34 pelillon of the Jhnrh . 'July \\. 



]y of la Fontaine ought to be exempt for tlie future of all 

 taxes and imposts j all the intendants of Soifsons have 

 -*ince made it an honour to confirm that favour. 



The Petition of the Shark's of Africa. 



The following jeu d'esprit deserves to be preserved, both on sccount of 

 the delicacy of the satire it conveys, and the elegance of its composi- 

 tion. 



For the sike of our foreign readers, it may be proper briefly to mention, 

 that, ("or more than three years past, the abolicionof the sl.we trade, car- 

 ried on from the coast of Africa to the West India islands, by Britifh 

 subjects, has been warmly agitated in the parliament of Britain : That 

 a committee of the House of Commons was appointed to examine wit- 

 nefses on that head, who having sat long, during two succefsive srfsions 

 of parliament, .and collected a great body of evidence, the same was 

 printed for the information of themembers. But as this consisted of a 

 Jarge volume in folio, an abridgement of the whole was made and 

 printed, also for the use of the members. Several abridgements of this 

 abridgement were afterwards made and published. These were sent 

 through every partof the nation ; and the people, in g^-neral, having read 

 these publications, warmly espoused the partof the abolition. Petitions 

 were presented to parliair.ent from almost every description of men in the 

 kingdom, praying that this traffic, which they deemed a disgrace to hu- 

 manity, and a reproach to the name of Christians, might be aboliihed. 

 The House of Commons having taken these petitions into consideration, 

 came, in a committee of the whole house, during the present sefsion of 

 parliament, to a resolution, that the slave trade was improper to be con- 

 tinued, but that, on account of certain considerations of expediency, it 

 ought only to be gradually abolifhed. A law to this effect was pafsed,' 

 permitting the trade, under certain limitations, to be carried on till the ' 

 ist of January 1796, after which time it ftquld be totally prhohibited. 

 When this bill was carried to the House of Peers, they found it \ as not^ 

 consistent with the dignity ot that house to admit of any evidence that 

 had not been taken at their own bar; and of course they went once more 

 into the examination ofwitnefses; and as this examination coyld not be 

 dosed during the prescjit sefsion of parliaMcnt, the bill is necefsarily 

 lost for the present year. The allusions to these circumstances in this 

 little performance will be easily perceived by evc.y reader. 



