of the price for which he will fell, and where he knows the Judge, who is to prefide, has himself an intereft in the conviction. In corroboration of these reasonings, we have again the teftimony of the Historians of Africa; and we may trace the laws, which were originally mild, gradually growing more and more fevere, in proportion to the predominance of the Slave Trade. Mr. Moore, an author of credit, and himself seven years Factor to the African Company, fays, "Since this Trade has been used, all punishments are changed "into Slavery; there being an advantage in fuch condemna❝tion, they strain the crimes very hard, in order to get the "benefit of selling the criminal. Not only murder, theft, and "adultery are punished by felling the criminal for a Slave, but "every trifling crime is punished in the fame manner." This, and many other inftances of a fimilar fort, will be found in the compilation already referred to.

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Nor do we leave it to the Natives of this devoted country to commit merely on each other these acts of depredation! Many are the acts of violence perpetrated immediately by the Europeans themselves. Many, many are the inftances of this kind recorded in the courfe of our voluminous Evidence; and if there had been any doubt of the existence of fuch practices, they have been confirmed paft a doubt by fome late tranfactions. which, much as I wish to avoid detail, I feel it my duty briefly to relate to the Committee; the rather because they are mafter-pieces in their kind, and furnish a complete specimen of the various enormities that attend this detefted fyftem.

Some Gentlemen will perhaps recollect, that in the year 1789, I ftated to the House a curious incident that had paffed in the neighbourhood of the River Cameroons, whence the Master of a Liverpool fhip, of the name of Bibby, fraudulently carried off thirty-two relations of one of the Chiefs of the country, who had been put on board as pledges for goods. The enormity of the proceeding excited the utmost indignation in the Governor of one of our Weft India Islands, who complained of the outrage in the ftrongest terms, and spoke

in the language of a man who expreffed himself the more vehemently from having long fmothered his indignation. Scarce had this scene paffed at the Cameroons, when another fucceeded of a nature ftill more fhocking. Early in the year 1790, the Captain of an Englifh fhip, which had long been lying in that River, having already difpatched one cargo of Slaves, by an attendant veffel, to the Weft Indies, happening one day to fend two or three men to get water, a Black Slave, who was along with them, was feized by a native Trader on the ground of the ship's owing him goods to the value of a Slave or two. It cannot be expected that the Captains of Slave Ships will be men of peculiar mildness in resenting injuries the revenge however of the Captain in this inftance was really an effort of genius, and muft appear fomewhat fingular to Gentlemen lefs acquainted than myself with the habits of the Slave Trade. In the evening he called all the healthy part of his crew on deck, and ordered them to ftrip and blacken their bodies all over, putting a piece of cloth round their loins, that they might appear like the natives of the country. They fhewed fome backwardness; but being threatened to be fhot through the head if they refused, they reluctantly complied. Thus accoutred, and being armed with mufquets and cutlaffes, the Captain himself, blackened like the reft, and breathing implacable revenge, led them forth, about midnight, to the execution of his purpose. They foon reached the dwelling of the unfortunate Trader: they fired upon his wretched family; three of his children were killed on the fpot; the man and his wife were defperately wounded;, the former died as they were dragging him down to the boat, the latter half an hour after fhe was on board the ship.The ftate of fociety in Africa is fuch as to produce universal watchfulness; the Trader had no fooner heard the noife of a party of men at his door, than he beat his drum: this, with the report of the mufquets, alarmed the neighbourhood, and it was with difficulty the Captain and his party escaped to the ship, several of them being feverely wounded, and one afterwards dying of the injury he had received.

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I do not know that there is any one part of this whole tranfaction more curious than what I am next to relate, or that tends to prove more indifputably that fuch fcenes as I have been describing are confidered as common ordinary tranfactions. The Captain does not feem to have expected reprifa's; his trade appears to have fuffered no interruption, and he continued there for feveral weeks after in a ftate of quiet and compofure. But, Sir, Africans are men, and they have the feelings of men. All this while the fire was not extinct, it only flumbered, and was foon to break forth. In this part of the ftory alfo there is much well worthy of notice. Several weeks afterwards, one of the Chieftains came on board to pay a friendly vifit, and borrow fome cutlaffes and mufquets, alleging the natural pretext, that he was going up into the country to make war, in order to get Slaves, and that the Captain fhould have half of the booty. The request was fo reafonable, that it could not be refused; any lurking fufpicion that might have been entertained of his vifit's being hoftile was done away, and he was readily furnished with what he required: indeed it would have argued the Captain's being very inattentive to the intereft of his employers if he had failed to comply with fo reasonable, so customary a requifition. Now, Sir, I dare fay, whatever credit Gentlemen may be difpofed to give me for the ground-work of the ftory, they conceive thefe at least are merely my own comments! But aftonifhing as it may feem, this is almoft in terms the Captain's own account. So dead and callous does this trade render thofe who are engaged in it to every fentiment of perfonal danger and perfonal character; they have fo forgotten the impreffions fuch tranfactions muft once have produced in themfelves; and are fo loft to the sense of the feelings they muft ftill excite in others, that the Captain himself, in a Protest he afterwards drew up on account of the lofs of the fhip, ftated, that the Chieftain came on board under pretence of borrowing fome arms, as he was going up into the country to trade, and that he furnished him with mufquets and cutlaffes, having often lent him arms before.

He

He feems not to apprehend it poffible that any other blame could attach on him than that of an improvident expenditure of ftores, and with all the folicitude of a man intent to preserve his commercial character unimpeached, he is only anxious to exculpate himself from this imputation. Is it poffible for any thing to furnish a more striking exemplification of the principles and nature and mode of conducting the Slave Trade! The Chieftain and his party perceiving the general ftate of things favourable to their defign, (all the healthy part of the crew being abfent on fhore) and having thus put the Captain off his guard, fuddenly feized him, and threw him overboard, haled him into their canoe, and hurried him to land; where a party of the Natives, who had been lying in ambush for the purpose, immediately surprised that part of the crew before spoken of. You doubtless expect to be told that they were all forthwith murdered by thefe favage Africans: No fuch thing; they only desired the Captain to give them an order for goods on the veffel, with which he was obliged to comply. Now then at least you are prepared to hear that they proceeded to fatiate their revenge; and if this might seem fomething like bad faith, confidering the ranfom had been paid, the Captain himself had fet them the example: for on the night before he had fallied forth in the execution of his bloody enterprise he had drawn the black Chieftain on board by a friendly invitation, and had detained him as a pledge for his own fafety. But, Sir, thefe barbarians are not yet so improved as ourselves in cruelty and treachery: they set the Captain and his men free without injury, and sent them back to tell the world how much they come behind us in fraud, and outdo us in humanity and honour.

There is nothing more ftriking to my own mind, (I do not know if it may produce the fame impreffion on the Committee) than the way in which this transaction came out. It was indeed on a trial in a British Court of Juftice! But was it a trial for piracy or murder? No, Sir: on a mere civil fuit, inftituted for wages on the part of fome of the poor feamen,

who, fick and difabled, as I have before mentioned, having been obliged to quit the fhip, because the Natives threatened to fet fire to her, and put them to death after they had taken the Captain and healthy part of the crew, were refufed by the owners this wretched compenfation for all their danger and fufferings. Glad am I to fay they obtained a verdict. I beg the Committee will bear in mind the whole of this tranfaction, which fhews (if any thing can fhew it) the dreadful nature of the Slave Trade; its cruelty, its perfidy, its effects in Africa, and on the minds of those who carry it on ; but that to which I particularly wifh to point your attention, is the nature of the Chieftain's application, coupled with the Captain's declaration, that he had often given them fire-arms before, whence you may collect, that these ravages are cuftomary things, the regular mode of doing bufinefs in the Slave Trade. Remember too, that thefe tranfactions were carrying on at the very time our inquiry was going forward, and whilst our Opponent's witnefles were ftrenuously denying not only the actual, but even the poffible, exiftence of any fuch depredations.

There is however another inftance yet behind, which in fome refpects furpaffes in enormity even that I have juft now ftated. Gentlemen may perhaps recollect some instances in our Evidence wherein, when the Natives have perfifted in afking too much for their Slaves, a Captain has fired on their towns, and used other compulsory means to bring them down to more reasonable terms. If a few lives fhould be loft in this mode of adjufting the bargain, it does not much fignify; human life is appreciated but at a low rate in Africa.

Now, Sir, it will astonish the Houfe to hear of a recent tranfaction of this fort, exceeding all former ones in magnitude and enormity. This happened no longer ago than last August, after all our arguments and difcuffions, when, if ever, you would think the Slave Captains would have been on their good behaviour. Six British fhips, three belonging to Liverpool, three to Bristol, were anchored off the Town of Calabar. Gentlemen will recollect the place,-it was the scene of a dreadful maffacre about twenty years before. The Captains

of