Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1811-06-01

h. i thus waiting, he acquires various ma.
hits that indispose him TO marriage, nc
has nobody to blame except himself su'
with the negroes tie case is total,s dihef-
emf. The unequal number Of me ssAes
sbnts ont at once the majority oil 1heh'
from all chance Ct domestic happiness
They have no hope of this kind to sWeefeH
their tolls. and animate their eseF'lohs
but arc necessarily condemned either 70
uaeeasins privation. or'o the most 'leio'e
sxoesscs: and thus shut out from every
cheering prospect, we cannot be surprised
thar they are in general ready to welcome
that death which so many meet with LII
the prime of life.
The second argument is no less power
fnllv supported BY the Principle Of PoPu-
lation than the first. 1t appears, from a
very general survey Of different countries
that under every form of government
however unjust and tyrannical, in every
climate Of the known world however ap-
parentlv unfavorable to health. il has been
found that population, with the sole eA-
ception above alluded to. has been able to
keep itself up to the level OF the means oil
subsistence. Consequently. if by the abo-
lirion Of the trade to Africa. the slaves IN
the West-Indies were placed only in to-
lerabk situation. if their civil condition
and moral habits were only made TO ap-
proach TO those which prevail among the
mass of the human race in the worst go
verned countries in the world, ii is contra
~ to the general laws Of nature TO sup
pose that they would not be able by pro-
creation fully to supply the effective de-
mand for labor and it is difficult to con-
eeive that a population so raised would
not be in every point ol'iew preferable to
that which exists at present.
Its perfectly clear. therefore, that
consideration Of the laws which govern
the increase and decrease Of the human
species tends to strengthen in the most
powerful manner all the arguments In IA
yor of the abolition.
With regard to the state Of society a.
mong the African nations. it will readily
occur TO the reader. that In describing IT
the question Of the slave trade was foreign
to my purpose and l might naturally
fear that If | should enter upon 1t should
be led into too long depression. But
certainly all the facts which have men
toned, and which are taken principally
FROM Park, if they do not absolutely
prore that the wars in Africa are excited
and aggravated by the traffic on the coast,
tend powerfully to confirm the suppnsition-
The state of Africa, as | have described
it, is exactly such as We should expect In
a country where the capture OF men was
considered as more advantageous en-
pioyment than agriculture or manutac-
lures. Of the state of these nations some
hundred wears ago. il must be confessed
that we have little knowledge that we can
depend upon but allowing that the re-
gular piundering excursions. which Park
describes. are of the most ancient date,
vet it is impossible to suppose that any
circumstance which. like the European
traffic. must give additional value to the
plumber thus acquired. would not power
fully aggravate them, and efiectually pre-
vent all progress towards happier order
of things. As long as the nations OF Eu-
rope continue barbarous enough TO pur-
chase slaves in Africa, we may be quite
sure that Africa will continue barbarous
enough to supply them
GENERAL STATE OF EUROPE.
The face Of Europe begins again to as