Index :: 1839 Slave Trade Book

THE SLAVE TRADE

A work upon the subject of the African Slave Trade, by T. F. Buxton, has recently been published in London, which is represented as furnishing a great mass of appalling facts, illustrative of the extent of this inhuman traffic at the present time–and which makes out a case of misery and crime absolutely without a parallel in the history of the world—and which, strange as it may seem is increasing in enormity every hour!  The facts contained in this volume, afford incontrovertible proof that the slave trade is far more extensive and atrocious at the present time than it has ever been—and that it not only defies all the efforts hitherto devised to repress it, but acquires strength under the pressure, and becomes aggravated by the direct influence of the attempted remedy.  Mr. Buxton advances the startling opinion—which he supports by facts and arguments, that the treaties and cruisers, the millions of money, and the thousands of lives lavishly expended to suppress the slave trade for upwards of thirty years past, have not only done nothing, but absolutely worse than nothing—and this inhuman traffic would be absolutely less horrible than it now is, if every cruiser was to be withdrawn and every treaty cancelled!

This is a dreadful state of things.  Humanity revolts at the picture which is here presented—and every Christian nation is called upon by the strongest motives, which can actuate human beings, to exert all its energies to put an entire stop to this abominable traffic in human flesh.  As a powerful means of effecting this desirable object, Mr. Buxton says, ‘Introduce into Africa legitimate commerce.  Convince the chiefs that they get less by selling men, than they can get by selling the labor of men.’  This course undoubtedly would tend directly to lessen the evils arising from the African slave trade—and settlements on the African coast, with a view not only to establish a lucrative commerce, but also to harmonize and christianize the barbarous tribes, who abound in that country, should be encouraged by the people of every Christian nation.  But this is not enough—a feeling should be awakened in the minds of the inhabitants of every country, who claim to be considered just and humane, adverse to this detestable traffic.  It should be exposed in all its horrid deformity—and denounced in the most unequivocal terms by public opinion.  Our government and our people have been too remiss in this matter–and instead of furnishing facilities by means of vessels, men and money, for carrying on this traffic, which we regret to say is undoubtedly the case, we should be foremost in exposing its evils, and in the application of a remedy.  We claim to be considered and enlightened and a moral nation—and whatever difference of opinion may exist in relation to the subject of slavery in the Southern States, there can be none in respect of the impolicy and wickedness of slavery in the abstract—and above all, in respect to the injustice and atrocities of the slave trade.