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numerous.

In this trade great improvements might be introduce d, were we properly to attend to, and encourage them. Confider the vaft continent of Africa, the extent of coaft within the limits of our trade by act of parliament, (from Port Sallee in Barbary, to the Cape of Good Hope, both inclufive) an extent of near three thousand leagues, most advantageously fituated for commerce, the inland parts rich in gold, and other very valuable commodities beyond description, watered with innumerable rivers navigable for many leagues up the country, the soil amazingly fruitful, and the people From a concurrence of fuch circumstances what advantages may not be expected? The French were fully fenfible of this, and in the year 1701 presented a memorial to their government wherein they alledge, “their West "India Iflands cannot fubfift, unless due encouragement " is given to the African trade;" in confequence of which they had many privileges granted them then, and a few years ago, the bounties and exemptions allowed to them for that trade were estimated very little fhort of 45,000l. annually. If France has deemed this trade of such importance to her, it must be of much greater to us, who may be said to fubfift only as a maritime power. In the name then of the British merchants trading to Africa, in the name of our country and colonies, let me humbly address the government to make this trade more the object of their attention; which in it's prefent ftate is productive of fo many advantages,

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* For the number of ships employed and other particulars, the Appendix is referred to, that the thread of the argument may not be broken by inserting them

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vantages, and is capable of great improvement, both by removing those difficulties, under which it at present labours, and by carrying into execution many plans that might be suggested. In what light then but in that of enemies to their country can we look on those, who, under the specious plea of establishing univerfal freedom, endeavour to strike at the root of this trade, the foundation of our commerce, the support of our colonies, the life of our navigation, and first cause of our national industry and riches? What vain pretence of liberty *can infatuate people to run into fo much licentiousness, as to affert a trade is unlawful, which custom immemorial, and various acts of parliament have ratified and given a fanction to? Could they fupport their enthusiastic arguments from fcripture, antient ufage, or the laws of the land, the African trade would foon be effectually ruined, for at present the richest adventurers in it are such men, as would scorn to be engaged in any purfuit, but what the laws of God and man would fully fanctify; and were this trade contrary

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in this part of the work; and indeed this being only a brief state of facts, (all which are or can be proved) and the Appendix containing most of those proofs, that will probably be the longeft of the two. See letter (A) in the Appendix.

* One of the French kings, through a fort of vanity peculiar to that nation, issued an edict, that throughout his realm the Franks, as free by name, should be all declared freemen yet the king of France remains a moft defpotic monarch, and his people the worst of flaves; and the legality of foreign flavery is admitted there, for by a law in France, no African flave can be imported without a fecurity of his being fent back again in two or three years at farthest. The last step we should be wife enough to follow: the firft our Gracious King can never take, as it implies a manifest abfurdity.

to thofe laws, were it even cruel or inhuman, near a million of money might be withdrawn from it in a short time, and a ftagnation of cash at home, and utter ruin in our colonies abroad must inevitably enfue.

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CHA P. II.

The LEGALITY of the AFRICAN TRADE.

N this head I fhall leave declamation to my opponents, w hofe caufe requires the florid force of oratory for one plain reason—because it has no truth to fupport it. They have indeed the fpecious, and I the invidious fide of the question: they attack the tender feelings of misinformed humanity; I appeal to strict juftice, arifing from cuftom immemorial and pofitive laws it were enough for me, were I totally to drop the confideration of justice, and apply to the law only as it now ftands, but I disclaim the one without the other, and to prove that neither have as yet abolished the idea of flavery, or established that of univerfal freedom, in a fummary way I shall barely ftate plain facts and argue from them.

The earliest ages had their * flaves, both taken in war and purchased with money, and it has been the universal practice of not only every barbarous but every civilized nation. By the law of Moses the Ifraelites might purchase slaves from the heathens, and even their own people might become slaves

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*For a more ample difcuffion of this, fee the Appendix letter B. where Mercator's letters, and obfervations on them are inferted, as they would take up too much room here.

to their brethren.

The Gibeonites who gained a promife of peace, and obtained a league by craft from the princes of the congregation, were yet configned to perpetual slavery, and made "hewers of wood, and drawers of water "unto all the congregation," in which state they continued until the total deftruction of Jerufalem.

Jefus Chrift, the faviour of mankind and founder of our religion, left the moral laws and civil rights of mankind on their old foundations: his kingdom was not of this world, nor did he interfere with national laws: he did not repeal that of flaves, nor affert an univerfal freedom, except from fin: with him bond or free were accepted, if they behaved righteously. In the year of Chrift 692, the laws of flaves were fettled on the foundation of the holy fcriptures by Ina, king of the Weft Saxons, from which people's rights we now claim, and enjoy feveral privileges, as Gavelkind in Kent, &c. confirmed by William the Conqueror. Mahomet, the false prophet, and establisher of as false a religion, was the first who enfranchised flaves with a political view of drawing them over to his party. From the earlieft accounts of our own country, there were flaves here; from the time of the Druids, who, according to the customs of the ancient Gauls, fometimes facrificed them to their God Woden, to the landing of the Romans, who are faid to have worn out the hands and bodies of the Britons, with clearing the woods and embanking the marfhes: then again under the

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See Cambden's Britannia, and Brown's pofthumous works.

Saxon

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Saxon feudal tenures, which were of the feverest kind, to the time of William the Conqueror, who introduced the Norman feudal fyftem, which was of a milder nature; as, from a century before that time to the year 1318, charters granted to settlers in cities, and power created by wealth gained by commerce, tended to bring mankind to a nearer equality; but still there was no formal interpofition of the legiflature to prohibit perfonal servitude ; and both at, and ever fince that time, even English fubjects by their feudal tenures were still flaves by the laws of England, till 12 Car. II. c. 24: which fhews that the laws concerning free British subjects did not confider even our native flaves for their object and if they did not, it follows of course, that no laws, either before or fince that time, can confider foreign flaves as their object; because as they are not exprefly named in any part of our ftatute laws, any more than our own native flaves were in thofe laws, which concerned the free British subjects, they therefore furely cannot claim being included; as, in that cafe, they would enjoy rights fuperior to thofe of any natural born British subject.

There does not at prefent, in any one country of the world, exift a law that abolishes flavery, or declares the neceffity of univerfal freedom and in our own country, which we boast to be the seat of freedom, two of the greatest lawyers we have had, gave their opinion, that "flaves do not in the leaft alter their fituation or ftate, "either by being chriftencd, or coming into England.”

See Robertson's Progress of Society, Hume, &c.

The

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