Excerpt from A Few Words, on the Encouragement Given to Slavery and the Slave Trade, by Recent Measures, and Chiefly by the Sugar Bill of 1846 How fearful the distinction it arrogates to itself, for though God, doubtless, employs the crimes and cruelty of men in his government of the world, he does not the less punish the guilty instruments. To adduce an in stance from the same book of reference, the history of the Jews. It was clearly foretold that the Israelites were to be slaves in Egypt 400 years; but what follows? The nation, to whom they shall be in bondage, will I judge, saith God. It is a fearful thing to court such judgment.
The question may well be raised, whether the deep degradation under which the negro labours in his own country is not, in a great measure, the effect of the abominable system of the slave trade, instead of being an excuse for it. It were idle to speculate on the amelioration which might have taken place, had educa tion and religion, in earlier days, shed their genial influence over the western coast of Africa; but no one can deny that the contact, from generation to generation, with abandoned crews of slav ers; the introduction of ardent spirits, the chief article of barter in this wretched traffic; continual intestine wars occasioned by the same system, would have exercised the most baneful influence on any race of men and the marked improvement recorded by travellers, among the inland tribes, more removed from this contagion, seems to demonstrate that the African owes his degradation to his intercourse with the inhabitants of enlightened Christian Europe.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
The question may well be raised, whether the deep degradation under which the negro labours in his own country is not, in a great measure, the effect of the abominable system of the slave trade, instead of being an excuse for it. It were idle to speculate on the amelioration which might have taken place, had educa tion and religion, in earlier days, shed their genial influence over the western coast of Africa; but no one can deny that the contact, from generation to generation, with abandoned crews of slav ers; the introduction of ardent spirits, the chief article of barter in this wretched traffic; continual intestine wars occasioned by the same system, would have exercised the most baneful influence on any race of men and the marked improvement recorded by travellers, among the inland tribes, more removed from this contagion, seems to demonstrate that the African owes his degradation to his intercourse with the inhabitants of enlightened Christian Europe.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
Share This Book: