refided more conftantly upon their eftates than they do.

I fear I have by this time pretty well tired my reader, and particularly the Dean of Middleham, if he has done me the honor to attend to me thus far; but, I muft ftill request a little indulgence, while I offer a word or two in favour of the merchant whom the Dean makes answerable for all the blood fpilt in the wars amongst the negroes in Africa, and for all the other calamities fo pathetically described by him as confequent on those wars; "the fufferings of the captives, whofe tender attachments are broken, and the cruelties they endure, under a rigid tafk-mafter, when fold for flaves,"

We are told, when Africa was first discovered by the Portuguese, that amongst the feveral nations of it fome were at war with others-we have never yet difcovered any country the inhabitants of which were not frequently at war with those of their vicinity in North America we found nations warring against nations, and fome who had abfolutely exterminated those they had fought against amongst other particulars of the history of Africa, we learn of the dreadful irruption made from the fouthern part of that continent by a favage nation, called Gigas, who murdered all the adults, and preserved only nubile females and infant males, and actually fold the flesh of the female infants, and other of their vanquifhed enemies, in the public fhambles. The terror fpread by thefe abominable mifcreants extended over the greateft part of the continent, from the Atlantic to the Indian ocean. There is not the least doubt of the general truth of the fact, though, perhaps, we may not

believe

believe every horrid particular told us of these people. They are now difperfed and no longer exist as a nation, but fome of thefe canibals ftill live amongst the other tribes upon the coaft, and I myself remember feeing two of them, who were convicted of murdering and devouring one of their fellow flaves, executed for it at Antigua, in the year 1769, or 1770*. It is not to be doubted, therefore, that there are wars amongst savage as well as among civilized nations, and ever will be, even if the perfons taken in fuch wars are not fold for flaves, nor the wars undertaken for the purpose of making prifoners, unlefs to put them to death.

It is well known that, at the time of the Portuguese discoveries, about the middle of the fifteenth century, flaves were an established article of the inland commerce of the people of Africa; and, even fo late as 1730, Snelgrave tells us he bought a child for a bunch of beads, worth no more than half a crown†; at present the price upon the Gold Coaft is near gol. upon an average, for a prime negro flave of about fixteen or eighteen years of age. Does not the Dean imagine "that the idol of felf-intereft, to whom humanity is stabbed as a facrifice," may have occafioned the flaves in Africa, (I do not mean those taken in war, but those born and bred in their families) to be more attentively cherished, now they are fo valuable, than when they were not worth more than 2s. 6d. a head?

* These negroes belonged to, and had then lately been purchased out of a cargo of Ebo flaves, by the late Robert Christian, Esq; of that island.

+ Vide Long's Hiftory of Jamaica, Book 3, vol. 3, page 387.

Is it probable that a king, or petit prince, in Africa, will be fo ready to go to war now, in order to take captives, when he must rifque the lives of fo many of the flaves he has already, for the precarious chance of procuring more?

Is it to be imagined there will be fo many facrificed as heretofore, at the funerals of their deceased masters, in order to attend their manes? Their fons or heirs will, it is to be imagined, think it prudent, for the deceased, not to expect fo many people to wait on them in the other world, as they used to have. It is not, therefore, by any means clear, that the Slave Trade, as it is called, occafions any of the calamities faid to arife from it in Africa; if it did, the stopping it by Great-Britain would only enable our commercial rivals to carry it on to greater advantage. It is even probable, that fince the Europeans have become purchasers of flaves, and thereby fo greatly enhanced their value, that their lot is ameliorated; and that there being fo advantageous a vent for them, must have faved the lives of thousands, who would otherwise have been put to death for very trivial offences..

The confideration of these circumftances will, I hope, enable the Dean of Middleham to hear of a turtle feaft, in future, with lefs horror, although the humanity of his nature may not let him partake of it; and I hope he will be enabled to proceed in his prayers, or in his fermon at church, even if he should fee the daughter of a master of a Ship there, in a filk gown, or a muslin apron.

I hope

Vide the Dean's letter, page 14.

I hope the Dean will forgive me, that I have taken the liberty to call the commander of a Guinea fhip the mafter rather than the skipper of a veffel. Is it right, that the Dean's indignation against the Slave Trade fhould make him apply to another country for a term of reproach, by which to defcribe the mafter of a fhip; for the Dutch appellation of fkipper, has a very contemptuous found to an English car.

The Dean tells us, the Chriftian cannot countenance. this trade, because his Bible fhews him that manftealers are claffed with murderers of fathers and mothers, and perjured perfons." Let any one refer to the text, quoted by the reverend Dean, and then determine whether it has any the remotest relation to the Slave Trade? I will beg leave to recite it at large, and then I will request the Dean to re-consider it, and apply fuch part to the fubject in difpute, or to himself, as he may conceive expedient and juft.

"Now the end of the commandment is Charity. ift Tim. chap. 1. verfe 5. "from which some having fwerved, have turned afide unto vain jangling; defirous of being teachers of the law, understanding neither what they fay, nor whereof they affirm. But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully; knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and difobedient, for the ungodly, and for finners, for unholy, and for profane, for murderers of fathers, and murderers of mothers, for man-flayers, for whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for man-ftealers, for lyars, for perjured perfons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to found doctrine." Verfe 6 to 11,

1

Now I muft beg leave to afk the Dean, when the Bible is in every one's hand, how he could quote this paffage in the manner he has done, as a proof of the injustice of the Slave Trade? I remember to have heard of a prieft in former times who quoted a passage from one of the Prophets, to fhew that he, as rector of the parish, was not obliged to repair the chancel, the pavement of which wanted re-laying. The paffage he quoted from the Latin Bible was, "Paveant illi! non paveam ego, inquit Dominus," which he Englished thus, "Let them pave, for I will not pave, faith the Lord!" As none of his parishioners understood Latin, and the Bible was not then tranflated into the vulgar tongue, the Rector carried his point.

There is one paffage in the Dean's letter, I have omitted to notice, to wit, that the inhabitants of the iflands object to the converfion of their flaves" upon pleas, which, if admitted originally, would have annihilated Christianity, on its first appearance."

I cannot fay, I comprehend what is intended by that paffage in the Dean's letter, unless he means, thất a flave, if he became a convert, could not be detained in bondage by his mafter, if he was a Chriftian also. If fuch be his meaning, I hope he will pardon me for endeavouring to convince him, that he is mistaken in that point; and to that end, I beg leave to quote the extract of a letter from one of the earliest and best Chriftians to another, who he himself had converted from Paganifm. He will also, I hope, excuse my modernizing the language, affuring him, I will not wilfully or knowingly, alter the fenfe. It is without date as to time, but was written from Rome.

"My