THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 393 



On the eaftern fide of the peninfula of Africa, many thou- 

 fand flaves are fold to Afia, perfectly in the fame manner 

 as thofe on the well fide are fent to the Weft Indies; but no 

 one, that ever I heard, has as yet opened his mouth againft 

 the fale of Africans to the Eaft Indies ; and yet there is an 

 aggravation in this lafl fale of Haves that mould touch us 

 much more than the other, where no fuch additional grie- 

 vance can be pretended. The flaves fold into Afia are moft 

 of them Chriftians; they are fold to Mahometans, and, with 

 their liberty, they are certainly deprived of their religion like- 

 wife. But the treatment of the Afiatics being much 

 more humane than what the Africans, fold to the Weft 

 Indies, meet with, no clamour has yet been raifed againft 

 this commerce in Afia, becaufe its only bad confequence is 

 apoftacy; a proof to me that religion has no part in the pre- 

 fent difpute, or, as I have faid, it is the abufe that accident- 

 ally follows the purchafing of flaves, not the trade itfelf, that 

 fliould be confidered as the grievance. 



It is plain from all hiftory, that two abominable prac-^ 

 tices, the one the eating of men, the other of facrificing 

 them to the devil, prevailed all over Africa. The India 

 trade, as we have feen in very early ages, firft eftablifhed 

 the buying and felling of flaves; fince that time, the eating 

 of men, or facrificing them, has fo greatly decreafed on the 

 eaftern fide of the peninfula, that now we fcarcely hear of 

 an inftance of either of thefe that can be properly vouched. 

 On the weftern part, towards the Atlantic Ocean, where the 

 fale of flaves began a considerable time later, after the 

 difcovery of America and the Weft Indies, both of thefe hor- 

 rid practices are, as it were, general, though, I am told, lefs 

 fo to the northward fince that event. 



Vol. L r D. These 



