The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1846-01-22
Correspondence of the Albany Eve. Journal.
LETTER FROM A. FUGITIVE SLAVE.
Great Brunswick Street,
nuhIp Oec lst 1917

Dublin, Dec LIST, 1885
Dear Slr-AIow he to thank you for
your noble and timely defence of my con,
duct on board The British steam ship Cam
bria, during her passage, 9th Aug,
from Boston, U. s. TO Liverpool, Eng gland;
aud also to thank you for the friend! y
manner with which you regard and treat
every movement tending 10 improve and
elevate my long enslaved and deeply in
ured race.
In attempting 10 speak on board the
Cambria, | acted in accordance with a
sense Of duty and with no desire 10 wound
or injure the feelings ofany one on board.
My 1bject was to enight.n such OF our
passengers as wished 10 BE- enlightened,
and to remove the objections to Enanci-
patton and false impressions concerning
Slavery which ] had heard urged during
our passage.
Nor should I have done this but that
our popular and geutemanly commander
us well as a most respectable number OF
our passengers, gave me pressing iuyi-
talion to do so. |; is clear hat slavery in
our country can only he abolished by Gre
alng public opinion favorable TO its abb
olilion, ard this can ouly be done by en-
tightening the public mind-by exposing
the character of Slavery and enforcing the
grent principles of justice and Humanity
against it, To do this with what ability
] may possess, is plainly my duty. 10
shrink from doing so, on any fitting occa.
sion, from mere fear of giving offence 10
those implicated in the wickedness, would
be to betray the sacred trust committed to
me, and to act the part of a coward.
The question 10 be answered is Had
the passengers, through the Captain, a
right 10 ask me TO give them my views OIL
Slavery? To ask the question is to an
swer it. They had as much right to ask
me my views on that subject as those on
any other subject. To deny that they
had such right would be- to deny that the
had the right 10 exchange views at all -
If they had the righl 10 ask, | had righ
10 answer, and 10 answer so as 10 be I'M
drrstood by those who wish to hear.-Bu
then, i, will be said, the subject Of Slavery
is no, open 10 discussion. Who say so
the very men who are continually speak
ing and writing in its favor. But who
has right 10 say what subject shall OF
shall not be discussed on boar of Brit
ISL steamer! Certainly not the slave
holders of South Carolina. nor their slave
holding abeltors in New York or else.
where. If any one has such right, the
ships commander has. Now, all l did
on the occasion in question, was in per.
feet agreement with the wishes OF the
Captain and large number Of our mos
respectable passengers.
The English papers have had much
TO say respecting the affair, and Of course
have in all cases taken view favorable
to myself. | say OF course, not because
| regard English journalists more dspos.
ed to pursue an honorable course in gen,
eral than those Of America, but because
they are all committed against Negro
Slavery within their own dominion!
and elsewhere; and 10 this, whatever ma
be said of them in other respects, they
hold decided advantage over those 0
America.
The whole conduct Of the American
who took part in the mob on board the
Cambria, was in keeping with the base
and cowardly spirit that animated tn
mob in Lexington, Kentucky, which muir
derousIy undertook 10 exlinguish tn