richer for this transaction. One circumstance I must add, which I had before omitted, though for my country's sake I would gladly suppress it; and I recommend it in particular to the consideration of those who have urged it as an argument for our carrying on the slave trade, that it would be taken up by other nations if we were to desist from it. A French ship was at the same time in the Calabar river, the captain of which could not be prevailed on, by the British captains, to join in their enterprise. He bought at the high price; and they were obliged to suspend their bloody purpose until he had sailed away with his cargo. Sir, it shocks me more than all the rest to be obliged to say, that I fear these matters are not altogether unknown at Bristol; and yet I hear these very captains are furnished with fresh births, as if they had raised their estimation by this proof of their activity. Yes, sir, at this very moment, whilst we are sitting here, and talking of abolition, in contempt of our debates, in defiance of our inquiries, nay, as if they thought hereby to recommend themselves to the sanction and countenance of a British house of commons. Excuse my warmth. It is impossible for any one, who has the feelings of a man, not to lose his temper in speaking of such proceedings. The house being here clamorous for the names, Mr. Wilberforce stated them; the Thomas, of Bristol, captain Phillips; Wasp, of ditto, captain Hutchenson; Recovery, of ditto, captain Kimber; the Martha, of Liverpool, captain Houston; the Betsey, of ditto, captain Doyle; the Amachree, of ditto, captain

I am not quite certain of the name, but I believe captain Lee.

I think, sir, I have already laid enough to the charge of this detested traffick; yet, believe me, if L were so disposed, I could add much more of a similar nature; but I will pass it over, just only suggesting one new topick on which I might enlarge, that, I mean, of our staining the commercial honour of Great Britain, by descending to every petty fraud in our dealings with the natives.

But, not to take up any more of your time on this part of the subject, I must pass on to another, which originally struck my mind as being more horrid than all the rest, and which, I think, still retains its superiority; I mean the situation of the slaves on board ship, or what is commonly called the middle passage. I will spare the committee, however, the detail of all those perfections in cruelty which it exhibits: but two or three instances I must mention, because they are of a recent date, and still more because they will tend to convince those who are inclined rather to regulate than abolish the slave trade, that so long as it is suffered to exist, the evils of the middle passage must exist also, though in respect of them, more than any other class, regulation might have been deemed effectual. We were told, I remember, in an early stage of our inquiry, that formerly, indeed, the negroes were but ill accommodated during their conveyance, and, perhaps, there was now and then a considerable mortality; but such had been the improvements of late years, that they were now quite comfortable and happy. Yet it was no longer ago than in the year 1788, that Mr. Isaac Wilson, whose intelligent and candid manner of giving his evidence, could not but impress the committee with a high opinion of him, was doomed to witness scenes as deeply distressing as almost ever occurred in the annals of the slave trade. I will not condemn the committee to listen to the particulars of his dreadful tale, but for the present will content myself with pointing your attention to the mortality. His ship was a vessel of three hundred and seventy tons, and she had on board six hundred and two slaves, a number greater than we at present allow, but rather less, I think, than what was asserted by the slave merchants to be necessary in order to carry on their trade to any tolerable profit. Out of these six hundred and two she lost one hundred and fifty-five. I will mention the mortality also of three or four more vessels which were in company with her, and belonged to the same owner. One of them bought four hundred and fifty, and buried two hundred; another

bought four hundred and sixty-six, and buried seventy-three; another bought five hundred and fortysix, and buried one hundred and fifty-eight; besides one hundred and fifty-five from his own ship, his number being six hundred and two; and from the whole four after the landing of their cargoes there died two hundred and twenty. He fell in with another vessel which lost three hundred and sixty-two: the number she had bought was not specified. To these actual deaths during and immediately after the voyage, add the subsequent loss in what is called the seasoning, and consider that this loss would be greater than ordinary in cargoes landed in so sickly a state. Why, sir, were such a mortality general, it would, in a few months, depopulate the earth. We asked the surgeon the causes of these excessive losses, particularly on board his own ship, where he had it in his power to ascertain them. The substance of his reply was, that most of the slaves appeared to labour under a fixed dejection and melancholy, interrupted now and then by lamentations and plaintive songs, expressive of their concern for the loss of their relations and friends, and native country. So powerfully did this operate, that many attempted various ways of destroying themselves; some endeavoured to drown themselves, and three actually effected it; others obstinately refused to take sustenance, and when the whip and other violent means were used to compel them to eat, they looked up in the face of the officer who unwillingly executed this painful task, and said in their own language," presently we shall be no more." Their state of mind produced a general languor and debility, which were increased, in many instances, by an unconquerable abstinence from food, arising partly from sickness, partly, to use the language of slave captains, from "sulkiness." These causes naturally produced the dysentery; the contagion spread, numbers were daily carried off, and the disorder, aided by so many powerful auxiliaries, resisted all the force of medicine. And it is worth while to remark, that these grievous sufferings appear to have been in no

degree owing either to want of care on the part of the owner, or to any negligence or harshness of the captain. When Mr. Wilson was questioned if the ship was well fitted; as well, says he, as most vessels are, and the crew and slaves as well treated as in most ships; and he afterwards speaks of his captain in still stronger terms, as being a man of tenderness and humanity.

The ship in which Mr. Claxton, the surgeon, sailed, since the regulating act, afforded a repetition of all the same horrid circumstances I have before alluded to. Suicide, in various ways, was attempted and effected, and the same barbarous expedients were resorted to, in order to compel them to continue an existence too painful to be endured: the mortality also was as great. And yet, here also, it appears to have been in no degree the fault of the captain, who is represented as having felt for the slaves in their wretched situation. If such were the state of things under captains who had still the feelings of their nature, what must it be under those of a contrary description? It would be a curious speculation to consider what would be the conduct towards his cargo of such a man as one of the six I lately spoke of. It would be curious to trace such a one, in idea, through all the opportunities the middle passage would afford him of displaying the predominant features of his character.

Unhappily, sir, it is not left for us here to form our own conjectures! Of the conduct of one of them at least, I have heard incidents which surpass all my imagination could have conceived. One of them I would relate, if it were not almost too shocking for description; and yet I feel it my duty, in the situation in which I stand, not to suffer myself to pay too much attention to what has been well called squeamishness on the part of the committee. If it be too bad for me to recite, or for you to hear, it was not thought too bad for one of those unhappy creatures to suffer, of whom I have this night the honour to be the advocate. There was a poor girl on board, about fifteen years of

age who had unfortunately contracted a disorder, which produced effects that rendered her a peculiar object of commisseration. In this situation, being quite naked, she bent down in a stooping posture, wishing out of modesty to conceal her infirmity: the captain ordered her to walk upright and when she could not, or would not obey, he hoisted her up, naked as she was, by the wrists, with her feet a little distance from the deck; and whilst she there hung, a spectacle to the whole crew, he flogged her with a whip with his own hands. He then hung her up in a similar way by both legs, and lastly by one leg; till at length having thus exhausted the efforts of his savage invention, he released her from her torments. The poor unhappy young woman never again recovered. What with the pain, and what with the shame she suffered, she fell into convulsions, and died within three days. The person who related this fact to me is a professional man, who is ready to declare it upon his oath. He has related to me other acts of barbarity, nearly as atrocious; and you will be little surprised to hear that the cruelties of this wretch were not confined to slaves alone, but that the sailors came in for their share.* Think only that these things passed but a few months ago, and here too, as I have before had occasion to remark, you will observe that this was at the very moment of our inquiry and discussion; and yet, even then they could not, though but for a short interval, suspend their work of cruelty, but pursued it more daringly and desperately than ever. And so will it ever be whilst you employ such agents as the slave trade either finds or makes you will in vain endeavour to prevent the effects of those ferocious dispositions which this savage traffick too commonly creates; till your regulations can counteract the force of habit, and change

* Mr. Wilberforce being called upon for the name of the captain, said, captain Kimber is the man who performed these feats, the commander of one of the six ships in the affair of Calabar.