118 . STATISTICAL ACCOUNT OF THE 



employed to tame the disobedient slave, angrily to say; 

 ** Damn you, I'll sell you to a black." 



If in imitation of those pious Spanish brotherhoods, who 

 collected funds for the ransom of captives, Mr. Wilberforce, 

 and his fellow-friends of humanity, were to form societies for 

 the redemption of slaves, they would soon find it to be a duty 

 to expend their treasure on the coast of Africa, There, 

 languish the most unfortunate of the venal negroes. There,* 

 ought to be exerted the first efforts of their far-aimed benefi- 

 cence. They would select, for priority of emancipatioDy 

 those, who are likely to live longest and to sufi'er most. The 

 aged have something of habit that extenuates their woes, and 

 something of prejudice against the very remedy. Women 

 every where incur a mitigated oppression. The feelings of 

 lust are akin to kindness, and always operate in alleviation of 

 exactions. The young and the male therefore ought prefer- 

 ably to be bought loose. 



fh:-v 



Men can be had cheapest where they are worst off. HenG&r 

 the Liverpool merchants, from motives of a more natural and? 

 more worldly kind than could influence a WilberfoTce, ^ dk^ 

 thus employ, on the African coast, in the pxirchase of young" 

 males chiefly, a larger fund than would be collected for tb^ 

 same purpose by the utmost zeal of christian charity. They* 

 redeem annually 36,000 slaves. iuun^j^/.a, i.;ai 



