BOOK III. CHAP. III. 431 



mafters from higheft to loweft, and aflimilatcs their condition 

 nearer to that flate of fervihty under which they hvc themfelves. 

 But, in our iflands, the word liberty is in every one's mouth ; the 

 aliembHes refound with the clamour of, " hberty and property;" 

 and it is echoed back, by all ranks and degrees, in full chorus. The 

 Whites are nearly on a level ; and the lowed can find the way of 

 bringing the highefl to public juHice for any injury or oppreflion. 

 The Negroes here grow habitually fomiliar with the term ; and 

 have that objedl ever obvious to their fight, which is wholly with- 

 held from, or at lead but dimly fecn by, the French Blacks. To 

 the fame effeft is the remark of Montefquieu : " The multitude 

 " of flaves has different effefts in different governments. It is no 

 " grievance in a defpotic flate, where the political flavery of the 

 '* whole body takes away the fenfe of civil flavery. Thofe, who 

 " are called freemen, are in reality little more fo than they who 

 " do not come within that clafs. This makes it therefore a matter 

 '•• of indifference, whether, in fuch ffates, the (laves be few or nu- 

 " merous. But, in moderate flates, it is a point of the highefl: im- 

 " portance, that there fhould not be a great number of flaves. The 

 " political liberty of thofe flates adds to the value of civil liberty ; 

 " and he, who is deprived of the latter, is deprived alfo of the for- 

 " mer. He fees the happinefs of a fociety, of which he is not io 

 " much as a member: he fees the fecurity of others fenced in by 

 •' laws ; himfelf, without any protedion : he fees his mafter has a 

 " foul which can enlarge itfelf ; while his own is conflirained to 

 *' fubmit to a continual depreflion. Nothing more afllmilates a 

 " man to a beafl, than living among freemen ; himfelf a flave. 

 *' Such people as thefe are the natural enemies of the fociety } and 

 " their number muft be dangerous. It is not therefore to be won- 

 " dered at, that moderate governments have been fo frequently di- 

 " flurbed by revolts of flaves ; and that this lb feldom happens in 

 " defpotic flates !" 



It has been a matter of furprize to fome, that the Negroes in ' 

 our colonies do not increafc in that natural proportion \^h!cli is 

 obferved among mankind in other countries, and to a remarkable 

 degree among the Blacks of Afric. Some writers, perceiving the 

 large and continual importations made every year, and whicii are 



found 



