SLAVE-TRADE. 



the fields, and the coUeftion of grafs for cattle. The lafl. 

 is the mod laborious and intolerable employment ; as the 

 grafs can only be coUefted blade by blade, and is to be 

 fetched frequently twice a day at a confiderable diftance 

 from the plantation. In thefe two occupations they are 

 jointly taken up, with no other interminion than that of 

 taking their fubliftence twice, till nine at night. They 

 then feparate for their refpettive huts, when they gather 

 fticks, prepare their fupper, and attend their famihes. 

 This employs them till midnight, when they go to rell. 

 Such is their daily way of life for rather more than half the 

 year. They are lixteen iiours, including two intervals at 

 meals, in the fervice of their mailers : they are employed 

 three afterwards in their own nccelFary concerns ; five only 

 remain for fleep, and their day is finifhed. 



During the remaining portion of the year, or the time of 

 crop, the nature, as well as the time, of their employment 

 is confiderably changed. The whole gang is generally di- 

 vided into two or three bodies. One of thefe, befides the 

 ordinary labour of the day, is kept in turn at the mills, that 

 are conitantly going, during the whole of the night. This 

 is a dreadful encroachment upon their time of relt, whicii 

 was before too fhort to permit them perfeftly to refrelh 

 their wearied limbs, and adf ually reduces their fleep, as long 

 as this feafon lails, to about three hours and an half a night, 

 upon a moderate computation. Thofe who can keep their 

 eyes open during their nightly labour, and are willing to refill 

 the drowfinefs that ia continually coming upon them, are 

 prefently worn out ; while fome of thofe, who are overcome, 

 and who feed the mill between fleeping and being awake, 

 fuffer, for thus obeying the calls of nature, by the lofs of 

 a limb ; a hand or arm being frequently ground ofl. In 

 this manner they go on, with little or no refpite from their 

 work, till the crop feafon is over, when the year (from the 

 time of our firft defcription) is completed. They are badly 

 clothed, and very fcantily fed ; and on fome plantations 

 treated with great feverity. 



The condition and treatment of the Africans are juftified 

 by the allcrtion, that they are an inferior link of the chain- 

 of nature, and made for flavery. Accordingly the inferi- 

 ority of their capacities has been urged, and alfo their in- 

 abihty for any mental exertions and attainments. But 

 inllances of genius and of improvement, and of (kill in tlie 

 mechanical arts, have been adduced, both among the ancients 

 and moderns, fufficient to refute this objeftion. Some have 

 inferred their inferiority in the fcale of nature, from their 

 colour. We refer thofe, who wilh to fee this argument dif- 

 cufTed, to Mr. Hume's Ellays, EIT. xxi. p. 222, note M ; 

 Dr. Beattie's ElTay on Truth ; and Clarkfon's EfTay, &c. 



Sir George Young and captain Thompfon, both of the 

 royal navy, and the reverend Mr. Newton, and furgeons 

 Falconbridge and Wilfon, who were fevcrally called upon 

 for their public tillimony on this fuhjeft, all declare, that 

 the capacities of the Africans are good ; and that they 

 would be equal, under equal advantages, to thofe of the 

 Europeans. 



Mr. Wadllrom, another of thofe examined, who travelled 

 on difcovery in Africa, by order of the king of Sweden, 

 afi'erts the fame thing ; for he fays, they are as capable of 

 improvement as the whiles. He found among them perfons 

 who could manufafture gold and iron. Others made cloth 

 and leather with ncatnefs, dyeing the former, and tanning 

 the latter. Others made indigo, fait, foap, and earthen- 

 ware, with confiderable (kill. He offered to produce dif- 

 ferent fpecimens of their work. 



This account of their capacity and manufafturc is corro- 

 borated by captain Wilfon of the royal navy, lieutenant 



Dalrymple of the army, and Mr. Kiernan, three other wit- 

 neffes, all of whom vifited the fame part of the coaft. 



Of their fenCbihty, feveral inllances occur in the evidence. 

 Mr. Wadllrom is convinced that they furpafs in affeftion 

 fuch of the Europeans as he has known, and that they are 

 honell and hofpitable. He has been among them without 

 fear, though alone, and was always treated by them with 

 civility and kindnefs. Captain Wilfon fays, that they are 

 grateful and alFeftionate ; that when he was many miles up 

 their country, alone and unprotefted, they treated him molt 

 kindly, vying with each other in entertaining him, and 

 fhedding tears at his departure. Captain Thomfon, before 

 mentioned, lieutenant Storey of the royal navy, lieutenant 

 Dahymple, Mr. How, the botanift, Mr. Towne, and 

 captain Hall of the merchants' fervice, concur in defcribing 

 them as harmlefs, friendly, hofpitable, juft and pundtual in 

 their dealings, and ns capable of virtuous aftions as the reft, 

 of mankind. Mr. Bowman, who refided among them as a 

 trader, found them good and honeft, friendly and hofpit- 

 able, indullrious, difpofed to trade, raiCng rice for fale. 

 They faid, they Ihould hke to trade with good white men, 

 and would foon raife more plantations of rice. Captain 

 Hills of the royal navy has feen them raifing provisions, 

 and drefling their corn. They appeared to him to poflcfs 

 great fenfibihty. Several of them fpoke good French and 

 Englilh. 



This is the charafter given of them by the witnefles now 

 mentioned. It is melancholy, however, to obferve, that 

 as they become acquainted with the European flave-traders, 

 their difpofition ieems to be changed ; and that they are 

 belt, where they have the lead intercourfe with the latter. 

 Lieutenant Storey tells us, they are more honell inland than 

 upon the coaft. Mr. Towne, who was three or four hun- 

 dred miles up the country, fays, the natives are hofpitable, 

 kind, and ready at learning languages ; that in the inland 

 country they are innocent, but, on the coaft, their inter- 

 courfe with Europeans has made them adepts in roguery, 

 and taught them to plunder, and pick up one another to fell. 

 Dr. Trotter, phyfician, fays, that they are fufceptible of 

 all the fecial virtues. He has known inllances of feehng 

 equal to thofe of any civilized people whatever, and has 

 feen no bad habits but among thofe engaged in trade with 

 white men. Captain Hall found cultivation in the higheft 

 Hate at i'crnandipo, where they had no trade in flavcs. Mr. 

 How, the botaiiilt, had been upon almoll every Britifh 

 fettlement, and always found the culture in a higher degree, 

 where there was but a little of the fiave-trade ; and jnll the 

 revcrfe, where it prevailed. The reverend Mr. Newton 

 fays, the bell people were thofe who had the leall intercourfe 

 with the Europeans ; and they were worfe, in proportion 

 to their acquaintance with us ; and when charged with a 

 crime, would fay, " Do you think I am a white man .'" 

 He lived alone among the Sherbro people in lafety. who 

 were friendly and civilized. Lieutenant Dalrymple dates, 

 that in natural capacity the Africans equal any people what- 

 ever. They arc humane, hofpitable, and well difpofed. 

 He apprehends, that if they had a proper market for their 

 produce, they would be as indullrious as any Europeans ; 

 for wiicre there was no fiave-trade, they were very induf- 

 trious, manufafturing cotton-cloth, working in gold, filver, 

 and iron, and alfo in wood and leather, making faddleSt 

 bow-cafes, fcabbards, and other articles. 



It appears from the above account, that the Africans are 

 perloiis of the like feelings as ourfelves; that they have the 

 fame intelleftnal powers, and the fame capability of im- 

 provement ; the fame fecial difpofitions, and the fame 

 moral qualifications ; but that they are more or lefs in- 

 Q 2 noccnt, 



