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
By an answer received from Mr. Necker, relative to the first of these
resolutions, it appeared that the desired interview had been obtained: but
he granted it only for a few minutes, and this principally to show his good
will to the cause. For he was then so oppressed with business in his own
department, that he had but little time for any other. He wrote to me
however the next day, and desired my company to dinner. He then expressed a
wish to me, that any business relative to the Slave-trade might be managed
by ourselves as individuals, and that I would take the opportunity of
dining with him occasionally for this purpose. By this plan, he said, both
of us would save time. Madame Necker also promised to represent her
husband, if I should call in his absence, and to receive me, and converse
with me on all occasions, in which this great cause of humanity and
religion might be concerned.
With respect to the other resolutions nothing ever came of them; for we
waited daily for an answer from the president during the whole of his
presidency, but we never received any; and the committee in London, when
they had read my letter, desired me unequivocally to say, that they did not
see the propriety of the petition, which it had been recommended to them to
obtain.
At the next meeting it was resolved, that a letter should be written to the
new president for the same purpose as the former. This, it was said, was
now rendered essentially necessary. For the merchants, planters, and others
interested in the continuance of the Slave-trade, were so alarmed at the
enthusiasm of the French people, in favour of the new order of things, and
of any change recommended to them, which had the appearance of promoting
the cause of liberty, that they held daily committees to watch and to
thwart the motions of the Friends of the Negros. It was therefore thought
proper, that the appeal to the Assembly should be immediate on this
subject, before the feelings of the people should cool, or, before they,
who were thus interested, should poison their minds by calculations of loss
and gain. The silence of the former president was already attributed to the
intrigues of the planters' committee. No time therefore was to be lost. The
letter was accordingly written, but as no answer was ever returned to it,
they attributed this second omission to the same cause.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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