BOOK III. CHAP. II. 399 



Lindc or a Macbride. The African merchants will, for their own 

 fakes, adopt every expedient that may conduce to the good health and 

 condition of thefc cargoes [/] ; but even with the utmoft care it may 

 liappen, that an epidemic difeafe may break out during the paflagc; 

 probably the fmall-pox or fluxes. Accidents of this nature cannot be 

 totally excluded; and it is fome fatisfa6i:ion to refleft, even in this cafe, 

 that nioft, or all of the poor wretches, if it were not for the trade, 

 would have met with an untimely and more painful end in their own 

 country; it is better furely, that a few fliould perifh by fuch cafualties, 

 than that all fhould die by the hand of an executioner. That in the 

 native Africans fide of Negroes to our fliipping, various frauds have 

 been committed, and perfons Improperly and unjuflly fold; that mer- 

 chants of ihips have been inhuman; that planters have been wantonly 

 cruel, may be fuppcfed from the enormity ot crimes feen every day in 

 the moft civilized flates. To thefe abufcs, efficacious remedies fliould be 

 applied ; and the African merchants will own the higheft obligations 

 to government, if by falutary laws it can alleviate any dlftreiles fuf- 

 fered by thofe, whofe labour fupports our colonies, and enriches oui 

 mother country. But, to fay the truth, it muft be confeflcd, that 

 the difference between the condition of the Negroes in general in 

 Africa, and in our colonies, is fo great, and fo much happier in our 

 'colonies, that they themfelves are very fenfible of it. I once interro- 

 gated a Negroe, who had lived fcveral years in Jamaica, on this fub- 

 je<5l. 1 aiked him if he had no defire of re-viliting his native country? 



[/] The benefit of ventilators in tranfport rtiips has been found very great. In a Liverpool 

 iliip which had ventilators, not one ot Soo flavcs died, except only a child, born in the voyage; 

 but ill leveral other flave fliips without ventilators, there died 30, 40, ^o, or 60 in a fliip. 



Capt. Thoir.pfon, of iheSuccefs tranfpoir, with 200 preJJcJ mai, delivered out of gaol with dif- 

 tenipers on them, were all landed fate in Georgia (1749), though they had been detained near a 

 twelveniontli on boai'd ; which ««£■(>/»«»« good lack the captain attributed to his ventilators. 



Capt. Crammond, with 392 Haves bound to Buenos Ayres, carried all of them fafe by the fame 

 means, except \2 onlv, who were ill with a flux when they came on board. lu the) ear lyjfj,- 

 ventilators being put on board the French vcHels in the flavc trade at Bourdeaux,. it was tound that 

 by the ufe of theiu, inilead of one-fourth lofs in long pafiages from Africa to (lieir plantation,-;, the 

 lofs feldom exceeded' a twentieth ; and one veflel faved 308 out of 3 : z (hues, in fpight of moll te- 

 dious- calms, -and a lingering paflhge. So in. the Nova Scotia tranfport (liips, 12 to ' i more \» ere 

 . found 10 die in.unvcntilatcd than in ventilated iliips, JLiks, en /"ait-Litors. 



Thefe'examples will prove, that the ftiip cHir.ers of both nations. have nor been wanting in the 

 exerciTe of means for preferving the lives and health of the flaves Iranfported from Africa; but it 

 rapperif* obvious, thatEnglifir convids and recruits fcnr over the water were fnbjecl to equal morta- 

 lityi- till the^ like means v.'cre nfed tor their prefervation. 



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