Notes on the Slave Trade , &c. J T may not be neceffary to repeat what has been fo fully declared in feveral modern publications, of the inconliftence of ilavery with every right of mankind, with every feeling of humanity, and every pre¬ cept of Christianity; nor to point out its in- confiftency with the welfare, peace and pro- fperity of every country, in proportion as it prevails; what grievious iulferings it brings on the poor Negroes; but more efpecially what a train of fatal vices it produces in their lordly oppreffors and their unhappy offspring. Neverthelefs for the fake of fome who have not met with, or fully confrdered thofe former publications, and in hopes that fome who are (till aftive in fupport of Slave¬ ry, may be induced to confider their ways, and become more wife, the following fub- ftance of an addrefs or expostulation made by a fenfible Author, to the feveral ranks of perfons molt immediately concerned in the trade, is now republiShed. “ And, firft, to the captains employed in this trade. Moft of you know the country of Guinea, perhaps now by your means, part of it is become a dreary uncultivated wilder- nefs; the inhabitants being murdered or car. ried away, fo that there are few left to till the ground; but you know, or have heard, how populous, how fruitful, how pleafant ( 2 } It was a few years ago. You know the peo¬ ple were not ftupid, not wanting in fenfe, confidering the few means of improvement they enjoyed. Neither did you find them favage, treacherous, or unkind to ftrangers. On the contrary they were in moll parts a fenfible and ingenious people; kind and friendly, and generally juft in their dealings. Such are the men whom you hire their own countrymen, to tear away from this lovely country; part by Health, part by force, part made captives in thofe wars which you raife dr foment on purpcfe. You have feen them torn away, children from their parents, pa¬ rents from their children: Hufbands from their wives, wives from their beloved huf- bands; brethren and filters from each other. You have dragged them who had never done you any wrong, perhaps in chains, from their native fhore. You have forced them into your fhips, like an herd of fwine, * them * The follmiing Relation it inferled at the requejl of the Author. “ That I may contribute all in my power towards “ the good of mankind, by infpiring any of its indi- “ viduals with a fuitable abkorence for that'deteflable " praftice of trading in our Fellow Creatures, and “ in fome meafure atone for my neglcA of duty as a " chrillian, in engaging in that wicked traffic, I offer " to their ferious confideration, fome few occurrences of which I was an eye witnefs. That being (truck " with the wretched and affefiing feene, they may foller that humane principle, which is the noble " and diftinguifhed charafterflic of man.” About ( 3 ) them who had fouls immortal as your own. You have flowed them together as clofe as ever they could lie, without any regard either to decency or conveniency-And when many of them had been poifoned by foul air, or had funk under various hard- fhips, you have feen their remains delivered to the deep , till the fea Jhoukl give up his dead. You have carried the furvivors into the vi- left llavery, never to end but with life: Such flavery as is not found among the Turks at Algiers, no, nor among the heathens in America. "dyr May About the Year 1749; I failed from Liverpool to the coalt of Guinea, lomelime after our arrival, L was ordered to go up the country a confiderable diftance, upon having notice from one of the Negro Kings, that he had a parcel of Slaves to difpofe of, I received try inftrudlions and v;cnt, carrying with me an account of fucIt goods we had on board, to exchange for the Slaves we intended to purchafe; upon being intro-* duced, I prefented him with a fmall cafe of Spirits, a Gun, and forne trifles, which having accepted, and underllood by an interpreter what goods we had, the next day was appointed for viewing the Slaves; we found about two hundred confined in one place. But here how (hall I relate the affecting fight I there be¬ held, the filent forrow which appeared in the coun¬ tenance of the afflifted father, and the painful anguifh of the tender mother, expedting to be forever feparated from their tender offspring; the diflreffed maid wring¬ ing her hands in prefage of Iter future wretchednefs, and the general cry of the innocent, from a fearful apprehenfion of the perpetual flavery to which they were doomed I purchafed eleven, who I condufted. tied two and two, to our (hip. Being but a fmall veffel (ninety ton) we foon purchafed cur cargo, con- 1 ^ filling, May I fpeak plainly to you? I mult. Love conftrains me: Love to you, as well, as thofe you are concerned with. Is there a God? You know there is. Is he a juft God? Then there muft be a iLite of retribution: A ftate where¬ in the juft God will reward every man accord¬ ing to his work. Then what reward will he render to you. 0 think betimes! before you drop into eternity: Think how, “ lie lhall “ have judgment without mercy, that fhew- “ ed no mercy.” Are you a man? Then you ftiould have a human heart. But have you indeed? What is your heart made of? door, at Sun-rife received a number of ladies, in this lituation he remain till Sun-fet, expofed to the infults and barbarity of the brutal crew of Sailors, with full leave to exercife their cruelty at pleafure : The confe- quence was, the next morning the miferable fufferer was found dead, dead from the flioulders to the waift. The next vidlim was a youth who, from too flrong a fenfe of his mifery refufed nourilhment and died diire- garded and unnoticed, till the hogs had fed on par; of his fleftt. ( 5 ) Is there no fuch principle as companion there? Do you never feel another’s pain? Have you no fympathy? No lenfe of human ■woe? No pity for the miferabler -When you law the flowing eyes, the heaving breaft, or the bleeding lides and tortured limbs of your fellow-creatures. Was you a ftone or a brute? Did you look upon them with the eyes of a tiger? When you fqueezed the agonizing creatures down in the fliip, or when you threw their poor mangled’ re¬ mains into the fea, had you no relenting ? Did not one tear drop from your "eye, one iigh cfcape from your breaft? Do you feel no relenting now? If you do not, you muft go on, till the meafure of your iniquities is full. Then will the great God deal with you, as you have dealt with them, and re¬ quire all their blood at your hands. And at that day it ihall be more tolerable for So¬ dom and Gomorrah than for you: But if your heart does relent; though in a fmall degree, know it is a call from the God of love. And to-day, if you hear his voice, harden not your heart—To-day rcfolve, God being your helper to efcape for vour life—Regard not money: All that a man hath will he give for his life. Whatever you lofe, lofe not your Soul; nothing can countervail that lofs. Immediately quit the horrid trade: At all events be an honeft T his equally concerns every merchant who is engaged in the Slave-trade. It is ( 6 ) you that induce the African villain to fell his countrymen; and in order thereto, to Heal, rob, murder men, women and children without number: By enabling the Englifli villain to pay him for fo doing; whom you over pay for his execrable labour. It is your money, that is the fpring of all, that impow- ers him to go on, fo that whatever he or the African does in this matter, is all your acl and deed. And is your confidence quite re¬ conciled to this ? Does it never reproach you at all? Has gold entirely blinded your eyes and llupified your heart? Can you fee, can you feel no harm therein? Is it doing as you would be done to? Make the cafe your own. “ Mailer! (faid a Slave at Liverpool to the “ merchant that owned him) what if fome “ of my countrymen were to come here, “ and take away my miftrefs, and inalter “ Tommy and mailer Billy, and carry them “ into our country and make them Haves, “ how would you like it?” His anfwer was worthy of a man: “ I will never buy a Have “ more while I live.” O let his refolution be yours! Have no more any part in this detcflable bufmefs. Inltantly leave it to thofe unfeeling wretches, “ Who laugh at K humanity and companion.” And this equally concerns every Perfon who. has an ellate in our American plantati¬ ons: Yea all Slave-holders of whatever rank and degree; feeing men buyers are exactly on a level with menftealers. . Indeed you fay, “ I pay honeltly for iny goods; and I am C 1 ) « not concerned to know how they arc cent poured upon the ground like water. Now it is your money that pays the mer¬ chant, and thro’ him the captain and African butchers. You therefore are guilty: Yea,prin¬ cipally guilty, of all thefe frauds, robberies, and murders. You are the fpring that puts all the reft in motion; they would not flir a ftep without you.-Therefore the blood of all thefe wretches, who die before their time, whether in their country or cite where, lies upon your head. The blood of thy brother, (tor whether thou wilt believe it or no, fuch he is in the fight of him that made him) crieth againft thee from the earth, from the (hip and from the waters. O! what ever it coft, put a flop to its cry, be¬ fore it be too late. Inftantly, at any price, were it the half of thy goods, deliver thyfelf from blood guiltinefs! Thy hands, thy bed. ( 8 ) thy furniture, thy houfe, thy land, are at prefent ftained with blood. Surely it is enough; accumulate no more guilt: Spill no more the blood of the innocent! Do not hire another to Hied blood 1 Do not pay him for doing it! Whether thou art a chriftian ' or no, (hew thyfelf a man; be not more favage than a lion or a bear. Perhaps thou wilt lay, “ I do not buy any “ negroes; I only ufe thofe left me by my “ father.” But is it enough to fatisfy your own confcience! Had your father, have you, has any man living, a right to ufe another as a (lave? It cannot be, even Petting revela¬ tion afide. It cannot be, that either war, or contract, can give any man, fuch a pro¬ perty in another as he has in his iheep and oxen: Much lefs is it poflible, that any child of man, Ihould ever be born a Have- Liberty is the right of every human crea¬ ture, as foon as he breathes the vital air. And no human law can deprive him of that right, which he derives from the law of nature. If therefore you have any regard to juftice, (to fay nothing of mercy, nor of the revealed law of God,) render unto all their due. Give liberty to whom liberty is due, that is to every child of man, to every partaker of human nature. Let none ferve you but by his own aft and deed, by his own voluntary choice. Away with whips, chains and all compulfion. Be gentle towards all men. And fee that you invariably do unto every one, as you would he (hould do unto