out on the passage, or, if a storm overtook the slave-ship loaded down with its cargo, moans of unutterable anguish could not be prevented, or, if, as might happen, a peculiar pestilence broke out among the suffering and the dying chained in their places, and in some cases to the dead in whom dissolution had already commenced, the scene would become too woful to describe. For one reason and another hundreds of thousands of slaves found a grave in the waters of the ocean. One eighth to one fourth of the cargoes of slaves may be said, on the average, to have perished on the vessels. When the enslaved arrived in port they would sometimes be filled with agony and terror as they realized that they were to be sold into life-long bondage. The horrors of the scene. would only be exceeded by its wickedness! No wonder that Madison should speak of the slave-trade as an "infernal traffic";—that Jefferson should feel indignant with the British Crown for its responsibility for man-stealing and the trade in human flesh and blood! It may here be incidentally remarked that African slavery was first introduced into South America at the instance of Las Casas, a Roman Catholic ecclesiastic, who possibly hoped that negro slavery would at least take the place of the well-nigh indescribable, the appalling,-enslavement by the Spaniards of the vast hordes of Indians who were dying in numbers which might seem incredible if they were here stated. Las Casas, before his death became to some degree enlightened respecting the unutterable horrors of the slave-trade and sadly repented of the error which he had committed in taking part in the work of introducing a new system of human bondage into South America. It is hardly historically correct to say that he was the only one responsible for the infamous business. The monarchs of Spain at different periods, had at least to some extent encouraged the introduction of negroes into the part of the new world scourged by their tyranny. In 1518, the Jeronimite Order of the Roman Catholic Church had recommended that licenses should be given to the people of Hispaniola or to other persons, to bring negroes to Hispaniola. From a letter of theirs one may infer that even before the year 1518 they had sent to Spain a similar recommendation. Fray Bernardino de Manzanedo, sent to Spain by his Order, not only recommended that negro slavery should be introduced, but added especially that as many negro women should be sent as negro men.* Although it has been said that at least one distinguished ecclesiastic,—a man connected with the Inquisition-disapproved of the business, and although a time was to come when from the Papal throne denunciations in Latin were to be uttered against the sin of man's enslaving his fellow-man,-yet Las Casas' project respecting introducing African slaves was apNicholas? proved by powerful ecclesiastics. Pope Martin V. gave his approval to the traffic-a traffic which, in justice it should be said, was probably but little understood by the Roman Pontiff. The Spanish Crown gave to a man named De Brasa a license to carry on the slave business, who in his turn sold the license to some Genoese merchants, who were soon unable to supply the large demand in Cuba, Jamaica, San Juan and Hispaniola and on the South American coast. The trade being found to be very profitable, some Dutchmen entered the business. On May 22d, 1620, a Dutch vessel landed twenty slaves on Virginian soil. In time slavery was introduced into all the colonies which were to sever themselves from the * See "The Conquerors of the New World and their Bondsmen," by Arthur Helps, 1848, p. 272–3, and "Coleccion de Muñoz," tomo 76, from which ancient letters are quoted. British Crown. Queen Elizabeth was a partner in the second voyage of the first English captain of a slave vessel. James I. and Charles II. chartered companies to deal in slaves. Of the first company chartered by Charles II., the Duke of York was President. To the second African company which he chartered he as well as the Duke subscribed. After the Stuarts were expelled from Great Britain the nefarious business was still continued. In 1713, at the peace of Utrecht, England insisted that she should have the monopoly of the slavetrade with the Spanish West Indies. The English government agreed by treaty with the King of Spain* to bring into the West Indies of America belonging to his Catholic Majesty, in the space of thirty years, 144,000 negroes at the rate of 4,800 a year, at a fixed rate of duty, with the right to import any further number at a lower rate. As nearly all the coast watered by the Gulf of Mexico was claimed by the Spanish throne, England soon undertook to stock with slaves what was one day to be the southern part of the United States. It is calculated that the English ships transported between the year 1700 and 1750, 1,500,000 colored people, of whom, however, a good many met with a premature death. In 1763, it has been calculated that in North America there were about 300,000 people of color. The slave dealer's profits were very large. At the commencement of the nineteenth century a slave could be captured with often little cost to the slave-dealer, or bought on the coast of Africa for about ten dollars. A schooner of even ninety tons could carry two hundred and twenty colored people in her hold-and of course a bigger vessel a larger number. Each negro that survived the voyage could be sold in Cuba, or in certain harbors of North or South America * "The War of American Independence, 1775-1783," by J. M. Ludlow. for five hundred dollars. To make a round trip from America to Africa might take about four months' time. After deducting all expenses the slaver could make an enormous profit. In the colonies of North America there were found men who boldly denounced slavery from the pulpit, and through the press, and for doing so were, by a certain class of people, stigmatized "Abolitionists." One of these men was Anthony Benezet, whose ancestors had been driven from France by the persecution of the Romish Church. This noble Huguenot, becoming a citizen of the United States, was filled with horror at the wickedness of the slave-trade and of slavery. He wrote a book which was destined to have an astonishing influence for good. The book fell into the hands of a young Englishman named Thomas Clarkson, who, being deeply affected by the facts which it made public, became one of the most distinguished philanthropists of his age. His life may even be said to have been heroic and romantic. He had had his attention especially called to the slave traffic as he was about finishing his collegiate course by some one having thoughtfully offered a prize for a dissertation on that subject. He was instrumental in influencing Wilberforce to take a stand in Parliament against the accursed traffic. After years of labor Wilberforce was enabled to induce England -especially as the United States government had commenced to take effective measures against the further importation of slaves into the Republic-to give up the execrable business and to appropriate about 100,000,000 dollars for the purchase and freedom of the 750,000 or more slaves in the British West Indies;-an act which in its turn was to have a far-reaching influence for good on what was sometimes called Spanish America, where people had freed their slaves when they, at a cost of perhaps not less than a million of lives, cast off the horrid yoke of the Spanish Crown. The Revolutions in Mexico and in Central and South America were in their turn the means of causing, during the Administration of President John Quincy Adams, many a debate in the United States Congress on questions respecting slavery-debates which were constantly to be reopened until the abolition of slavery in the United States was accomplished. The Christian sentiment against holding human beings in bondage was in time to be felt even in the large, wondrously fertile, and beautiful island of Cuba—an island whose history is a sad tale of oppression by a despotic European monarchy. Even to the vast and sunny land of Brazil was to be borne a sentiment-which in time was to have its effect-opposed to men owning as beasts of burden their brethren. In future from America, instead of the slave-dealer, are to go to the dark continent many colored missionaries, who have been Americanized in the best sense of the word,missionaries bearing the wondrous light of Christianity. and its accompanying blessings. Thy chains are broken, Africa, be free! Oh! ye winds and waves, Waft the glad tidings to the land of slaves." Jefferson believed that it was not only the duty of American statesmanship to stop the slave-trade, but it may here be somewhat incidentally stated that, in a plan which he drew up for the abolition of slavery in the United States, he provided that the federal government should, at its own expense, educate the colored people. When Secretary of State, under Washington's administration, Jefferson in various ways endeavored to exert an influence against the slave-trade. When President of the United States,-at a time when the slave-trade was still |