[From Anthony Benezet, to the Rev. J. Wesley.] Philadelphia, the 23d, fifth month, [May] 1774. Refpected Friend,, HAVIN AVING a good opportunity, by means of the bearer, my friend and old pupil, William Dilwyn, a valuable, religiously minded perfon, who is going a voyage to your country; I make ufe of it, affectionately to falute thee. The Tract thou haft lately publifhed entitled, Thoughts on Slavery, afforded me much fatisfaction. I was the more efpecially glad to fee it, as the circumftances of the times made it neceffary that fomething on that most weighty subject, not large, but ftriking and pathetic, fhould now be publifhed. Wherefore I immediately agreed with the Printer to have it republifhed here. The feveral fettlements which are now begun, and will doubtlefs, vallly increafe íhortly, on that tract of land which extends fome thoufands of miles from the mouth of the river Miffiffipy, to the Northward of the Lake of Canada, inftead of being, as I trust the Almighty may intend, a refuge, and affording a comfortable fubfiftence to thoufands, and hundreds of thousands of diftreffed people, will be occupied, as is much the cafe of our Southern Provinces, by tyrants and flaves. For in all thofe places where flavery prevails, a poor industrious white man, cannot procure to himfelf and family a living, as his labour is rated (except he be fome extraordinary workman) no higher than that of a Slave; fo that he muft, by credit or otherwife, become a Slave-keeper, with all its corrupt effects to himself and family, or lead a poor miferable life, or abandon the country. I obferve I obferve that in, thy late publication on Slavery, in thy mention of the feveral Negro-Nations who occupy that part of Guinea, fituated on, and between the two great rivers of Senegal and Gambia, thou giveft a character of the whole nation of Fulys, who are numerous, which from the account given by Moor, &c., is only applicable to a part of that nation, who then refided among the Mandigos; having been driven out of their own country. This may be amended in cafe of a further publication; as it might give an advantage, to the advocate for the trade, to leffen the ftrength of what is flriftly true. A certain Author, who calls himself an African-Merchant, in a Treatife upon the Trade from Great Britain to Africa, has endeavoured, though without real ground, to make me appear inconfiflent in the account I give of thofe and other Negro nations, in my IIiftorical Account of Guinea. Indeed the whole of that Author's work is more calculated to fhew the iniquity, and dishonefly of the African Traders, even to one another, than to give any grounded anfwer to what has been written against the Slave-Trade. Thou wilt probably have heard of the death of my dear friend, Nathaniel Gilbert, of Antigua. The account he gave me in his laff letter, wrote two or three months pafi, was fuch as afforded me comfort, for the fake of poor Negroes on that Ifland. I rejoiced that Providence had raifed them fuch'a friend, and by his means fuch an opportunity of comfort in their affliction. But he is gone! It is the Lord, let him do what feemeth him good. The fame hand who railed and removed him, can, and in the proper time, will raife more. What he wrote at different times was as follows. "I can give you but a poor account of the progrefs of religion among us. We have a fmall religious Society here, confifting of about twenty whites, exclufive of my family, and of fixty-four Negroes and Mulattoes. The word feems to make more impreffion" on fome" Mulitões" and Negroes, than than it does on the white people. There is particularly a Mulatto-woman whom I look upon to be a perfon endued with great grace.) I have fometimes on Sundays, I believe, no less than eight hundred Negroes, who come to hear the word. They choose to bring their victuals with them, and spend the whole day here. "I have for several years thought that the Lord had a controverfy with the Weft-Indies, on account of the treatment of our Slaves. Whilft I was a member of the Affembly, I have feveral times expreffed my disapprobation of that act of our Ifland, which fubjects the Negroes to death, for running away from their Masters; but without fuccefs. And very little, I conceive, is to be expected in favour of Negroes from a legislature who will not repeal fo wicked a law as to the punishment of those who murder Negroes: which is only a fine, and imprisonment till the fine is paid; though every General, who comes to this Government has a particular inftruction from the King to ufe his utmost endeavours to get that A&t repealed: fo that the crime might remain as it is at common Law, by which every murderer is liable to lofs of life." I understand the Laws of Virginia, and North and SouthCarolina are much to the fame purpose as thofe in the Islands; tending rather to promote a murderous difpofition in the Master towards their poor Slaves: quite abhorrent of that univerfal brotherhood fo ftrongly enjoined by the Gofpel. These worse than Savage-Laws, the Slave-holders apprehend neceffary for their fafety, and to keep their Slaves in awe. Now can any thing more plainly fhew the abhorrence of the practice of Slave-keeping, with every thing that is good and facred, than the pretended neceffity of fuch deteftable Laws? Laws, at which the darkest age would have repunged! As a farther inftance of the inhumanity with which the poor Negroes are treated, even in thofe Provinces, where they have a lefs proportion of Slaves, and have not the fame plea for for keeping them in awe; I will here add the fubftance of two advertisements, published in the public Prints of the province of Virginia and North-Carolina, viz. From the Williamsburg Gazette: "Run away in Prince George, on the 10th instant, a lufty Negro, named Bob, &c. &c. (defcribing him) The faid fellow is outlawed, and I will give ten pounds reward for his head fevered from his body, and forty fhillings if brought alive." The other advertisement from one of the North-Carolina News Papers is to the following effect. "Run away last November from the fubfcriber, Eent River, a Negro-fellow, named Zeb, aged 36 years. As he is outlawed, I will pay twenty pounds Pch out of what the Act of Affembly allows in such cafes, to any person who fhall produce his head fevered from his body, and five pounds Pch, if brought home alive." JOHN MOSELY. I would now leave off writing, particulary in fo irregular a manner, and indeed time calls for it, the bearer being upon his departure; but I cannot be easy to do it, without here tranfcribing, a paragraph of a letter I have just written to your country, viz. That as dreadful as the flavery now carried on in our Colonies, is to the miferable fubject thereof, yet greater, far greater, is its baneful influence on their poffeffors and their unhappy offspring; thefe being, thereby, from their childhood nurtured in fuch fcenes and practice, as naturally beget in them habits of idlenefs, pride, cruelty, and lafciviousness; with a train of other evils, which bear fway; and as age comes on, predominate to the introduction of a much worfe kind of barbarism, than that which our Northern Ancestors were under, before they became acquainted with Chriflianity. With the poor Negroes the evil of their fufferings will end with this life, and the merciful Father of the family of mankind, will look on their deep affliction, and in his boundless mercy, requite them good for their fafferings; and may favour them with that greatest of bleffings, humble and contrite. hearts. But with refpect to their lordly oppreffor, the horrible abuse of their fellow-creatures, will extend its baneful influence even in the regions of eternity. For fuch is the depravity and hardnefs of heart and mind produced by it, that for many, very many of the fubjects of it, it may be feared, Chrift will have died in vain." In the best love I am capable of, and with fincere wishes for thy welfare and profperity in every thing that is truly, good, I remain thy affectionate Friend, LETTER ANTHONY BENEZET. CCCCXIII. [From Mifs E. R. to the Rev. J. Welley.] Rev. Sir, Odley, May 23, 1774 HE Character you recommend is truly amiable may God THE help me to follow Miranda up the fleep of excellence! . On the Sunday morning you left us at Birstål, feveral of us joined in befeeching God to make us all his own. While I was praying that the enemies I had feen that day, might be feen no more for ever, the Lord applied fuch promises to my foul, as encouraged me much. Yet I hardly durft lay hold on them, unbelief flriving fo hard to prevent my entering into reft but the Lord continued fo to blefs me, that at laft, I could not doubt all I feared was, lofing what I had received: which made me backward in fpeaking of it. I thought, I would wait and fee how it would be with me by and bye. On my return to Otley, my foul was ftill kept near to God; but the Enemy kept whifpering, "It will not be always fo; a few days hence thy inbred foes will again return; thou wilt he brought from the fweet reft thou now enjoyeft, to thy former |