The History of the Rise, Progress and Accomplishment of the Abolition of the African Slave Trade by the British Parliament (1808), Volume IIClarkson, Thomas
History
The History of the Rise, Progress and Accomplishment of the Abolition of the African Slave Trade by the British Parliament (1808), Volume II
Clarkson, Thomas
Slave trade -- Africa
The same gentleman had also dwelt upon the Slave-trade as a nursery for
seamen. But it had appeared by the muster-rolls of the slave-vessels, then
actually on the table of the House, that more than a fifth of them died in
the service, exclusive of those who perished when discharged in the West
Indies; and yet he had been instructed by his constituents to maintain this
false position. His reasoning, too, was very curious; for, though numbers
might die, yet as one half, who entered, were landsmen, seamen were
continually forming. Not to dwell on the expensive cruelty of forming these
seamen by the yearly destruction of so many hundreds, this very statement
was flatly contradicted by the evidence. The muster-rolls from Bristol
stated the proportion of landmen in the trade there at one twelfth, and the
proper officers of Liverpool itself at but a sixteenth, of the whole
employed. In the face again of the most glaring facts, others had
maintained that the mortality in these vessels did not exceed that of other
trades in the tropical climates. But the same documents, which proved that
twenty-three per cent, were destroyed in this wasting traffic, proved that
in West India ships only about one and a half per cent. were lost,
including every casualty.--But the very men, under whose management this
dreadful mortality had been constantly occurring, had coolly said, that
much of it might be avoided by proper regulations. How criminal then were
they, who, knowing this, had neither publicly proposed, nor in their
practice adopted, a remedy!
The average loss of the slaves on board, which had been calculated by Mr.
Wilberforce at twelve and a half per cent., had been denied. He believed
this calculation, taking in all the circumstances connected with it, to be
true; but that for years not less than one tenth had so perished, he would
challenge those concerned in the traffic to disprove. Much evidence had
been produced on the subject; but the voyages had been generally selected.
There was only one, who had disclosed the whole account. This was Mr.
Anderson of London, whose engagements in this trade had been very
inconsiderable. His loss had only amounted to three per cent.; but,
unfortunately for the Slave-traders of Liverpool, his vessel had not taken
above three fourths of that number in proportion to the tonnage which they
had stated to be necessary to the very existence of their trade.
An honourable member (Mr. Grosvenor) had attributed the protraction of this
business to those who had introduced it. But from whom did the motion for
further evidence (when that of the privy council was refused) originate,
but from the enemies of the abolition? The same gentleman had said, it was
impossible to abolish the trade; but where was the impossibility of
forbidding the further importation of slaves into our own colonies? and
beyond this the motion did not extend.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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