Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1819-12-03


twill occur 10 you now, aud that, anxious
AS you profess TO be, and no doubt really
are, 10 lessen The" hatred and contempt
which race feels for race, you will retract,
even IN the splendor Of your literary fame,
both with pleasure and prompiiiude, The
lgnoniinl0us Language, which pardon me
1t l say l bad infinitely rather hear than
| use.
II, then, slavery was moi instituted by
us; n emancipation has been effected bv
| US, as far IA il could be effected, without
rum both TO the master and To the slave /:
IT The Importation ot slaves has been pro
illbiied, and The slave trade itself sup i,
pressed, by every measure which the
people could adopt, tor the acts of tie
| government here are the acts OF the pco-
pie: and u all this was done, while The
humanity OF Europe still continued its
lhlrd century OF sleep, may we not venture
| to creep along side of those European
nations, AT least, who have adopted no
! such measures, and who still carry on
the-slave trade Would it be deemed too
preSumptuous IN us TO compare ourselves,
u we choose TO engage in "a business no
less really than proverbiailv odious, with
where the great body of the people are
born, and live, and die in slavery and
might we not be forgiven, even if we
were 10 claim an equal rank with auv ma
non on earth which tolera,es negro slavery,
and OF course with yours?
But, gentlemen, there are cousilera-
lions relating TO yourselves, which might
have occurred TO you, and indeed would
have occurred TO you, if power, in its
plentltude, even literary power, did not
often forget right.
lD the Augustan age of Queen Anne,
enlightened by the labors of philosophers.
statesmen, lawyers, poets, aud divines,
who have not been surpassed, perhaps
not equalled, by their successors, the
treaty of Utrecht was concluded. This
treaty Was Immediately followed by the
Assienfo Contract, adjusted in May l7l3,
between their Briiannic and Catholic Ma
!eStles. Did yuu forget that tins coHtraut
tIad been made or did you suppose tina
others, goaded by yourrepa caches, ould
not remember il, and tell sou, in the face
OF God aud man, that if they must perish,
YOU are not to cast the first stone thai
'hey mustnot die by you hands What I!
a"er your purchasing I'd paying Iponey
ior me privilege OF carrying from Africa
to the Spanish posse ssions in South
America, $500 slaves every wear, for
thirty years, in all 1000 slaves, with
the additional privileg of carving, du.
ring the first twenty-five years, as many
as you pleased Tor an extra premium 10
his Catholic Majesty, we who set the first
example OF humanity TO your "great and
humane country" and TO those nations Of
Europe, before The least and lowest of
whom we are to bow down, with conscious
lnierlority: we are 10 be siiemaiised as
scourSers and I'M irderers of slaves" be-
cause VIC have mol humanity enough TO
Turn out The negroes born i'm our families,
ioperlsh from burger, or to live by crime
nave NO remarFi 10 make on this con-
tract. None is necessary. 1t speaks for
Itself, and IN eOice of thunder: appal
ling the heart OF every Brilon, and of
every European too, who ventures 10
impcach The humanity Of Americans. (ID
vi The smuggling. in violation of the
colonial Tegul atoms of Spain, 10 which
that traffic led of the detection which
took place, ana the revenge which follow.
ca OIL The war TO which that revenge
gave rise; OF he millions of money squan-
dereii, and OF the thousands of lives ia
giorlonsly LOST, have nothing to say, ex-
ctpt that much would have been saved
10 humanity, at least, If The cry of" no
search, them uttered by the parliament.
aud echoed by The people, had been, al
late period, permitted by your" great.
ness" TO be the cry OF others as weli as of
yourselves.
Grnllemen-wIile you were uiieriny
these terrible deuunciallons against nv
" high minded and gallant cOuntrymen,"
did you lose all recollection Of the exist
ence of slavery within the dominions of
Great Britain ? In the West India ISL
ands, under the legislative coniroul of
Great Britain, as you yourselves contend
ana certainly In her power, slavery exists
~ form quite as rrpulSive as in any Sec
ton OF the United States. But hitherto |
no attempt at emancipation has been |
made III Parliament. The busy zeal of |
some society i'll London, whose name | |
forget, and shall not take The trouble TO |
look Tor, has, believe, rasiiy, and will |
add, nhumanely, glanced that way. But |
III parliament no effort has been made TO |
etiace this " foul" blot on the character |
oiyonr country 10 suppress this afro.
cious CRIME J. aud why has not this been |
done Parliament knew better. They
'Iad too much understanding, and, I will |
idd, TOO much humanity. They knew
that The object could not be accomplish
ed, without producing horrors which no
human being could describe, or even con.
ceive, except Que who had seen and sur
Vlved those OF ST. Domingo. la truth, il
may. fairly be inferred, from the nnamin,i-
9 OF Tie vote given in support of Mr..
falmers motion, (l2) and from tile very
.frange. language OF The Minister, that
so wild measure as the general eman.
;ipatlon OF slaves" "a measure that
would visit The heaviest calamities on the
reads OF those unfortunate slaves them.
'elves,' could never be sanctioned by
lie government OF that country"
Permit me farther 10 remind you, that,
n May, 1911, the cTosn of Great Britain