A dissuasion to Great-Britain and the colonies, from the slave trade to AfricaSwan, James
Philosophy
A dissuasion to Great-Britain and the colonies, from the slave trade to Africa
Swan, James
Slave trade -- Early works to 1800
First, the following case is mentioned in _Astley_’s Collection
of Voyages, by _John Atkins_, Surgeon on board Admiral _Ogle_’s
squadron, “Of one _Harding_, Master of a vessel, in which several of
the Men-slaves and a Woman-slave had attempted to rise in order to
recover their Liberty; some of whom the Master of his own authority
sentenced to cruel deaths, making them first eat the hearts and liver
of one of those he killed. The woman he hoisted by the thumbs, whiped,
and slashed with knives before other Slaves, until she died.” Oh
unparralelled cruelty!
Next is an account given by a Ship-master who brought a Cargo of
Slaves to _Barbadoes_, upon an enquiry what had been the success of
the voyage, he answered, “That he had found it a difficult matter to
set the Negroes a fighting with each other in order to procure the
number he wanted.” This shews, Reader, what methods they practise to
obtain these Slaves, _by setting them a fighting with each other_. “But
when he had obtained his end, having filled his vessel with Slaves, a
new difficulty arose from their refusal to take food: Those desperate
creatures chusing rather to die with hunger than to be carried from
their native country.” Upon a further enquiry how he got them to forego
this desperate resolution, he answered, “That he obliged all the
Negroes to come on deck, where they persisting in their resolution of
not taking food, he caused his sailors to lay hold on one of the most
obstinate, who chopped the poor creature into small pieces, forcing
some of the others to eat a part of the mangled body; swearing to
the survivors, that he would use them all one after the other in the
same manner if they did not consent to eat.” This horrid execution he
applauded as a good act, it having had the desired effect in causing
them to take food.
As detestable and shocking as these usages to the poor Negroes may
appear to such whose hearts are not yet hardened by the practise of
that cruelty which the love of wealth by degrees introduceth into the
human mind, it will not be strange to those who have been concerned or
employed in the Trade.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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