 
 cate of the principles of permanent and universal 
 peace. Though he had only once before appear- 
 ed on the plattorm of the Peace Society, he had 
 frequently introduced the subject, incidentally, 
 into his public addresses, and he trusted he should 
 suffer no opportunity of recommending the prin- 
 ciples of the Society to pass unimproved. He 
 (Mr. T.) carried his Peace principles to the fullest 
 possible extent. He considered war unlawful, 
 under all possible, all conceivable circumstances. 
 He denied the right of any mortal man to 
 take the life of another. (Approbation.). In tak- 
 ing these views of war, and punishment, and 
 self defence, he of course, stood upon ChrisUan 
 principles. He spoke as a christian to christian 
 men. He asked ' what is it to be a christian ? ' 
 the reply was to be like Christ. In reference, 
 therefore, to any circumstances in which he 
 might be placed he had but to set the example of 
 his divine Redeemer before him, and ask ' How 
 would he have acted in such circumstances?' 
 So doing he (Mr. T.) seldom found any difficultv 
 in deciding. He confessed, that in lookinir over 
 
NEWCASTLE. Ill 
 
 the face of his beloved conntry, he cniild net join 
 M'ith those who called it a christian coimtnj. 
 In every direction he saw the pnraphernalia of 
 ■war, offensive and defensive. Our history was 
 a history of bloody wars. The demon of desola- 
 tion had deprived us of £400,000,000 sterlinjr of 
 treasure, and of 200,000,000 of our sons. Call us 
 a nation of civilized savagfes, of wholesale butch- 
 ers, of sanguinary, unappeasable murderers, but 
 call us not a nation of chrisfimis till we have 
 more consistently exemplified the doctrines of 
 the prince of peace! He miofht if he had time, 
 dwell upon the causes, preliminaries, progress, 
 consummation, and consequences of war, and 
 show that in its principles, participations, and ef- 
 fects, it was 'evil' and 'only evil.' This work 
 he believed, however, had been done thorouo-hly 
 by his friend, Mr. Pilkington. He regretted that 
 such false views of honor and glory were enter- 
 tained by youth generally. He believed, howev- 
 er, that the patriotism and courage of our modern 
 warriors were in most instances inspired by the 
 extrinsic blandishments of the profession. See 
 yonder troop exciting the admiration of a gap- 
 ing crowd — every female sisfhing for a hero as 
 her lover, and every bumpkin panting to share 
 
 ' The glory and the guilt of war.' 
 
 What is it thus vSteals away their hearts ? Is it 
 love of country ? No. Is it hatred of their coun- 
 try's foes ? No. What then ? The martial mu- 
 sic — the stately tramp — the nodding plume — the 
 waving banner — the crimson sash — the worsted 
 epaulette; — these were the things in which the 
 charms of a military life were found. Instead of 
 the ordinary aids, and garnishings, and imple- 
 
1 12 MEETING AT 
 
 ments of war, let them be sent into the field in 
 ordinary apparel, with no other weapons but those 
 whicii nature has given them ; and let them, at 
 some signal, fly at each other's throats, with tooth 
 and nail, and gnaw and claw, and beat and bruise, 
 until they were tired; and he believed that wars 
 would be less frequent, less popular, loss destruc- 
 tive, and certainly less expensive. The fact was, 
 tiiat war depended very much for its attractions, 
 upon worsted, and broadcloth, and parchment, and 
 Day & Martin's blacking. All these things he 
 considered vain, guilty, and anti-christian. Chris- 
 tianity was the same now in spirit as it was of old, 
 and he adverted to the opinions of some men of 
 the most celebrated piety and learning, whose 
 declarations against war were, 'that as christians, 
 they could not, dare not, or would not fight,' and 
 were they then at this present period still 
 upholding a system that our fathers of old so bold- 
 ly denounced ? The principle of the christian 
 was not to resist evil, but to overcome evil with 
 good — to love their enemies, and love them even 
 as friends. Who could stand on more elevated 
 ground ? Mr. Thompson then cited a case'arising 
 from the supposition of some valiant youth being 
 then present who was thirsting for glory, and 
 might think that he (Mr. T.) was a coward and a 
 pretty fellow to be a defender of his country. He 
 would say to that young person that it required 
 more courage to be a man of peace than a man of 
 war. He w«uld tell him that he could walk on 
 the most barren and lonely htiath at night, where 
 the gibbet swung and the footpad lay in ambush, 
 with a calm and steady purpose, without a single 
 weapon of defence ; while others armed them- 
 B("^lves for their protection. Still pursuing his 
 solitary course, the footpads mark his coming, and 
 
NEWCASTLE. 
 
 113 
 
 by the beams of the moon they mark his person. 
 Having- come up they demand his purse or life. 
 The man of peace gives up his purse as trash, and 
 is permitted to pass without further harm. Not 
 so with the person armed — the footpads note his 
 weapons, and lie concealed lest they should be 
 the injured instead of injuring; they mark him for 
 their deadly aim, and both murder and rob him. 
 Thus we see the man of peace succeeds, and 
 quietly passes on. trusting in the potency of his 
 principles. Mr. T. cited one or two more cases 
 where the man of peace trusted not on worldly 
 assistance for protection, and observed that he re- 
 lied on the promises of God, who had numbered 
 the hairs of their heads, and permitted not a spar, 
 and the first man that was killed on the settle- 
 ment was shot by an Indian who thought the man 
 was going to kill him. In the Irish rebellion the 
 dwellings of 'The Friends' were spared; and in 
 America any one acquainted with its history would 
 see that those persons possessinsf peace principles 
 conciliated the Indians. In Massachusetts, he 
 learned the history of a farmer, whom the Indian 
 savages never harmed, while they pillao-ed and 
 murdered his neighbors around — they never pass- 
 ed his cot without calling Iiirn the man of peace. 
 While the lamented Richard Lander was wan- 
 dering in the interior of Africa, he was suddenly 
 surrounded by hundreds of savages, who at the 
 sign of their chief levelled their arrows dipped 
 with poison at our countryman, and at another sign 
 the arrows would have pierced his body, but that 
 Lander had the presence of mind to fling instant- 
 ly from him on the ground his arms, and with 
 open hands approached the chief, who at another 
 given signal caused the arrows to be pointed to 
 the ground. Thus he had the practical uses of 
 10* 
 
114 MEETING AT 
 
 the society developed fully in those facts. It had 
 teen said, that if England did not fight she was 
 liable to be invaded by every ambitious tyrant. 
 He (Mr. T.) would like to see an Armada ap- 
 proaching our isle to attack a nation of peaceful 
 men and women. The principles of peace should 
 be disseminated and cultivated all over the world ; 
 nations should act as individuals, and that time 
 would soon approach — the triumphs of the Mille- 
 nium. The passage of scripture referred to by 
 Mr. Pilkington, viz : — ' whosoever sheddeth man's 
 blood by man shall his blood be shed,' was now, 
 he considered, as a law merely to gratify the am- 
 bition of man. Some would go on doubting, al- 
 though 999 points out of a thousand were made 
 clear to them, yet, who would still act upon the 
 one that was doubtful ; and although that doubt 
 might be resolved, yet still they would go on kill- 
 ing all the time. Man for his purposes would go 
 as far back as the antediluvian times, to quote for 
 authority to kill. Mr. T. then contended that the 
 milder the laws were, the more efficient would 
 they be found, and related an interesting fact 
 which occurred in America, in a prison at Con- 
 necticut, the master of which was noted for his 
 mild discipline, and kind and benevolent disposi- 
 tion. It happened that some prisoners, who had 
 been employed in some public works that had just 
 been finished, were removed into the custody of 
 this gaoler. Previous to their arrival lie had re- 
 ceived a book of their names, detailing the nature 
 of their character and eonduct. Among them 
 was a very old man, who had been 17 years a 
 prisoner, and who was set forth to be incorrigible 
 and totally irreclaimable. This old man was 
 brought to him heavily laden with irons, and when 
 the masteV cast his eyes upon him, he instantly 
 
NEWCASTLE. 115 
 
 ordered them to be knocked off, and going up to 
 him, said, ' Old man, you are old enough to be 
 my father, and those chains are not fit for you.' 
 The man stood stupified and amazed, but did not 
 utter a word. The master of the gaol after this 
 sent for the old man to come into his private room, 
 to hear the orders and discipline of the prison 
 read over. He was then sent to work ; and for 
 two months this man conducted himself with sat- 
 isfaction. After this period, however, the master 
 had twice observed some faults committed by him, 
 and again sent for him and remonstrated with him 
 in kind terms. The master charged him with a 
 breach of the prison laws, and told the old man 
 that he might punish him for the offence by send- 
 ing him to a cell where the light of heaven never 
 entered, and the human voice was never heard ; 
 but to an old man like him he could not do it. — 
 The old man again stared in astonishment, and 
 at last ejaculated ' what did he mean — for he had 
 never for 17 long years heard tones of kindness 
 used towards him ; he could boar the whip, the 
 irons, and even the gallows itself, but this mark 
 of kindness he could not bear,' and he burst into 
 tears. Let us learn from this fact to try the mild- 
 er system before the severe and harsh one. It 
 was natural for them to be ruled by love more 
 than by fear; every thing in creation showed tiiis 
 fact. If this principle was taken up, how soon 
 would it spread into their system of educa- 
 tion, and even into their legislature, for he re- 
 gretted to say, they had not as yet received this 
 great moral and religious principle. Mr. T. then 
 ridiculed the idea of chivalry and deeds of fame> 
 and illustrated the state of feelings which per- 
 vaded the breasts of thousands the moment be- 
 fore the battle, when the trumpet's shrill blast 
 
116 MEETING AT NEWCASTLE. 
 
 was echoing from line to line, the drum rolling 
 and the banner waving, and all arrayed — 
 
 ' Big with the fate of Calo and of Rome.' 
 
 At that moment what thoughts of home have oc- 
 cupied the soldier's breast, and of his fate wheth- 
 er he would return or not. Mr. T., after a few 
 more remarks, concluded a highly interesting, 
 powerful, and eloquent speech, by exhorting the 
 audience as christians to support the propagation 
 of peace, — for if all societies acted upon the truth 
 of the gospel they would all become peace socie- 
 ties. Let the cruelty of slavery and the despot- 
 ism of war be linked together, and banished into 
 that hell whence they originated. He would now 
 part from them in peace. He had first come to 
 appeal for the oppressed slave, however feeble 
 Iiis efforts had been, and he now left them advo- 
 cates of the cause of universal peace. 
 
MR. THOMPSON'S 
 FIRST LECTURE, 
 
 BEFORE THE GLASGOW EMANCIPATION 
 SOCIETY. 
 
 A meetiniy of the members and friends of the 
 Glasg-ow p]mancipat!on Society was held in the 
 Rev. Dr. Wardlaw's chapel, on Friday evening-^ 
 Jan. 29, when Mr. Tiiompson delivered an address 
 on the subject of his Anti-Slavery mission to the 
 United States. Owing to the great anxiety to hear 
 Mr. Thompson, the Committee considered it prop- 
 er that the admission should be by tickets only, 
 in order to prevent injury to the chapel and to 
 preserve order. The doors of the chapel were 
 opened at 6 o'clock, before which time a large 
 crowd, anxious to obtain good seats, were waiting 
 outside. Long before seven the church was filled 
 with a most respectable audience, among whom 
 we observed many of our fellow-citizens, well 
 known for their active philanthropy. At 7 o'clock, 
 
 Mr. G. Thompsox, accompanied by the Com- 
 mittee, entered the Chapel. He was immediate- 
 ly recognised, and was received Avith repeated 
 and enthusiastic bursts of applause. 
 
 James Johnstoiv, Esq., moved that the Rev. 
 Dr. Heugh take tlie chair as Vice-President of 
 
118 MEETING AT 
 
 the Society. The motion was agreed to by ac- 
 clamation. 
 
 The Chairman, (Dr. Heugli) said — Ladies and 
 gentlemen, in common with all who hear nie, I 
 regret the absence of our respected president^ 
 whom no obstruction which it was in his power 
 to overcome could have kept from occupying hia 
 place among us this evening. His ardor in the 
 cause of humanity and freedom is not less intense 
 in his old age, than in the best days of his youth 
 and manhood ; and the hoary head of Robert 
 Grahame will not be the less honored on this 
 account by his friends and fellow citizens of 
 Glasgow. (Long and loud cheering.) We must 
 all deeply regret too, the absence of our senior 
 Vice-President, Dr.VVardlaw, who has stood for- 
 ward in the cause of negro freedom with so much 
 Christian principle, fervor, and intrepidity ; who 
 has lent the aid of his great talents to this sa- 
 cred cause, amidst good report and bad report, 
 and who would have filled the chair this evening, 
 as he fills every public situation he is called to 
 occupy, with honor to himself and delight to all 
 who hear him — (cheers.) Ladios and gentlemen, 
 you are assembled this evening to see again — and 
 that is no small privilege — our well-known friend 
 before you, (cheers) of whom, in his presence, I 
 cannot trust myself to speak as I would were he 
 absent, but whose eulogiuni it is unnecessary 
 for me to attempt to pronounce in a meeting of 
 my fellow-citizens of Glasgow assembled in this 
 place, the well remembered scene of his former 
 eloquent pleadiufja, protracted conflicts, and de- 
 cisive and splendid triumph. Mr. T. returns to ua 
 from the American shores, with his name and his 
 well earned fame untarnished. He has neither 
 been defeated nor dishonored. He has retreat- 
 
GLASGOW. 119 
 
 ed, not fled, from America. He has retreated, 
 by the urgency of friends, from lawless physical 
 violence ; but he has never fled, and, if I mistake 
 him not, he never will flee from any field of fair 
 intellectual conflict. (Cheers.) He never went 
 thither for the purpose of physical warfare, to fight 
 the pro-slavery men with the fist, or the poignard, 
 or the firelock ; he went to proclaim in the ears 
 of America the voice of truth, and humanity ; and 
 thousands and tens of thousands of tiie best and 
 most enlightened citizens of that country bear 
 him witness that he has nobly fulfilled his 
 Mission; fori am confident, that documentary 
 evidence, of the most unqucstional)le charac- 
 ter, will support me, when I say, that when brute 
 violence was not interposed against his per- 
 son, and in every instance in which the conflict 
 was mental alone, his success has not been less 
 signal in America, than at any period of his career 
 in Great Britain. (Cheers,) But J shall not do vi- 
 olence to my own feelings, and to your wishes by 
 detaining you longer from hearing Mr. Thompson. 
 
 Mr. Tmompso>', on advancing to the front of 
 the platform, was loudly cheered. It was with 
 unspeakable joy, he said, that he once more rose 
 to address the friends of freedom and humanity 
 in this city — within these walls — these walls 
 where they had so often met before to fight the 
 battle of universal freedom, and to overcome with 
 spiritual weapons the foes of human rights. — 
 (Cheers.) He appeared before them to surren- 
 der into their hands the trust they had reposed in 
 hiin — to give a faithful account of his Steward- 
 ship, during nearly two years he had been their 
 representative in a foreign land, and to render a 
 strict account of all his words, all his actions, all 
 his plans, and all his purposes, since he bade fare- 
 
120 MEETING AT 
 
 well to his kind friends in this country, and sailed 
 across the Atlantic for the United States of Amer- 
 ica, there to represent their wishes and prayer?, 
 and to preach tidings of humanity. Wlien they 
 tirst commissioned him on this errand of mercy, 
 they promised to assist him with their sympathies 
 and prayers. Tliey bestowed upon him an unre- 
 served and a generous confidence — they pledged 
 themselves to co-operate with him zealou&ly and 
 unremittingly, while laboring in a distant and 
 dangerous field, grappling with the monster, Sla- 
 very — face to face, and nobly they had redeemed 
 their pledge ; they had been true to their cause — 
 true to him ; they were still true to their cause, 
 they still abode by the standard which had been 
 planted in this city, and which, he hoped, would 
 never be deserted while a single shackle remain- 
 ed on the mind or the body of a living being. 
 (Tremendous cheering.) They were still true to 
 the negro's humble but sincere advocate ; they 
 still greeted him with smiles, still animated him 
 by applause. Thank God, he was able to appenr 
 before them with clean hands ; he had done his 
 duty as far as he could, and now, returning from 
 the field of conflict, he had nothing to conceal — 
 nothing to disguise — nothing to extenuate — noth- 
 ing for which to ask forgiveness. He had only to 
 deliver a plain unvarnished statement of what his 
 eyes had seen and his ears had heard. He v/ould 
 give an account of the astonishing progress of the 
 cause, and he doubted not that before the end of 
 his addresses, they vvould be convinced that, since 
 the amelioration ot the moral and physical condi- 
 tion of the human race had first engaged the at- 
 tention of philanthropists, never had a greater 
 work been accomplished, unaided by mirncies, in 
 so short a period. (Immense cheering.) If there 
 
ttLASGOW. 121 
 
 be any individual present who may think that he 
 (Mr. Thompson) had accomplished nothing — that 
 his enunciation of those principles which these 
 walls have so often echoed, was altogether fruit- 
 less — he would only ask him to return again and 
 again to these lectures in order that he might be 
 undeceived. Tiie history of the abolition ques- 
 tion was interesting and important on many- 
 grounds. 
 
 ist, as an exhibition of contemporaheoua evenU, 
 appertaining to the freedom and happiness of a 
 large portion of the human race. 
 
 2d, as connected with the history of Republi- 
 can America, which in its fate was ordained deep* 
 ]y and widely to affect all other nations — (cheers.) 
 
 3d, as connected with that particular branch of 
 human freedom, lor which we have struggled, and 
 for which wc will be found struggling while a fet- 
 ter remains on the limbs or on the conscience of 
 a human being. The question was also interest- 
 ing from its developing, as had never been done 
 before, the method by which a great moral revo- 
 lution might be carried on, and prejudices the 
 most stubborn and deep rooted, might be utterly 
 destroyed. 
 
 It might be asked vv'hat interest had they in 
 this question? He would answer that the ques- 
 tion was interesting to all, in so far as it proved, 
 more fully than any other modern reformation, 
 the potency of truth — or, in words which would 
 be understood by every one, it showed what mar- 
 vellous results had been effected by what was 
 afore-time called the ' foolishness of preaching.* 
 It was interesting, as bringing ihern to an ac- 
 quaintance with some of tiie finest specimens of 
 the human race, or, as their worthy Vice Presi- 
 dent on a late occasion had styled them, th« 
 11 
 
J23 MEETING AT 
 
 * Grandees of nature.' The speaker Lero, allud- 
 inff to the American Abolitionists, broke out into 
 a highly-Avrought and splendid apostrophy whicli 
 we need not attempt to report. He then proceed- 
 ed :_Tiie topic was also interesting, from its be- 
 ing connected with those benevolent and religious 
 eiiterprises in which the christians of this country 
 were so closely united with those of America, and 
 in which they would perse\ ere till the last idol 
 tumbled to the ground, and every human spirit was 
 idluminated with the light of divine truth. It was 
 finally interesting on account of its exhibiting 
 conduct, on the other side of the A lantic, which 
 we would do well to imitate. Yes! they would 
 do well to follow the noble example ot tiiose who 
 fought the battle of humanity against the despot- 
 ism of the western hemisphere. But he stood 
 not there to traduce Amenca-Ood iorbi.l. U 
 was true that he had been persecuted reviled, 
 and hunted from its shores ; he trusted, however 
 that those who had so acted towards him would 
 yet see their error, and would discover that 
 he had never been their enemy. It was true, 
 he was not accustomed to call things otl.cr- 
 wise than by tb.eir proper names, lie always 
 called a spade a spade, bf cause it was always 
 a spade. Slavery he would call by its own name, 
 wherever it was, wore it even at the iiorns 
 of the altar; and he would calj a despot, a 
 despot, though by profession a republican, lie 
 would call America a wicked nation— a hissing 
 and a bye-word throughout the whole civilized 
 world. ' In the statements he wa? about to make, 
 he would draw his facts entirely from American 
 documents — iVom newspapers and other periodi- 
 cals written and printed by Americans. It was^ 
 with rt-gret he stated these things regarding 
 
GLASGOW. 123 
 
 that'conntry. He admired and loved America- 
 he liat h1 not lier sons, but her sins — he only war- 
 red a/jainst those customs which endangered lier 
 institutions — he wished to remove that foul blot 
 which marred her beauty, that excrescence in the 
 body politic, which, if removed, would restore 
 that nation to more than prisiine grandeur and 
 beauty, and enable it to stand forth a beacon and 
 a blessing to the world. 
 
 He could sincerely say in Scotland e/" Amerien, 
 what on the oiher side of the Atlantic he had de- 
 clared to America. 
 
 I love \hee : — \\itnpss lieaven above. 
 
 Thai I this land, this people love ; 
 
 And rail my slamlerers as ihey will, 
 
 (Columbia, I will love thee still. 
 
 Nor love thee less when I do tell 
 
 Of crimes that in thy bosom dwell. 
 
 O ! that my weakest word might roll, 
 
 LiUe heaven's own thunder through thy soul ! 
 
 'JMicre is oppression in thine hand — 
 
 A sin corrupting all the land ; 
 
 'J'liere is within thy gales a pest, 
 
 Gold, and a Babylonish vest; 
 
 Not iiid in shame-coneealing shade, 
 
 fUit broad against the sun display'd 3 
 
 Uepcnt thee then, and swiftly bring 
 
 Forth from the camp the accursed thing j 
 
 Consign it to remorseless fire, 
 
 W'atcii till the latest spark expire, 
 
 Then strew its ashes on the wind, 
 
 Nor leave an atom wreck behind, 
 
 So shall thy power and wealth increase: 
 
 So shall tiiy people dwell in peace ! 
 
 On thee tiie Almighty's glory rest, 
 
 And all the earth in iliee be blest ! 
 
 He had now expressed his worst wish towards 
 America. Thank lieaven, those who knew him 
 loved him. There were but two parties in Amer- 
 ica. The one loved him, and would die for him ; 
 
124 MEETING AT 
 
 the other hated him, and would very willingly, 
 were they able, toss him into the bottomless pit. 
 Looking to America, the greatness of its present 
 state, and its yet greater prospects, who would 
 not say that it was a nation well worth caring for; 
 exalted in arts, invincible in arms, secure from in- 
 vasion, almost illimitable in territory, there was 
 scarcely a nation to compare with it; possessing 
 extensive commerce, rich in cultivation, with a 
 vast and increasing population, powerful in for- 
 eign relations, and having a constitution so ex- 
 cellent that he, though attached to a monarchical 
 form of government, considered it the noblest 
 constitution in the world. Look again to her 
 granaries overflowing with the produce of the 
 country; her custom-houses teeming with the 
 merchandise of the world ; and they would not 
 consider it exaggeration should he say that Amer- 
 ica was scarcely second to any country on earth. 
 Should there be an American present in this 
 meeting he hoped that while he bore away his 
 reproaches, he would also bear witness that he 
 spoke well of his country. Yet America was 
 more guilty — ay, greatly the more guilty, on this 
 account. Not content with all the natural advan- 
 tages which she possessed, with the blessings of 
 free industry and honest trade, America — Chris- 
 tian America — Republican America, traffics in the 
 souls and bodies of men. More than a 6th of the 
 population of America were tlie most abject 
 slaves that crawled on the face of the earth — they 
 were mere chattels ; they could do nothing but 
 what their masters permitted; thoy possessed 
 nothing but what their masters could claim. Nor 
 was the slave trade at an end. He needed not 
 to point to those infamous and brutalising scenes, 
 the slave auctions which took place et Charles- 
 
GLASGOW. 125 
 
 ton, and Alexandria, Richmond and New-Orleans 
 — to the horrors of the slave ship, that nearest 
 resemblance to a pandemonium — or to speak of 
 200 infants born daily to no better portion than 
 to the most abject and unmitigated thraldom. 
 And all this was in America, with her wealth, her 
 merchandise, her floating navies, her invincible 
 volunteers, her missions, her bibles, and her boasts 
 on the 4th of July, and on every other day, and 
 hour, and minute, and moment, throughout the 
 year, that she was the freeest nation on the face of 
 the earth, (cheers.) Before going farther (said 
 Mr. T.) it might not be amiss to state precisely 
 what was the object he had sought to obtain in 
 his late mission. That object was two fold ; first, 
 to bear faitiiful testimony against prejudice of 
 color, a crime not surpassed by that of slavery. 
 To treat human beings with coldness or unkind- 
 ness, on account of their difference of color, was 
 the greatest offence of which man could be 
 guilty. It was blasphemous for man thus to ad- 
 dress the Deity, as it were, and siay, you have 
 made this man of a different hue, and, therefore, 
 he shall not sit in the same pew, nor travel in the 
 same coach, nor sail in the same steamboat ; 
 there shall be a gulph betwixt us as wide and im- 
 passable as that betwixt the Soodrah and the 
 Brahmin. This prejudice was the foundation of 
 slavery ; it was infused by mothers into the minds 
 of their children, it grew with their growth, and 
 strengthened with their strength. But were an 
 end once put to this prejudice, the demon of sla- 
 very would soon flap its black wings and fly to that 
 nethermost hell where it was born and nurtured. 
 
 Another object was to wage a war of extermina- 
 tion with slavery. He went to America, and when 
 he got there he found every possible prejudice ar- 
 il* 
 
126 MEETING AT 
 
 rayed against him. These prejudices had given 
 rise, ill the minds of some, to a very strange land 
 of patriotism, which sought to break the heads of 
 all tliose who were laboring to break the bonds 
 of slavery. He had to wage war with the tyrani- 
 cal and bigoted slaveholders of the Southern 
 States, and with their minions in the north. He 
 went with no party connection, witiiout wealth, 
 no arms, no diplomatic appointment, no introduc- 
 tion to great men. He had resolved to idenf.ify 
 himself witJi no p'olitical party, but to cry aloud, 
 ' open the prison doors and let the oppressed go 
 fi-ee.^ He had no seals, but those so kindly pre- 
 sented to him by his friends in this city, and these, 
 though precious to him, were of no value in 
 America. He went, however, with the prayers 
 of the friends of freedom, the ridicule of his en- 
 emies, and the pity of many who thought him well 
 meaning, perhaps, but notoverwise. It might be 
 asked, whence tijsn did he look for success, see- 
 ing that he went so unsupported ? His answer 
 M'as, thnt he looked for support from the invinci- 
 ble nature of truth. He had ever been of opin- 
 ion tiiat the truth of God, without tlie mixture of 
 human wisdotn, must bring forth good fruits. To 
 near sighted men, the immediate result might 
 seem dreadful; but he felt satisfied that in all 
 such cases the ultimate consequence Avould be 
 beneficial. He would recommend all apostles of 
 freedom in this country not to become back stairs 
 suplicants to a minister. Fir-^t let them try the 
 effect of truth on the mass. First affect the base 
 of the pyramid, and the apex v.ould soon be made 
 to topple. This was the mode he had followed 
 in America, and with astonishing success. Some, 
 indeed, had told him he was mad. Public opin- 
 on was against him. He had asked what made 
 
GLASGOW. 127 
 
 })ublic opinion. Was it not talking? wrs it not 
 listening to wliatwas said by wives and mothers, 
 and by those who ex])ected, if not already wives 
 or mothers, to become so ? Tiiose were the ma- 
 kers of public opinion. These hisd made it what 
 it was, and they could unmake it if it was "svrong. 
 Ministers, Legislators, and Lawyers, made anoth- 
 er sort of public apinion. As a nobie example of a 
 single individual wtirring- with public opinion, and 
 finally overcoming it, by his individual, unaided 
 energies, Mr. Thompson, in a brilliant passage, 
 referred to the case of the famous ivlartin Luther. 
 For ills own part, he said, he was not fond of 
 rowing with the tide. He preferred having some- 
 thing to row against. If he was called to argue, 
 give him an opponent; if to grapple, let him not 
 fight the air. Public opinion was against the 
 fisiiiermen of Galilee. Lideed, public opinion has 
 ever been against reformers. The question is 
 not whether public opinion is or is not against us, 
 but whether we be right or wrong. He might 
 b^ told, then, tliat^-in going to America he had no 
 prospect of succeeding. He could only answer 
 that he did not go to gain popularity. Had he 
 (the eloquent Lecturer) Avished to become popu- 
 lar, he knew, at least he thought, it was not yet 
 too late f(jr him to get into favor with the Amer- 
 icans. Had he only recanted — had he but chang- 
 ed his opinions with regard to immediate abolition, 
 he might have rode on the high tide of popularity 
 from The one end of the United States to the 
 other. But why should he have wished to be- 
 come popular, u'^aless for the purpose of gaining 
 ease or lucre? With regard to case, no man 
 who set a value upon it would advocate abolition. 
 He had, during tliirteen months, delivered be- 
 tween f^OO and 300 public addresses; and as for 
 
1^ MEETING AT 
 
 affluence, had he wanted a morsel of bread he 
 could have got it at home. Why then did he go ? 
 and why did they send him ? It was because 
 they loved mankind — it was because they loved 
 liberty ; — it was because they pitied the slave ; — 
 it was because they had tested the power of truth 
 when plainly spoken, to overcome the most gigan- 
 tic interests, and to bow a nation, a parliament, 
 and a throne, before the dictates of truth and hu- 
 manity. He went to America, because he was 
 likely there to find a field of labor in the sacred 
 cause of abolition. Glasgow had said, go: Edin- 
 burgh had said, go ; England had said, go ; and 
 Ireland had said, ^o — ^(Loud cheering.) The 
 friends of emancipation in America cried, come 
 over and help us, — Therefore, said Mr. T., I went ; 
 therefore, you sent me — (cheers.) He would be 
 pardoned for jnaking these preliminary remarks ; 
 in his next lecture he would enter into details. 
 He would now, liowever, state what principles he 
 sought to establish. He maintained that the hold- 
 ing of a human being as property — the bringing 
 down the image of God to be bought and sold — 
 was sin. That slaveholding was a sin in all sup- 
 posable cases, and being sin, ought to be aban- 
 doned immediately, entirely, and forever. The 
 prejudice of color was also a sin. This prejudice 
 was manifested in a thousand ways. Such was 
 the misery to which it gave rise that he had often 
 heard respectable colored men say of a colored 
 mother, she rejoiced to witness the death of her 
 child as a relief from that misery to which it 
 would otherwise be su^ected. Mr. Thompson 
 here adverted to the difficulty which some pro- 
 fessed to feel in deciding as to when the brute 
 creation ended and humanity began. This Mr. 
 T. said, had never been a' difficulty with him. 
 
GLASGOW. 129 
 
 He asked not where the individual was born, 
 what was his complexion, what his form or fea- 
 ture, what the texture of his hair ; he asked but 
 one question ; he applied but one test — can he 
 love his God? If this can be answered in the 
 affirmative, he did homage to him as man, and 
 would tremble lest by coldness or indifterence 
 towards him, his spirit should be lost forever. 
 A great deal was said in America about conse- 
 qences — about what came of saying this or say- 
 ing that ; no question was put as to the truth or 
 falsehood of a statement, but the most anxiety 
 was directed towards the consequences likely to 
 spring from it. Now his doctrine was to speak 
 the truth, and leave the consequences to God, 
 who, he believed, would do much more if men 
 would let him do — if they would not attempt to 
 go into copartnery, with the Deity, but would con- 
 fine themselves to the strict line of duty. Such, 
 however, was not the opinion of the Anti-Aboli- 
 tionists of America. Doctors of Divinity, Profes- 
 sors of colleges, lawyers and senators, were all 
 terrified for the consequences of immediate eman- 
 cipation. What! said they, would you set the 
 slaves loose immediately to cut our throats. Oh ! 
 the consequences — the consequences. 
 
 But he (Mr. T.) said, the emancipation ought 
 to be immediate, because it was the immediate 
 right of the slave, because it was the immediate 
 duty of the master, because they had no right to 
 compromise between right and wrong. It was 
 then asked, did they expect immediate emancipa- 
 tion — the answer was, that they did not, because 
 many difficulties lay in the way, but still it was 
 their duty to preach and to declare the path of 
 duty. Mr. T. then, in a peculiarly happy man- 
 ner, illustrated what was meant by immediate 
 
130 MEETING AT 
 
 emancipation. Suppose, said ho, that you 
 called up in the middle of the night on accuur 
 the illness of a friend, and asked to run inun 
 ately for the doctor. Althotigh you know 
 the doctor lives two miles off, and though youlii 
 tiie snow storm beating agaiust tlie window, i; 
 do not say the man must surely be mad beet 
 he desires you to get the doctor innnediatel; 
 No — you immediately understand what he m^ 
 — you immediately rub your eyes, immediu,, 
 juujp out of bed — immediately liurry on ^p 
 clothes — immediately run to the stable — imm 
 ately saddle the horse — immediately ride off, 
 though you tumble into a wreath of snow on 
 road, you immediately extricate yourself, (ch 
 and laughter,) and reach the Doctor's house, 
 immediately comes off with you — immedia 
 feels the patient's pulse — immediately prescr 
 appropriate medicine, which the patient imm 
 ately takes, and is almost immediately cure 
 (great laughter.) This was the method adoj 
 with regard to American Slavery ; the great 
 ject was to rouse the doctor — that powerful (jji 
 tor to whom he had already alluded — publico 
 ion. In this object they had been strikingly i 
 cessful. Already 300 societies, and hundred, 
 ministers of the gospel, were engaged in diss 
 iuating the principles of freedom. The docj) 
 public opinion, travelled faster in America t 
 here. There migljt be a thunderstorm occas 
 ally, and perhaps some lightning, but that 
 nothing — on the doctor went to effect a cer 
 cure. Mr. T. then went on to speak of the m( 
 ures which had been adopted in order to advajij 
 the cause of emancipation — these were not \ 
 like as regarded the whiles; holy ends could|i 
 advanced only by holy means, but as it had b 
 
GLASGOW. 131 
 
 ! of Iho chief charges brought against him, by 
 
 partizans of slavery, that he incited tlie slaves 
 •ebeliion, he would now read irom an Ameri- 
 
 newspaper, the views which he promulgated 
 hat country. j\Ir. T. here read tiie following 
 lact from a speech delivered by him in Boston, 
 an occasion, when the right of the slaves to 
 el was tlie subject of discussion : — 
 He (Mr. T.) regarded the question as both ne- 
 sary and opportune. The principles of aboli- 
 listo were only partinlly understood. They 
 re also frequently, wilfully and wickedly mis- 
 resented. Doctrines the most dangerous, and 
 igns the most bloody, were constantly imput- 
 to them. What was more common, than to 
 
 it published to the world, that the abolitionists 
 re seeking to incite the slaves to rebellion and 
 rder? It was due to themselves and to the 
 rid, to speak boldly out upon the question then 
 ore the meeting. Christians should be told 
 at were the real sentiments of abolitionists, 
 t they may decide whether, as Christians, they 
 mid join them. Slaveholders should know what 
 )liti.)nists thought and meant, that they might 
 go of the prob.Tple tendency of their doctrines 
 )n their welfare and existence. The slaves 
 luld, if possible, know what their friends at a 
 tance meant, and what they would have them 
 to hasten the consummation of the present 
 igo-le. 
 
 If any human being in the universe of God 
 uld be jiistilied in resorting to physical vio- 
 ce to free himself from unjus* restraints, that 
 nan being was the American Slave. If the 
 lirtion of unmerited and unnumbered wrongs 
 lid justify the sheddinfr of blood, the slave 
 uld be jUo'tific^d in resisting to blood. If the 
 
132 MEETING AT 
 
 political principles of any nation could justify a 
 resort to violence in a struggle against oppres- 
 sion, they were the principles of this nation, 
 ■which teach that resistance to oppression is obe- 
 dience to the laws of nature and God. He re- 
 garded tiie slavery of this land, and all Christian 
 lands, as 'the execrable sum of all huinan vil- 
 lanies ' — the grave of life and loveliness — the 
 foe of God and man — the auxiliary of hell — the 
 machinery of damnation. Such were his delib- 
 erate convictions, respecting Slavery. Yet, with 
 these convictions, if he could make himself heard 
 from the Bay of Boston to the frontiers of Mexi- 
 co, he would call upon every slave to commit his 
 cause to God, and abide the issue of a peaceful 
 and moral warfare in his behalf. He believed in 
 the existence, omniscience, omnipotence and 
 providence of God. He believed that everything 
 that was good might be much better accomplish- 
 ed without blood than with it. He repudiated the 
 sentiment of the Scotish bard — 
 
 ' We will drain our dearest veins. 
 
 But we will be free. 
 Lay the proud oppressor low, 
 Tyrants tall in every loe. 
 Liberty's in every blow, 
 
 Let us do or die.' 
 
 He would say to the enslaved, ' Hurt not a hair 
 of your master's head. It is not consistent with 
 the. will of your God, that you should do evil that 
 good may come. In that book in wliich your God 
 and Saviour has revealed his will, it is written — 
 Love your enemies, bless them that curse yon, 
 do good to them that hate you, and pray for them 
 which dcspitefuUy use you and persecute you ; 
 that ye may be the children of your father which 
 is in heaven. Avenge not yourselves, but rather 
 give place unto wrath.' 
 
GLASGOW. 133 
 
 * He (Mr. T.) would, however, remind the mas- 
 ter of the awful import of the following words : 
 ' Vengeance is mine ; I will repay, saith the Lord.' 
 
 'To the slave he would continue — 'Therefore, 
 if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst 
 give him drink. Be not overcome of evil, but 
 overcome evil with good.' 
 
 'Mr. Thompson also quoted Eph. vi. 5; Col. 
 iii. 22; Titus ii. 9 ; I.Peter ii. 18—23. In pro- 
 portion, however, as he enjoined upon the slave 
 patience, submission and forgiveness of injuries, 
 he would enjoin upon the master the abandon- 
 ment of his wickedness. He would toll him 
 plainly the nature of his great transgression — the 
 sin of robbing God's poor — withholding the hire 
 of the laborer — trafficking in the immortal crea- 
 tures of God. He did not like the fashionable, 
 but nevertheless despicable practice of preaching 
 obedience to slaves, without preaching repent- 
 ance to masters. He (Mr. Thompson) would 
 preach forgiveness, and the rendering of good for 
 evil to the slaves of the plantation ; but before he 
 quitted the property, he would, if it were possi- 
 ble, thunder forth the threatening of God's word 
 into the ears of the master. This Avas the only 
 consistent course of conduct. In proportion as 
 we taught submission" to the slave, we should en- 
 join repentance and restitution upon the master. 
 Nay, more, said Mr. Thompson, if we teach sub- 
 mission to the slave, we are bound to exert our 
 own peaceful energies for his deliverance. 
 
 'Shall we say to the slave, ' Avenge not your- 
 self,' and be silent ourselves in respect to his 
 wrongs ? 
 
 ' Shall we say, ' Honor and obey your masters,' 
 and ourselves neglect to warn and reprove those 
 jnasters ? 
 
 TO » 
 
134 
 
 MEETING AT 
 
 'Shall WO dononnco 'carnal weapons,' wiiicli. 
 are Iho only ones the slaves can use, and neglect 
 to eui()loy our moral and spiritual weapons in 
 their behalf? 
 
 'Shall we tell them to beat their 'swords into 
 ploui^lishares,' and their 'spears into pruning' 
 hooks,' and nei^lect to give tluTn them the ' sword 
 of the spirit, which is the word of (jod ?' 
 
 ' Let US be consistent. The principles of peace 
 and the forgiviMiess of injuries, are quite compat- 
 ible with a bold, heroic and uncompromising hos- 
 tility to sin, and a war of extermination witli eve- 
 ry princij)lo, part and practice of American sla- 
 very. I hope no droj) of blood will sltiinour ban- 
 ner of triumph and liberty. I hope no wail of the 
 widow or the orphan will mingle with the shouts 
 of our Jubilee. I true-tours will be a battle which 
 the 'Prince of Peace ' and ours a victory which 
 angels can applaud.' 
 
 iMr. T. then proceeded. He had not incited 
 the slaves to insurrection, neither had he inter- 
 fered with the politics of the country. lie had 
 iridend seen and lieard a great deal of VVhigism, 
 nnd Jacksoni.sm, and Van Burenism, and other 
 isms, (laughter,) but he had never- been ambitious 
 to have a snat iu Congress, the more especially 
 as when sitting in deliberation, the members 
 might hear the slave??, passing by, clanking their 
 chain;?', and singing 'Ilail Colinnbia.' I] is ambi- 
 tion had been to go into the pirlors — the stage 
 coaches — and tlie steamboats; into the Churchcg 
 of the Methodists— the Friends— the Baptists— 
 llip Congregationalists — and the Presbyterians, 
 tfdlinir tiir- truth, and asking those whom he ad- 
 dressed to npen {\in prison doors aiid let the op- 
 pressed go free. Still, public lectnrps were flirr 
 principal meatii by wh'ch he endeavored to fnlfiP 
 
GLASGOW. 135 
 
 the object of his mission ; these other little things 
 lie ofave iti and cliar^^ed nothinof for. He had de- 
 livered 229 public addresses, and at some of tiiese 
 lie had been well mobbed. After leavintjf his 
 friends at Liverpool he had <rot over the Atlantic, 
 and into the Atlantic, and was turned out of the 
 Atlantic. So soon as he landed he got into an 
 Inn named the Atlantic. (Great Laughter.) He 
 kept iiimself very quiet, but the brass plates on 
 his trunks divulged his name, and next day the 
 landlord was beset by some southern gentlemen, 
 who demanded his expulsion. He was brought 
 to the ' bar,' in the literal sense of the word, and 
 was there told by the landlord that ije would con- 
 sult his own safety by changing his quarters. IJc 
 subsequently went forth to lecture, but this was 
 not efiected without danger. lie had addressed 
 as large and attentive audiences as that before 
 which he now stood, and had poured the princi- 
 ples of abolition fifty fathoms in their souls, while 
 the brickbats and other missiles were flying 
 around him. Another object of his mission was 
 to' arouse the country, and the country was rous- 
 ed, as country never was roused before. Fifteen 
 hundred newspapers were circulated in the Uni- 
 ted F'tates, and of these not one which does not 
 5 :p;^ak of Abolition. Every one there now spc-aks 
 of the iumiblo individual wjio now stood before 
 Ihem, from the President, who had honored him 
 by special notice in the Message to Congress, 
 down to the humblest demagogue who sought to 
 ride into a despicable popularity, by ponrinjx out 
 the most unmr-asured abuse on that * most horrid 
 miscreant, and wor?t of all conceivable black- 
 guards, George Thompson, the Abolitionist. But 
 some cautious friend may exclaim, that he is not 
 to be taken in by these declarations. If all tho 
 
136 MEETING AT 
 
 journals are unfavorable to Abolition, what '\3 
 gained by making them speak on tliO subject? 
 Not so fast, good friend, he would reply. Amer- 
 ican newspapers were not all against Abolition ; 
 on the contrary there were now fifty in favor of 
 it for one — that was when he went first to Amer- 
 ica. And in order that they might see the im- 
 portance of this, he might remind them that re- 
 forms^or changes did not proceed so slowly in 
 America as in this country. There they proceed-' 
 ed in everything by a geometrical ratio, not an 
 arithmetical, not by one, two, three, four, but by 
 one, two, four, eight, sixteen. (Cheers.) If hf> 
 were asked what his object was in all these ef- 
 forts, he would answer simply, that it was to 
 aw'aken public opinion. This object had been 
 fully accomplished, and the conjoined influence 
 made to flow into one grand channel — the Amer- 
 ican Abolition Society. This mighty engine was 
 fairly in operation, and its results would be incal- 
 culably great. In the Northern States, and in 
 New England, especially, the people were well 
 educated — they could enter upon an arirmnonr, 
 and conduct it pretty fairly ; all they needed was 
 just that the matter should be set before them. 
 He was particularly anxious that the mass should 
 be moved on this subject. Were it taken up by 
 the unwashed, a> the working classes were called 
 by' those who, but forthat very class, would never 
 have been washed perhaps, (great laughter,) ho 
 %vas sure tliat it would soon be brought to an end. 
 In talking of the various modes which ought to 
 be adopted for advancing the cause of abolition, 
 Mr. Tliompson recommended that the questim-^ 
 should be made a test of church inembership j 
 and that no one having property in slaves, or ad- 
 vocating the right of those who have them, should 
 
GLASGOW. 137 
 
 T)e allowed to enter any of their pulpits. This 
 was already done by the Society of Friends, and 
 also by that of the Reformed Presbyterians, these 
 two were worthy exceptions to the general prac- 
 tice, and had done honor to themselves by their 
 active exertions in the cause. (Great applause.) 
 The slave owner might ask what he could do in 
 the cause? Let him emancipate his slaves, 
 ^ould be his answer. But the slave owner would 
 reply that he could not — the laws would not per- 
 mit him. But who made the laws ? it might be 
 asked. Why, this very slave owner himself had 
 possibly a hand in making the very law he com- 
 plained of. Such a petty mode of excuse was 
 very much like that of a child of whom he once 
 heard. A little girl was left at home one day by 
 her mother, who, on going out. gave her daugh- 
 ter some particular work to have finished by the 
 time she returned. On entering the house she 
 found that the girl had not obeyed her orders. 
 Why did you not do what I bade you^ said the 
 mother? Oh! because I was tied to the mahog- 
 any table, said the child. But who tied you to 
 the mahogany table, asked the mother ? Oh, it 
 was just myself. This was the way with the 
 slave owner. He had tied himself to the mahog- 
 any table and then pretended to be helpless. 
 (Loud laughter and cheers.) But the best Avay 
 with a bad law was to resist it. Obedience to 
 bad laws had been a curse to the Avorld from the 
 beginning of time. It was only by passively re- 
 sisting a bad law that its gross injustice could be 
 made fully manifest. In illustration of the mode 
 in which passive resistance to bad laws might be 
 carried on, he referred to the Friends, who, rath- 
 er than serve in the militia, pay the fine, (or pre- 
 fer sufferinf^ the penalty,) imposed on them by 
 12* 
 
138 MEETING AT 
 
 Government. Women might ask what they could 
 do in the cause? He (the eloquent Lecturer) 
 would answer, they could do everything to mould 
 the spirit of the age. It was women alone that 
 could play on that mysterious instrument — the 
 infant mind, she only could touch aright its stops 
 and keys, and teach it to discourse most skilfully. 
 He then referred to the noble exertions of the 
 Glasgow ladies in the cause of abolition, and 
 gave a glowing account of the Christian heroism 
 displayed by the ladies of Boston, when threaten- 
 ed by the mob of gentlemen in that city. It had 
 been often asked what good you could effect 
 though you were able to convert the whole of the 
 Northern States. To this he had answered — 
 — Why so many speeches about Poland ? about 
 the suffering Greeks ? about the glorious three 
 days of Paris ? about the freedom earned by the 
 Belgians? Mr. Thompson then related an anec- 
 dote exposing in a most happy manner the false 
 philanthropy often manifested in professing great 
 sympathy with distress at a distance, while dis- 
 tress at home is totally overlooked. He pictured 
 out the females of a Virginia family as enthusias- 
 tically engaged in providing clothes for the suf- 
 fering Greek, when a straight forward friend 
 makes his appearance amongst them. The friend 
 of course enquires what it is that takes up so 
 much of their attention, and is told that they are 
 anxious to ameliorate the condition of the poor 
 Greeks, suffering under the tyranny of the slave 
 dealing Turks. The stranger walks out, but 
 speedily returns. I am happy to inform you, said 
 he, that you have Greeks at your door. Greeks 
 at the door, shouted the overjoyed philanthropists? 
 Yes, said the friend ; and immediately pointed 
 out to his astonished and abashed acquaintances, 
 
GLASGOW. 139 
 
 the poor, ragged, wretched negroes, who were 
 made to lead a life of misery in the land of their 
 birth, but to whose sufferings, the accursed influ- 
 ence of their evil habits had rendered their mis- 
 tress callous. He (Mr. T.) had endeavored to 
 
 show that we have Greeks at our own doors 
 
 suffering fellow beings, well entitled to our sym- 
 pathies, and our helping hand. Public opinion, 
 that excellent doctor would lend his assistance, 
 and he was a friend that no obstacle could inter- 
 rupt. With his seven league boots he proceed- 
 ed on his rapid march ; no river or mountain 
 could stay his course, he would ascend the Ohio, 
 and descend the Mississippi ; travel a lone road, 
 and penetrate every jungle, with a speed which 
 nothmg could equal and a form which nothino- 
 could resist. Mr. T. then adverted to the annual 
 emigration of the rich inhabitants of the South- 
 ern States to the North, which takes place during 
 the warm and unhealthy months of summer and 
 autumn. Sixty, seventy, or eighty thousand 
 Southerners, Ministers of the Gospel, Legisla- 
 tors, Planters, and Merchants, with their families 
 emigrate in this journey in quest of health. 
 hvery boarding house is filled with the strangers 
 during those months, and scarcely a family^but 
 has some friend come to lodge with them during 
 the season from the South. Scarce a church but 
 has several pews filled with these interesting 
 strangers; and very beautiful most of the ladies 
 and children are. It was impossible, he said, if 
 the doctrines of abolition were widely diffused 
 over the non-slaveholding states that this inter- 
 course could take place without the slaveholders 
 acquiring juster notions on this all-important sub- 
 ject. They would hear its truths from the pulpit, 
 and in the lecture room. This would impart the 
 
140 MEETING AT GLASGOW. 
 
 influence as of a moral infirmary, and they ■would' 
 return, not only with their bodies in health, but 
 with their minds imbued with a renovated moral 
 sentiment. Mr. T. concluded his address with: 
 an eloquent peroration. 
 
 The Chairman, in closing the meeting, said he 
 was sure all present would respond to what had 
 been said by those around him, that they approv- 
 ed of all they had heard from their excellent 
 Missionary. (Great cheering.) The Rev. Dr. 
 observed that it was impossible to foresee what 
 even one man could do by undaunted persever- 
 ance in a good cause. (Renewed cheering.) He 
 concluded by urging the meeting to furnish them- 
 selves with tickets of admission for the next lec- 
 ture, as no tickets would be sold, nor money 
 taken, at the doors. 
 
ABDRESS5, 
 
 BV THE COMMITTEE OF THE 
 
 GLASGOW EMANCIPATION SOCIETY, 
 
 To the. Ministers of Reliscion in particular, and 
 the Friends of JVegro Emancipation, in gener- 
 al, on Araerican Slavery. 
 
 Esteemed Christian Friends, 
 
 It is in no spirit of hostility to America, that we 
 now solicit your co-operation in striving to expe- 
 dite the extinction of its Slavery. There may be 
 those who denounce the guilt of its oppressions, 
 in hatred and terror of its liberal institutions. 
 But with these we have no sympathy. Nor is 
 it to these we now principally address ourselves ; 
 for it will be found, if we mistake not, that they 
 took little part in attaining emancipation for the 
 Slaves of our own Colonies, and are no way dis- 
 posed to exert themselves for the suppression of 
 those evils in America, through which alone they 
 can, with any hope of success, assail its disrelished 
 virtues. 
 
 Perhaps it may be thought by some, that we 
 should rather veil than expose the errors of our 
 Irans-Atlantic brethren, with which their exalt- 
 ed principles arc practically associated, lest we 
 
142 ADDRESS. 
 
 involve good and bad in the same common oblo- 
 quy. But such temporising expediency, such de- 
 reliclion of duty in apprehension of consequences 
 is the very prop and stay of that hateful and Jiat- 
 ed system wfiich we desire to overthrow ; and iur 
 ourselves, we fear nothing in vindicating the 
 cause of him who was annointed to proclaim liber- 
 ty to the captives. 
 
 But why, it may be asked, were not such rep- 
 resentations and remonstrances employed sooner ? 
 American Slavery is of long standing ; why then 
 are wc only now bestirring ourselves for its abo- 
 lition ? This sort of objection might be reasona- 
 bly urged were we defending the immaculacy of 
 our past conduct ; but if we have been reprehen- 
 sibly negligent hitherto, that is no reason for ne- 
 glecting duly still : on the contrary, we are the 
 more bound to improve, promptly and indefatiga- 
 bly, what opportunities remain for its vigorous 
 performance. If additional obligations, however, 
 were necessary, they are not wanting. The 
 emancipation of all Slaves in the British Empire, 
 precludes other nations from now meeting us with 
 the reproach. Physician heal thyself; and arms 
 us with a moral influence, foi the use of which 
 we are solemnly responsible. It is true our Col- 
 onial negroes are not wholly free, but wherein 
 our example is here deficient, our experience is 
 the more admonitory, and we can assure all whom 
 the assurance may reach, tiiat our Emancipation 
 Act has wrought well in all but its qualifications 
 — that in Antigua and the Bermudas, where the 
 boon of freedwn was bestowed, unmodified, all 
 is contentment and comparative prosperity ; and 
 that as the result of the whole, we desire all ex- 
 patriated Africans to be as our'snoware, except- 
 ing their Apprenticeship. 
 
ADDRESS. 143 
 
 The ample and accurate inlellig-cnce now pos- 
 sessed, as to the state of American Society, like- 
 %vise augments the obligation to exert ourselves 
 for its amendm'^nt. We knew there were Slaves 
 in the United States, but we did not know till hiLo- 
 ly that nearly two millions and a half of the in- 
 habitants are in a State of Slavery. We knew 
 that people of color, even though free, were re- 
 garded vvith prejudice, but we did not know tliat 
 they are subjected to a ceaseless and systema- 
 tized ignominy from which the sanctuary itself, 
 and even the table of the Lord, afford them no 
 retreat or protection. It was matter of notoriety 
 that Abolitionists in America shared the jealousy 
 of all magnanimous pliilanthropists; butlhe threat- 
 enings and slaughters breathed out against them 
 by the periodica] press, by ministers and magis- 
 trates, Presbyteries and States, have incalcula- 
 bly exceeded our darkest suspicions, and filled 
 us not less with astonishment than abhorrence. 
 
 But what have you to do with us, our Ameri- 
 can brethren may ask ? Why, being foreigners, 
 intermeddle with our domestic institutions ? And 
 what have you to do, we reply, with the heathen 
 nations, to v/hom, on a scale so magnificent, you 
 are sending devoted, undaunted, Missionaries? 
 Why molest their household economy by aspers- 
 ing their household gods ? Is it alleged that 
 the cases are different? Our reply is — the same 
 word which condemns idols condemns instru- 
 ments of cruelty, and furnishes the maxim alike 
 applicable to both : — Thou shalt in any wise 
 rebuke thy neighl)our, and not suffer sin upon 
 him. The cavil, however is so weak, as to be 
 unworthy of refutation. Were we reasoning 
 with idolaters who say, keep your gods and we 
 shall keep ours, we might patiently expound our 
 
144 ADDRESS. 
 
 conviction that there is but one true God, and 
 one true religion, and plead the consequent ne-^ 
 cessity laid upon us,to press the universal adoption 
 of that faith and fulfilment of that law, which alon&' 
 we account divine, and acceptable, and saving. 
 But how can we composedly dilate on these first- 
 principles of the oracles of God to American 
 Christians, who are at the very moment prosecut- 
 ing efforts of gloriously aggressive benevolence ? 
 Such works are to us more expressive than words, 
 and adopting the former as our model, in prefer- 
 ence to the latter, we shall extend the same fidel- 
 ity to America as America to other nations.- 
 
 VVill you not, esteemed Christian friends, aid 
 us in this work and labor of love ? Think what 
 is due to the gospel of Jesus, which slavery in all 
 its forms obstructs, outrages and defies. Con- 
 sider what we owe to the subjugated, and, even 
 when liberated, still abused negro. Suppose hira' 
 all that malevolence would pronounce him, are 
 we not equally with an apostle, made debtors to 
 the barbarians as well as to the Greeks, by that 
 holy religion, which proclaims God to have made 
 of one blood all nations that dwell on the face ot 
 the earth, which enjoins to loose the bands ot 
 wickedness — to undo the heavy burdens — to let 
 the oppressed go free — to break every yoke ; and 
 whose comprehensive commission, as delivered 
 by a once crucified, but then risen Redeemer, is 
 — Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to 
 every creature ? But many of these stolen, en- 
 slaved, insulted strangers, are accredited follow- 
 ers of the Lamb of God. They are not merely 
 bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh, but mem- 
 bers of that one whole family, that is named in 
 Christ, bougl'.t with the same blood as ourselves, 
 sanctified by the same spirit, crying on the same 
 
ADDRESS. 145 
 
 footing of adoption, Abbq Father. How then 
 shall we behold unmoved, the anguish of their 
 souls, and not be verily guilty concerning our 
 brethren ? How shall we hear of their cruel 
 bondage, and imagine while acting, as if we knew 
 it not, that we are remembering those that are in 
 bonds as bound with them, and them that suffer 
 adversity as being ourselves also in the body ? 
 
 Think what claims the Emancipationists of 
 America have on our resolute co-agency. Among 
 tliese are to be found some of the noblest spirits 
 of the age — the brightest examples of humanity 
 and religion. In naming some, we may be wrong- 
 ing others, but these will the most readily excuse 
 us, for instancing Lundy, Garrison, Tappan, Bir- 
 ney, Cox and Jay — men who have not only en- 
 gaged their superior powers, and not only sacri- 
 ficed their time and their property, but braved a 
 hurricane of obloquy and danger, placing life it- 
 self in jeopardy to etfect the liberation of the op- 
 pressed African. Onr efficient interposition v/ould 
 strengthen the hands and gladden the heart of 
 such men — would enhance the credit of the un- 
 dertaking with their countrymen — increase the 
 number of its supporters, enfeeble the hostility of 
 its opponents, and every way hasten their ulti- 
 mate victory. What, then, are all our lauded 
 principles — what our high-sounding professions, 
 if we deny to such benefactors a fraternal alli- 
 ance at once so easy to us and pernicious to them ? 
 At the same time to be precious it must be im- 
 mediate. One year hence, these regenerators of 
 their country may less need our assistance. In 
 a few years hence their names will certainly be 
 honored by the very classes who now execrate 
 them. But if they live to see the effect of their 
 exertions in this transformation of public opinion, 
 13 
 
146 ADDRESS. 
 
 they will look back from amid the admiring- mid- 
 day throng to remember and acknowledge tlioso 
 earliest allies who first joined their imperiled 
 standard, helping them when they needed help, 
 approving and supporting them while yet vilified 
 and assailed. 
 
 In a word, reflect what is duty to the slave- 
 holders themselves. Are they not objects of 
 Christian philanthropy, the victims of a bondage 
 so much worse than that which they inflict, as 
 voluntary sin is more dreadful than is voluntary 
 suffering. It is true they may disrelish our ex- 
 postulation, but the more it is disliked the more 
 it is needed, and to wink at the oflTence is to con- 
 tract its guilt. 
 
 In whatever light, then, we contemplate the 
 subject it imperatively requires us to be up and 
 doing. There is no escape from the responsibil- 
 ity. The opinion of this country will be estima- 
 ted by its expression, and wherever it is not ex- 
 pressed, silence will be construed into consent. 
 Such a construction would be, indeed, utterly 
 groundless. There are some, who deplore, and 
 others who deride, and a few, it may be, who pal- 
 liate, but who are they of our population that de- 
 fend the Slavery of America ? If any speak of 
 gradual cure, it is not so much as being necessary 
 to the negro, a dogma wjiich the recent history 
 of our colonies has signally exploded, but to the 
 masters, who cannot be expected, it seems, to act 
 righteously all on a sudden, after being so long 
 habituated to extreme unrighteousness, and ntust 
 needs themselves go through an apjirenticeship 
 to prepare them for dealingjustly and loving mer- 
 cy ! This is the highest pleading proffered in our 
 Qountry to trans-Atlantic Slavery. And will high- 
 minded America accept of this vindication ? It 
 
ADDRESS. 147 
 
 cannot be, and next, therefore, to earnest remon- 
 strance, we desire nothing more earnestly than a 
 publication of this defence from our neutrals of 
 non-interference; for, if such bo the vindication of 
 America, what is its condemnation ? It any, how- 
 ever be speechless, their taciturnity will be mis- 
 construed, and all, therefore, who do not inter- 
 pose to dissever, are powerfully, though indirectly 
 confirming the delusions of the oppressor and the 
 calamities of the oppressed. The question then, 
 is not whether we shall be actionless, but 
 whether we shall do good or evil ; not whether 
 we shall take a side, but which side we shall take ; 
 for, whosoever in this cause is not with Christ, is 
 against him, and he who gathereth not with him, 
 scattereth. Surely Christians cannot waver be- 
 tween these alternatives. They came to a de- 
 cision in relation to our own colonies, and how 
 glorious is the result ! As a political question, 
 the abolishing of slavery has been agitated for 
 half a century in vain, the strongest arguments 
 from expediency achieving no perceptible ad- 
 vancement; but no sooner was it discussed as a 
 religious quesiion, than the mountains were lev- 
 elled and the valleys filled before the resistless 
 march of christian principle. How animating is 
 the encouragement afferded by this success. 
 And let it not be said that the influence so avail- 
 ing here is insusceptible of extention to foreign 
 shores. Were we reasoning on merely civil 
 grounds, we might be told of the difference of 
 civil condition : but we argue on spiritual grounds, 
 and derive our arguments from the World which 
 owns no distinction of kindred or of clime. 
 
 Already our Christian influence with America 
 has been tested and established. What good has 
 been already effected by Mr. G. Thompson, our 
 
148 ADDRESS. 
 
 eloquent and devoted deputy.* ! Once we sent 
 thousands to subjugate America, and with all the 
 prowess of British arms and courage, and tactics, 
 they failed in the enterprise. More recently we 
 sent our combatant, and him unarmed, to liberate 
 America's oppressed millions by speaking the 
 truth. And what has been the result? He has 
 fled. Yes, as Paul fled from Iconium and Lystra, 
 to escape the jealousy and hatred consequent up- 
 on conquest. He has retreated, leaving behind 
 him nearly f300 immediate abolition societies, in 
 great part the fruit of his benevolent mission. 
 Were Britain then to exert fully its moral power, 
 or rather by individual fidelity to call down the 
 full blessing from on High, American Slavery, we 
 are free to anticipate, could not withstand the on- 
 set. Let ministers, and Elders, and Deacons, 
 exert their appropriate influence with the flocks 
 of which they are the responsible overseers. Let 
 the several churches and ecclesiastical courts and 
 congregational unions proclaim, in affectionate 
 but faithful accents, their deep and painful and 
 universal impression of America's blame-worthi- 
 ness. These means, though simple, are invinci- 
 ble — they must prevail. 
 
 Before the first shock of weapons, not carnal, 
 wielded by a mighty and united people, the surest 
 strong hold of oppression, will rend, and shake, 
 and fall. And when Slavery expires in America, 
 where shall it survive ? With such desertion 
 from its ranks and accession to its assailants, 
 where and with what resources shall it mantain its 
 ground ? We are bold to reply nowhere and 
 
 * The services of Captain Stuart deserves also to be 
 ■acknowledged as most arduous and valuable, 
 t There are now above 500. 
 
ADDRESS. 14& 
 
 nohow. The battle now fought in Columbia de- 
 cides for the world. All nations, accounting it 
 final, look on with generous hope or interested 
 fear ; and when victory declares, as it shall de- 
 clare, so surely as God is true, for the friends of 
 injured humanity, all the ends of the earth must 
 speedily participate in the joyful consummation 
 — transcendent Jubilee, inferior only to that which 
 it shall accompany and promote, the admission ot 
 all the families of the earth into the glorious lib- 
 erty of the children of God. 
 
 Glasgow, April lOlh, 1836. 
 
 13* 
 
SECOND ANNUAL MEETING 
 
 OF THE GLASGOW EMANCIPATION SOCIETY. 
 
 On Tuesday evening, March 1st, 1836, the 
 Second Annual Meeting of the above Society 
 was held in the Reverend Dr. Heugh's Chapel. 
 At seven o'clock, the hour of meeting, the church 
 was filled to excess, with a highly respectable 
 audience. In the absence of Robert Grahame, 
 Esq., President of the Society, Mr. Beith propos- 
 ed that Dr. Wardlaw should take the chair, which 
 was agreed to by acclamation. 
 
 The CHAiRMAiy expressed his regret at the ab- 
 sence of their respected President. He loved to 
 see that worthy individual among them, embued 
 as he was with a fervent hatred of oppression un- 
 der every form. — (Cheers.) If wrath ever anima- 
 ted his bosom, it was only when he looked at the 
 conduct of those who would prevent mankind 
 from enjoying that freedom which is their natural 
 birthright. They saw in him the ruling passion 
 strong as ever — long might it be before they saw 
 it, as the poet said, strong in death, but long 
 might they witness its strength and vigor in a 
 good old age. (Loud cheering.) With these re- 
 
MEETING AT (SLASGOVr. 151 
 
 ro'^^^rlnr^roTtt^^' '"^"•, ^' ^- -- f-m the 
 he hetd .n his f,^/;^";"f Proceeding., .-hich 
 Jeiit SDeakpr' f ' ^ ^^^''^ '^^'"^ many excel- 
 
 occupy that t^'^^^!^'°^^^/^ ^" J""^ to 
 
 would follol "'^ belonged to those >vho 
 
 tarfs; 7jn\'eZ !T^' ^^"V °"^ ^^ '^^' ^ecre- 
 the Society The r.n'^f "^ r '^^' ,""""^1 ^^P"^t of 
 labors of Mr Thar^2'''^'^^l''^'^ ^^ ^^"^th to the 
 in the UnUed Stat^T !" '^l'^""'^ of abolition 
 been already bpfoeVh^'^ tl ^^^ P^'-ticulars have 
 to go over th^em in ,.^/"^''^' ^^ ^^ "ot necessary 
 
 with which p/oWdencetT'"/? '5" ^''^"^^ ^^^« 
 of Mr. ThomDson Sn!- ."^^^^^^^ «^^r the life 
 
 tbe con^miuT expre "fh •" \'^'" ^" ^"^^"^^' 
 ness. Mr. Thorn n/r.n. '' ^^^P^'^ thankful- 
 country to the Unk J ^."f ^'"' ^"^ f''^"^ this 
 important missions frnf'^'f ^."u°"^ ^^ ^he most 
 by man. He had ifhn.fr' ^"^ ^^^" "ndertaken 
 nor d,d he think of ^^^ zealously in the cause ; 
 
 VVhileencrao-ed inhi.L Z'^^"^' "^ abolition, 
 exposed to all th " oil ^^^^'^^^f enterprise he was 
 
 could be h^ate ^VhisTe^d bv'th"'''^,^'^" "^'^^ 
 est or prejudices madp h„ ^ ^^°'^ '''^'°«^ inter- 
 Tiiis was to bp p^nl . ^^^"?^"PPO'-ters of slavery. 
 
 fer from the desertion of th"' ^^1 ^^^'^^ ^'^^ ^^ «"^- 
 tbe friends of St 7 ^^tI'']-/'''",^"^'" ^^'^"^^^ 
 country had but f^Phlv c ^'^%^'^f ^1 P''ess of this 
 few excepLns tt^.T''"^"^'^^^"^^^^^^ With 
 
152 MEETING AT 
 
 otherg, the London Patriot, and, in our own city 
 the Glasgow Chronicle. A long panegyric was 
 here passed on the exertions of the latter journal, 
 for its long advocacy of the claims of the Negro, 
 and in particular for its bold defence of Mr. 
 Thompson, when exposed to the calumnies of his 
 opponents. In conclusion, the committee refer- 
 red with pain to the conduct of certain members 
 of the deputations from the Baptist and other So- 
 cieties of this country to the United States, in re- 
 gard to their treatment of Mr. Thompson. Dr. 
 Cox of Hackney, was a member of the first named 
 deputation. He was a member of that society 
 which had sent Mr. Thompson to America ; and 
 it might have been expected that he would glad- 
 ly have assisted him in his arduous labors. In- 
 stead of that, however, he had flatly refused to 
 attend the annual meeting of the American Anti- 
 Slavery Society, in New- York, where he was ex- 
 pected to move one of the resolutions, on the 
 ground that his coming forward in that manner 
 would interfere Avith the political bearings of the 
 questions of Slavery. Reference was made 
 also to the travels of Reed and Matheson, a work 
 which, although written by two Independent 
 Ministers, friends of abolition, from this country, 
 had furnished arguments against the cause which 
 were triumphantly quoted by the enemies of im- 
 mediate emancipation. In reference to the fu- 
 ture proceedings of the society, the committee 
 recommended that Mr. Thompson should be em- 
 ployed to lecture on the cause in the various 
 towns throughout Great Britain and Ireland, in 
 order to rouse public feelings in favor of the im- 
 mediate Abolition of Slavery in America. An 
 abstract of the receipts and expenditure for the 
 last year was then read, from which it appeared 
 
GLASGOW. 153 
 
 the amount of receipts was £247 153. 5 l-2d ; of 
 expenditure, £249 14s. 2d ; leaving a ballance 
 due the Treasurer, £1 18s. 8 l-2d. 
 
 The Rev. T. Pullar moved the first resolu- 
 tion, but in doing so, he begged to be understood 
 as entering his decided protest against that part 
 of it which expressed disapprobation of the con- 
 duct of the English Clergymen in America. 
 The resolutions which he held in his hands, re- 
 commended that the report now read be printed 
 and circulated, and with the exception ho had 
 just mentioned, he would give the motion his 
 most cordial support. The Rev. Gentleman, in a 
 very excellent speech, expressed his deep abhor- 
 rence of the inhuman conduct of the Americans, 
 and his sorrow that a land, so full of gospel light, 
 and abounding so much in the missionary spirit, 
 should suffer Slavery, in such a horid form, to 
 exist among them. It was almost enough to 
 make any one doubt whether those wonderful ac- 
 counts of religious revivals which they had heard 
 of as taking place in America, were actual ev- 
 idences of true religion. 
 
 The Rev James PATTERSON,while he seconded 
 the resolution, also entered his protest against 
 that part of it relating to the Baptist Deputation. 
 He expressed his strong disapprobation of the 
 conduct of the Baptists in America, for their op- 
 position, covert or open, to the cause of Aboli- 
 tion. 
 
 Mr. George Thompson, on rising, was receiv- 
 ed with long, continued, and enthusiastic cheer- 
 ing. He rose, he said, to take a very independ- 
 ent course with regard to the protest which had 
 been entered by the two speakers who had itn- 
 
154 MEETING AT 
 
 mediately preceded him. He knew no man 
 after the flesh, except he were of the same mind 
 as regarded the great question of Emancipation. 
 (Cheers.) His object in rising at present, was to 
 say that he thought his friends had failed in their 
 duty to the Slave, in entering their protest against 
 a part of the report which he reckoned most im- 
 portant of all. (Enthusiastic Cheering.) It was 
 well known to all, that from Reed's book, passa- 
 ges had been quoted with approbation, in support 
 of their doctrine, by the vilest Slavery Journals 
 of New York. The Abolitionists were in that 
 book blamed for having taken two steps, when 
 they ought to have taken but one ; they were 
 charged with demanding Amalgamation as well 
 as Emancipation. Was it right, to remain silent, 
 when such calumnies were circulated by one who 
 ought to have been a friend ? He could assure 
 them that all the sufferings and dangers and pri- 
 vations he had endured in their service, were as 
 nothing; he felt them not, they troubled not his 
 rest by night, nor his mind by day, they were 
 light as a feather compared with what he had 
 Buffered from the publication of Dr. Cox's letter. 
 And why should they be ashamed or afraid of 
 expressing their disaprobation of what was done 
 amiss by their brethren on the other side of the 
 water. He would rather reprove those on this 
 side the Atlantic, than those on the other side, if 
 both were equally wrong. (Cheers.) With re- 
 ference to Dr. Cox, he would have them to remem- 
 ber that that clergyman had been sent out by the 
 Emancipation Society, and that, when that body 
 spoke of who should go it was agreed that who- 
 ever was sent should be one who would express 
 himself freely on the abolition question. Know- 
 ing all this, and knowing also, that Dr. Cox had 
 
GLASGOW. J55 
 
 often and publicly expressed himself warmly in 
 tavor of immediate abolition, he (Mr. T.) had ex- 
 pressed his confident expectation, that when Dr. 
 box should arrive, he would give all that aid to 
 the cause which his fame and talents could afford. 
 He needed not to tell them how much he had 
 been disappointed, but he might mention that the 
 slavery papers of New York, which had one day 
 been heaping upon Dr. Cox the vilest terms 
 which language could furnish, were, the very 
 next day— the day after his declining to (appear 
 at the abolition meeting, filled with the encomi- 
 nms of Dr. Cox, and calling on him (Mr. T.) to quit 
 the country, founding their arguments for it on 
 the very letter which Dr. Cox had written. Ha 
 would ask then if this should not have been men- 
 tioned in the report? (Cries of yes, and cheers.) 
 He had no wish to occupy the time of the meet- 
 ing in details which merely regarded his own 
 personal feelings, were it not that his character, 
 and that of their society, were equally involved 
 in them ; and he could not but say, that all the 
 calumnies, all the virulence with which he had 
 been assailed by the slavery press, was nothing, 
 compared to the withering scorn which had fol- 
 lowed the publication of that letter. (Cheers.) 
 When he thought of this, and when he remem- 
 bered that Read and Matheson's book was in the 
 hands of almost the Avhole of the religious public, 
 when he saw the passages in it in which they 
 sppak of the cause of emancipation having been 
 thrown back by the abolitionists, when he read in 
 the New York Herald an extract from that book, 
 in which the abolitionists were spoken of as too far 
 advanced tor the aire in which tiiey lived, where 
 they are said to have injured the cause through 
 their inattention to expediency, having left in 
 
X56 MEETING AT 
 
 their plans nothing to prejudice, nothing to inter- 
 est, nothing to time. When such things as these 
 were said, was it right they should remain silent 
 concerning them ? (Cheers.) He would call on 
 Mr. Reed, if he was there present, though he had 
 meant to call on him first in the presence of as- 
 sembled thousands in London, he would call on 
 him to show if ever there had been any thing un- 
 holy, or even inexpedient in the right sense of 
 the word or the term, in the conduct of the con- 
 stitution of a single one of the three hundred 
 and fifty Anti-Slavery Societies which had been 
 formed in the United States. As to the charge 
 brought against them that they demanded amal- 
 gamation after emancipation, he repudated it as 
 false and unfounded. They never spoke of amal- 
 gamation, or if they did it was only of putting an 
 end to that wicked and awfully debasing amal- 
 gamation which existed among the planters of tlie 
 south, and their slaves. Mr. Reed had, without a 
 shadow of proof, brought a charge against the so- 
 ciety which was sufficient of itself to ruin the cause 
 in the minds of all who read without enquiry, far- 
 ther. He had spoken of the agents of abolition 
 in the most disparaging terms, comparing the so- 
 ciety to a wedge. Mr, Reed said, they had at- 
 tempted to force the broad end first, and thus their 
 efforts had been worse than useless, and set 
 against them the very best friends of the cause. 
 Now, who were these best friends of the cause? 
 Were they the men who v/ould first set about 
 satisfy ing the grasping cupidity of the plantorwhiJe 
 they lent a deaf ear to the complaints of the suf- 
 fering negro, men Avho would attend to the claims 
 of interest before those of humanity, men who 
 would not stir a single step in the work till they 
 had satisfied the claims of these dealers in hu- 
 
GLASGOW. I5t 
 
 man cattle ? (Cheers.) And these were to be 
 called the best friends of the negro. (Laughter 
 and cheers.) He would again ask, before sitting 
 down, if these things were to be passed over un- 
 noticed in the report of their societ}^ ? He would 
 enter h:s protest against any such shameful 
 silence. They might talk as they pleased of Dr. 
 Cox having occupied the digniiied position of 
 neutrality; he envied no such dignity; he detest- 
 ed neutrality ; he had almost said that God de- 
 tested neutrality. It was this false virtue which 
 stood in the way of every great improvement, it 
 was the barrier against the most needed reforms, 
 a shield which stood betwixt the conscience of 
 the slavery advocates and the pointed rebuke 
 which the abolitionists aimed at it. He trusted 
 that the report would be allowed to stand in its 
 original state. He would not alter a word, he 
 would not misplace a single comma of what had 
 been said with regard to the members of the Bap- 
 tist deputation, he would rather that all the rest 
 of the report were struck out, all that had been 
 said laudatory to himself, than that any change 
 should be made on this. Mr. Thompson sat 
 down amid lung continued and renewed cheers. 
 
 The resolution to adopt the whole report, was 
 carried nearly unanimously, amid tremendous 
 cheers. 
 
 The Rev. Dr. Ritchie of Edinburgh rose to 
 propose the next resolution. It relieved him to 
 lind, he had said, that on this occasion he was not 
 called on to speak a speech, nor yet to read one 
 prepared by himself. What he had to read to 
 them was a petition proposed to be sent to Parli- 
 ament, and the Memorial addressed to Lord Mel- 
 bourne. Ilavino^ read these documents, Dr. 
 M 
 
158 Meeting at 
 
 Ritchie said he believed he might safely lea-ve 
 them to speak for themselves. They contained 
 the sum, and even the detail?, of all he had ta 
 say. Nevertheless, he would address a few 
 words to them, in tlie hope that, by so doing, he 
 might forward the grand movement, for he could 
 not help thinking, that even he, in his own place, 
 might be useful in that cause which he had so 
 deeply at heart — the cause of immediate and to- 
 tal abolition. (Cheers.) The contest was one, no 
 doubt, of a formidable nature ; but when he con- 
 sidered that he spoke in Glasgow — the Geneva 
 of the north, — when he saw before him their ven- 
 erable Chairman whose hand was at every good 
 work, an^d on his right their friend Mr. G. 
 Thompson, who had not hesitated to descend 
 into the lion's den. — (Cheers.) When he felt him- 
 self thus placed, how could he be afraid to speak ? 
 (Cheers.) What was the subject.^ He could 
 not tell. It was called slavery *, but he could not 
 express the misery, the degradation, the consum- 
 mate wretchedness, that was comprised within the 
 meaning of that word. Could he suppose the 
 fiends of Pandemonium assembled in council, in 
 order to find out what was most fruitful in every 
 crime, he would see these fiends coining forth as 
 slaveholders. (Cheers.) He (Dr. R.) had, in 
 early yencrs, been convinced' of tlie evils of sla- 
 very. His convictions had been deep dyed — they 
 had been dyed in the wool. (Laughter.) When 
 at the grammar school, his soul had been harrow- 
 ed by the description given by Clarkson of that 
 floating hell — a slave ship. His sleep had been, 
 harassed by dreams of the misery of thn slaves^ 
 pent up together, close as his finger.^, and in ap- 
 partments only two feet in height. Keenly as he 
 had felt, however, ho still knew that no one could 
 
GLASGOW. 159 
 
 propel ly estimate the miseries of slaveiy, but he 
 who liad been at one time himself a slave. It was 
 a disgrace to the age, that at this time of day — in 
 llie iiineleenlii century — it was necessary to vin- 
 dicate the rights uf the slave. Had a seraph been 
 t )ld that in our worhl we had been lectured for 
 50G0 years on the immense vahie of truth and hon- 
 esty, and that for nearly ^000 w-e had been taught 
 to do unto others as we would thattiiey should do 
 unto us — had a seraph been told of this, and then 
 asked where he was likely to find an aristocracy 
 of tiie skin or to hear of the right of the white 
 man to hold his black brother as a chattel, he 
 should ; certainly have sought any where but 
 on tijis earth, for such a spectacle. Dr. R. spoke 
 of tiie early advocates of negro freedom--of Gran- 
 vdle Sharpe, of Clarkson, and of Wilberforce — 
 but while he did this, he said he did not speak of 
 these champions merely because they were old — 
 he at all times liked a coin of yesterday's mint 
 better than one of Julius Cassar — he spoke of 
 them because their labor of love had been great 
 and successful ; and they had been succeeded by 
 those — by Fowell Buxton and George Thompson 
 — (cheers) whose names would be familiar as 
 household words, when those whose fame rested 
 on the false glories of war would be totally for- 
 gotten. The Slave question had now assumed a 
 new aspect. Tiie friends of the negro had lately 
 sent deputations to London to aid their cause. 
 And why had they been so late in doing so? 
 Because it had been formerly felt needless to peti- 
 tion a parliament of slave owners — a parliament 
 bent only on enslaving oursolvef. Scotsmen were 
 not the men to go on so thriveless an errand eis to 
 urge on such a parliament the rights of the negro. 
 But now tim«s were changed. We had effected 
 
160 MEETING AT 
 
 our own emancipation, and we were resolved also 
 to effect that of the negroes. Ho felt proud 
 when he reccoliected his going with a sturdy 
 phalanx of 339, to wait upon Lord Althorp in 
 Downing Street, to ur^^e the poUcj' of immediate 
 emancipation. He told his Lordship that Scot- 
 land had taken up the subject on bible grounds, 
 and he was answered by a Lillipu statesman at 
 his Lordship's side, that he did not doubt of the 
 Apprenticeship's leading to a satisfactory settle- 
 ment. Yes, said I, continued the Rev. Doctor, 
 it will no doubt lead to a satisfactory settlement 
 — so will the crossing of your threshold lead to 
 Edinburgh; butthemischief is that it^s alang way 
 till't. He (Dr. Ritchie) considered the Apprentice- 
 ship as a. system to be put an end to as speedily as 
 possible. Liberty might be considered Elysium, 
 slavery Tophet, and the Apprenticeship Purgato- 
 ry. He could not even say as the Papist said — 
 when jawed by a Protestant regarding Purgatory 
 — that he might gang far'er and fare waur — (a 
 laugh) — he thought that even to go the length of 
 positive slavery, would scarcely be found worse 
 than the Purgatory of the Apprenticeship. 
 (Cheers.) He had heard a great deal said of the 
 support given to the slave system by Baptist and 
 Presbyterian Ministers ; he would only say that 
 the conduct of these men was most condemnable. 
 It was worthy of remark, however, that Ministers 
 of the Gospel had been called Angels, and that 
 fallen Angels become Devils. Dr. R. then point- 
 ed out the situation in which the stipendiary ma- 
 gistrate was placed under the new system in the 
 West Indian Colonies. On the one hand there 
 came forward seekingjustice the poor and degra- 
 ded negro ; on the other the wealthy planter ap- 
 proached upon his nag. The magistrate was in- 
 
GLASGOW. 161 
 
 vited into the house of the planter and there regal- 
 ed vviiJi tJie hest that the land affords. After the 
 feast he is called on to decide between the par- 
 ties, and for the life of him, said Dr. R., he could 
 not decide against his host. These magistrates 
 had been also brought up in a bad school. They 
 had served their apprenticeship in a standing ar- 
 my, and had been familiar from their youth with 
 the infliction of the lash. He had heard within 
 these few days, of an officer in the army who was 
 so extremely humane as to superintend the inflic- 
 tion of the lash in person. (Cheers and laughter.) 
 Nine out often of these stipendiary magistrates 
 were in the interest of the planters. Ought this 
 to continue? He would hand them over to the 
 Scripture text for an answer — wo be unto them 
 who establish iniquity by law. For his part when 
 he saw that those from whom the negroes had 
 justly anticipated they would find protection, 
 were in league with their oppressors, ho was as- 
 tonished at the patience with which they had 
 borne their injuries. Some might say — some had 
 said — that five years of apprenticeship was a mere 
 trifle. Would any one present like to suffer for 
 five years all those miseries which experience 
 had already proved to be identified with negro 
 apprenticeship? The Americans endeavored to 
 bamboozle us by saying that they got negro 
 slavery from Britain ; but he would ask them, did 
 they hesitate to throw off the yoke of Britain 
 when they found tljemselves likely to be subjected 
 to a tax on their tea, and why not as well throw 
 from them the disgrace of slavery? For his part, 
 when he found a parchment law go contrary to the 
 lav*- of God, he would feel it to be his duty to tear 
 it In pieces. At that day when the world would 
 be in flames, and -when the parchment itself 
 14* 
 
163 
 
 MEETING AT 
 
 would be crackling", the soul would stand naked 
 before the throne of the Judgre to answer for the 
 deeds done in the body. There was a talk of 
 property in the slave. He would ask to whom 
 belongfed the 800,000 negroes in the West Indies? 
 Did they not belong to the people of Britain, 
 who had paid for them no less a sum than £20, 
 000,000. (Cheers.) And was it not intolerable 
 that those whose freedom had been thus bought 
 should still be subjected to the ignominy of the 
 lash and the cattle chain ? (Cheers.) There had 
 also been a talk of being in advance of the spirit 
 of the age. The people of Britain, he was 
 aware, had always been in advance of the Gov- 
 ernment. (Cheers.) When £500,000,000 was to 
 be borrowed, in order to carry on a war crusade 
 against France, the Government was sure to take 
 the lead ; but in a moral crusade against iniquity 
 tha people were always to be found foremost. 
 The people ought, therefore, to depend upon 
 themselves. They should not look even only to 
 Lord Melbourne. His Lordship might do much 
 better than he had done, though he admitted that 
 bo had done wonderfully well. (Cheers.) There 
 was another to whom they would naturally look 
 as a leader — the great O — who had done more 
 than any other man to advance the cause of hu- 
 man freedom. He could easily picture to him- 
 self that great O when a boy running about Der- 
 rynane Abbey, and conversing with the dairy- 
 maid while she was working at the churn. She 
 would doubtless explain to him the nature of the 
 operation in which she was engaged — that with- 
 out agitation she could not expect to produce but- 
 ter, and he would thus be instructed in the art 
 which he had since turned to so excellent an ac- 
 count. He (Dr. R.) would urge upon the meet- 
 
GLASGOW^ 163 
 
 ing to use the same means. He would call upon 
 them to agitate in their respective circles in be- 
 half of the negroes. He would address himself 
 particularly to students, some of whom he saw 
 present, and bid them raise the muirburn of Anti- 
 Slavery agitation throughout the country. 
 
 Mr. J. M'CuNE Smith, (colored,) of New-York, 
 seconded the motion. The apprenticeship, he 
 said, was wrong in principle, ruinous in practice, 
 and dangerous as a precedent. It had been said 
 that immediate emancipation was likely to be 
 productive of the most pernicious results; but in 
 refutation of this it was only necessary to turn to 
 St. DomingOjto Columbia, and to Antigua, to prove 
 the reverse. The apprenticeship was ruinous 
 in practice, in as much as from the colonial gov- 
 ernment, composed as they Avere wholly of slave- 
 owners, no measure could be expected or calcu- 
 lated to ameliorate the condition of the negro. But 
 the dangerous precedent afforded by the appren- 
 ticeship was particularly to be regarded. The 
 people of Britain had nobly led the way in the 
 abolition of slavery, and other nations might be 
 willing to follow the example ; but they might 
 be tempted by our adoption of the seven years' 
 apprenticeship, to fold their arms and say, we shall 
 wait to see what is the result of this experiment. 
 Mr. S. then inculcated the propriety of calling 
 for immediate emancipation. Let not, he said, 
 the British Statute Book be stained with the as- 
 sumption that man in any state is not fit for free- 
 dom. The horrors of the apprenticeship are 
 more galling to the negro, than absolute slavery, 
 as they are inflicted on them by the British peo- 
 ple ; and they are still further aggravated by the 
 sound of the anthems heard from the neighbour- 
 
164 MEETING AT 
 
 ing shores of Antigua, where the slave has been 
 completely released from his bonds. 
 
 Mr. Geo. Thompson rose amidst universal 
 cheering to move the next resolution. He said 
 as there were yet several other resolutions to be 
 moved, he would not take up a large portion of 
 their time in reccommending one which recom- 
 mended itself. A more potent instrumentality 
 could not be employed in favor of the abolition 
 cause in America, than the communication of a 
 public declaration of the sentiments of the Chris- 
 tian people of this country. They Avere tliere on 
 a firm footing; they were there on solid ground. 
 They might assemble and express their opinions 
 of what was cruel and unjust, they might, they 
 ought, as christians to interfere with the brethren 
 on tiie other side of the Atlantic — to tell tliem 
 what were their opinions. This was their only 
 interference; this was the height of their inter- 
 feren«o. They had sent their living agent, who, 
 through the breadth of the land, had declared their 
 sentiments, and uoav that he had returned they 
 were adopting the next most powerful instrumen- 
 tality to forward the cause, by sending abroad 
 their written remonstrances on the result and 
 demoralizing tendency of slavery. (Cheers.) 
 Americans there were who might affect to sneer 
 at the remonstrance of Britain ana Ireland, but 
 thousands and tens of thousands would feel 
 strongly on the subject, and many of them with a 
 proper feeling. Were there no other means than 
 by writing? The newspapers went there. The 
 380 Abolition Societies M'ould find out a way to 
 make them circulate. Give then, (continued Mr. 
 T.) publicity to every syllable that you pen, to 
 every word that you utter. Put your prayers, 
 
GLASGOW. 165 
 
 your wishes, your reasonings, into print; give 
 them ' line upon line, precept upon precept,' and 
 Ko will you UAvaken the best portion of the 
 American community, (approbation.) He had 
 now to advert to the clergy in America. He was 
 happy to state that there were from twelve to fif- 
 teen hundred pledged to the cause, notwithstand- 
 ing he had said so much on former occasions res- 
 pecting the corruption of the church. It was true, 
 that among the professors of religion in America, 
 who were opposed to them, were the Ministers 
 of religion. Among the Presbyterians in Vir- 
 ginia, a great number of tlio ministers were 
 not only slaveholders, but planters, and divided 
 their duties between attending to the holy office 
 of the ministry, and planting rice, cotton, and su- 
 gar. The highest dignities of tlie Methodist 
 Connection, and the chief office bearers of the 
 Episcopal Church, were connected with the slave 
 trade. In South Carolina, the ministers uj)held 
 the determined, inveterate, unmitigated slavery 
 of the South. The clergy preached what they 
 called Christianity, which sanctioned slavery. 
 But the church was rising, and without even the 
 aid of a Stale connection, would continue to rise, 
 and the church would yet be the redemption of 
 America. Public feeling would keep time with 
 the voice of the sanctuary, and they would ac- 
 company each other in a final triumph. The 
 question of slavery was to tiie present moment, 
 exclusively religious, and so it would continue; 
 but the politician would come in, and in his own 
 place be an effective agent. In order to give a 
 better idea of the progress of the cause in Amer- 
 ica, as he had said enough in support of the res^ 
 olution, he would direct their attention to a dis- 
 play which was made in the State of New Yoi-k, 
 
166 MEETING AT 
 
 nt a time wlien there was nothing but slaughter 
 breathed out against the abolitionists. Tlie el- 
 forts of the abolitionists were not however paral- 
 ised, A convention was held and notwithstand- 
 ing all the threatenings, there were now 350 socie- 
 ties in the United States. The deputations to 
 the Ministry and tlieir myrmidon at Downing 
 Street, had been adverted to ; that circumstance 
 occurred at the moment of highest excitement in 
 favor of the question. Never was there such a 
 parade of those gentlemen called black coats, 
 seen going up Downing Street, and seldom was 
 Lord Stanley in such juxta position. The excite- 
 ment in New York was, however, of another kind. 
 It was said if the meeting were held, it would be 
 equal to a declaration of war, an attempt to bring 
 about the dissolution of the Union. One thous- 
 and of the cream of the Slate of New York at- 
 tended, however, and among them were 100 min- 
 isters of the gospel. Britain waited to second 
 these efforts. Let the friends of liberty in Brit- 
 ain endorse these proceedings. Let their remon- 
 strances against slavery come from all quarters, 
 and wind their way through the United States of 
 America, which one after another would join in 
 ihe cause. 
 
 One word, continued Mr. T., with regard to 
 prejudice against color. If there was one thing 
 more than another lie delighted to hear, it was 
 the address of a stranger wiio came among them, 
 a brother who differed from them only in the col- 
 or of his skin, listened to with attention and ad- 
 miration by an audience like the present. Not so 
 was it in America. To show the state of feeling 
 on the part of the whites towards the blacks, he 
 wmild narrate an anecdote which he had learned 
 iifler a lecture in Edinbur«rh, regarding this pre- 
 
GLASGOW. 
 
 167 
 
 jiidice against color. A lady who had busn con- 
 versing with an acquaintance ot'iier own, a Vn-' 
 ginia-ised Frenchman, now in Edinburgfi, hap- 
 pened to ask him if he knew Mr. TJiompson.— 
 'Oh' said the Frenchman, 'that man Thompson 
 — he be all humbug, iuimbug, humbug,' and in or- 
 der to convince the lady he recited an anecdote 
 of a Frenchman, who courted a lady the filth re- 
 move by birth from a black family. The French- 
 man said she was 'a beautiful, very beautiful la- 
 dy,' but at a dinner party it being whispered that 
 the beautiful lady was connected by birlh with a 
 black family, the company left the room, all but 
 the French gentleinan and the fine lady, and they 
 were obliged to take dinner in a private apart- 
 ment. The fine lady cried and wept, but the 
 company went back to dinner again, alter &he 
 had left the room. If I had not gone out too, con- 
 tinued the Frenchman, I would have lost all cred- 
 it and respectability in society. Mr. Thompson 
 then went on to mention the circuBJstance of a 
 partition having been erected in Dr. Spragiie's 
 church in Albany, separatino the blacks, many of 
 whom had been members of the church for a lon^- 
 tnne under the ministration of Dr. Spragu«j's pre- 
 decessor, from the whites of the same congrega- 
 tion. He also stated that the whites were not 
 satisfied till a green curtain was put up to bide 
 ibe negroes' faces, but that thf^re was now not a 
 colored man in the church. The learned lectur- 
 er said there was reason to guard against the evil, 
 which professedly good men did. Where could 
 a man look for P(]uality of rifhts if it was not in 
 the church? If a practice like this was not ex- 
 posed, how could they justify the anathemas which 
 they hurled against the system? Mr. T. next 
 alluded to the anomaly of the American congtitu- 
 
168 MEETING AT 
 
 tion, lioklinjT equality of rights, freedom of con- 
 science, and freedom of speech, and the Govern- 
 or of Alabama sending to the Governor of New 
 York for the delivery of a Mr. Williams, who was 
 indicted for publishing in his newspaper a sen- 
 tence to the effect that 'God commands, and na- 
 ture cries aloud, against the sin of man holding 
 property in man.' An advertisement, continued 
 Mr. Thompson, appeared in an American paper 
 in Charleston, offering a reward of fifty dollars, 
 to any person who would bring to ' Liberty 11 a j 
 the servant of the proprietor, named Bill, who 
 Avould be known by the marks of the whip on his 
 back, and who having eloped without provocation, 
 was said to be on the road to his wife and five ' 
 children, sold to a neighboring planter, by the 
 master of 'Liberty Hall.'— (T-aughter.) Another 
 anecdote was told by Mr. Thompson, of a Mr. 
 Wallace, who married in the South a lady who 
 was governess in an institution. Sometime after 
 the marriage, a person called on Mr. Wallace, 
 and demanded his wife or 1,000 dollars, as she 
 was his slave. The husband was indignant. He 
 turned the individual out of doors, and conimum- 
 cated the circumstance to his wife, who, after 
 hearin<T a description of tlie visitor, told her hus- 
 band, that she was not only his slave but that he 
 was her father. (Shame.) As a farther proof of 
 the evils of slavery, Mr. Thompson stated as a 
 fact, that a father in Kentucky, where gambling 
 is carried on to a great extent, had actually given, 
 after he had lost all his money, his three chilc.ron 
 as a stake for the last game. He lost the game ; 
 the planter went to the mother demanding the 
 ' bet, but she, after hearing an explanation of the 
 matter from her husband, went into another apart- 
 ment, and :5hc and her three chiMrcn were t<-und 
 
©LASGOW. 169 
 
 there Avilh their throats cut. (Oh, and shame.) — 
 Mr. T. said, be had sat in stage-coaches, and lis- 
 tened to the recital of atrocities committed on the 
 blacks, which were made a matter of jest to the 
 whites. He had heard his own name branded 
 with foul-mouthed malignity, when those who 
 spoke of him did not know that he was present. 
 He concluded by commenting upon the appren- 
 ticesliip system, and by denouncing the stipendi- 
 ary magistrates as leagued with the planters in 
 the oppression of the negroes. 
 
 The Rev. Mr. Thompson, of the Methodist 
 connexion, seconded the resolution. He said, 
 the most humbling consideration they had had 
 before them that evening was that the professors 
 and the ministers of religion were the main props 
 of slavery in America. The immortal Locke had 
 said that wljat was morally wrong could not be 
 politically right; and he would say that what was 
 morally wrong could not be ecclesiastically right. 
 Whether, therefore, the system was supported 
 by Baptists, Presbyterians, or Methodists, it should 
 ever meet with his unqualified reprobation. 
 
 The motion was carried unanimously. 
 
 The Rev. D. Heugh rose to propose four reso- 
 lutions of which he would shortly state the sub- 
 stance. The first contained a pledge tliat the 
 (ilasgow Emancipation Socioty would not give 
 over their humble efforts, till freedom, the birtli- 
 right of the species, was universal, and shivery 
 was banishe*! f^i-omthe whole earth. The 2d con- 
 tained an expression of their approbation, and, not 
 only of their approbation, but of their admiration, 
 of their honest and talented missionary, Mr. Geo. 
 Thompson. The 3d was that they would do all 
 15 
 
170 MEETING AT 
 
 in their power to influence public opinion in Amef* 
 ica on the subject. America presented the mosl 
 monstrous anomaly in jurisprudence and in mi)r- 
 als to be witnessed on the earth, and they would 
 be wantinor in their duty were they not to send 
 remonstrance alter renionstrancc, tii! not a single 
 manacled human being was to be found on tlie 
 American territory. The people of Britain were 
 as responsible for llio proper exercise of the in- 
 fluence th»y possessed, as for the money they had 
 at their command ; and they could not answer 
 sati.>factorily to their consciences, to the negro, 
 to their American brethren, nor to God, were 
 they to refrain from putting that influence forlli 
 for the abolition of slavery. The 4th resolution 
 which he had to propose Avas one calling on their 
 friend, Mr. Thompson, to vocilerate in tlie cars of 
 British christians the duty of making a long pull, 
 a strong pull, and a pull altojrether, till the ac- 
 cursed system of slavery was altogether abolishedr 
 
 Rev. D. Kirfa seconded the resolutions with- 
 out remark, and they were carried unanimously* 
 
 Mr. G. Thompson acknowledged the kind man- 
 ner in which he had been alluded to in the reso- 
 lutions just read. He felt himself unable, he said, 
 to acknowledge their kindness as he ought. Whf^n 
 contradicted he could occasionally reply, hut 
 when commended he could say nothing. He then 
 road a list of names, which he would pro[)ose as 
 the conunittee for the next j'ear; and took occa- 
 sion, on uiontionirig the Rev. Mr, Paul, of Wil- 
 berforce Settlement, Upj^er Canada, as an Hon- 
 orary member of the Committee, to eulogise that 
 g'entleman's Christian spirit, in enthusiastic terms. 
 
 The Committee was appoiuted amid acclama- 
 tion. 
 
GLASGOW, 171 
 
 The Rev. Dr. Kidst.>n ropo tn move a vote of 
 thanks to the Lndies' Auxiliary Society. In eve- 
 ry (rood work, the Ladies had been fcurd ready 
 to take the lead, and in this case th.eir Society 
 had been greatly acsi.-fed by the energetic cff(;rts 
 of the Ladies' Auxiliary. 
 
 The motion was seconded by Mr. M'Laren, and 
 carried amid great applause. 
 
 Thanks were then voted to the Rev. Dr. Ileugh 
 and the tnanay^ers of the Chapel, and to tiie Rev. 
 Dr. VVardlaw for his conduct in the Chair; after 
 m'IhgIi the meeting; broke up, about 1-2 past 11. 
 
 GLASGOW E3IANCIPATION SOCIETY. 
 
 GLASGOW, 1st March, 183(3. 
 
 This Evening", at 7 o'clock, agreeably to adver- 
 ti'^enient, the Second Annual Meeting of the 
 Glasgow Emancipation Society was held in Dr. 
 Heugh's Chapel. 
 
 In the absf^nce of the venerable President of 
 the Society, Robert Grahame, Esq. of Whitehill, 
 Dr. Wardlaw, one of the Vice Presidents, was, 
 on the motion of James Beith, Esq. called to the 
 Chair. The Chairman, after introducing the busi- 
 ness, called upon Mr. William Smeal, Jr., one of 
 the Secretaries, to read an abridgement of t!io 
 Annual Report. It was then 
 
 Moved by George Thompson, Esq. and second- 
 ed by the Rev. Robert Thompson, Wesleyan 
 Methodist Minister: — 
 
 'That this meeting, in the conviction that the 
 only means that can now be employed, by the 
 friends of emancipation in this country, for pro- 
 uioting the abolition of Slavery in tho Uniled 
 
172 MEETING AT 
 
 States of America, is by the Christian public re- 
 monstrating Vi'ith their Christian brethren in 
 America, on their sin and guilt in the sight of God^ 
 as well as scandal to their profession as Christians, 
 in keeping their colored fellow men in bondage — 
 therefore 
 
 Resolved, That an address to the friends of 
 slave emancipation, and to ministers of religion, 
 especially, on the importance and duty of so re- 
 monstrating, be drawn up by the Committee of 
 this Society, and printed and circulated as speed- 
 ily as possible.' 
 
 Moved by the Rev. Dr. Heugh, and seconded 
 by the Rev. David King, both of the United Se- 
 cession Church: — 
 
 ' 1. That this Society, convinced of the many 
 and enormous evils connected with Slavery, af- 
 fecting the temporal and spiritual interests, both 
 of the enslaved, and of those who hold them in 
 bondage, and the essential contrariety of the sys- 
 tem to the dictate's of benevolence and justice, as 
 •well as to the spirit and letter of the religion of 
 Jesus Christ, renew their pledge to persevere in 
 their exertions, in union with kindred Societies in 
 Britain and in other lands, with a view to effect 
 the abolition of Slavery and the Slave Trade, 
 universally and forever. 
 
 2. That the Society, in compliance with the 
 invitation of many philanthropists in America, and 
 in connection with other Societies in this country, 
 having deputed Mr. George Thompson as their 
 Agent to the United States, to co-operate with 
 the friends of the Abolition of Slavery there, in 
 their efforts to awaken their countrymen to a sense 
 of their duty towards more than two millions of 
 their brethren held by them in cruel bondage, ex- 
 press their cordial approval, and high admiration 
 
GLASGOW. 173 
 
 of the power, intrepidity, and devotion, uith 
 which, in the face of formidable opposition, un- 
 sparinjr abuse, and great personal hazards, Mr. 
 Thompson was enabled, by the grace of God to 
 pursue, and in a good measure to accommplish 
 the great object of his very arduous mission. 
 
 3. That this Society express the delight with 
 which they have contemplated the zeal, self-de- 
 nial, energy, and liberality which so many indi- 
 viduals and Societies, male and female, in Amer- 
 ica, have displayed in favor of the abolition of 
 Slavery — cordially congratulate these American 
 brethren on the auspicious prospects of success 
 which a gracious Providence is now opening, 
 tending to cheer and revive their exertions — and 
 pledge themselves to employ the best means in 
 their power to encourage these devoted friends in 
 their great and hopeful struggle in this cause of 
 enlightened humanity. 
 
 4. That, aware of the favorable effects which, 
 under the blessing of God, may be produced in 
 America, by the transmission, faithfully and affec- 
 tionately, of the sentiments entertained by Chris- 
 tians in this country, respecting the evils of Amer- 
 ican Slavery, and that prejudice against color by 
 which Slavery is so greatly strengthened there ; 
 and knowing the eminent fitness of Mr. Thomp- 
 son, from his knowledge, experience, and proved 
 ability and zeal, to rouse British Christians to the 
 discharge of this duty which they owe to their 
 American brethren, this Society agree to request 
 a continuance of Mr. Thompson's invaluable la- 
 bors, by visiting the chief towns of Britain and 
 Ireland, and delivering addresses on those topics, 
 of such momentous interest to both countries.' 
 
 George Thompson, Esq. having spoken in re- 
 ply, proposed, and it was carried by acclamation : 
 15* 
 
174 
 
 MEETING AT 
 
 That the following gentlemen be the Office 
 Bearers, and Committee of Management, for next 
 year: — 
 
 PRESIDENT. 
 
 Robert Grahame, Esq., of Whitehill. 
 
 VICE PRESIDENTS. 
 
 Rev. Dr. Wardlaw, 
 Dr. Heugh, 
 Dr. Kidston, 
 Anthony Wigham, Esq., Aberdeen. 
 
 TREASURER. 
 
 James Beith, Esq. 
 
 SECRETARIES. 
 
 Messrs. John Murray, and William Smeal, Jr. 
 
 COMMITTEE. 
 
 Rev. Wm. Anderson, 
 Wm. Auld, 
 Wm. Brash, 
 Patrick Brewster, 
 
 Paisley, 
 John Duncan, 
 John Edwards, 
 Greville Ewing, 
 Alex. Harvejr, 
 David King, 
 William Lindsay, 
 James M*Tear, 
 James Patterson, 
 Thomas Pullar, 
 Robt. Thompson, 
 Michael Willis, 
 
 Messrs. D. Anderson, 
 Hugh Brown, Jr. 
 
 Messsrs.Thos. Grahame, 
 James Johnston, 
 Robert Kettle, 
 Henry Langlands, 
 Patrick Lethem, 
 Colin Macdougall, 
 Donald Macintyre, 
 Jno. Maxwell, M.D. 
 Ninian M'Gilp, 
 Anthony M'Keand, 
 David M'Laren, 
 John M'Leod, 
 John M'Leod, Ar- 
 
 gyle Street, 
 Wm. P. Paton, 
 John Raid, 
 Robt. Sanderson, 
 J. M'Cune Smith, 
 
GLASGOW. 175 
 
 Wm. Brown, David Smith, 
 
 Robt. Connel, James Stewart, 
 
 Wm. Craig-, Patrick Thompson, 
 
 G. C. Dick, George Thorbiirn, 
 
 Wm. Ferguson, Archd. Watson, 
 
 •John Fleming-, George Watson, 
 
 Archd. Fullerton, James Watson, 
 
 George Gallie, Andrew Young. 
 
 IIONORART AND CORRESPONDING MEMBERS. 
 
 George Thompson, Esq. 
 Wm. Lloyd Garrison, Boston, N. E. 
 Arthur Tappan, Esq., New York, 
 M. George VVashington Lafayette, ? p • 
 ]\I. Victor de Tracey, S ' 
 
 Rev. Thomas Roberts, Bristol, 
 Daniel O'Connell, Esq. M. P. 
 Joseph Sturge, Esq., Birmingham, 
 Rev. Nathaniel Paul, Wilberforce Settlement, 
 Upper Canada. 
 
 Moved by the Rev. Dr. Kidston, and seconded 
 by David M'Laren, Esq. : — 
 
 ' That the cordial thanks of this meeting are 
 due to tlie Committee of the 'Ladies Auxiliary ' 
 to the Glasgow Emancipation Society, for their un- 
 remitted and zealous exertions in aid of its funds.' 
 
 Moved by Patrick Lethem, Esq., and carried 
 by acclamation : 
 
 'That the thanks of the meeting be given to 
 Dr. Heugh and the Managers, for the use of their 
 Chapel.' 
 
 Moved by the Rev. James M'Tear, and carried 
 also by acclamation: 
 
 'That the thanks of this meeting be given to 
 Dr. Wardlaw, for his conduct in the Chair.' 
 
 RALPH WARDLAW, Chairman. 
 
MEETING AT LONDON. 
 
 [From the London Patriot of June 1, 183G.] 
 
 On Thursday evening last, a very numerous 
 auditory assembled at the Rev. T. Price's Chapel, 
 Devonshire Square, for the purpose of hearing a 
 lecture, to be delivered by George Thompson, 
 Esq., illustrative of the character of American 
 slavery, and the principles and progress of the 
 American Anti-Slavery Society. An intense de- 
 gree of interest was excited; it being under- 
 stood that the lecturer would justify the course 
 pursued by him towards the Baptist deputation. 
 
 On the motion of Mr. Edward Baldwin, sec- 
 onded by Mr. ScoBLE, William Knight, Esq., 
 was called to the chair. 
 
 The Chairman, in opening the proceedings, 
 said, that five minutes ago he had not the least 
 idea of occupying the situation to which he had 
 been called. He felt himself almost incapable 
 of introducing the business of the meeting, but 
 he would read the advertisement by which it was 
 convened. The worthy Chairman then read the 
 advertisement contained in the Patriot of the 
 25th ult., and said, that in reference to the latter 
 
MEETING AT LONDON. 177 
 
 part [an invitation to Drs. Cox and Hoby to at- 
 tend the meeting-] he liad not the pleasure of 
 knowing these gentlemen, but if they should pre- 
 sent themselves to the moetitio-, he was sure that 
 a British audience would treat them with tiie 
 greatest respect. lie happened to know a little 
 of the state of the slavery question in America 
 himself, having been almost nursed in the anti- 
 slavery cradle; for Thomas Clarkson, Esq., had 
 been his intimate friend from his boyhood. A 
 short time ago he received acoinmunication from 
 a friend in America, giving some horrid details of 
 the present state of slavery there. It was a most 
 lamentable fact, that a nation, professing the 
 most unbounded sentiments of liberality, should 
 tolerate a system of slavery so horrid. In the 
 letter to which he alluded it was stated, that un- 
 der the simple apprehension of danger from the 
 insurrection of the slaves, they had, without any 
 trial or examination, been executed by tens, 
 twenties, and even thirties. {Hear, hear.) If 
 such a system as that was not a disgrrace to any 
 nation professing itself civilized, and in the least 
 docrree rcjiulated by the laws of justice and 
 righteousness, he knew not what was. He would 
 now call on Mr. Thompson to commence his lee 
 ture. 
 
 Mr. Thomspon was about to rise, — when 
 
 Mr. Pewtress stood up, and begged to offer 
 a suggestion. He had come there in conse- 
 quence of the public notice, and lie would most 
 respectfully suggest, whether it was necessary 
 in the information to bo communicated that even- 
 ing, to introduce the names of Drs. Cox or 
 Hoby, or their delegation to the United States of 
 
178 MEETING AT 
 
 America. Those jrentlenien did not go out from 
 the Aiiti-Slavory Society, and for one, he must 
 protest against any allusion being made to ihenn. 
 (Applause.) 
 
 The Chairman stated, that he saw a state- 
 ment in the Patriot about a tortniglit ago, signed 
 by those two gentlemen, in which the character 
 of Mr. Thompson was seriously reflected upon 
 — (hear, hear) ; and he tliought, that comujon 
 justice at least, required that he (Mr. T.) should 
 have an opportunity of remarking upon it. (Hear, 
 hear, and applause.) 
 
 Mr. Ti.OMPSON then rose, and was received 
 with slight marks ot disapprobation, whicli were in- 
 stantly drowned in loud bursts of applause, lie 
 begged that no interruption might be afforded to 
 those who wished, on the j)resent occasion, to 
 give utterance to any sounds of dis.-ipprobation 
 relative to himself personally, or to any remarks 
 which it might be his privileire and his duty to 
 address to that assembly. He should not be 
 shaken from any purpose which lie had formed 
 by any thing which could take place within or 
 without those walls. He stood there to accom- 
 plish no party purposes, to gratify no pri- 
 vate feelings, to make no attack upon private 
 character. He stood there as the undaunted ad- 
 vocate ot suffering and euslnved liumauity all 
 over the world. (Cheers.) He held a book in 
 his hand [The Baptists in America,] which was 
 full of insinuations in reference to his genernl 
 policy, and to certain particular acts, and no gen- 
 tleman had a right to find fault with him for intro- 
 ducing any names he might find in that book. 
 (Hear,' hear.) That book was public properly; 
 he would take it litera scprita mand^ and witli it 
 
LONDON. ITU 
 
 he would have to do till lie had rescued himself 
 J'roin every insinuation, direct or indirect, — every 
 chfir<^e, expressed or implied, contained within 
 the pages of that vuhinie. (Cheers.) He had 
 not come there without ifiving full and respect- 
 ful notice to his respected friends — for so he 
 would call thoin. If he rebuked them it was in 
 friendship, and he would do it Avit h affection also. 
 He would now come to the question immediately 
 before them, but he desired it might be under- 
 stood that he had no wish to traduce America. 
 Tiiose who hated the greatness of America would 
 never point out t!iat which was the mildew, the 
 canker-worm, the all-absorbing, all-operating 
 cause of loss of character, loss of strength, and 
 loss of glory in tiie eyes of all who were ac- 
 quainted with her Jiistory, and her professions. 
 He was the man who loved America, who mourn- 
 ed over that one giant abomination that staired 
 and defiled that land, — who, going there, did not 
 disguise the truth— (Cheers) — did not confine to 
 private circles' those rebukes which should be 
 given on the house-top. Such were the feelings 
 which animat<}d him when he went to x'\merica. 
 He went not there for fame or wealth. He left 
 those sliores far poorer than he went, having sac- 
 rificed all that he had to the great objnct of ad- 
 vancing the car of freedom, then rolling with 
 s)ich slow and most sorrowful paces in that land 
 of liberty — that its triumphant wheel miuht grind 
 to powder the tisurpinsf institutions of despotism, 
 and leave that land wiiltout a tyrant, and without 
 a slave. (Loud clivers.) And \^hat was his re- 
 ward aft^r 14 rnnnths of toil, and peril, and per- 
 secution alm<ist unparalleled ? To be branded 
 as a calumniator. (Cries of ' Shame, shame.') 
 He went tlicrc to rouse that couiitrv. He want- 
 
180 MEETING AT 
 
 ed it to be known by every man, from the Presi- 
 dent downwards, that not George Thompson^ 
 but that an Enghshman representing the wishes^ 
 prayers, and religious sentimentsof England, was 
 there; and that he had arrived freighted with 
 blessings, and not breathing out threatening and 
 slaughter, — that he had come a messenger of 
 peace — that he had come to grapple, in common 
 with all the sincere friends of the negro there, 
 with the direst monster that ever preyed upon 
 the honor, the justice, or humanity of that coun- 
 try. (Cheers.) What did lie find there ? Two 
 million five hundred thousand slaves — slaves in 
 the fullest sense of the word ! {Hear, hear.) 
 He found every sixth man, woman, and child in 
 America an abject slave, in a state of unmitigat- 
 ed thraldom. (Hear, heor.) He would not give 
 his own assertion merely, but he would give the 
 words of the Hon. Wra. Jay, the son of the cele- 
 brated John Jay. Mr. Thompson then read sev- 
 eral extracts from 'Jay's Inquiry,' &c. The au- 
 thor stated, that according to the code of Louisiana, 
 the slave could not acquire any thing but what 
 must bolong to his master. According to the 
 laws of South Carolina, a slave was adjudged to 
 be a chattel personal in the hands of his master. 
 At page 130, Mr. Jay stMted, that, according to 
 the above definitions of a slave, ' Tlie master has, 
 in point of fact, the same power over his slave 
 that he has over his horse.' The slave is at all 
 times liable to be punished at the pleasure of his 
 master, and, although the law does not warrant 
 Iiim in murdering the slave, it expressly justifies 
 him in killing him if he dare to resist. At page 
 J32, Mr. Jay remarks, that * A necessary conse- 
 quence of slavery is the absence of the marriage 
 relation. A slave has no more legal authority 
 
LONDON. 181 
 
 over hid child than a cow over her calf.' Several 
 laws were passed inflictinof corporal punishment 
 on slaves meeting for mental instruction, and im- 
 posing fines on those who attempted to instruct 
 them. He (Mr. T.) might dwell upon the condi- 
 tion of the slave, as it had been brought out by 
 a mass of evidence, which, with great care he 
 had collected during his sojourn in the United 
 States, but he would only mention one or Iwocir- 
 cinnstances. The District of Columbia was ced- 
 ed to the United 8*10165 for ever by the States of 
 Maryland and Virginia. It consisted of a terri- 
 tory 10 miles square, in which stood the city of 
 Washington, in the centre of which was the cap- 
 itol, on the summit of which was the flag-staflf 
 surmounted by the cap of liberty, and under 
 v.-hich might be seen tiie banner, with tiie all-in- 
 spiring word 'Liberty' upon it. Tlio meeting 
 would imagine, and justly so, that if in the Unit- 
 ed States of America, slaveholding America, 
 there were one spot vrhere freedom reigned — 
 consecrated to the genius of Liberty, wlicre man 
 might be seen delighting in the blessings Avhich 
 she poured from her cornucopia, it would be the 
 District of Columbia, where assembled the rep- 
 resentatives of the freest people in the world, 
 where declamatory harangues were everlast- 
 ingly delivered in the praise of liberty, in the 
 fullest and highest sense of the word. And yet 
 wlint was the fact ? Let it be known , let it be 
 told throughout the world, that in that ten 
 miles square, over wliich Congress exercised un- 
 limited contrfil, v.-as the slave market of the en- 
 tire nation. (ITear, hear, and applause.) It had 
 a popiilation of 7,000 slaves, and the slave-trad- 
 er-^, from all the slave-rearing States, brought the 
 cofiled into Washington itseif, and into Alcxan- 
 
182 MEETING AT 
 
 dria, and there the very members of Congress, 
 while speeches were being made within the 
 walls of the capitol, were outside; tlje doors en- 
 eaefint'" with the vilest race of men on tiie face of 
 the earth for the sale of the bones, and the sm- 
 ews, the life, and the blood, the liberty and fertil- 
 ity of God's rational and immortal creatures. 
 (Immense applause.) And yet he was told, that 
 he was a 'caluminator,' because he said that 
 America was 'a Avicked nation.' (Cries of 'Sliamo, 
 shame,' and long continued cheers.) What wMjuld 
 ?he meeting think, when he told them tJiat Wash- 
 ington city itself was infested by kidnappers, 
 prowling about to arrest men of color, if they had 
 not their free papers with them .'' A respectable 
 colored man was thrown into the city jail of 
 Washington on suspicion of being a slave. lie 
 tlemonstrated his freedom — and what then .^ Was 
 the man who captured him punished, and he [lim- 
 self set free ? No ; He was st)ld into everlast- 
 ing bondage to pay his jiiil fees ! (Cries of 
 'Shame, shame.) lie (Mr. T.) stated that fact on 
 Ihe authority of the Hon, Mr. Miner, and a peti- 
 tion signed by 1,000 most respectable inhabitants 
 of the District, and yet he was told, that lie was ' a 
 caluminalor,' because he said tiiat America was 
 *a wicked nation.' (Deafening applause.) The 
 Corporation of Washington, by virtue of an Act 
 passed by Congress, granted licenses to any one 
 in the District of Columbia, who wished to trade 
 in slaves:, for the sum of ,'**400 per annum. How 
 Was the money appropriated ? One portion for 
 the purpose of Guttino- canals for the benefit of 
 white citizens, and the other for the support of 
 f^chools for the cd. cation of the white youth of 
 the city of Washinirton. (Loud cries of Shame, 
 •hame.') And 3'ec he was told he was ' a caluni- 
 
LONDON. 183 
 
 niator,* because he said that America was 'h 
 wicked nation.' (Groat cheering.) He mijjht 
 stand on a missionary platform and pour execra- 
 tion upon Uindooism, lie mi*>ht deprecate the 
 scenes upon the banks of tlie GanLi^es, lie might 
 brand the acts of tlie Brahmin, the New Zeahm- 
 der, and the wandering Bushman, as infamy 
 itself, and yet if he spoke of slave-trading 
 America — America, christianised, and republican- 
 ised — and sent on the wings of the wind, that 
 declaration to the first nation in the world, he 
 was doing wrong, he ^vas ' a caluminator.* 
 ('Shame, shame,' and applause.) If lie must re- 
 buke sin, he preferred rebuking it in a white man. 
 (Cheers.) If he must rebuke enormity, if he re- 
 buked a slave-trader, he would hunt him out in 
 a Christian country, in a republican country. 
 (Cheers.) He would not brand the chiefs of Af- 
 rica with being bloody mouj^ters, when he could 
 find well-dressed and well-educated men of a 
 Cliristian country, embruing their hands in the 
 blood of their brethren. (Cheers.) He knew 
 the secret — the secret was out, a mans at at an- 
 other's table, he put his feet under that table, 
 shared its hospitalities, and came home to brand 
 as ' a calumniator' the man who told that host he 
 was a sinner. (Long continued cheers, witii some 
 faint signs of disapprobation, which were instant- 
 ly lost in renewed cheeriuL"".) He hoped that the 
 friends present would find a belter way of argu- 
 ing than they had done that night. (Cheers and 
 laughter.) He took the guilt of this system, and 
 he laid it — where.' On the church of America. 
 When he said the church, he did not allude to 
 any particular denomination. He spoke of Bap- 
 tists, Presbyterians, and Methodists — the three 
 great props, the all-sustaining pillars of that blood- 
 
j,g4 MEETING AT 
 
 cemented fabric. From the Wg''^/' «=«l^«f «^'L'!f.' 
 .Inivn to tlie lowest members of the congrep 
 tZ: lelonging to tho.e .^ononnnatmns t,,ey 
 wHi-e slave-owners. (Hear, heai, near.) i^« 
 would rellte one anecdote illustrative ofthe sub- 
 Tec VVlen Drs.Cox and Hoby were m Rich- 
 
 5S^pa^r,^^.^:?^ttU'iii;"Sbfj^ 
 
 upo'n tie system that everywhere p.-eva>ls, and 
 
 L'e that ifght is breaking i" ",P°" ''\;™^'„tp 
 tl,» slaves are von not alarmed? Uojounotap 
 prehend at no^distant day a terrible .convulsion 
 Kat shall overwhelm you in rum, and .ssue in the 
 ext nction of the whites and the supre.nacy of 
 the blacks?' 'Why,' said the gentleman, who 
 was an officer in a baptist church, and had an 
 
 ;v:;:fin':!rri'rt"r:ra,ap^>^te 
 
 ;U; 0^0; wh. . coming.'^^.;^^^^^^^ 
 mean,' said Ml. C.iouiesoy ^^.^ ^^^^ 
 
 i„. a -f ;.'!;''. f,^tir;,iryo„ ; til slave-traders 
 ?:r fr n"e o^on llL^s of Alabama, and the 
 :S:a; plantatmnsm Louisiana, an a^^^ 
 
 ;7ear^.eTr:r ^We^'n.' rUeTp ^"stocl for the 
 nnrpose o? rearing slaves, but depart with the 
 mT valuable, and at the same tunc, the mos 
 Tngerous and the demand is vevy constant and 
 likefv to be so, for when they go to these soum 
 'i,„ 'states, the average existence ts only five 
 
I.ONDOX. 185 
 
 years.' (Shame, shame.) Mr. Tliompson then 
 adduced the testimony of the General Assembly 
 of the United States, in reference to the con- 
 nection of the Presbyterian church with the sin 
 of slave-holding. At a General Assembly held 
 at Pittsburff, in May, 1835, several speeches were 
 made on the subject of slavery. Tliere were 
 «)nly two immediate abolitionists in the Assem- 
 bly ; yet, notwithstanding- alltliose ' efforts which, 
 however well meant,' it was stated in the book 
 published by the Baptist deputation, 'he (Mr. T.) 
 had rolled back the cause,' at a future meeting- 
 of the Assembly, instead of being two, there 
 were forty-eight immediate abolitionists. (Cheers.) 
 So that it was not possible, as on a former occa- 
 sion, to bnrke the question ; but it was broadly 
 raised and discussed by the Rev. J. H. Dickey, of 
 Ohio, and Mr. Stewart, of Illinois. Mr. Thomp- 
 son then quoted some of the observations made 
 by the Rev. gentlemen on that occasion. Mr. 
 Stewart said, 'In tliis church a man may take a 
 free born child, force it away from its parents, to 
 whom God gave it in charge, saying, ' Bring this 
 child up for me,' — and sell it as a beast, or hold it 
 in perpetual bondage, and not only escape cor- 
 poral punisliment, but really be esteemed an ex- 
 cellent Christian.' There was a case in point 
 on that platform. A young man was present, of 
 the name of Moses Roper, the son of an Ameri- 
 can General, by a slave woman, once a slave him- 
 self, but who had run away, and was now free, 
 because he was on British, and not on American 
 soil. (Loud applause.) ' I trust,' said the lectur- 
 er, 'that Mr. Roper will allow me to give him 
 my hand, though I have " rolled back the cause " 
 of emancipation.' (Immense cheering.) 
 16* 
 
136 MEETING AT 
 
 Mr. Hare rose, and said, that Mr. Roper was 
 a member of Dr. Cox's church, and was partly 
 supported by the Doctor. 
 
 Ma. HosKiNS said, 'He would have been a 
 slave now, had it not been for Dr. Cox.' (Cries 
 of ' No, no.') 
 
 Mr. Thompson begged it then to be under- 
 stood, that Moses Roper was now enabled to 
 prosecute his studies, in consequence of tue lib- 
 eral contributions of Dr. Cox and Dr. Monson. 
 (Cheers.) Mr. Thompson then read two extracts 
 from the JVew York Evangelist, of March li, 
 18.36, showing that the Methodists were equally 
 involved with the Presbyterians in the sin ot 
 slaveholding. He also read an extract from the 
 speech of J. A. Thome, Esq., of Kentucky, de- 
 livered at the first annual meeting of the Amen- 
 can Anti-Slaverv Society, giving a lamentable 
 picture of the licentiousness prevalent among the 
 slaves in Kentucky, where Mr. Thompson observ- 
 ed, slavery existed in its mildest form. He held 
 in his hand some excellent letters from the Rev. 
 John Rankin, pastor of the Presbyterian church- 
 es of Ripley and Strait-creek, Brown county, 
 Ohio, in which the writer pointed out how unla- 
 vorable the system of slavery was, in its conse- 
 quences, as well as in its nature, to the extension 
 of Gospel influence. He would merely say ot 
 the Baptist denomination, that in the Southern 
 States of America there were upwards ot d,UUU 
 churches, containing more than 157,000 menibers, 
 almost all, both ministers and members, being 
 slaveholders. (Hear, hear, hear.) He would state 
 one fact, on the authority of the Rev. Baron Stow. 
 A Baptise minister tied up his female slave on a 
 Sabbath morning with his own hands, and lloggea 
 
I.ONDON. 187 
 
 her on hor naked back. He went and preached 
 his seriTion — came back, and flogged her again I 
 (Loud cries of ' Shame, shame,' Irom all parts of 
 the building.) But he (Mr. T.) was anxious to 
 pul- the meeting in possession of high authority 
 with regard to the state of the public mind in the 
 United States on the subject of slavery. He 
 would, therefore, introduce to its attention Gen- 
 eral George M'Duffie, Governor of South Caroli- 
 na, one of the most eloquent and distinguished 
 men in that country. In his address to the two 
 Houses of Legislature, at the opening of thek 
 last session, he observed, respecting the subject 
 of abolition, 'It is my deliberate opinion that the 
 lav/s of every community should punish this spe- 
 cies of interference by death, without benefit of 
 clergy, regarding the authors of it as enemies to 
 the human race. Nothing could be more appro- 
 priate than for South Carolina to set the example 
 in the present crisis, and I trust the Legislature 
 will not adjourn till it discharges this high duty 
 of patriotism.' (Loud laughter.) He (Mr. T.) 
 would now show what the General's theology was 
 —'No human institution, in my opinion, is more 
 manifestly consistent \yith the will of God, than 
 domestic slavery,' ('Oh, oh.') He would look at 
 his political sentiments — 'Domestic slavery, in- 
 stead of being a political evil, is the cornerstone 
 of our republican edifice.' (Laughter.) Such were 
 the views of General George M'Dufiie, Governor 
 of South Carolina ; and yet, he (Mr. T.) was call- 
 ed a ' calumniator,' because he had said of Amer- 
 ica, that she was ' a wicked nation.' (Immense 
 applause.) Mr. Thompson having reprobated in 
 strong terms the sentiments of General M'Duffie, 
 then alluded to a small work published by A. D. 
 Sims, A. B., in which that gentleman represent- 
 
188 ME^f^N'G AT 
 
 ed the slaves in the Southern States as the hap- 
 piest people on earth ; and their masters as pay- 
 ing the utmost care and attention to the comfort 
 tihd the morals of their slaves. ' Were it the 
 habit of the author ever to use his pen, in decking 
 themes of declamation, or in presenting", in pol- 
 ished phrase and ornamental language, subjects 
 to delight the taste, or amuse the imagination, he 
 knows of none connected with human happiness 
 on which he would sooner try his skill than negro 
 slavery.' (Loud laughter.) Mr. Thompson then 
 pointed out the absurdity of that gentleman's 
 views, and proceeded to charge upon the minis- 
 ters of religion in America the guilt of slavery. 
 He read the followinof extract from a letter ad- 
 dressed by the Rev. R. N. Anderson, to the Ses- 
 sions of the Presbyterian congregations within 
 the bounds of the West Hanover Presbytery. 
 • If there be any stray-goat of a minister among 
 us, tainted with the bloodhound principles of ab- 
 olition, let him be ferreted out, silenced, excom- 
 municated, and given over to the public to be 
 dealt with in other respects. — Your affectionate 
 brother in the Lord.' (Strong marks of indigna- 
 tion.) A young man, who was prosecuting his 
 studies for the ministry, but who found that his 
 pecuniary means were nearly exhausted, endeav- 
 ored to recruit them by going to Tennessee, sell- 
 ing cottage Bibles. Suspicions were excited that 
 he was connected with the Anti-Slavery Society ; 
 his boxes and papers were examined, and himself 
 apprehended. Some of the Bibles were found 
 wrapped up in papers, containing some remarks 
 favorable to Anti-Slavery principles. They also 
 found a letter from a lady, who stated that she 
 had * talked a stream of abolition for 200 miles.' 
 (Cheers.) Besides these, they discovered a let- 
 
LOx\'DON. 189 
 
 tor from the jrentletnan who had furnished him 
 n-it!i the Bible.s, in v/Iiich he liad advised him 
 jocularly ' not to spend more than half his time 
 amon^y the NigfTt^rs.' The young- man was tried 
 hefore a Lynch Committee, and upon that testi- 
 mony alone was found guilty of 'an intention to 
 speak on behalf of the abolitionists,' (' oh, oh,' 
 and laughter,) and was sentenced to receive 20 
 laslies with a raw cow-hide ; which sentence was 
 immediately carried into execution. Upon rising- 
 from its infliction, he praised God that he had 
 been counted worthy to suffer in his cause ; but 
 his voice was drowned by the cries of the infuri- 
 ated mob, ' him, him,' 'Stop his pray- 
 ing.' Would it be believed, that on that Lynch 
 Committee, there sat seven elders and one min- 
 ister, some of whom had sat with the young man 
 at the table of the Lord the preceding Sunday ? 
 (Cries of ' Shame ! ') And yet he (Mr. T.) was 
 called 'a calumniator,' because he said America 
 was 'a wicked nation.' (Immense cheering.) 
 Mr. Thompson was then about to enter upon what 
 he termed the 'bright side of the picture,' when 
 it was suggested that he should retire, and rest a 
 few minutes. In the interim., 
 
 Mn,. M. Roper* addressed the meeting, and 
 stated a number of facts which had come under 
 
 *TI>is man escaped from Florida, came to this city 
 when; he remained several months. His complexion was 
 BO liglit, and his features so 'European' that he passed 
 for a white man — was warned to do and actually did mili- 
 tary duty. He exi)ressed a strong desire to obtain an edu- 
 cation — hoping tirat it might in some way afford him the 
 means of procuring the liberation of his mother and sister, 
 who are still in slavery. 
 
190 MEETING AT 
 
 his own knowledge, demonstrative of the horrors^ 
 and cruelties of American slavery. One case 
 ■which he mentioned, was that of a slave who oc- 
 casionally preached to Iiis fellow-bondsmen. His 
 master threatened that if he ever preached on tho 
 Sabbath again, he Avould give him 500 lashes on 
 the Monday morning. He disobeyed the order, 
 however, and preached, unknown to his master. 
 He Uecarn-© alarmec^ ran away from Georgia, and 
 crossed the river into South Carolina, where lie 
 took refuge in a barn belonging to a Mr. Garri- 
 ROB. Mrs. Garrison saw him in the barn, and in- 
 formed her husband of it. Mr. Garrison got his 
 rifle and shot at him. The law required that they 
 should call upon a slave to stop three times be- 
 fore they fired at him ; Mr. Garrison called, but 
 he did not stop. The ball missed him, and Mr. 
 Garrison then struck him with the gun and knock- 
 ed" him down. The slave wrested it from him, 
 and struck him [Mr. G.] with it. The slave was 
 taken up for it ; his master went after him ; Mr. 
 Garrison purchased him for 500 dollars, and burn- 
 ed; mim alive^ 
 
 Mr. Thompson then resumed, and gave an ia-- 
 teresting detail, through which our limits will not 
 allow U3 to follow him, of the rise ai>d progress 
 of the anti-slavery cause in America. At one. 
 meeting in New York, after the other religious 
 and benevolent societies had held their anniver- 
 sary meetings, 15,000 dollars were collected ; an 
 immense number of ministers in all parts of the 
 country had joined the Society, and the students 
 of many colle-ges he had visited received him with 
 the utmost cordiality. His accounts were iieard 
 with frequent expressions of applause. He would 
 now come to the ' vexed question,' the agitating, 
 \he affecting question, and to the book wUicb ti'd 
 
LONDON. J9l 
 
 h-eld in his liand, 'The Baptists in America.' IH 
 was glad that he had talked thus iar ; for he had 
 talked away every lingeiiiiir feeiiug of a person- 
 al nature Aviiich lie might Jiave had when he en- 
 tered that place, fie would give a plain and 
 faithful statement of the steps which led to that 
 conduct on his part, which had been parlicularly 
 animadverted upi»n by certain individuals in this 
 country. He knew the position in which the 
 Baptists stood in this country before he went out, 
 and what they had done in the last great struggle 
 fort.'ie emancipation of the slaves in the British 
 coionies. It had been his pleasure to introduce 
 Mr. Knibb to more than one auditory where h-e 
 iiad himseif been lecturing. He loved and hon- 
 ored the Baptists, he carried with him a good re- 
 port of them to America, and sincerely rejoiced 
 when they had appointed two delegates to visit 
 'that country. He would, in the first place, ex- 
 plain the reason wjiy Dr. Hoby was not invited to 
 attend the Anti-Slavery meeting in -New York, 
 The meeting must understand, as a preliminary 
 observation, that the Colonizationists and the 
 Abolitionists of America were at antipodes. The 
 former rested upon expediency, the latter upo'ft 
 the uncompromising principles of justice and re- 
 ligion. Any man who had the least feeling for 
 the Colonizationists, would not be received with 
 confidenoe by the black population, who consid- 
 ered every man as practically their enemy who 
 advocated ^colonization. He was «ware, from in- 
 terviews v.'hich he had had with Dr. Hoby, that 
 that gentleman v/as friendly to the plan of com- 
 pensation and colonization. Wherever he went 
 in America he was questioned respecting the 
 views of t!ie delegates, and he stated what were 
 Dr. Hoby's sentiments. With regard to Dr. Cox, 
 
192 MEETING AT 
 
 he stated, that that gentleman was a member of 
 the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society, and 
 pledged to the question, and he believed that he 
 repudiated colonization. This he stated before 
 the delegates arrived in America. The Rev, 
 Mr. Choules was passing through Boston, and 
 said that he would, if possible, see Drs. Cox and 
 Hoby at New York, before they went to Rich- 
 mond ; lor if they fell into the hands of the colo- 
 nizationists and slave-owners in Virginia, the ab- 
 olitionists would lose them ; Mr. Choules missed 
 them, they were gone in the steam-boat to Rich- 
 mond. Mr. Lewis Tappan, and other members 
 of the American Anti-Slavery Society, asked him 
 (Mr. T-) whether ihey siiould invite both Drs. Cox 
 and Hoby to their meeting, but he told them that 
 they could not invite the latter for the reasons he 
 had already stated, but that they might and ought 
 to invite the former. Tliey sent an invitation ad- 
 dressed to him at Richmond, but three weeks 
 elapsed without any answer being received. He 
 heard that Dr. Cox was to preach at Philadelphia 
 on the Sunday, and arrive at New York on the^ 
 Monday preceding the day of holding the meet- 
 ing. A deputaton was appointed to see the doc- 
 tor, be (Mr. T.) being one of the number. John 
 Rankin, Esq., commenced the conversation by 
 asking Dr. Cox whether he ijad received the let- 
 ter. He stated he had ; but they did nut press 
 for the reason why he had not answered it. Tiicy 
 told him that it would be a full n:ioeling, and that 
 they expected he would be present. Dv. Cox re- 
 plied that it was a delicate question (laughter,): 
 and that he had been told, wiihin lialf an hour, 
 that if he went to the meeting it would bo at the 
 'risk of ills life. (Laughter.) Ue (Mr. T.) re- 
 marked, that he had been in America nine month?^ 
 
Ihat wherever he went he had been pursued by 
 calumny and persecution, but he was alive, cheer- 
 ful, courageous, hopeful, and that he (Dr. C.) 
 might do his duty and be safe. (Hear, hear.) 
 ' Well,' said Dr. Cox, 'but I have been told that 
 if I go to the meeting I shall get a jacket of tar 
 and feathers.' (Loud laughter.) He (Mr. T.) 
 told Dr. Cox that he would go too and share it 
 with him (loud applause,) it would honor them 
 both. (Laughter and great cheering.) Tlie con- 
 versation was then carried on principally by John 
 Rankin, Esq., and the Rev. Mr. Winslow, a Bap- 
 tist minister, and Dr. Cox's replies were to the 
 effect, ' You know there is a political bearing in 
 the question.' With that they assured him they 
 kad nothing to do, thoy stood upon the high 
 ground of humanity and religion ; they did not 
 wish him to appear as a Baptist delegate, but to 
 come as a man and a Christian. (Cheers.) When 
 those gentlemen had finished their conversation 
 with Dr. Cox, he (Mr, T.) said to him, ' Dr. Cox, 
 you know what are the expectations of our com- 
 taon country (hear, hear)— you know what your 
 denomination has done in England for this cause, 
 and I beseech you come for the sake of humanity, 
 for tlie sake of our country, for the sake of that 
 religion whoso minister you are.' The doctor re- 
 plied, ' I cannot give an answer now (laughter and 
 hisses) ; send at half past nine in the morning and 
 I will give an answer.' He again assured the 
 doctor tliat they would have a splendid meeting, 
 and said, 'You will have the elite of all parties ; 
 pray deliver your soul, and bear a fearless testi- 
 jnony for God against the iniquity of the land.' 
 That was the language he had held to Dr. JRecd 
 some nr.onths before, but without effect : — but of 
 that more hereafter. It was with a sorrowful, and 
 17 
 
Id4 MEETING Af 
 
 almost broken heart, he (Mr. T.) left. He could 
 truly say before bis Maker, it was the severest 
 infliction, the most keen and cutting event that 
 had occurred to him since his landing in the Uni- 
 ted States. On quitting the house, John Rankin, 
 Esq., observed, ' If these be the men you send 
 from England, we shall- pray God that no more 
 may ever cross the Atlantic' (Immense chees- 
 ing.) The same afternoon it was proposed, in a 
 hwctiiig oi delegates, that another deputatio^n 
 should wait upon Dr. Cox ; but one of the gen- 
 tlemen present said, 'Nol if Dr. Cox docs not 
 deem it his honor to be here,.! say send n« depu- 
 tation to him.* He (Mr. T.) however, urged them 
 to send another deputation, for he believed the 
 doctor to have beea worked upon, and that he 
 was the dupe of colonizati^nisfe an4 sla's^eholders. 
 Ten gentlemen were appointed to wait' upoa Dr. 
 Cox, most of whom were men of high standing, 
 and all of whom were men of piety and general 
 influence. Dr. Cox again promised, if he did not 
 attend, to send his reasons for not coming, at half 
 past nine on the morrow morning. The next day 
 he (Mr. T.) left the hause of Mr. Rankin to pro- 
 ceed to a public meeting, ami he never went to 
 a meeting with such a heavy heart. When he 
 went to meet an opponent, he went strong in the 
 justice of his cause, strong in thij blessings and 
 prayers of the suffering and oppressed negro, 
 strong in the invincibility of truth, strong in the 
 omnipotence of God. But when halting between 
 two opinions, doubting whether Dr. Cox would 
 be there, but at the same time rather inclining to 
 believe that he would not, he did blush for his 
 country, and felt it that da-y dishonored. (Loud 
 cries of hear, hear.) He went to the meeting, 
 and took his seat on the- platform j: the business^ 
 
 I 
 
LONDON. 195 
 
 commenced by prayer; during- the reading of the 
 report he saw Mr. Rankin coming down the aisle ; 
 he (Mr. T.) looked an.xiously towards him, and at 
 length caught his eye ; Mr. R. knew what he 
 meant, and shook his head. He (Mr. T.) knew 
 nothing of that note which Dr. Cox spoke of in 
 liis book : he pledged his honor and his credit, 
 that there was no intent to suppress that letter — 
 no intention of tampering with Mr. Rankin ; it 
 was purely * accidejital and unintentional ' that 
 the letter was not produced; if it had, it would 
 have been the text on which he (Mr. T.) should 
 have spoken : he should have vindicated himself 
 to his country, his constituents, and the abolition- 
 ists of America, from the foul charge of making 
 this a political question. (Hear, hear, and loud 
 cJieers.) Mr. Rankin's shake oi' the head was 
 enough to sadden him for the remainder of the 
 day. The first resolution was moved by Mr. Bir- 
 ney ; the second by the Rev. Baron Stow, who 
 took that resolution which it was intended to give 
 to the Rev. Doctor, should he have come unpre- 
 pared with one of his own. Mr. T. then quoted 
 the speech of the Rev. B. Stow, and stated that 
 he was then called on to speak. He conjured his 
 Baptist brethren, by their love to truth, and their 
 hatred of comproraiseandexpediency, to imagine 
 the circumstances in which he was then placed. 
 (Hear, hear.) What did he say on thut occasion ? 
 He would give his langtiage verbatim, taken down 
 by Mr. Stansbury, a celebrated stenographist, 
 brought from Washington to report the proceed- 
 ings of the May meetings in the JVetv York Ob- 
 server, a paper unfavorable to immediate aboli- 
 tion, and a paper, the very number of which that 
 contained his speech, contained an editorial arti- 
 cle, censuring him (Mr. T.) for the severity of his 
 
196 MEETING AT 
 
 Strictures on the conduct of Dr. Cox. Consider- 
 ing all the cireumstances of the case, then, what 
 was the measure of his guilt in uttering the fol- 
 lowing words ? Mr. Thompson then road from 
 the JVeiv York Observer, extracts from his speech 
 on that occasion : the following is the concluding 
 passage : 
 
 'Two of his countrymen had been deputed to visit this 
 country — one of them a member of the Committee of the 
 British and Foreign Society for the Extinction of Slavery 
 and the Slave Trade throughout the World^and beloHgingi 
 to a Christian denomination which had actualty memorial- 
 ized all their sister churches in this land on this subject. 
 My heart leaped when I learned that they were to be here 
 — especially that one of them whose name stood before the 
 blank which is to be left in the record of this days pro- 
 ceeding. Where ^ is he now 1 He is in this eity. Why 
 is he not here 1 The reason I shall teave for himself to 
 explain. Sir, (said Mr. T.) in this very fact, 1 behold a 
 new proof of the power, of the omnipotence of slavery ; 
 by its torpedo touch a maahas been struck dumb who was 
 eloquent in England on the side of its open, opposecs. 
 "What J is it come to this 1 Shall he,^ or shaM I, advocate 
 the cause of emancipation, of imoa,ediate emancipation, 
 only because we are Englishmen '? Perish the thought ? 
 — before I can entei tain such a thought, I must be recre- 
 ant to all the principfes of the Bible — to all the claims of 
 truth, of honor, of humanity. No, Sir; if a man is not 
 the same in every latitude — if he wouhd advocate a cause 
 with eloquence and ardor in Exeter Hall, in the midst of 
 admiring thousands — but, because he is in America, can 
 close his lips, and desert the cause he once espoused — I 
 denounce, I abjure him, as a coadjutor in the cause in 
 which I am engaged. Let him carry his philanthropy 
 home again ' — (loud cheers) — ' there let him display it iii> 
 the loftiest or the tenderest strains ; but let him never step 
 his foot abroad, until he is prepared to show to the world 
 that he is the friend of his kind of every country.' (Loud 
 and long-continued clipers.) 
 
 *This,' said Mr. T., ' is the very head and front 
 of my offending ! Judge ye whether I do oot^ 
 
LONDON. 197 
 
 only stand excused, but stand justified ? — (heap, 
 hear, and clieera)— whctlicr I should not have 
 shared the guilt, if guilt there be, of deserting 
 this cause, had 1 not said what I did say ? (Loud 
 cheers.) I stand not here to palliate or to con- 
 ceal ! No! I glory in what I have done; and 
 I have said in the Committee of the British and 
 Foreign Anti-Slavery Society, in the presence of 
 Dr. Cox, that if I had to do it over again, I should 
 do it as I have done — with this difterence only, 
 that if my poor vocabulary v.ould furnish me with 
 words in which more strongly to express my re- 
 gret, my abhorrence for such conduct as that I 
 liave described, I would use them. (Hear, hear, 
 and differs.) I do not asl^ the meeting to looli 
 critically at the words themselves, but to the sen- 
 timents they convey, and either to justify or dis- 
 approve my conduct."' (Loud cheers.) But now 
 he must advert to the letter which Dr. Cox had 
 sent, upon the suppression of which so much 
 stress had been laid. The meeting had heard 
 the report of his (Mr. T's) speech read from the 
 JSJ^eAv York Observer; but Dr. Hoby, instead of 
 taking that report — which, though furnished by 
 an opponent, he (Mr. T.) preferred to a frieiid's 
 — (laughter)— he (Dr. 11.) made a speech for him : 
 «and he would wish the meeting to compare that 
 speech with thn report he had just lead. Dr. 
 Iloby said, 'Mr. Thompson commenced his 
 Kppcch with a reference to the disappointment he 
 felt at the absence of Dr. Cox, in temperate lan- 
 anao-e, and such as could not give offence ; but 
 he ought also to have read the short letter which 
 was omitted. At the close of his address, he re- 
 sumed, in a very different strain and spirit, the 
 language of denunciation ; and, thong'h he chiefly 
 referred to Dr. Cox, by speaking in the plural 
 
 1? 
 
10^ MEfiTlNiG AT 
 
 number of the delegates, he included both when 
 he said they were 'men of whom their brethren 
 and country ought to be ashamed, whom lie blush- 
 ed to own as countrymen, and who, as recreant 
 to their principles, and acting under the influence 
 of disgraceful motives, were unfaithful represent- 
 atives, and would be scorned on their return." ' — 
 *Now, Sir,' (said Mr. Thompson) 'as Heaven is 
 to be my judge, 1 uttered not a word of that ! ' 
 
 Mr. Hark rose, and said that he recollected 
 reading that part of Mr. Thompson's speech in 
 the JVew York Evangelist. 
 
 Mr. Thompson : Which ? 
 
 Mr. Hare : That in which the word '^recre- 
 ant' occurs; — which you have just read from the 
 Vook. Mr. Thempson has said that Dr. Hoby 
 made a speech for him. (Considerable confu- 
 sion.) 
 
 Mr. Thompson begged the meeting would not 
 think that these intenuptions would be at all in- 
 jurious to him, or coifuse in the slightest the 
 train of his remarks. He would rather that ob- 
 servations should be made at the moment at 
 which they occurred to the persons present. Mr. 
 Hare had said that the words which Dr. Hoby 
 put into his (Mr. T's) mouth, he (Mr. H.) had read 
 in the JVew York Evangelist; and therefore he 
 supposed Mr. Hare meant to infer that Dr. Hoby 
 had taken the words in question from that jour- 
 nal ? 
 
 Mr» Hare. — Certainly. 
 
 Mr. THOMPsoN.~But what said Dr. Hoby.? 
 * These words, or words of a similar import, are 
 
LONDOlV. 199 
 
 wo^ given in the printed reports of the speeches, 
 ■which differ much from one another ' (loud laugh- 
 ter, and long continued cheering ;) ' but enough 
 is given with tiie direct sanction of the Society ;' 
 and tiien came a note of his speech, taken almost 
 verbatim from the report which he had just read 
 in the JVeiv York Observer: — 'Enough is given 
 with the direct sanction of the Society, to justify 
 the interruption occasioned hy my advancing to 
 the front of the gallery, and, apologizing for such 
 interference, requesting Mr. T. to forego all such 
 censure, as both unjustifiable and injurious.' Such 
 a report might have appeared in the JVeiv York 
 Evangelist, but both the Evangelist and Observer 
 were sent to him with a note, begging lie would 
 choose the best report, to be furnished for inser- 
 tion in the official report of the meeting, and he 
 could not remember that he had seen in the 
 Evangelist any thing like the language attributed 
 to him by Dr. Hoby. If Mr. Hare could find in 
 the A''(:w York Evangelist a copy of that speech, 
 lie [Mr. Thompson] would be obliged by its be- 
 ing forwarded to him, and he would see that it 
 should he published in the pamphlet he was about 
 to lay before the world. Thus they had arrived 
 at the close of that day's proceedings. But he 
 had yet to read the letter which Dr. Cox had sent 
 to the American Anti-Slavery Society ; and were 
 he disposed to censure the Doctor, he should say 
 that that letter was the most unkind, unchristian 
 letter that a man could frame. He would ask his 
 brethren around him, who had been his honored 
 coadjutors in this cause, Did they ever place it 
 upon political principles? [Loud cries of ' No, 
 no.'] Did they ever make any way, was not the 
 vessel of abolition ever retarded, by its own vis 
 ineyti(Sf until they assumed the high ground, that 
 
aOO MEETING AT 
 
 slaveholdinfr was a sin in the eye of God? 
 [Cheers.] Wl)at did the Doctor say in this let- 
 ter ? — ' If I decline the honor of appearing on 
 your platform this day, on occasion of your anni- 
 versary meeting, I raust be understood to assume 
 a position of neutrality.' 'Neutrality ! ' [said Mr. 
 T.] ' If there be a word in the English language 
 that I loathe more tiian another, it is that word 
 'neutrality.' [Loud cheers.] 'Neutrality!' God 
 abhors it! 'Neutrality!' 'Choose ye tiiis doy 
 whom ye will serve ' — ' Why halt ye between 
 two opinions ? ' Why stand ye, motionless as a 
 pendulum, with weeping, suffering, bleeding hu- 
 manity, here, and frowning despotism there? 
 [Iminense applause.] ' Neutrality !' with the Bi- 
 ble in your hand — witb your ecclesiastical honors 
 thick upon you [loud laugliter and cbeers] — witli 
 your ecclesiastical appointments in your pockets, 
 and tlie pledges remembered, or which ought to 
 liave been remembered, why stand ye neutral? 
 [Tremendous cheering.] 'I must be understood 
 to assume a position of neutrality, not with re- 
 gard to those great principles and objects whicji 
 it is well known Britain in general, and our do- 
 nomination in particular, have maintained and 
 promoted, but with regard solely to the political 
 "bearings of the question witb which, as a stran- 
 ger, a foreigner, a visitor, T could not attempt to 
 intermeddle.' ' Now, Sirs,^ [continuod Mr. T.] 
 'this was 'the unkindest cut of all ! ' Suppose 
 1 had had that letter, should I hive been afraid to 
 read it? [Hear, hear.] Think you that the indi- 
 vidual who has come here to-night with the throat 
 "before his eyes, that if he dares to speak honestly 
 he 'shall be crushed,' [' Shame, shame ! '] — thinlc 
 you that such an individual would have feared to 
 read that letter?' [Loud applause.] Oh, 'I must 
 
LONDON. 201 
 
 liave had ' some covert, powerful, all-sufficient 
 motive,' for suppressing' that letter. — [laughter, 
 and cheers,] — enough to induce Dr. Cox to play 
 upon the word with dray-horse Avit, going most 
 sluggishly along, [loud laughter,] liarping contin- 
 ually upon it, that the concealment of that letter 
 was, ' perhaps, purely accidental and uninten- 
 tional,' and intimating, but in Latin, that my ve- 
 racity ought to be, and cannot but be, doribted. 
 [Cheers.] What was tiiere in that letter that I 
 should wish to conceal ? If I had been tempted 
 to conceal it, it would have been under a very 
 different motive from that which has been insinu- 
 ated. 1 do say, that, branding me, as it does, 
 most unequivocally, as an ' intermeddler,' — for I 
 was ' a foreigner,' I was ' a ^stranger,' I was 'a 
 visitor,' — I say, Avithout hesitation, that letter 
 marked me out for immolation. [Enthusiastic 
 cheering.] There were thousands in that city 
 waiting to rejoice over my destruction ; there 
 were paid myrmidons, seeking my blood ; and 
 here was my countryman, branding me as a for- 
 eigner, a stranger, a visitor, and, therefore, as an 
 ' intermeddler.' [Loud cries of ' Shame, shame,'] 
 Think you that, for these reasons, T should have 
 withheld it? Oh, that I had had that letter ! One of 
 old exclaimed, ' Would that mine enemy would 
 write a book ! ' Had he lived in these days, ho 
 would have said, ' Would that mine enemy would 
 write a note ! ' — [Trnmense cheering.] — would that 
 mine enemy would print a note! [Laughter and 
 renewed cheering.] 'The political bearings of 
 the question,' ' with Avhich, as a stranger, a for- 
 eigner, a visitor, I could not intermeddle.' Now, 
 Avas Dr. Cox called on to intermeddle ? Yes \ 
 When he Avas selected as one of the Baptist del- 
 egates was he expected to advocate the auti-sls' 
 
202 MEETING AT 
 
 vory cause ? He was. When the appeal was 
 made to tlie Baptist churches to support the inis- 
 sion, were tkcy led to expect that the Deputation 
 would advocate tlie aiui-slavery^ cause ? They 
 were. When Dr. Cox was in the midst of his 
 brethren, was this question puttcj him — 'Dr. Cox, 
 you know the prejudices that exist in America 
 ao-ainst colored people, — what will you do ? ' tmd 
 what did he reply .^' 
 
 The Rkv. Mr. Belcher asked, Where? [Par- 
 tial cries of 'Hear, hear,' and some confusion.] 
 
 The Rkv.. T. Price rose and said, 'I stated at 
 m meeting at Fen-court, in the presence of Dr. 
 Cox, that I liad put that question to him, and Dr. 
 Cox never denied it.' (Loud cries of ' Hear, 
 hear.'l 
 
 The Rev. J. Belcher : That was not my ques- 
 tion. Where was the question put? [Great 
 confusion.] 
 
 The Rev. T. Price : I did not intend to speak 
 tonight, but there is something so exceedingly 
 disingenuous — I mii'^ht use a stronger term — in 
 this attempt of Mr. Belcher's to throw dust in the 
 eyes of the Assembly, that I must state these, 
 facts. I stated two or three months ago, in the 
 presence of Dr. Cox, at Fen-court, the questions 
 I had put to him before he went to America ; and 
 I stated further the answers which Dr. Cox had 
 given to me. It was then asked where T had put 
 them. I replied that I thought it was at a cer- 
 tain place, but I could not exactly remember 
 where ; it was however at one of the meetings of 
 the Committee of the Baptist Union, and Dr. Cox 
 .{lever deujed tliat those questions were so put tp 
 
LONDON. 203 
 
 liim and answered by him. Some of the Com- 
 mittee said they heard me put the qnestions, 
 though they could not remember the room where 
 they were put. [Loud cheers.] 
 
 Mr. Law, who rose amidst great confusion, 
 was understood to observe that as this discussion 
 would be greatly protracted, so as probably to ex- 
 clude any possibility of a reply, he thought it 
 would be well to observe that the remarks of Mr. 
 Price seemed to intimate that the entire body of 
 ministers of the Baptist denomination concurr'sd 
 in the questions which he had proposed to Dr. 
 Cox. 
 
 Mr. Thouipson said, these interruptions were 
 out of order, and he perhaps should have stated 
 before, that he was not bound to hear remarks 
 from any individual present; the only persons 
 with whom he had to do were Drs. Cox and Hoby. 
 He had written to Dr. Cox the following letter: 
 
 'Rev. Sik, — Tlie Baptist Cliapel in Dovonsliire 
 S(iuare haviiifj bee« kindly oftbred me for the delivery of 
 a lecture on American Slavery, and the j)rinciples and pro- 
 gress of the Anti-SIaveiy Society in the ITnited States; 
 and also for the purpope of giving information relative to 
 the course I felt it my duty to adopt in reference to your- 
 self and colleague, Dr. Hoby; I beg to inform you that I 
 have accepted the offer, and decided to hold a public meet- 
 ing on Thursday evening next, the 26th inst. I deem it 
 an act of justice to accjuaiiit you with this intention, and 
 to say that fidl opportun-ity will be afforded you of demand- 
 Tng any explanation of my public conduct in the United 
 States, in reference either to yourself or the cause which I 
 advocated, and to reply in detail to any of the statements 
 1 may consider it necessary to make.' 
 
 This letter Avas dated May 20. Dr. Cox ac- 
 knowlod the receipt of that letter in the Patriitt 
 
5J04 MfifiTtNG AT 
 
 of yesterday, {Wednesday, the _25th ;) he said he 
 'had employed his pen, and he meant to save hie 
 breath.' 
 
 Mil. Baldwin : I rise, sir, upon a point of or- 
 der. I submit, that no person can address this 
 assembly, except Drs. Cox and Hoby, or some 
 persons delegated by tiiem to act on their behalf. 
 [Hear, hear, iiear.J 
 
 Mr. PewtrIsss rose to move the adjournment. 
 [Cries of ' No, no.'] 
 
 Mr. Thompson: Sir, this is my lecture ; it is 
 not competent for any person to move an adjourn- 
 ment. [Loud cries of Hear, hear.'] 
 
 Tlie Rev. T. Price : I have given Mr. Thomp- 
 son permission to deliver his lecture in this 
 chapel, and he can occupy it as long as he pleas- 
 es ; no other person has a right to move the ad- 
 journment. [Cheers.] 
 
 Mr. THOMrsoN, after a short discussion, pro- 
 ceeded. Ho had written to Dr. Hoby also ; and 
 as the Dr. had requested that his letter should be 
 read at the lecture, he should read it, whatever 
 might be afterwards decided as to tiie adjourn- 
 ment, respecting which he was completely in the 
 hands of the audience. He would merely ob- 
 serve, that the letter to Dr. Hoby differed scarce- 
 ly in any thing from that sent to Dr. Cox. The 
 followino- is the loiter of Dr. Hoby, dated at 
 Ledbury, May 24, 183G. 
 
 <Siii, — I duly received yonr letter of the 20th, commn- 
 nica,ting your intention to hold a meeting on tlie 26tl« inst., 
 f(^ the purposes therein explained, and inviting my attend- 
 ance, for reasons therein specified. In reply, I I'.ave only 
 
LONDON. 205 
 
 to say, that to be in London at that time, is entirely out of 
 tny power; 1 write tliis while on my waytoom* Associa- 
 tion at Coleford, and to undertake so long a journey, ex- 
 pressly for such a purpose, would be altogelher out of the 
 question- No previous conference having taken place to 
 tiscertain what would suit my convenience^ is of course 
 evidence that any concurrence on my part as to the desira- 
 bleness of such a meeting was quite immaterial. As you 
 Bay, * you deem it an act of justice to acquaint me,' &c., I 
 have only to add, that if the same sense of justice dictates 
 your statements at this meeting, nothing will be said, ' an 
 explanation ' of which I shall at all be solicitous to demand, 
 or about which I shall be in the least concerned to ' reply 
 in detail.' You well knew, sir, that to the great cause 
 of abolition, — immediate, total, universal aliolition, — I 
 was as much pledged as yourself when in America, and 
 that I advocated it ceaselessly upon principles, and in a 
 way, which niy own judgment approved. If my course of 
 proceeding did not altogether approve itself to your judg- 
 ment, and that of some of our friends, I presume I was, 
 nevertheless, at liberty to pursue my own course, actuated, 
 as I know I was, by as righteous an abhorrence of the in- 
 iquitous system of slavery as yourself. When you bear in 
 mind, that I was not so much as invited to attend the 
 meeting at New York, nor even referred to in the invita- 
 tion addressed to Dr. Cox, you will perceive that I have 
 Bome reason to complain of unconrteousness there, and of 
 the extreme readiness of many here to pour their anony- 
 mous vituperations upon a course of conduct which they had 
 not given themselves the trouble to inquire into and un- 
 derstand. I have only further to express my most earnest 
 hope, that, notwithstanding the intemperance and indis- 
 cretion which appear to me to have characterized many of 
 the efforts to awaken hostility against American Christians, 
 God will overrule, so that the torpor and apathy of too 
 many of all denominations, respecting this awful iniquity of 
 slavery, will speedily give place to a holy, philanthropic, 
 and righteous sensibility, which shall hasten both to confess 
 and to compensate the wrongs inflicted on injured Africa. 
 I hereby express my entire concurrence in the course my 
 colleague pursued relative to an invitation which had noth- 
 ing to do with our obligation, and retjuest, in conclusion, 
 that your letter to me, and (his re|ily,may be read at the 
 meeting of the 26th.' 
 18 
 
*i06 
 
 MEETING AT LONDON. 
 
 Dr. Cox had availed himself of the Patriot 
 newspaper. Mr. Thompson then read the con- 
 cluding paragraph of Dr. Cox's letter contained 
 in the Patriot of Wednesday, the 25lh inst. He 
 conceived that, after these letters, no person had 
 a right to address that assembly, on behalf of 
 either Dr. Cox or Dr. Hoby, unless they had au- 
 thority to do so from them. [Cheers.] 
 
 Some discussion then arose as to the propriety 
 of an adjournment, and it was ultimately agreed, 
 that Mr. Thompson should defer the conclusion of 
 his observations u»til Monday evening, the 38l& 
 ult. 
 
 The audience then separated.. 
 
ADJOUUNED MEETING. 
 
 The adjo irned meeting was held at Finsbiiry 
 Ch.ipel, on Monday oveninir lust, the attendance 
 at which was very numerous. At half-past six, 
 
 William Knight, Es^., took the chair, and 
 said, that having been requested to preside over 
 the naeeting held in Devonshire Square, last 
 Thursd;iy evening, and this being only an ad- 
 journment of that meeting, of course it was his 
 duty to take the chair on the present occasion. 
 Notices had been sent to Brs. Vox and Hoby of 
 the present meeting, and if they appeared, of 
 course they would be heard. But he begged it 
 to be under^stood, and he hoped the meeting 
 would support him in that derision, that no other 
 individual could be heard, unless he was deptited 
 in writing by those gRntletnnn to address this as- 
 sembly on their behalf. (Hear, hear.] 
 
 Mr. Thompson then rose to address the audi- 
 ence, and was received with loud applause. After 
 airain assuring the meeting, that he was not ac- 
 tuated by a;iy personal feelings in reference to 
 the remarks he was about to niake, he observ- 
 ed, with regard to slavery and the slave-trade, 
 (that at the present iijoraent 5,500,000 hunmfl 
 
208 MEETING AT 
 
 beings were held in bondage by Christian nations, 
 and that Africa was still robbed of 200,000 of her 
 children annually. It was therefore necessary 
 that this nation should be as alert upon the sub- 
 ject of the slave-trade as she had ever been. He 
 believed that not 1,000 less slaves had been car- 
 ried from the coast of Africa, in consequence of 
 all the eloquence of a Wilberforce, and all the 
 untiring labors of a Clarkson ! Let it be granted, 
 as it was sometimes said, that it was England 
 Avho had fastened the horrid system of slavery on 
 America; that it was England who had planted 
 that upas here, and that, from age to age, the 
 Anglo-Americans had watered its roots, given 
 fertility to its branches, and circulation to its 
 fruit. Let that be granted, and he would say to 
 America, 'If you criminate us, and if this charge 
 be brought home upon us, in penitential acknowl- 
 edgment for our sin, we go forth, wishing to 
 bring forth fruits meet for repentance, to that 
 land where we have sown the seed, and brought 
 up the crop, in order that we may tear up the tree 
 by its roots, and brandish it in triumph over the 
 heads of the tyrants. [Loud and long continued 
 cheers.] If America wanted England to bear 
 the disgrace of doing the deed, England wanted 
 to have the honor of undoing the deed. [Loud 
 cheers.] In the slave estates of America it was 
 a common occurrence to see a coffle, which was 
 a gang of 60, 80, or 100 slaves, with the women 
 huddled up in a waggon, taken to different parts 
 of the country, with the 'star-spangled banner of 
 America' floating over their heads, and with the 
 music playing to cheer them, while being driven 
 to the Capital of Washington.' M. T. then read 
 a dialogue which had taken place between a Car- 
 olinian and a Mississippian planter on board a 
 
LONDON. 2Q9 
 
 «teambont, which was well authenticated by the 
 gentleman who heard it. The topic of conver- 
 sation was the vahie of slaves; and it was stated 
 that, if under a certain weight, (oOlbs.) the young 
 hays were sold at nine dollars per pound ; so that 
 •children were, by religious rnen, weighed in 
 scales, and sold by the pound like meat. [' Shame, 
 sliame.'] Every paper published in Washing- 
 ton and Alexandria was filled with advertise- 
 ments of slaves, stating the terms, and inviting 
 purchasers to come in and look round 'the stock? 
 Mrs. Child, the authoress of several works on edu- 
 cation, had informed lum{Mr. T.] of the follow- 
 ing fact, which came under her own knowledge. 
 A physician, named Wallace, had married a young 
 lady from t!ie South, with faint traces of a very 
 'remote conne.xion with the negro race. He took 
 her to Alexandria, and placed her at the head of 
 his establishment. They had not long been there 
 when a person called upon the physician, and 
 told him that his wife was his female slave, and 
 demaded $800 for her, saying, at the same time, 
 that she was ' honestly worth 1,000.' [Laughter.] 
 On inquiry, he found that his wife had been a 
 slave; butshe further informed him, that the man 
 who claimed her as his slave was her father. 
 [* Shame, shame.'] That was a specimen of 
 American slavery, and yet Doctors of Divinity, 
 with both hands, and Englishmen too, said, for- 
 eooth, that he [Mr. T.] was 'a cahmiiniator,' be- 
 cause he said of America, that she was a wicked 
 nation. [Loud Cheers.] The statements con- 
 tained in the book to which he had formerly re- 
 ferred, The Baptists in America^ reminded him 
 'Of the couplet of Hudibras — 
 
 ' They who drive fat oxen 
 Should themselves be fat.' (Laughter.) 
 
 IS* 
 
210 MEETING AT 
 
 The author who had charged him [Mr. T.] with 
 being a cahimniator, because he had called Amer- 
 ica a wicked nation, in speaking of France, had 
 used this singular expression : ' I rejoice that we 
 are uniting in sending missionaries to the wick- 
 ed, infatuated, and infidel country of France/ 
 [Cheers.] When he [Mr. T.] said America was 
 a wicked nation, he had told it to the Americana 
 themselves a hundred times ; and it would be his 
 consolation, that, whatever he had said of them, 
 he had said before their face. [Cheers.] The 
 slaves of America were, almost without excep- 
 tion, without religious instruction. There were 
 not twelve men in the United States exclusively- 
 devoted to the religious instruction of the slave 
 population. He stated that on the authority of 
 the Synod of South Carolina and Georgia. He 
 had never taken up the question of slavery as 
 connected with their bodies only: he had always 
 taken his stand upon the ground, that slave-hold- 
 ing was in itself unjustifiable. In America, the 
 Bible Society had offered, in concert with other 
 nations, to give the sacred Scriptures to every 
 individual upon the face of the earth, in his ver- 
 nacular tongue, in 20 years, while there were 
 460,000 familes, at the lowest estimate, of slaves 
 in the United States, who were not comprehend- 
 ed in their design. [Hear, hear, hear.] Yet, it 
 he should say that, and put at the end of it, that 
 America was a wicked nation, oh, he was told, 
 he was ' a calumniator.' [Loud cheers.] The 
 city of Charleston, had given $500 to the Tract 
 Society, and the very next year had sent a citi- 
 zen to a dungeon for having given a tract to one 
 of the slave population. ['Shame shame.'] He 
 must say of American slavery, that it was a sys- 
 tem of blood, — of soul murder : it put out the 
 
XONDGN. 5J11 
 
 ^eyeg of the soul ; it darkened, and covered with 
 ieprosy and disease, the already depraved facul- 
 5ties of human nature ; and it left 2,580,000 persons 
 •i^^to grope their way through darknes and degrada- 
 tion here, to everlasting darkness beyond the 
 :;grave. [Cheers.] It had been confessed by ec- 
 »^ciesiastical authorities, that there were 2,000,000 
 ^f slaves in America who never heard the name 
 of Christ. (Hear, hear,) Mr. T. then entered 
 "into a number of details, for the purpose of show- 
 ing the prejudice which was entertained in Amer- 
 ica against free persons of color. What was the 
 -^excuse sometimes made for that prejudice ? 'Oh, 
 they have a disagreeable smell.' (Laughter.) 
 He (Mr. T.) could never detect any such smell ; 
 and, indeed, it was never found that they did have 
 such a * smell ' so long as they continued slaves. 
 (Hear.) It was when they had obtained their 
 freedom that the 'smell ' was perceived. (Laugh- 
 ter.) And he did not wonder at it; for nothing 
 stunk so much in the nostrils of a tyrant as liber- 
 ty ! (Loud and long continued cheering.) When 
 travelling in one of the American steamboats, a 
 gentleman and lady of color came on board in 
 their carriage; and he (Mr. T.) resolved upon 
 watching the mode in which they were treated. 
 When tea was announced, he went into the 
 cabin, and being some time engaged in conver- 
 sation with an individual of great eminence. Dr. 
 Graham, he lost sight of his colored compan- 
 ions. About seven in the evening, he (Mr. T.) 
 went upon deck, and there observed the lady 
 seated upon a heap of luggage, her husband 
 standing by her side : the night was dark and 
 cold, and a mist descended which would wet any 
 person through to the skin in an hour. He (Mr. 
 ■ T.) returned to the cabin, and said to Dr. Graham, 
 
212 MEETIN^G AT 
 
 * Come on deck, Dr. G., and if you have a blusfo 
 for your country let me see it now ! ' (Clieers.) 
 On their return to the deck, they found the gen- 
 tleman intercedinof with the cook to allow hi* 
 lady to sit in the kitchen, as he feared the cold 
 would cause her death, if she were compelled to 
 be exposed to it all night ! ^Hear, hear, and 
 shame !j Dr. G. asked the gentleman why it 
 was that he had not paid for his passage in the 
 cabin, — to which he replied, that he had offered 
 to pay for it — that the captain would not take the 
 money, and that he would gladly have given 
 twenty times the fare, that he might obtain that 
 comfort for his lady ! fLoud cries of ' Shame I 
 shame I) That lady was obliged to continue in 
 kitchen — the most disagreeable place on board 
 the steam-vessel, while ministers of the gospel, 
 lawyers, merchants, were lolling upon sofas in the 
 cabin, and not one of them would show kindness 
 to a woman under such circumstances. That 
 was the character of American slavery, and yet 
 a man was a calumniator, 'because he called 
 America a wicked nation.' fCheers.j It was 
 the prejudice entertained against the free people 
 of color, which led to the establishment of the 
 Colonization Society, which had been based upon 
 prejudice, which made its appeal to prejudice, but 
 which could not continue to exist, the abolition- 
 ists having shown the wickedness of that preju- 
 dice. The effect of prejudice against the color- 
 ed population had been to crush their spirit; 
 nevertheless, he ^Mr. T.) had found among them 
 intellect of the highest order, virtue of the most 
 resplendent kind, and piety as sincere and fer- 
 vent as that which distinguished the wisest, and 
 best, and holiest of the land. If a white man 
 were to be seen shaking hands with a man of 
 
LONDON. 213 
 
 color, lie himself would never be respected again ; 
 ifhe took his arm he would be less respected 
 than if he had taken the arm of Beelzebub. 
 /Laughter.j There was no justice in America 
 for the colored man. If he knew how to make 
 a bow and was dressed like a gentleman, with a 
 ring on his finger, then, — ' how proud these col- 
 ored people are I ' — If he did not dress well, ' they 
 are degraded, — utterly irreclaimable ! ' If he 
 appeared dejected, 'the whole race is sullen 
 and revengeful!' If they were inclined to be 
 cheerful, 'they are so saucy and impudent!' 
 /Laughter.J If one of them were seen intoxi- 
 cated, then the whole was a race of drunkards ; 
 if one were to be found dis^honest, they were all 
 called thieves : if one was slothful, then they 
 nere all lazy : if one was profane, all were blas- 
 phemers! /'Hear, hearj This prejudice even 
 existed in religious privileges of the colored peo- 
 ple, and also deprived thetn of their political 
 rights. In a large village called Salem, if a colored 
 man, he was assured on good authority, took a 
 house in one of the principal streets, the value of 
 the property in that street became depreciated 
 75 per cent. The predecessor of Dr. Sprague 
 had treated the colored people with great re- 
 spect ; he was a kind-hearted man ; he had a 
 considerable number of colored people in his con- 
 gregation, with whom he lived in the greatest 
 cordiality; and they were exceedingly attached 
 to him. When Dr. Sprague succeeded to the 
 pastoral charge, it was proposed that the colored 
 people should be placed by themselves, where., 
 it was said, ' they would be more comfortable.' 
 Ten peAvs were set apart for them in the gallery, 
 'a nice comfortable partition' ran along this por- 
 tion of the chapel,, with ' a nici< gr.ee q .curtain ito 
 
214 MEETING AT 
 
 prevent them from seeing the other parts of the 
 congregation.' The colored people remonstrated 
 against this invidious distinction, but it was vain. 
 What was the consequence ? Every colored 
 man, woman, and child, left that chapel immedi- 
 ately ! ('L )ud cheers j — and there was not at this 
 moment, in all Dr. S's church, one colored wor- 
 shipper ! What would that minister he able to 
 say when God demanded at his hand these pre- 
 cious souls with whom he had been intrusted? 
 CHear, hear.J Theodore S. Wright, a minister in 
 New York, a man of color, had increa«pd the 
 numbers of his church from 17 to 376 ; he had 
 given SlOO to the anti-slavery cause, but having, 
 in conjunction with his son, to travel in the steam- 
 boat from New York to Washington, they were 
 eompelled to remain on d»^ck during the voyage ; 
 indeed they were not allowed to pass the paddlr- 
 boxes I fCries of ' Shame ! 'j The avenues to 
 learning had been closed to the colored people ; 
 but he fiVIr. T.; rejoiced, that at the present day 
 there were four colleges open for them. ^Cheers.) 
 Mr. Tappan had himself given $20,000 to a col- 
 lege on the express condition that it should ad- 
 mit colored people to its privileges and advanta- 
 ges. When a person wished to join an anti* 
 slavery society in America, it was a sine qua nan 
 that he had discharged all his prejudice against 
 the colored population. fCheers.j 
 
 One word with regard to the character of the ab- 
 olitionists of America. He felt astonished at the 
 amount of mind which had been thrown into the 
 cause. William Lloyd Garrison had been particu- 
 larly active and prudent; hehad been condemned for 
 havinsf shot a-head with seven-lea g-ue boots, the 
 superannuated tortoise speed of his reverend 
 brethren around him. ('Laughter.j That had, how. 
 
LONDON. 215 
 
 ever, ever been the reproach of reformers. fLond 
 and general cheering'.j The question of Amer- 
 ican Slavery had been branded as a political 
 question, not only by the enemies of freedom in 
 America, but from some whom they might have 
 expected better things. ('Hear, hear.j Mr. T. 
 then read an extract from a lecture delivered in 
 connection with the Jiritish and Foreign Anti- 
 Slavery Society, together with the constitution 
 of the National Society of New York, m order 
 to prove that there was nothing pol.tical in the 
 objects contemplated. The missionary who went 
 from this country to any foreign land, might be 
 said, to a certam extent, to interfere with the 
 politics of that country, inasmuch as the tendency 
 of Christianity was to disturb the system whicfi 
 there prevailed. To brand this cause as a polit- 
 ical question was to pronounce a cens'ire on every 
 missionary who ever went on a foreign shore to 
 preach the gospel of Christ. If it were a politi- 
 cal question, how came it that at the present day 
 the churches in America were taking up the sub- 
 ject, and fasting, and holding prayer meetings in 
 reference to it ? It was too bad lor a man to go 
 3,000 miles to brand the Anti-Slavery Society as 
 politicians, (immense oheering.j Mr. T. was 
 then about to continue his narrative relative to 
 the conduct of Dr. Cox in America, when it was 
 suggested that it was desirable he should take 
 a few minutes' rest. 
 
 The CnAimTAN expressed a wish, that the iter- 
 im slio'jld be filled u]>, by Mr. M. Roper's stating 
 some facts with wliich he was conversant. 
 
 (Considerable opposition was made to this sug- 
 gestion. One gentleman exclaimed, ' Mr. Roper 
 is Dr. Cox's protege.^ Another gentleman rose, 
 
216 MEETING AT 
 
 and pertinaciously persisted in attempting to ad-^ 
 dress the meeting. 
 
 Tiie Chairman reminded him of the remark 
 he had made at the commencement of the meet- 
 ing ; but it was not till marks of disapprob^ation,. 
 and cries of ' Turn him out,' issued from ever/ 
 part of the building, that he resumed his seat. 
 
 The Rev. A. Fletcher, stated that when Mr*- 
 Roper was brought over into this country, he came 
 ■with a letter of mtroduction to him, and had since 
 been supported by some other ministers. 
 
 A Gentleman, whose name we could not 
 learn, said, that Dr. Cox bore a part in the ex- 
 pense of Mr. Roper's education. (Hear, hear, 
 and faint applause.^ 
 
 Mr. Roper then stood forward, and observed 
 with considerable warmth, that Dr. Cox did pay 
 a portion towards his education, but that should 
 not hinder him from advocating the cause of his 
 mother, brethren, and sisters, now in bondage. 
 (Loud cheers.j He was grateful to Dr. Cox for 
 that which he was doin<r for him ; but at the same 
 time his principles were not to be boughtr 
 fCheers.j There was not a Christian society in 
 America, which did not hold slaves, except the 
 Society of Friends. (Cheers.^ In Salem, a town 
 in South Carolina, containing perhaps 20,00Q 
 Quakers, there was not a single slave, though 
 they were surrounded by a slaveholding popula- 
 tion. fCheers.j He had run away from his mas- 
 ter, and was cfoinof to see his mother in North 
 Carolina. He had to pass through the town of 
 Salisbury, where there was a Quaker in jail, wha 
 was to be executed on the following Friday, for 
 
LONIJON. 21? 
 
 having nriv-cn a slave a free pass. {'Shame, 
 /^hamc.') Mr. Thompson had ^iv.„ them an^c 
 eount of some bad slaveholders: he (Mr R^ 
 would tell them of some good ores. A maWr 
 ^ntl. whom he once lived, Mr. Beveridgcin trav- 
 ehing froni Apa ache to Columbia, having to pass 
 hroughth(3 Indian nations,- it was necelsary for 
 lum to take arms. He wag taken exceedino-Iy 
 il, and could neither stand up nor sit down. He 
 vr Vw /'''V' ^''"^ containing $20,000, and he 
 [Mr. 1. ) took the pistols and protected his mas- 
 ter and his master's property. WJien he arrived 
 at t.olumbia, his master becomino- embarrassed 
 in circumstances, sold him on a block ; that wa^ 
 hisjnndness to him, fMr. R.) for saving his mas- 
 ters life and protecting his property. ^ Another 
 good master, was Colonel M'Gillon,a Scotchman, 
 vho held about 300 slaves, and whc; nsed to boas 
 «iKit he never flogged them. H,s mode of pun- 
 >siing them, was to gel a rice hogshead, into 
 wh.ch several nails were driven about a quarter 
 of an inch through, and the slave then bein^ 
 /astenedin, he nsed to roll thom down a very 
 feep hill. ('Shame, shame.') At one of "in 
 iPviva meetings, of which he had heard so much 
 
 came ,n and took their seats in the pew for iiK 
 qmrers. Holding down their heads they we e 
 ^o observed; but some ladies comin^v fp, and 
 l^^ot.cmg their color, left the pew direct!}. (Hea,-; 
 
 Ma. Thompson then resumed his lecture Tf 
 might be asked by some, why lie made tl rs a'pe 
 son. nuestion? Why he did not content ifim- 
 se.f by merely bringing forward the subiec of 
 American Slavery without alluding to any indi- 
 
^JQ MEETING AT 
 
 viduals or any denomination ? His answer W 
 
 han!^srthat^.e held in his hand a book [1 he 
 
 Bmtists in America] contaimng from five to six 
 
 apa pages, ^^^'in:!^^:^^:! 
 
 fmv nic" umniated great and good men m Ame - 
 ica and with ' rolling back the cause by his un- 
 me'a red ldt«peratio°ns,' by his; exasperatmg ex^ 
 pressions,' an(l in a variety ot other "»?"• 1» 
 ^vhich hoik he was charged w,lh gross mjnslice, 
 for havin<', at a public meeting in New\ork, 
 Ifought fit'to doniunce a countrjman of hisow K 
 He was tohl on a certam occasion, that t.ie y. 
 " ^^uld 'spare hun,' and It ludeen.^^^^^^^^ 
 hefMr.T.; manifested consic^erable i.nt.bi..ty 
 when that expression was used. bir, ^aiu lu 
 T 'Im-^nifested no more then, than I manitest 
 now and which I shall continue to manifest, a 
 to indicrnation. (CheersO VVhen any ind.v.d^ 
 'nal tell-^Goor.re Thompson, wlio has put his life 
 nto hi^HandsTand who' has gone where slavery 
 s dfe'wl en , George Thompson, am told that 
 
 nn fivor' * {Tmmense chcennor. _ ^''^^: *"" '' 
 no idvor . ^luiniv, /npnfpiiinor ao- 
 
 ^,^ anv thintr but spare mo! ^ucaTemn^ <jp 
 do «"y/'^ "- " ^1 , I ask not to be spared ! 
 piause.) fepaic mi^ . , . 
 
 L.kfor justice to ,■"/, !''"^^,- .Jj'tt a pub ic 
 cause on public ground,. J^,^^'^^'"",,,^' ,„!»,. 
 n\;trrtrllt^nd%&'k.am 
 br nded "; 'a cnUimniator ; ' when it ,s asserted 
 th o ,'h that book, that I have '^"^^f^,^^^ !' « 
 cause ' to an ' almost irretrievable distance, in 
 
LONDON. 219 
 
 Americn, 1 am called upon to ta!;e this book and 
 redeem myself, as a public advocate of a public 
 cause, from every chargfc? which directly or indi- 
 rectly ali'ects my repiiUition or chaiactcr as a 
 qualified agent of the AiUi-Slaveiy Society. 
 (LiOud cheers.) But whet right had they to expect 
 that Dr. Cox would advocate tlie cause of eman- 
 cipation in America ? Dr. Cox had, before ho 
 went out, said, in the presence of gentlemen, 
 who were now present ' I go in the j-pirit of Ji 
 martyr.' What was the spirit of a martyr ? It 
 was not the spirit of compromise — it was not 
 the spirit of silence — it w as not the spirit of 
 timidity. (Loud cheers.) What was the sjiirit 
 of a martyr? It was the spirit displayed by 
 Luther, by Crannu.^r, by Paul, and the Lord and 
 Maker of them all! (Loud cheers.) Was Dr. 
 Cox called upon to advocate the anti-slavery 
 cause.' Ho was. No man ever crossed the At^ 
 lantic, on any mission, more pledged to advocate 
 the cau^e tlian was Dr. Cox. lie would quote a 
 lettf^r contained in the Baptist Magazine for the 
 month of November, 1834, whicli had been sent 
 forth by the Baptist Union, from whom that gen- 
 tleman went, to various churches, calling upon 
 tlicm for pecuniary aid to support that mission : 
 
 * But whilst Ave achnire lln-ir vigorous en'orts for the 
 spread of the go8f>el, and those free institutions under 
 whose influences those exertions have Ijeeii made, we do 
 not shut our eyes to (he fact, tliat in (his land of lil)erly, 
 negro slavery is legalized, and is sufl'ered to remain a foul 
 blot on their national cliara( ter. It is, perhaps, within 
 your recollection, that at the commencement of last win- 
 ter, the Baptist iioard in Lo)ulon, sent to their brethren 
 a memorial on tliis subject, which they requested might i>o 
 laid before the Triennial Convention. To what extent 
 the brethren thus memorialized are jjartakers of this na-* 
 Muuul siuj we are utterly igaoraiu, We are jjhid ;q kava 
 
^20 MEETING AT 
 
 that the voice of many of tliem 5s liftcil up against It, anci 
 we send our deputation to promote most zealously, and to 
 the utmost of their ability, in ll.'u spirit of love^ of discre- 
 tion, and of fidclily, hut still most zealously, to promote 
 4he sacred cause of negro emancipation.' 
 
 What was the conduct of one of that deputa- 
 tion ? The business of the Triennial Convention 
 was done, and the deputation returned to New- 
 York ; one of them was respectfully invited ta 
 attend the anti-slavery meeting' to be held in that 
 jcity, to mingle with men with whom it was an 
 iionor to be associated — nature's nobles (cheers ;} 
 and iiow did he reply? While he wished the 
 honor of being- an abolitionisjt, he sliunned the 
 work. He stated that he was with the meeting 
 in heart, but that he did not go because of the 
 ■political bearings of the question. (Applause.t) 
 And what did he do then? Having written a 
 brief apology, he went back to a mo&t appropri-- 
 «te meeting for a gentleman who had resolved 
 to be dumb on negro slavery. Where did Dr^ 
 Cox go to ? He had said, ' Having written Uiis 
 brief apology to the Anti-Slavery So2iety, I 
 went to the meeting for the deaf and the dumb.' 
 ((Laughter, and loud cheers.) A very fit subject 
 for the benevolent operations of that Society-; 
 would that they had cured him. (Laughter, and 
 great applause.) The doctor went from New 
 York to Boston, and was again invited to attend 
 an Anti-Slavery Convetion there, but again de^ 
 dined. He would now come to a particular part of 
 the narrative, to which he begged the special at 
 tention of his friends. The doctor would not 
 open his lips in the Triennial Convention of 
 Richmond, on the subject of slavery, though it was 
 expected by the ministers in the slaveholding 
 .flutes. :th.at. he would brir."- forward th&t subiect. 
 
LONDON'. ^2?1 
 
 Tiie doctoi' assigned as his reason, that if he liad 
 opened liis lips on tiiat subject, one of t^^"o thin^^s 
 would have liappened. Tiie Convention would 
 Imve been broken up by magisterial interference, 
 or his brethren would liave spontaneously with- 
 drawn. Die doctor gave the niost glowing des- 
 cription of the heavenly state of the atmosphere 
 in wliich he breathed in that Convention. At 
 page 41) of his book, he said, when speaking of 
 tire Convention, ' If doubts liad arisen in any 
 mijids as to the course the deputation from Eng- 
 hmd intended to pursue, in their public intercourse 
 with their brethren, witli respect to subjects of 
 x'hiil importance,' — that was to say, if any num- 
 ber of individuals belonging to the Convention 
 expected that the doctor or his colleague would 
 have introduced the agitating- question respect- 
 ing tlie negroes and people of color — ' It was only 
 like the cloud ofa summer morning, which speed- 
 ily disappeared in the brightening sunshine.' 
 How did they remove those doubts? Certainly 
 not by speaking out. So soon as the Convention 
 were Convinced that their clerical brethren meant 
 to be deaf and dumb, then every cloud passed 
 away, and all was cordiality and union. (Cheers.) 
 VVhat was to be thought of such an anion as 
 that ? (Hear, hear.) 
 
 From Boston the doctor proceeded to New 
 Hampsiiire, and amongst the green hills a meet- 
 ing of free-will Baptists was held. They were 
 almost all abtditionists ; an anti-slavery meeting 
 was held, there was no fear of a jacket of tar and! 
 feathers, and there Dr. Cox supported a resolu- 
 tion, the preamble of which ran thus: — 'Where- 
 as the system of slavery is contrary to the law of 
 nature and the law of God, and is a violation of 
 ihe dearest rights of man, resolved, that the prin- 
 19* 
 
2*22 MEETING AT 
 
 ciplos of immediate abolition are derived from 
 the unerring Word of God, and that no political 
 circumstances whatever can exonerate Christians 
 from exerting all their moral influence for the 
 suppression of this heinous sin.' That utterly 
 annihilated his own letter in New York, and he 
 [Mr. T.] had some reason to believe that the 
 word political, was introduced as a reproof to the 
 doctor. The doctor had assigned three totally 
 djlferent reasons for not attending the meeting, 
 and his friends assigned a fourth. He had said 
 that ho did not attend at New York on account 
 of the political bearing of the question, with 
 Avhich, as a stranger, a foreigner, a visitor, he 
 could not attempt to intermeddle. There the 
 doctor made a grand attack upon him [Mr.'T.] — 
 there he set the mob upon him "[cries of Shame,] 
 -and justified all they had ever said about his be- 
 ing an intermedcller. (Loud applause.) The very 
 vilest papers in the Union had announced, on the 
 12th of Alay, that Dr. Cox would be at the anti- 
 slavery meeting ; and he (Mr. Tliompson) wish- 
 ed it to be known that it was only in the opposi- 
 tion papers, and not in those favorable to aboli- 
 tion, that the doctor's presence at the meeting 
 had been announced. They said that he could 
 not help being there, and yet he did help it. (A 
 laugh.) In New Hampshire the doctor assigned 
 a totally different reason, and said, that it appear- 
 ed that he could do more good in a private way. 
 iln his book, he said he did not go because he 
 should have been obliged to have spoken with 
 ■disapprobation of the measures of the anti-slave- 
 ry agent, and therefore he did not go. His 
 friends assigned a fourth reason, and said he did 
 not speak upon the question because he was not 
 -sent there for that purpose, and because, if he liad 
 
LONDON. ^23 
 
 spokon he v/ould have compromised the object 
 which lie went especially to promote. He (Mr, 
 T.) would like to know how these four reasons 
 could be blended into one, and made a sufficient 
 reason for Dr. Cox's non-attendance. But why 
 did he mention tiiose circumstances.^ In order 
 to justify himself from the vile calumnies which 
 the Dr's. book cast upon him. If he had not 
 been honest to Dr. Cox, would there have been a 
 single impugning of his (Mr. T's) measures.? He 
 trowed not. If Dr. Cox believed that he was 
 ' rolling back the cause,' it was his duty as a mem- 
 ber of the Committee which sent him out to write 
 home to that eftect ; it was his duty as a minister 
 of Christ, as a man, and as a countryman, to have 
 taken him aside, and told him of his faults. ''It 
 was still more his (Dr. Cox's) duty, when he (Mr. 
 T.) faced him before the Committee, to call for 
 an explanation of his conduct. He had the best 
 reason for pledging himself in America on behalf 
 of Dr. Cox before he arrived, and it was his duty 
 to denounce him as an abolitionist when he did 
 not attend the meeting. (Cheers.) Why shouM 
 Dr. Cox have been at the Anti-Slavery Meeting ? 
 Because he was a member of the British and For- 
 eign Society for the extinction of slavery and the 
 slave trade throughout the world ; because he 
 was a member of the Baptist denomination, and 
 the Baptist churches throughout the land had 
 been told that he was sent with all fidelity to 
 promote the sacred cause of negro emancipation ; 
 because he had solemnly pledged himself to do 
 all that he could, and had said, m the presence of 
 Ins ministerial brethren, that he was prepared to 
 go to the prison and to the gallows in the cause, 
 lie should have gone— because he was a man, 
 -and because he owed it to mankind to be there. 
 
234 MEETING AT 
 
 (Applause.) He, should have gone because he 
 ^va.a a Christian minister, and it was ijis duty to 
 rebuke the crying abomination of the land. To 
 take a jou-rraey of 3,000 miles to say, ' Plow d-o 
 yon do? I am very glad to see you-; very nice 
 wine ;; very niee n^ufton — [loud Inughter} — and 
 not to say a M'ord on behalf of the bleeding, suf- 
 fering, oprpressed slave, lest the heavenly-mind- 
 edpess of the r»eeting sbould be destroyed'} 
 (Cheers.) 'HeaveHly-ramdedness t* (said Mr. T.) 
 O that I could have brought all the chains and 
 whips in the United States around that ecclesias- 
 tical convention, and made them eelio and rattle 
 in tl*e ears of that 'heavenly-minded' assembly. 
 (Loud" and long continued cheers.)' Ha-rmony .'— - 
 harmony in sin. (Hear, hear.) Harmony ! — har- 
 mony depending upon silence in behalf of Good's 
 poor. (Hear, hear.) Harmony and union !— a 
 union for each other's destruction. Had Dr. CoX 
 gone to the meeting, laid his letter on the table, 
 commenced an aft'ectionate and faithful address 
 upon the subject, and had he been checked, and 
 gagged, and dismissed in the middle of the first 
 sentence, he would have retwrned to this country 
 with honor. (Immense cheering.) He called 
 upon th« people of England to set their face 
 henc«forth and for ever, against any mtin, no mat- 
 ter what his station or his talent, unless they 
 knew that he would unflinchingly lift up his voice 
 for the oppressed, (Cheers-.) It should not lie 
 owing to his negligence if either the Congrega- 
 tionalists or the Baptists ever sent out a tempori- 
 zing deputation to America again. Dr. Cox had 
 said that he had already stated his opinions on the 
 subject in England, and that ihey had reached 
 America. They were or they were not known 
 there. If they were known already, he had the- 
 
LONDON. 225 
 
 more reason to bo at the meeting^, to maintain Iiis 
 jcharacter as an anti-slavery man. On the 12th 
 •of May Dr. Cox and liimself v;ere coupled in ths 
 JVew York Inquirer, and the editor recommended 
 the citizens to give them a jacket of tar and 
 feathers ; and on the 13th out came the same pa- 
 per, with two columns — one column with the vi- 
 lest abuse ever penned, levelled at his (Mr. T's) 
 devoted head; and the other, the most fulsome 
 coiTtipliments ever bestowed on an individual. It 
 was his /(Mr. T's) honor to have the calumnies; 
 it was Dr. ■Cox's to iiave the compliments, 
 (Cheers.) How did he know that Dr. Cox had 
 served the cause of slavery ? Because he was 
 praised by every pro-slavery paper in America. 
 (Hear, hear.) How did he know that Dr. Reed 
 .iiad served the cause ? Because his book had 
 been quoted by all the pro-slavery papers in that 
 country. The vilest pro -sla-very papers had sung 
 Dr. Cox's praises throughout the land. Why 
 should Dr. Cox have been at the meeting ? Be- 
 cause the abolitionists of America Avere the 
 weaker party, and it would have been magnani- 
 mous to have been tiiere. (Hear, hear.) Dr. Cox 
 said very significantly, in one part of his book, 
 ' I found scarcely any of the influential Baptist 
 friends abolitionists.' He (Mr. T.) had no doubt 
 that there was a great deal of meaning there. M 
 was common of old to put this question--r' Have 
 any of the rulers believed on him.^' (Cheers. 
 Very much on a par with them was the quotation 
 from Dr. Cox. Had he found many of the influ- 
 ential Baptists among the abolitionists, no doubt 
 he would have found himself there. (Cheers.) But 
 during the whole time that he was in the United 
 States he never identified himself with them. 
 IJut he did mure. After having declined to be at 
 
226 MEETING AT 
 
 the meeting at New York and at Boston, and Iiail 
 supported the resolution which he (Mr. T.) liad 
 read, he (Dr. Cox) came down to Boston, the pro- 
 slavery party in that city got up a requisition to 
 the Mayor for a meeting to traduce tlie abolition- 
 ists, and tii.e most vile elements in the city were 
 put in motfon. On the day the meeting was to 
 be held the lending abolitionists were marketl 
 out for destruction, and were obliged to leave the 
 city with their wives and children, believing that 
 the speeches made on that day wouM lead to the 
 destruction of their houses at night. Ancf wh© 
 sat on the right hand of the eJjairmnn while the 
 speeches were made ? Dr. Cox. (Loud crifs of 
 * Shame,* and hisses.) Mr. Thompson inquired 
 whether those marks of disapprobatioi were di- 
 rected against the actor against him (Mr. T. ?) 
 (Cries of 'The act.') 
 
 The Rbv. Geo. Evaks inqiuired' on whak a6^- 
 thority Mr. Thom<psoH miade that statement ? 
 
 Mr. TiiaMPSON replied, — the book published 
 by Dr. Cox, in his account of the meeting at Fan- 
 oeil Hall. While Dr. Cox was sittings at the 
 right hand of the chairman, the Hon, Peleg 
 Sprague rose and made a speech. The '^viti.pc- 
 ration ' which he ^Mr. T.) had poured out on Dr. 
 Cox was compliment compared with the venom 
 Avhich he (Mr, S.) spewed forth upon our common 
 country. Dr. Cox sat by the side of the chair- 
 man ; ' but would I,' said Mr. Thompson, ' have 
 sat and beard it ? ' (Immense cheers.) No : but 
 I do not wonder that the man who dare not plead 
 the cause of the poor slave, dare not defend his 
 country. (Long-continued cheering.) The Hon. 
 Mr. Sprague, in the presence of the venerable 
 
London. 227 
 
 ?iinhor, Dr. Cox (a laugh,} pointed, in the course 
 of his speech, to the portrait of General Wash'- 
 ington, for the purpose ot sanctioning slavehold* 
 ing. Dr. Cox was there, but he uas not at the 
 anli-slnvory n^ieeting in New York. Why he 
 (iMr. T.) had been calumniated in thxit book, wa») 
 becaus'! he had had the faithfuhiess, in the Uni^ 
 ted States', l-o denounce that conduct. Was he 
 sorry for it? Noc he wouid repeat it again that 
 night. Jf a man could be eloquent on this side 
 of the water — if in Finsbury Chapel or Exeter 
 Hall, and amid admiring and applauding breth- 
 ren, 3,000 miles from the scene of slavery, he 
 could eloquently denounce the system, and when 
 he crossed to the shores where it was found, 
 could desert the cause, lie would desert him as a 
 coadjutor in the cause of abolition. (Immense 
 cheering.) Mr. Thompson compared the conduct 
 of Dr. Cox with that of a director of a Mission"- 
 ary Society going to visit a Missionary station^ 
 and when he arrived, being apprised of a Mis- 
 sionary meeting to be held there, but refusing to 
 attend it because he wa^ not expressly sent out 
 tor that purpose. He might go over other charge 
 PS, but he would not do so. He would leave the 
 Christian world to judge between himself ai)d 
 Dr. Cox. He would rather have broached this 
 suhject any where than at a public meeting, be- 
 cause he did not wish to make it a matter of pub- 
 lic animadversion. But Dr. Cox had made ev 
 parte stntenienis of a most injurious character. 
 He (Dr. C.) had put on record on the committee 
 books state m<?nts which he (Mr. T.) had been 
 obliged to contradict in toto. In fact, he was 
 chai^god with rolling back the cause; and there- 
 fore he owed it to the friends of England, Scot- 
 land, and Ireland, who were looking with intense 
 
228 MEETING AT 
 
 anxiety to every thing that was said and done or? 
 this subject, to vindicate his charncter, on public 
 grounds, from every thing contained in Dr. CoxV 
 book. (Cheers.) 
 
 He must notice one statement utterly at vari- 
 ance with the fact. In a letter which Dr. Cox 
 had published in the Patriot of Wednesday last, 
 he made the unqualified assertion, that he (Mr*^ 
 T.) was sent forth by three individuals. What 
 effect was that likely to produce in America be- 
 fore be could send his voice thither to counter- 
 act it ? It would be said that he (Mr. T.,) wha 
 Kad stated thathe represented thousands in Scot- 
 land and London, had, after all, been sent forth 
 by three individuals only. What was the fact? 
 It was his honor in 1830, to become the agent of 
 the Agency Anti-Slavery Society, and from that 
 fiour to the present moment, iiis connection witb 
 that Society had never been dissolved. (Lout^ 
 cheers.) 
 
 He was present when the Society took its ne\^ 
 same ; there was a full committee, and it was- 
 then that his mission was decided upon, and an- 
 appeal was made to the public on the ground of 
 that mission. How was it, then, that Dr. Cox 
 said, that he was sent by three individuals? 
 There was a little truth in it, and it was but a 
 little. Several meetings of the committee were 
 held, and were fully attended, nnd at last ho left 
 London, viffited Scotland, and then went to Liver- 
 pool for the purpose of cmbnrking for America,.- 
 At that juncture, news reached his countrv, that 
 there had been serious riots in Nev/ York; that 
 the house of Mr. Tappnn had been sacked, and- 
 the furniture burned by the mob, and that the col- 
 ored people had been persecuted to an unequal- 
 led extent. (Hear, hear.) S^verd of tl^e com-- 
 
LONDON. 229 
 
 mittee deemed it advisable to send him special 
 instructions, and to put Iiim on his guard against 
 mixing himself up with any party in America. A 
 special committee was summoned, but, from the 
 shortness of the notice, and the pressing engage- 
 ments of the members, only a quorum were able 
 to attend, and they sent special instructions by 
 Mr. Scoble, that they might be certain of reach- 
 ing him. Dr. Cox, on the day on which he 
 wrote the letter to the Pafnof, examined the min- 
 ute book, saw that meeting after meeting had 
 been held, that this was the last prior to his de- 
 parture, and then he wrote the unqualified asser- 
 tion that he was sent by three persons. [Cries 
 of 'Shame.'] He could appeal to those in that 
 assembly, whether he had not been sent by 3,000 
 ay, by 30,000. He had been travelling for six 
 months in England and Scotland, and wherever 
 he had gone, he had been freighted with the 
 blessings and the confidence of the abolitionists ; 
 and then America was told, through the medium 
 of the Patriot, that he had been sent forth by 
 three individuals. He would ask, was it just? — 
 was it truth ? [Cries of ' No, no.'] Was it Chris- 
 tianity ? [Cries of ' No, no.'] Here was an act 
 calculated to injure a man in his dearest place — 
 in his reputation. What should he call it? ' Do 
 not,' said Mr. T. ' let us call it at all. Let us 
 hope that he will repent and acknowledge it, 
 and I will be the first to say then, what I say 
 now, but with still greater emphasis — I freely 
 forgive you.' [Loud and long continued cheer- 
 ing.] There was another assertion of Dr. Cox's 
 to which he must advert. He stated in the Pat- 
 riot, (and he — Mr. T. — answered it because it 
 was there,) ' I was in the chair when Mr. Thomp- 
 son was giving in his report, by a kind of com- 
 23 
 
230 MEETING AT 
 
 pulsion.' What would the assembly think when 
 he [Mr. T.] told them, that Dr. Cox was invited 
 to take the chair in the committee while some pro 
 forma business was g-one through, and that the 
 moment it was done, the Dr. stated that he had a 
 question of privilege to bring forward? The 
 Secretary said, that as the Dr. was going to bring 
 on a question of privilege, he should quit the 
 chair. The Dr. chose to remain in it. His words 
 were — 'I think I can accomplish the business I 
 have to do, and retain the chair.' As the ques- 
 tion referred to some harsh expressions used by 
 a certain individual in a letter on Dr. Cox, the 
 person who was implicated rose and said, 'Do 
 you mean me to reply to the statement you are 
 making?' Dr. Cox replied in the affirmative. 
 And then the individual suggested the necessity 
 of the Dr. leaving the chair, that they might stand 
 on equal terms, and submit the whole matter to 
 the committee. But Dr. Cox, in the face of all 
 delicacy and good feeling, persisted in keeping 
 the chair. [' Sliame, shame.'] Yet Dr. Cox, in re- 
 plying to his [Mr. T's] statements, said he had 
 few opportunities of investigating his conduct, 
 because he was in the chair by a kind of compul- 
 sion. It was indeed 'a kind of compulsion.' He 
 [Mr. T.] should rather be inclined to call it 're- 
 pulsion.' [Loud laughter and cheers.] Mr. T. 
 then pressed upon the audience that a great work 
 remained yet to be accomplished. He had lately 
 called upon Daniel O'Connell, Esq., for the pur- 
 pose of introducing to him a gentleman from 
 America. Mr. O'Connell said he had made it 
 a rule never to see any person from that country 
 who was not a member of the Anti-Slave- 
 ry Society. [Immense cheering.] But in this 
 case, when he found who attended the gentle^ 
 
LONDON. 131 
 
 man, [Mr. Thompson,] he at once admitted him, 
 remaridng- that he knew what kind of man he was 
 from the company he kept. [Laughter and 
 cheers.] Mr. O'Connell had informed him [Mr. 
 T.] that the present Archbishop of Charleston 
 was a particular friend of his, and a gentleman 
 from that country had lately called upon him [Mr. 
 O'C] with an introduction from his friend. But 
 finding- that he was a slaveholder, he refused to 
 see him. [Deafening applause.] Not even an 
 introduction from the Archbishop of Charleston 
 would introduce a slaveholder to the hand, the 
 heart, the hearth of Daniel O'Connell. [Reiter- 
 ated cheers.] In conclusion, Mr. T. remarked, 
 that if Dr. Cox would express his regret at the 
 statements he had made, if a second edition of 
 his work should be called for, and he would ex- 
 punge the attacks which had been made upon his 
 character, and confess that he had been in error, 
 he [Mr. T.] should be glad, as Dr. Cox could be 
 desirous he should be, to give him the benefit of 
 any explanation, any concession, any contradic- 
 tion of the statements which he might choose to 
 make. But until that, he should feel it his duty 
 to take that book wherever he went, to counter- 
 act its influence, and justify his own measures, 
 [Loud cheers.] 
 
 E. Baldwin, Esq. said, he felt it due to Mr. 
 Thompson, that the meeting should express their 
 opinion with regard to that gentleman's conduct 
 in America. Without further preface he should 
 therefore move — 
 
 ' That having heard Mr. Thompson's justifica- 
 tion of the course he pursued in America, this 
 meeting is decidedly of opinion, that, in the per- 
 ilous position in which he was placed, and under 
 
132 MEETING AT 
 
 the circumstances of great difficulty and trial, he 
 fulfilled his duty as a man and a Christian, and is 
 deserving the commendation of every friend of 
 humanity.' 
 
 Judge Jeremy, in seconding the resolution, 
 hore his testimony to the able exertions of Mr. 
 Thompson in promoting the cause in which he 
 was engaged, and to the courageous manner in 
 which he had advocated those principles which 
 he liad ever maintained. He approved of the 
 resolution on this account, and also for another 
 reason, — that while it vindicated las friend [Mr. 
 T.] from the imputations which had been cast 
 upon him, it threw aspersions on no other party. 
 
 The resolution was then put, and carried by 
 acclamation. 
 
 Mr. Thompson briefly acknowledged the com- 
 pliment, and avowed his determination to perse- 
 vere in his efforts in this cause while God should 
 continue his life and strength. 
 
 The Rev. George Evans moved, and the Rev. 
 T. Price seconded a vote of thanks to the Chair- 
 man. 
 
 The Chairman returned thanks, and the meet- 
 ing separated. 
 
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR OF THE 
 LONDON PATRIOT. 
 
 Sir, — I wish, through you, to intimate to the British 
 public my deep conviction, in concurrence with that of 
 many others, that Mr. Thompson's procedure, in holding 
 meetings under the name of ' if^nti-Slavery Lectures,' for 
 the purpose of attacking my conduct in America, and the 
 publication I and my colleague have issued, is a most im- 
 pertinent interference, and a mean attempt to prejudice 
 the public mind. The platform may suit a mob orator, 
 and his self-degrading abettors, but truth and character 
 will ultimately prevail. As the statements that have been 
 given may probably (in part at least) pervade some of 
 your pages, and as I did not choose to come down to the 
 level of meetings so convened, I beg to assure my friends, 
 who may see uncontradicted and untenable representa- 
 tions, to keep in view that at the proper time, and by the 
 proper medium — the press, I pledge myself to the refuta- 
 tion of the calumnies which I undeistand to have been ut- 
 tered. 
 
 Yours, respectfully. 
 
 Hackney, May 81, 1836. F. A. COX. 
 
 Sir, — Allow me to insert in your columns a very brief 
 remark on two words used by Mr. Thompson in his letter, 
 which is headed ' Slavery in America,' in your paper of 
 May 23. 
 
234 MEETING AT 
 
 Mr Thompson states, that my version of his concluding 
 remarks, at the New York Abolition Meeting last year, is 
 an ' entire misrepresentation.' u t j 
 
 I had not seen vour paper of the above date when 1 ad- 
 dressed to Mr. Thompson a letter from Ledbury yester- 
 day, which I presume will be read by him at the nieeting 
 advertised for to-morrow, the 26th, and probably find its 
 way into your pages. Had I seen the above uncourteous 
 remark, 1 should certainly not have troubled myself to send 
 an auswer to his invitation. u- a 
 
 I have not designedly misrepresented any thing. As 
 Mr. Thompson stands pledged to prove such misrepresen- 
 tation ♦ from the book itself,' the public, of course, will 
 be enabled to decide. 
 
 It is a little singular that the proof sheet was at my 
 house when a mutual friend from America, a most deter- 
 mined Abolitionist, who was present at the meeting, was 
 visiting me. I expressed to him my doubt about one ex- 
 pression, and requested him to read what I had written. 
 He did so, and his reply immediately was, ' Oh, it is true 
 enough, there is no doubt but he said all that.' 
 I remain, your obedient servant, 
 Coleford, May 25, 1836. JAMES HOBY. 
 
 P. S. Perhaps I ought to add, that I nevertheless struck 
 out the expression on which I entertained a doubx. 
 
 Sir ,_At the extraordinary meeting held \x} Devonshire 
 square Chapel on last Thursday evening, some persons ap- 
 peared somewhat displeased with me, inasmuch as, when 
 Mr. Thompson slated that Dr. Cox had pledged himself, 
 ' in the midst of his brethren,' as to the hue ot conduct lie 
 would pursue on the subject of American slavery, I took 
 the liberty of asking, ' Where 1 ' Mr. Thompson refer- 
 red to the Rev. T. Price as his authority, and that gentle- 
 man stated that it was in a committee-meeting of the Bap- 
 tist Union, but he had forgotten where. 
 
 The minute-book of that Committee, Sn-, now lies be- 
 fore me, and I find that, from April 28,1834, when it was 
 "resolved to recommend to the Annual Meeting to send a 
 deputation to America, until the period of their departure, 
 fourteen meetings of the Committee were held, at one only 
 of which Mr. Price was present. This meeting was held 
 
LONDON. ^35 
 
 at * Stepney College, August 27, 3834, present— the Rev* 
 W. H. Murch, in the chair ; the Rev. Dr. Cox, the Rev. 
 Messrs. Price, Stovel, Thomas, Belcher, and the Rev. 
 Thomas Edmonds, A. M., of Cambridge, and the Rev. 
 S. Green, Jun., of Tiirapstone, as visitors.' Now, will 
 Mr. Price have the kindness to say whether the 'pledge * 
 was given at that meeting 1 Certainly nothing of the kind 
 can be learnt from the minutes. 
 
 I am. Sir, very truly yours, 
 
 JOSEPH BELCHER. 
 27, Paternoster-row, May 30, 1836. 
 
 Sir, — In Dr. Cox's reply to Mr. Thompson^ inserted 
 in your paper of the 25th, an allusion is obviously made to 
 myself, which I cannot permit to pass unnoticed. When 
 specifying his reasons for not meeting Mr. T., the doctor 
 remarks, ' I say nothing of the kindness or piety of the 
 parties who have j)repared the arena.' I have no dispo- 
 sition to car]) at the terms here employed. The doctor 
 was at liberty to select such as he pleased, though his vo- 
 cabulary might, possibly, have supplied others more per- 
 tinent and suitable. My object, Mr. Editor, is to state, 
 for the information of your readers, what Dr. Cox un- 
 doubtedly felt assured of, while penning this passage, that 
 I am the only person who had any thing to do with the 
 affair. I granted the use of the chapel to Mr. Thompson, 
 on my own responsibility, without consulting an individ- 
 ual, and am not now disposed to shrink from any of the 
 consequences which this step fairly involves. I am the 
 more desirous of this being known, because it has been in- 
 timated to one of my deacons, by a gentleman officially 
 connected with the doctor, that the granting of the place 
 to Mr. Thompson would be regarded as an act of hostility 
 on the part of the Devonshire-square church towards that 
 meeting in Mare-street, Hackney. INothing can be more 
 groundless or absurd than such an insinuation, as the above 
 statement must clearly show. 
 
 I granted the place to Mr. Thompson on public grounds, 
 for the delivery of a lecture on the character of American 
 Slavery, and the progress of the abolition cause in that 
 country, fully aware that these topics would, of necessity, 
 
 involve a reference to the part which had been acted by 
 
236 MEETING AT 
 
 the Baptist deputation. The only condition I requfrot^ 
 from Mr. T. was, that he should immediately announce 
 his intention to the two gentlemen constituting that depu- 
 tation, and proffer them an opportunity of replying to his 
 statements. To this he most cordially assented, stating 
 that it was perfectly coincident with hisown views of what 
 was right : I stood in a similar relation to both parties, 
 being a member of the Baptist Union from which the Drs. 
 Cox and Hoby had proceeded to America, and of the Brit- 
 ish and Foreign Abolition Society, by which Mr. Thomp- 
 son was sent to that country. I entertained an unfeigned 
 respect for all these gentlemen, and when I found that 
 there were points in dispute between them, affecting their 
 public character, and bearing directly on the interests ©f a 
 cause, to which, in my more healthful and vigorous days, 
 I had devoted my best energies, and when I knew that 
 these matters were already public, I felt assured, and I do 
 still feel assured, that it was alike due to Dr. Cox, to Mr. 
 Thompson, and to the noble-minded men whom God has 
 raised up on behalf of suffering humanity in America, to 
 give to the two parties a fair opportunity of stating their 
 case before the public and in the presence of each other. 
 I cheerfully granted my chapel to Mr, Thompson, and I 
 should have been equally ready to grant it to Dr. Cox on 
 the same condition. The interests of truth and righteous- 
 ness were never yet promoted by the concealment of facts 
 respecting the public proceedings of public men. Nor did 
 it once enter into my mind that Dr. C. would hesitate to 
 be present on such an occasion, as I had heard him prior 
 to the return of Mr. T. say, ' Mr. Thompson has threat- 
 ened me with a meeting at Exeter Hall; I am ready to 
 meet him there or elsewhere.' 
 
 Here, Mr. Editor, I should be glad to close my com- 
 munication ; but a regard to Mr, Thompson, and to the 
 Society which he represents, compels me very briefly to 
 advert to two or three very gross inaccuracies into which 
 the doctor has fallen. I am the more surprised at these in- 
 accuracies, as Dr. C, I am informed, called at Alderman- 
 bury only a few hours before drawing up his letter, and ex- 
 amined the minute-book of the Society. 
 
 1. Dr. Cox states that Mr. Tliompson was sent to 
 America by three persons. Here he is entirely mistaken, 
 as the slightest attention to the minute-book was sufficient 
 to have shown him. The Committee Meeting, to nvhich 
 
LONDON. 237 
 
 Dr. Cox refers, when only three persons were present, was 
 held alter Mr. T's departure from London for America. 
 He was then at Liverpool, waiting for a favorable wind, to 
 proceed on the Mission to which he had been invited by 
 the American Anti-Slavery Society. 
 
 The Scottish Abolition Societies had united with that 
 in London, in urging him to accept this invitation, and had 
 contributed liberally towards the expense which would be 
 involved. Mr. T's mission to the United States was con- 
 templated by the Society from the moment that its title 
 was changed from the Agency Anti-Slavery Society to that 
 of the British and Foreign Society, &c. I moved in the 
 Committee the adoption of the new title, and America 
 was at once fixed on as the first scene of our operations, 
 and Mr. T. as the agent who should carry out our plans. 
 The fact is. Dr. Cox has most strangely mistaken the ob- 
 ject of the Committee Meeting to which he refers, and 
 when three persons only were present. It was summoned 
 under the following circumstances : — After Mr. T. had 
 left for Liverpool, on his way to America, news arrived 
 of the destruction of the Chapels at New York. Mr. 
 George Stephen immediately called at Aldermanbury, and 
 entreated the Secretary to get a few members of the Com- 
 mittee together instantly, that additional instructions might 
 be drawn up for Mr. T. This was done, on the spur of 
 the moment; and three gentlemen met; and Mr. Scoble 
 ^vas sent to Liverpool by the speediest conveyance that 
 could be obtained. In confirmation of my statements, I 
 refer to Mr. Scoble, our esteemed Secretary, and to the 
 Minute-book of the Society, which, I am sure, he will 
 freely exhibit to any gentleman desiring satisfaction on 
 this point. 
 
 2. Mr. Thompson having referred to Dr. Cox's silence 
 at the special meeting of the anti-slavery committee, on the 
 16th of March last. Dr. C. replies, ' Mr. T. has not told 
 the public that I not only attended, but was, and that by a 
 kind of compulsion, placed in the chair. Perhaps this 
 concealment resembles that of my note at New York, un- 
 intentional and accidental.' The Doctor afterwards refers 
 to the delicacy of his situation as chairman, as one of the 
 circumstances which imposed silence on him. I was not 
 present at this committee, but having attentively examined 
 the minute-book, and having received a detailed account 
 of what passed, from the secretary, I am competent to say 
 that the facts of the case are simply these ; — 
 
238 MEETING AT LONDON. 
 
 When the committee met, there were but three or (bnr 
 gentlemen present. One and another excused himself 
 from taking the chair. Dr. Cox being requested to occu- 
 py it, remarked that he had a question of privilege to 
 bring on, which might render it inexpedient that he should 
 be in the chair. He was tlien asked to occupy it while 
 the pro forma business was transacted, by which time, it 
 was remarked, some other gentleman would arrive that 
 could take his place. He consented to this request — the 
 pro forma business was gone through, and the Doctor 
 being then asked by the secretary to vacate the chair, de- 
 clined to do so, stating, that he thought he could do more 
 justice to his views in his present situation. At a subse- 
 quent part of the proceedings of the committee, he was 
 again requested by the secretary to leave the chair, but 
 again declined. So much for Mr. Thompson's conceal- 
 ment, and the delicate situation of Dr. Cox. Here I 
 again appeal to Mr. Scoble and the minute-book. 
 
 3. Mr. T. having requested his readers to compare Dr. 
 Cox's version of the speech of the Rev. Baron Stow with, 
 the report of that speech in the New York ObserveF,.Dr, , 
 Cox replies, ' Well, let the reader compare,' &c. adding 
 ' Behold them, then in parallel columns.' 
 
 JNovv, Mr. Editor, would any of your readers imagine 
 otherwise than that the Doctor's report, taken from his 
 own book, and that of the New York Observer were here 
 before him, whole and entire 1 Such certainly was my 
 impression, and I cannot express my surprise, when, on 
 comparing them, I found that the Doctor had omitted the 
 two most material sentences from the report of the New 
 York Observer, merely remarking, ' He talked, it is true, 
 of an ' unpleasant blush,' and wished me to fill it up with 
 reasons for the omission,' &e. The sentences omitted are 
 the following, and formed the first and the last of Mr. 
 Stow's speech, which contained three others : — Mr. Stow 
 said, that in oflTering this resolution, he stood before the 
 society, in circumstances which mantled his cheek with a 
 most unpleasant blush. Let the gentleman himself fill it 
 up with reasons for the omission, that would be satisfac- 
 tory to himself, to his own country, and to his brethren 
 throughout the world.' Here, Mr. Editor, as in the for- 
 mer instance, I have to do with facts only; and no one 
 of your readers will be better pleased than myself to re~ 
 ceive a satisfactory explanation. THO. PRICEv 
 
 Finchley Common, May 28, 1836. 
 
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