A. D, 1788. 143 



times taken a fevere, but juft, revenge. In the year 1787 tliree Englifli 

 vefl'els were cut off by the natives in the River Gambia, and almoft all 

 their crevps put to death, in revenge for one of them faihng away with 

 fome free Negroes. And, not long after, five captains of Have veffels 

 were feized in Camaroon's river by the natives, v^ho were fo moderate 

 as only to keep them in confinement till the retiirn of one of their vef- 

 fels, which they fent to the Weft-Indies to bring back thirty free Ne- 

 groes, the fons and daughters of the principal people of the place, ftolen 

 by another Having captain ; by which fpirited condud:, and the proper 

 exertion of Governor Parry of Barbados, tlae kidnapped Negroes were 

 reftored to their friends. 



Such are the means, according to the accounts of the greateft num- 

 ber of the gentlemen examined by the committee, v^'hereby Negroes 

 become flaves. But feveral Have-merchants and Having captains de- 

 clared, that the criminal trials in Africa are conduded in the moft 

 equitable nianner, fo that none are condemned to Havery without hav- 

 ing deferved puniflmient ; and that there is no fuch thing as breaking 

 up villages for the fake of making the. people flaves, except in cafes of 

 rebellion or refiftance againfl the king. It may, how^ever, be prefumed, 

 that the king himfelf is the only judge of the dimes of rebellion and 

 refiftance, and that the arrival of a Have fliip has a powerful influence 

 upon his decifion. Some of thefe gentlemen, indeed, acknowlcged, 

 that whole families are enflaved on the pretence ef one individual being 

 guilty of the im.aginary crime of witchcraft. And they argued, that it 

 was not too much to fuppofe that the whole of the flaves carried off 

 from Africa were condemned criminals, feeing that this comparatively 

 fmall country produces about two thoufand criminals annually*. 



Sir George Yonge, a captain in the navy, and Mr. Poplett, an oflGcer 

 in the African corps, were of opinion that an European colony, pru- 

 dently eftablifhed on the coaft of Africa, would in time induce the na- 

 tives to cultivate produce for fale. And Mr. Guftavus Vafil^, late com.- 

 miflary for the African fettlement, in a letter to Lord Hawkeftjury, 

 favs, that Africa, if the flave trade were aboliflied, would become a 

 market for BritiHi manufactures fuperior to all Europe. ' Europe' he 

 obferves, ' contains one hundred and twenty millions of inhabitants. 

 *■ Query, how many millions doth Africa contain ? Suppofing the Afri- 

 ' cans, colledively and individually, to expend five pounds a head in 

 ' raiment and furniture yearly when civilized, &c.' — an immenfity be- 



* If this mode of calculation (which is taken from rd. 1799]] how many will all the towns in Great 



Long's Hiftory of Jamaica) were adopted in a Britain furnilh : — There is great reafon to believe, 



comparifon of London with the reft ot Great Bri- that Africa is as much more free from crimes than 



tain, the number of criminals would turn out a valt Great Britain, as ihe reft of Great Britain is more 



deal more than 2,000. The calculator might fay, free than London, the general rendezvous of a 



If London furniihes 2,67^ criminals in a year, \_fee great proportion of the bell and the worft peopjc 



Co'iiubour^ s Treaitfc on the police, Tabic at p. 43 1, in the kingdom. 



