











866 Stridtares on Mifs Williams’s Memoirs on Wadftrom. { December, 
the Effay on Colonization contains not a 
_fingle hint, which could be ufeful to that 
General, concerning any country within 
2000 miles of that corner of Africa to 
which his views were immediately directed. 
And it does not clearly appear, that even 
his enterprizing genius had formed the 
project of firft fubverting Turkith defpot-— 
ifm in Egypt, and then leading his Myr- 
midons to annihilate the far more deteft- 
able Britifb Slave-Trade, and finally to 
repofe their wearied virtue, as colonifts on 
the coaft of Guinea. If, as was reported, 
the Effay on Colonization gave rife to 
Buonaparte’s expedition to Egypt, it 
could only be in fome fuch way as a map 
of South America’ might fuggelt to a 
man’s mind the cruelties of the Spaniards 
in Peru, which might zaturally enough 
Jead his imagination, acrofs ihe Contineat, 
to contemplate the late expedition of the 
French politicians to Cayenne.—To the 
credit of the Britifh Nation and Govern- 
ment I muft add, that, zot on the banks 
of the Nile, but on thofe of the river Si- 
erra Leone, was the *‘ name of Euro- 
pean,’ to ufe Mifs Williams’s words, 
*¢ firft pronounced without ‘horror 5” 
when, on the oth of May, 1787, the gal. . 
lant, benevolent, and active Capt.. Phomp- 
fon, of His Majefty’s thip the Nautilus, ar- 
rived there with the firft party of colonifts*. 
With what emotions the name of French- 
man was mentioned in that unfortunate 
fettlement, by Africans as well as Euro- 
peans, in September 1794, may be learned 
from the letter-cf Dr. Afzelius, a difpaf- 
fionate Swedith philofopher, who was an 
eye-witne(s, to his country-man Count von 
Engftromy+. And fome remarks on their 
conduct, worthy of Britifh philofophers, 
may be feen in the Encyclopedia Britan- 
nica, article ** Sierra Leone.’ Stull a 
remnant of that colony has furvived the 
horrors of a fraternal vifit from thofe 
whom Milfs Williams, /peaking of Africa, 
unluckily calls ‘¢ the aeliverers of man- 
kind!’ ‘The wreck of the Sierra Leone 
eftablifhment ftill exhibits to ‘* the eyes of 
all Europe an unparallelled example of 
Britith philanthropy’ f{. By the bleffing 
of the Great Arbiter of the deftinies of 
nations, it may yet, in fome meafure, an- 
{wer the ends of the infitution; and may 
contribute to diffule knowledge, and reli 
gion, and liberty through a continent 
which has been too long the theatre of Eu- 

* Effay on Colonization, Part i. p. 221. 
Ids pai27/9: 
See Mr., Wadftrom’s Plan for a Free 
Community, éc. p. 44, 
> 
ropean (e/pecially of Britifo) perfidy and 
violence. —Mr. Wadftrom fhowed much 
zeal and readinefs to ferve the Sierra Leone 
Company, on the lamentable occafion al- 
luded to¥, For, fingular and romantic as 
were his opinions and views refpetting 
Africa, he approved of the general objeét of 
the Company; and I have not a doubt bur 
that he would take every opportunity of 
* recommending fimilar undertakings to the 
French. 
I fhould here clofe my remarks; but, 
confidering with what perfevering calumny 
the Abolitionifts have been charged with 
aiming at the immediate emancipation of 
the Negroes, it is impoffible for me to 
overlook the high encomiums lavifhed on 
Mr. Wadftrom, for having contributed to 
bring about that event in the French Co- 
Jonies. Now it is certain that he- knew 
nothing perfonally, and but little by infor- 
mation, of the condition of the Negroes in 
any of the European Colonies; and had 
his ingenious biographer known more of 
that interefting fubject, that very humanity 
which dictated, would, at the fame time, 
have moderated, her applaufe. I have no 
perfonal knowledge of the condition of the 
French Slaves. But, by all accounts, the 
old arbitrary Government compelled the 
planters to treat them with feme huma- 
nity; andthis, with the powerful influence 
of the confoling religion they were taught, » 
disfigured though it was by Romifh fuper- 
ftition, had improved their minds to a de- 
gree unknown among their country-men 
in the Britith Iflands. The late internal 
tranfactions in the French Sugar-Colonies 
are not very accurately known in Europe; 
but, judging from their former difordersy 
efpecially in St. Domingo, cne may ven- 
ture to Goubt whether the French Slaves 
were fully prepared to make a rational and 
moderate ule of Liberty; of which they 
could have no other idea than that which 
is natural to all! partially civilifed men, 
who groan under the iron rod of defpotifm, 
namely, the dreadful liberty of atiing as 
they pleaje. Nay, do not late events, as 
Mr. Sheridan, fome years ago, aiked im the 
Houfe of Commons, jufiify tome degree of 
the fame kind of doubt, with refedct to the 
French nation itfelf? Bethis as tt may, 
I hold, in common with every well in- 
formed Abolitiomft, the fame opinions or 
this fubje& zow, which I laid before the - 
public above ten years ago.—‘¢ I am 
(fill) convinced that liberty would be 2 
curfe, infiead of a bleffing, to beings fe 
very rude and uncultivated as the field- 



*. Effay on Colonization, Part i. p- 293. 
Negroes 
