flave trade, and the abolition of that flavery which alone can preferve the existence of white men in the Charaibean fea. That there is no other alternative, the late history of the Weft Indies proves in every page.'

In an appendix to this argumentative and masterly tract, the author confiders the comparative merits of an immediate or a gradual abolition, and gives his opinion decidedly in favour of the former. A gradual abolition, he obferves, can only mean, either that the trade fhall ceafe altogether after a certain period, or that its extent thall be gradually diminished from the prefent moment, till at last it decline into nothing. With regard to the first project, he judiciouly obferves

The interval will be employed by the African traders in drawing millions from the other branches of commerce, to pour them into the negro traffic, and in manning every veffel that can keep the fea, with failors, fwept from the wholefome lines of navigation, and hurried into the most peftilential of all employments. The demand for flaves fuddenly increafed, can only be anfwered by a frightful aggravation of all the miseries to which Africa has been doomed by her communication with Europe. The eagernefs of our traders to profit by the interval, will urge them to commit new breaches of the flave carrying act, and to augment incalculably the deplorable cruelties of the middle pafiage. But what will be the confequence of this sudden accumulation of new flaves in the West Indies? What to this was the paltry increafe of new hands previous to 1789, which brought about the dreadful revotution of St Domingo! How well is it for those who fhudder at the profpect of the immediate abolition, because it is a fudden innovation, to embrace a project the moft full of change-the moft pregnant with violent alteration the most certainly prolific in wide spreading revolu tion of any that the imagination can paint? Sudden innovation is indeed to be dreaded at all times, and in every ftate; but in no æra, and in no region fo mach, as in the first year of the independence of Hayti-in the flave colonies which almoft touch the shores of Guadaloupe and St Domingo. p. 83. 84.

With regard to the fecond plan, of gradually diminishing the numbers allowed to be imported, he obferves, that it would be ut terly impoffible to determine what traders or what colonies fhould have the preference in this limited traffic, or to counteract, by any regulations, the prevalence of a contraband trade; and, in general, he fuggefts, that the queftion is now agitated during a great crifis of our Weft Indian colonies, and that nothing but decifive measures can fave them from the dangers to which the improvidence of commercial avarice has already expofed them,

The laft argument to which he directs his attention, is that which is most frequently in the mouths of fuperficial difputants, though it admits all the iniquity, and much of the impolicy of

the

the traffic; it is, that the abolition of the flave-trade is impracti cable, because flaves will be smuggled in spite of every prohibition, and because, if we were to renounce the traffic, it would be ta❤ ken up by other nations. With regard to the danger of fmuggling, it is enough perhaps to obferve, in the words of the author before us,

• It is evident that no contraband article is fo easily detected as a cargo of men, differing from their crew in every obvious particular, and imprifoned in all parts of the veffel against their will; nor can any commodity be fo difficult to fmuggle into a country as new flaves, kept in fubjection by main force.' P. 88.

As to the other objection, we will acknowledge that we have never been able to fee in what manner it could apply to the quef tion now under confideration. If we are determined to abjure this cruel trade, from our regard to justice and our fears for our own fecurity, of what confequence is it, whether other nations have the virtue or the prudence to follow our example? Their perfeverance in what we know to be iniquitous and full of danger, can be no reason for our not leaving it. Our example may draw them after us; but theirs can never justify this our most pe rilous delinquency. If the Africans made flaves of our countrymen, there might be fomething intelligible in justifying our practice by theirs; but it is not eafy to fee why we should reta, liate upon them all the wrongs that are committed by our European neighbours; and it is but an indifferent reafon for continuing to torture and murder them, against our confcience and our intereft, that other nations may perhaps perfift in these outrages after we have abandoned them.

The abolition of the British flave trade will wash away from the reputation of this country the ftain of this most infamous traffic. It will fave the lives and the fufferings of thirty or forty thoufand Africans annually imported into our dominions; it will ameliorate the condition of half a million more, who now languish in the bonds of the most deplorable fervitude that ever humiliated the nature of man; and it will fecure, if any thing can fecure our invaluable poffeffions in the West Indies from that tremendous deftiny with which they are fo imminently threatened. If the advantages of the measure were to ceafe here, we think that its promoters would have matter enough for rejoicing and triumph. But, in the prefent fituation of the European world, it feems evident that the abolition of the British trade would be equivalent to its total ceflation, and that a ftop might be put at once to that fruitful fource of mifery to all the natives of Africa. Neither France nor Holland can import a fingle negro during the fub

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fiftence

fiftence of the war, and we may feize, when we think proper, upon all the islands that remain to them. Denmark has long ago declared her willingness to abandon this trade; and the intereft which Sweden has in its continuance is too trifling to engage her in a branch of commerce to which he has hitherto been a stranger. The importation of flaves is already prohibited all over America, except only in the ftate of South Carolina; and the trade is there fubjected to very grievous difcouragements. The Spanish and Portuguese fettlements have always been fupplied chiefly by breeding, and will moft probably be determined, by the late events in St Domingo, to betake themselves altogether to that fafer fyftem, and to abandon a traffic in which they have lefs interest than any other colonial power, and which they must carry on to great difadvantage without our affiftance. Every thing induces us, therefore, to put a stop to this defolating trade at a moment when our influence is fo extenfive. If it be once effectually abolifhed, we should have but little fear of its revival; the clamorous band of commercial adventurers would be difperfed into other departments; the experience of tranquillity would render the planters averfe to the renewal of danger; and, after fome years eftrangement and difufe, we verily believe that men would feel fomething of the fame compunction and horror at the idea of returning to that bloody market, which favages reclaimed from cannibalism are faid to do at the recol. lection of their inhuman banquets.

It appears to us, in short, that the Parliament of England have it now in their power to do a more magnificent act of humanity and justice than was ever before in the gift of a legislative affembly; and that by this one law, they may, without injury to their country, deliver more men from fuffering, and exert a far more lafting, extenfive and beneficial influence on the fortunes of man kind, than by all the triumphant campaigns and fuccefsful nego tiations of a century. To those who with to be more particu larly informed of the magnitude and the merits of this queftion, we recommend the perufal of this very able fummary, and of the authorities referred to by the author.

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