The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1870-06-04
lErom the N. o. Picayune.
Puritan Slave Trade in Quakers.

J Inc earlier history of Puritan
ism in America affords many in
stances of the repugnance it felt
for the Quakers, as we'll as QfSe-
we're punishments inflicted 2apll
them simply because ,of:tlES4 DIFF
ferences from the. si mon pure of
the professed disciples Of the gos-
pei of freedom of worship. Large
numbers of. the quantity dressed
and spea1sifg followers Of Fox
bore testimony on their SCARED
backs as to the very peculiar
tcharacter of the Puritan idea of
freedom Of conscience and action
in such matters, and their cases
are recorded in history; but few,
we venture to say, have hitherto
believed that the zeal Of thePuri-
tan maGnates was so great us to
overleap territorial limits, and
seek to capture and enslave the
objects of their animosity on the
High seas; and to that class au-
thentic proof that such was indeed
the truth, will be interesting.
Lately there has come to light,
by accident it would seem, a his
torical document which exhibits
the views of Cotton Mather and
his followers as to the legality of
the Quaker slave trade. Mr.. Jud-
kins, Librarian of tue Massachu-
setts Historical Society, in rum
maging over chest of old papers,
contributed to that body by one
Of the Greenleaf family, Glanced
to put his hand upon the follow
ling latter in the recognized writ
ing Of the Rev. Cotton Mather
himself, dated 10Th of September,
1862, and addressed to his Gagged
and beloved' friend, Mr.. Higgin-
son:
ssThere bee now at sea shippe
| (for our friend Mr.. Esaias Holcroft
of London did advise by the last
packet that it wode sail some
time in August) called ye Wei
/ come, r. R.Greenaway, master, which
| has aboard :tn hundred or more Of
ye heretics and nalignants called
! Quakers with w. Penne who is
| ye Chief Scampe at ye hedde of
! them. Ye General Court has ac-
| cordinggely given secret orders
to Master Malachi HuNett of We
brig Proprosse to waylaye ye said
Welcome style as near ye coast of
| COdde as may be and make cap
tive ye said Penne and his ungod-
lie crewe SO that ye Lord may be
| gloritied and not Knocked on We
! soil of this new countrie with ye
heather worshippe of these pco-
! pie. Much spoyle can be made
by selling We whole lotte to Bar
| badoes where slaves fetch gootfe
prices in rumme and sugar and
shall not only do ye Lord great
service by furnishing ye wicked
| we shall make great gayne for his
ministers and people. Master
Huxett feels hopeful and Twill
set down the news he brings when
his shippe comes back.
"Yours in ye bowels Of Christ,
"CoTTON MATIIER."
Luckily for the malignant Broad
brim. the Welcome did not APP
proach the "coast Of Codde," but
took a more .southerhly course,
and arrived safely in Delaware
Bay; and thus the courtly Penn,
who, in spite of homely garb and
| quaint language, was a visitor at
the court, aud had escaped the
perils and temptations of the Ii
centious manners of Charles the
Second, also escaped the perils of
Barbados slavery, while the earn:
est and sanity Cotton Mather, his
aged and beloved friend Mr.. Hig-
ginson, Master Malachi Huxett
and the General Court failed to
get any of the "spoylc" OF the
srumme and sugar. to come out
of the capture and sale of himself
and his company.
1T has been said.that all Irish
man is at peace only when he is
in a quarrel; a Scotchman at home
only when he is abroad; an En-