who complained of the outrage in the strongest terms, and spoke in the language of a man who expressed himself the more vehemently from having long smothered his indignation. Scarce had this scene passed at the Cameroons, when another succeeded of a nature still more shocking. Early in the year 1790, the captain of an English ship, which had long been lying in that river, having already despatched one cargo of slaves, by an attendant vessel, to the West Indies, happening one day to send two or three men to get water, a black slave, who was along with them, was seized by a native trader on the ground of the ship's owing him goods to the value of a slave or two. It cannot be expected that the captains of slave ships will be men of peculiar mildness in resenting inju ries, The revenge however of the captain in this instance was really an effort of genius, and must appear somewhat singular to gentlemen less acquainted than myself with the habits of the slave trade. In the evening he called up the healthy part of his crew on deck, and ordered them to strip and blacken their bodies all over, putting a piece of cloth round their loins, that they might appear like the natives of the country. They showed some backwardness; but being threatened to be shot through the head if they refused, they reluctantly complied. Thus accoutred, and being armed with muskets and cutlasses, the captain himself, blackened like the rest, and breathing implacable revenge, led them forth, about midnight, to the execution of his purpose. They soon reached the dwelling of the unfortunate trader: they fired upon his wretched family; three of his children were killed on the spot; the man and his wife were desperately wounded; the former died as they were dragging him down to the boat, the latter half an hour after she was on board the ship. The state of society in Africa is such as to produce universal watchfulness: the trader had no sooner heard the noise of a party of men at his door, than he beat his drum; this, with the report of the muskets, alarmed the neighbourhood, and it was with difficulty that the captain and

his party escaped to the ship, several of them being severely wounded, and one afterwards dying of the injury he received.

I do not know that there is any one part of this whole transaction more curious than what I am next to relate, or that tends to prove more indisputably that such scenes as I have been describing are considered as ordinary transactions. The captain does not seem to have expected reprisals; his trade appears to have suffered no interruption, and he continued there for several weeks after in a state of quiet and composure. But, sir, Africans are men, and they have the feelings of men. All this while the fire was not extinct; it only slumbered, and was soon to break forth. In this part of the story also there is much well worthy of notice. Several weeks afterwards, one of the chieftains came on board to pay a friendly visit, and borrow some cutlasses and muskets, alleging the natural pretext, that he was going up into the country to make war, in order to get slaves, and that the captain should have half of the booty. The request was so reasonable, that it could not be refused: any lurking suspicion that might have been entertained of his visit's being hostile was done away, and he was readily furnished with what he required: indeed it would have argued the captain's being very inattentive to the interest of his employers if he had failed to comply with so reasonable, so customary a requisition. Now, sir, I dare say, whatever credit gentlemen may be disposed to give me for the ground work of the story, they conceive these at least are merely my own comments! But astonishing as it may seem, this is almost in terms the captain's own account. So dead and callous does this trade render those who are engaged in it to every sentiment of personal danger and personal character; they have so forgotten the impressions such transactions must once have produced in themselves; and are so lost to the sense of the feelings they must still excite in others, that the captain himself, in a protest he afterwards drew up on account of the loss of the

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ship, stated, that the chieftain came on board under pretence of borrowing some arms, as he was going up into the country to trade, and that he furnished him with muskets and cutlasses, having often lent him arms before.

He seems not to apprehend it possible that any other blame could attach on him than that of an im provident expenditure of stores; and with all the solicitude of a man intent to preserve his commercial character unimpeached, he is only anxious to exculpate himself from this imputation. Is it possible for any thing to furnish a more striking exemplification of the principles, and nature, and mode of con ducting the slave trade? The chieftain and his party perceiving the general state of things favourable to their design (all the healthy part of the crew being absent on the shore) and having thus put the captain off his guard, suddenly seized him, and threw him overboard, hauled him into their canoe, and hurried him to land; where a party of the natives, who had been lying in ambush for the purpose, immediately surprised that part of the crew I spoke of. You doubt less expect to be told that they were all forthwith murdered by these savage Africans. No such thing. They only desired the captain to give them an order for goods on the vessel, with which he was obliged to comply. Now then at least you are prepared to hear that they proceeded to satiate their revenge; and if this might seem something like bad faith, considering the ransom had been paid, the captain himself had set them the example: for on the night before he had sallied forth in the execution of his bloody enterprise, he had drawn the black chieftain on board by a friendly invitation, and had detained him as a pledge for his own safety. But, sir, these barbarians are not yet so improved as ourselves, in cruelty and treachery: they set the captain and his men free with out injury, and sent them back to tell the world how much the natives of Africa come behind us in fraud; and outdo us in humanity and honour.

There is nothing more striking to my own mind (I do not know if it may produce the same impres. sion on the committee) than the way in which this transaction came out. It was indeed on a trial in a British court of justice! But was it on a trial for piracy or murder? No, sir: on a mere civil suit, instituted for wages on the part of some of the poor seamen, who, sick and disabled, as I have before mentioned (having been obliged to quit the ship, because the natives threatened to set fire to her, and put them to death after they had taken the captain and healthy part of the crew) were refused by the owners this wretched compensation for all their danger and sufferings. Glad am I to say they obtained a verdict. I beg the committee will bear in mind the whole of this transaction, which shows if any thing can show it, the dreadful nature of the slave trade; its cruelty, its perfidy, its effects on Africa, and on the minds of those who carry it on. But that to which I particularly wish to point your attention, is the nature of the chieftains's application coupled with the captain's declaration that he had often given them fire-arms before; whence you may recollect, that these ravages are customary things, the regular mode of doing business in the slave trade. Remember too, that these transac tions were carrying on at the very time our inquiry was going forward, and whilst our opponents' witnesses were strenuously denying, not only the actual, but even the possible, existence of any such de⚫ predations.

There is, however, another instance yet behind, which in some respects surpasses in enormity even that I have just now stated. Gentlemen may perhaps recollect some instances in our evidence wherein, when the natives have persisted in asking too much for their slaves, a captain has fired on their towns, and used other compulsory means to bring them down to more reasonable terms. If a few lives should be lost in this mode of adjusting the bargain, it does not much signify; human life is appreciated but at a low rate in Africa.

Now, sir, it will astonish the house to hear of a recent transaction of this sort, exceeding all the former in magnitude and wickedness. This happened no longer ago than last August, after all our arguments and discussions, when, if ever, you would think the slave captains would have been on their good behaviour. Six British ships, three belonging to Liverpool, and three to Bristol, were anchored off the town of Calabar. Gentlemen will recollect the place; it was the scene of a dreadful massacre about twenty years be, fore. The captains of these six vessels thinking the natives asked too much for their slaves, and having in vain endeavoured to prevail on them to moderate their conditions, held a consultation how they should proceed, and agreed to fire upon the town, unless their terms should be complied with. They one evening notified their determination, and acquainted the traders that if they should continue obstinate, they would put it in execution the next morning, In this instance they kept their word. They brought sixty-six guns to bear upon the town, and fired on it for two or three hours. Not a single shot was returned. A canoe then came off to proffer terms of accommodation, stating that much execution had been done, which was indeed the less to be wondered at, because the guns had been pointed by old men of war seamen. How dishonourable an exercise of their skill! The parties still not agreeing, whilst the poor people taking advantage of this cessation, were seen on all sides making their escape into the woods, or paddling off in their boats, some one way, some another, the firing recommenced; more damage was done, and the obstinate natives were at length forced into submission. There are no certain accounts of their loss; report said fifty were killed; but some were afterwards seen in the agonies of death, by those who were sent on shore to buy slaves, and others were lying badly wounded. The affair, however, ended as it ought; and I have no doubt we may have the satisfaction to think many of the Liverpool and Bristol owners are some hundred pounds the