The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1805-06-28
Git Gnqtglrer.
RICHMOND, astb yUNh, 1905.

CONGO NEGROES" or fimiiar exhibitions,
ftill continue tn difguit our eye, as we glance
over the Charefton prints. That the fame ava
rice, which originally opened their ports to this
trade, would ftil continue to purfue it, and that
the increaiing number of imported Africans
would gradually fupply the demand and depre-
ciate their value, were faels which required lit
tie ingenuity indeed to forefec. Bin, had any
evidence been really wanting to confirm thefe
predictions, the number andterms oftheiradver.
tifemeuts, would have readily fippiied it. Hun
dreds Of this abufed race of men, from almoft
all the fervile tribes of Africa, and from the
Wef-Indies, are daily expoied to faie in their
markets. The fame fpirit Of gain, which feuds
the hardy -Engiander into the frozen ocean
TO fcek and harpoon the whale, has Drorpted
thefe Charlefton adventures or their agents, to
travcrfe the whole COAT of Africa in fearch of
their peculiar prey. Some of their victims are
taken by decoy, or torn from their habitations
by force fome are fold by the avarice of their
matters in Africa to crafty the avarice of their
American proprietors; and many who were i'm
fortunate enough tn become the cap,ves of
war, are fill more unfortunate in becoming the
fiaves of commerce. Obtained by filch Il vari-
ETY. of means, thefe unfortunate objects exhibit
no lefs diverGhed appearance of faces and
figures. In this Charle.ton veiIel, you are pre-
tented with collection from the Mandingo ma
ton: here you have knot from tine Congo
tribe: there knot from the Gold Coaft.-
Meantime the demand for llaves is gradually ia
tisfied, and their value dccreafes is importation
increafes their numbers. II one advertisement
the purchafer is fiAttered with :he hope, that he
may "get great bargains for cah or produce of
any kind - Whit another afiures him, that his
"produce will he taken at the bigbeR market
price in payment"
Itwould be rendering fubfan.ial fervice to
his own and to the other Rates of the union, If
fome enlightened inhahtAnt &c CharleG,,fi would
prefent us with ftatement of the zvboke NM
Der of the flaves that have been imported, and
the gradual diminution ofyalue which they have
occafoned. A view of this for, would come in
as an admirable Implement to the htory of the
nefarious mean5 made ufe of in carrying on this
trade; the whole fyfem would then appear to
be of piece; and every feature of il would
then exhibit malady, that would mfpire fome
future protector of fave trade with the ne
ce1ary horror. Even the mercenary projectors
of S. Carolina might be made to ihr;nS with
difguft at theagsregate view which flouid bethus
exhibited before them. They who can now fee
| without any alarms of policy or any warnings
of pity, tens and hundreds of thefe beings fuc-
cefsfuy traniplanted into the very bofom Of
their fate, might be recalled to a momentary
tente Of their duty, by having before them :.
fands.
To expofe the iniuftioe, the impoIicy. or e.
ven the folly of the flave trade at this rericd
and IN this country, would be ufelefs and fr
perfiunus undertaking. That which no man IS
prepared TO deny, would be vain for any one
TO prove. Yet there is one point of view, in
wlch the injurious consequences of an Amsri-
can lavetrade, have always imprefled then,frlves
upon my mind with peculiar force. ne conti
nue. to reprobate the exiting corruptions OF the
BrItifh government ; we admire the exertions
of Wilberforce to arreft the progrefs of one of
thofe corruptions, which the avarice of their
merchants has opened upon the nation; ard We.
the ta efmen of South Carolina are inconfftcpt e.
nough topurfue the very fame iniquity. NE cx-
ecrate the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS he mother Coun-
try, which originally introducedthe Africans into
thefe colonies, and yet the people of South Ca
roina are now in the puriuit of this fame abo.
n''nable policy. We vaunt that we are free
! and yet thcy are feeking by the employment of
Fictitious means to multiply the number of
their flaves. What a efIon is this for the o.
prefed inhabitants of Europe! Difgufted as
many of them mutt be with their own monar-
chical infitntons, they fill demand fatisfacto-
| ~ proof that revolution in their government
would be accompanied with correspondent adj
vantages. To fatisfy thefe doubts, they are
anxious to have before them the model of fome
| republican fociety, whof: inflitutions tbey NAV
attempt to initiate, and Whole peculiar sdyar-
tages may ftinulate them to revolutionary ex
ertions. Ifthey feek fuch fpecimen in the de-
| mocracies of Greece and Rome, they will diff
cover theft countries agita,ed by internal fa6ti-
ons and allailed by innumerable wars. The
late revolution ofthe French has exhibited
fpfttace, which cannot fail to difcourage al,
nations oppprefied as they have been, from en-.
countering the fame perils. 1t was our Office to
exhibit the model, which they 70 anxioufly de-
hired the model ola republic, 70 iuft, 70 benef-
cent and 70 happy, that It could not fai 10
calf into deeper fhade the opprcfIive monarcbies
OF Europe. Yet even this model appears mar
red and difigured by the infttution of fIavery;
ilavery which one of thofe free Rates 70 far
from itTiving to diminilh, s thriving to exafpe-
rate. So far as the people of S. Carolina have
any regard then for Ire de1inies oftbe European
world, they cannot but pecrive the injurious
tendency of this policy upon them. They have
iurn'ihed every European matter with topic of
rdlcOe upon the boafed virtue ofrepnbics
and every fubje6 with mferabie confolation in
The midit of heir opDreliions. It is fortunate
however that even Northumberland the
lnnumerahlc advantages of orr republican con-
tltution & theencouragement which it holds out
10 other nations to initiate our example.
Should this trade continue till 1908, there is