The Sun.
London, England, 1840-06-27 00:00:00

EVENING EDITION.

ANTI-SLAVERY CONVENTION.

TO 711 E ELF! OR I 1.11: A'.
London, June :24. 1840
Sir,—This great, glorious, and Christian Conven-
tion closed its labours last night, am!, taking alt things
into consideration, there never was a Convention with a
more moral, sublime, or humane object befotc assem-
bled in the world. I except none of all the great Cot-
ventions of civilized nations, in times present or past.
Americans, Ne„-rnes, Indians—" Dusk bc,s with
white silken turbans wreathed ;" Frcnchvnen. Scotch'
men, Irishmen, Englishmen ; all nations, al sects, all re-
ligions, all creeds ; delegates even front the female por-
tion of the world, cane thousands of mileS to help, by
their influence, or conform with their understandings,
the moral necessity of the abolition of all slavery on
earth."

tVhat a holy ! what a beautiful! to hat a glorious
object! and will not their efforts be crowned with suc-
cess? Yes, most ce:gainly ; the moral influence of this
vast Convention will spread ail over the earth, and
bear down opposition like an ocean which has burst
its barriers !

Who is there, that was present at its first meeting,
will ever forget the sincerity, the piety, the purity of
Clarkson's reception? All other public meetings,
with their votes of thanks, their moving and seconding,
their_ uproarious applause, their noisy enthusiasm, their
common-place resoiutions and ordinary set speeches,
ebrunk from the comparison of Clarkson's heartfelt
sirpplicity and unaffected address.
I came into the meeting, on the invitation of others ;
I sat down, as usual, expecting what 1 had always heard,
long-worde4 common places, and no " present occasions"
to get tiriie to think, when, to my utter surprise, in'
came the aged, grey-headed veLeran of the cause, fol-
lowed by his interesting daughter, and a simple, un-
affected b.sy !—a moment's pause was requested, when
the whole assembly seemed to pray. Up rose feebly,
and Icann.4,- on another for support, Thomas Clarkson,
his voice scarcely audible, his body bent, his fact -be-
traying nervous and agitated feeling, his eyes diin;lout
his heart evidently as deeply touched as in the vigour
and prime of his manhood.

He spoke simply of the friends who are deade._
said if he had another life he would devote that IMI
the cause ; he bade the meeting to take courage, to
persevere, and he prayed the Almighty to bless their
holy object.

There was no applause—no noise—no evidence of.
feeling for a minute ; at last, without earnest—without
arrangement—without any communication but of heat
—the whole assemby said Amen T.—Amen

Never was I so :affected fiam toy youth! 111{1
behind me sobbed like -children; and let the world be
assured in that av%ful amen-,--amen—was heard the
death knell of slavery over the earth ! That such a
horrid curse should have existed through so many ag s
is appalling to reffsct on. Let all of us remember in
our daily and hourly, common enjoyments, that whtu
we cat and drink and sleep, and fondle with our cirif-
dro), and caress our very animals, that at that story
instant there are 28,000 human beings on the Atlantis
—without air, or food, or rest, or freedom from toature
of mind or body ! Let them reflect if such are so
suffering is the passage, what those are suffering who
have long passed ! In a word, there is not one nr,,,-
ment out of the 24 hours day and night in witch
slaves can be said to have their decent rights as huc.:an
creatures, with sympathies like ourselves. Let us
suppose that exasperated by such hourly infamies the
Almighty Creator of all things should ordain that tv, ry
civilized being in Europe should suffer for one tu-soth the
tortures negroes suffer, bow long would slavery exist?
Hoy, would the ricli British mc.tehant like to be dragged
from his fricandeau, his champaigne and hock, to be
stripped and ft wed, and starved till he tainted ?

flow would the beautiful youcg mother of high rank,
like to have her lovely infant torn f-om its downy and
golden cradle, and flune into the sea as an incumbranca
the slave-owrur wanted not ?

How would the thorough-bred Briton like to be
stretched on his back, his teeth examined like a horse's,
his wind tried, and his shoulder branded ?

Would not all England rise as one man and stamp
the curse to the earth which inflicted such horrid
wrongs ? Then why will not all England, and all
France, and all Europe, and all the world, rise as one,
on the same d..y, and utterly, and for ever remora
this demoniac infamy from its humanities.