330 
HISTORY OF THE [book. iy. 
voyage, as frequently happens, every refreshment 
that the country affords, as cocoa-nuts, oranges, 
limes, and other fruits, with vegetables of all sorts, 
are distributed among them; and refreshments of 
the same kind are freely allowed them at the place 
of their destination, between the days of arrival 
and sale. 
From this account, which is confirmed by the 
testimony of a great number of respectable men, 
many of whom were wholly disinterested in the 
question, and could therefore have no motive to vi¬ 
olate or suppress the truth, it may be supposed, 
that every scheme which can easily be devised to 
preserve the negroes in health, cleanliness, and 
cheerfulness, is adopted in the voyage. So dread¬ 
ful, notwithstanding, has been the mortality in se¬ 
veral ships, wherein these precautions were used, as 
to evince, beyond all contradiction, that there was 
something in those instances intrinsically wrong; 
and it cannot be doubted, that the mischief has 
been ascribed to its proper cause, namely, the 
criminal rapaciousness of many of the ship masters 
in purchasing more negroes than their accommoda¬ 
tions are calculated to convey. It appeared in evi¬ 
dence before the house of commons, that a ship of 
240 tons would frequently be crowded with no less 
than 520 slaves; which was not allowing ten inches 
of room to each individual. The consequence of 
this inexcusable avarice was oftentimes a loss of fif¬ 
teen per cent, in the voyage, and four and a half 
per cent, more in the harbours of the est Indies., 
