IMPOLICY OF THE SLAVE-TRADE. 



301 



writer speaks of slavery, and of the trade in these 

 terms. A Portuguese writer of much reputa- 

 tion among his countrymen, says, " If we have 

 never feared the power of the government, 

 neither ought we to hesitate in combating the 

 erroneous opinions of the people ; confident that 

 although he who opposes himself to the pre- 

 judices of a nation, renders his name odious, 

 still he may be quite certain that posterity will 

 do him justice." * Another Journal of equal 

 reputation states, that " it is a great evil for the 

 chief strength of an empire to consist in the 

 number of its slaves ; and if Brazil had once 

 reflected, that each negro which she exports 

 from Africa, is necessarily an enemy whom she 

 is nurturing, she would perhaps not have dared 

 to employ them at all ; or at any rate she would 

 have made use of them in smaller numbers." f 

 I hope that other individuals of the same nation 

 will see the subject in the same light, and will 

 give their assistance in leading their country- 

 men to a knowledge of the equity, humanity, 

 and good policy of abolishing this detestable 

 traffic. 



The ruin of Brazil is predicted, the decay of 

 its agriculture and of its commerce are sup- 

 posed to be inevitable from the want of labourers, 

 if the trade is prohibited. This is generally 



* Correio Braziliense for December 1815, p. 735. 

 f Investigador Portuguez tor June 1816, p. 496. 



