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But, when the merchant-fhips are elcorted by a fhip of war, the mode of proceeding feems to be lefs certainly determined, either by practice or written documents recognizing it, fuch as Treaties of Commerce, Marine Ordinances, or Inftructions of Governments to the Captains of their ships of war; yet, upon the whole, we may collect it to be as follows. The British fhips of war that meet with a fleet of neutral merchant-ships, escorted by a ship of war, ought to apply to the Commander of the fhip of war to know their deftination, and the nature of the goods that are on board them, instead of fending a boat with two or three perfons to vifit each of the merchant-fhips, and infpect their paffports and certificates, or other public papers: and, if the faid Commander declares, "That the ships and their cargoes are entirely the property of the fubjects of his fovereign, and that none of the goods are contraband, and that the proper declarations upon oath upon this fubject have been made by the fhippers of the goods before the magiftrates, or custom-houfe officers, of the port in which the veffels were laden;" this Declaration of the Commander of the ship of war that escorts them ought to be received as fufficient teftimony of the ships and their cargoes being neutral, and not liable to feizure, and the faid merchant-ships ought to be permitted to pursue their voyage without further moleftation. This, at leaft, is the method of proceeding prefcribed for this cafe by the only treaty, if I recollectright, that makes mention of this cafe amongst all the treaties relating to this question that have been produced, either by Profeffor Schlegel, or Sulpicius. And it seems to be confirmed in practice by the refiftance made by Captain Dedel, a Dutch captain of a man of war, in the year 1762, to an attempt made by an English ship, or fhips of war, to vifit fome Dutch merchant-fhips, which he was directed by the Dutch Admiralty to escort; and by the approbation bestowed on him by the Dutch Admiralty for having made fuch refiftance and likewise by

the

the conduct of the brave Earl of St. Vincent, in the prefent war (as ftated by Profeffor Schlegel,) in releafing a neutral merchant-veffel, (that had been taken by one of his cruifers, as fufpected of having enemy's goods, or contraband goods, on board, when the Commander of a fhip of war of the fame nation came-up a little while after, accompanied by a large fleet of merchant-ships of the fame nation, that he was appointed to escort, and teftified to the Earl of St. Vincent, that the fhip which his cruifers had taken had made a part of this fleet, and had strayed from it by fome accident, that had made her be confidered by their captors as a fingle veffel and not intitled to his protection. The inftant release of this veffel by Lord St. Vincent, with an apology for the capture, as having been owing to a mistake, is furely a pretty good proof, that fuch is the privilege of merchantfhips, escorted by fhips of war, according to the opinions of fea-officers of the greatest Reputation and Experience. This privilege may certainly be abused, and may occafion fome inconveniences to the belligerent nations: and fo may every regulation made for the conduct of human affairs, But it must be remembered that we are not now inquiring "what the law of nations ought to be in fuch a case," (which would, indeed, be a moft arduous and difficult question,) but "what it is." And, as Great Britain has, throughout this war of neceffity and self-defence, (which fhe did not feek, or make, but fuffered, or received, from the infolence of the French National Convention, in February, 1793, when governed by the mischievous counfels of Monfieur Briffot,) conducted herself with great moderation and regard to juftice, notwithstanding the numerous charges of a contrary spirit brought against her by the dej claimers of France, I fhould be glad to see her perseved in the fame temperate and honourable conduct to the the of the conteft, and, for that purpose, avoid any attempt to make

a new

a new Law of Nations on this fubject, and content herself with an adherence to that Law, (such as it now is, by the confeffion of Mr. Jefferson himself, and other perfons by no means partial to Great-Britain,) with vigour and spirit, in oppofition to the wild and capricious refolutions of the variable Emperour of Ruffia. And that our Government and the nation may be truly informed "what is the prefent Law of Nations in this case, of neutral merchant-fhips efcorted by a fhip of war," I hope Sulpicius will fift the matter to the bottom, and give us another Letter that will clear it up to general fatisfaction.

I am your humble servant,

ARISTIDES.

F. M.

ON THE SLAVE-TRADE.

To the EDITOR of the BRITISH PRESS.

April 3, 1805.

SIR, IT is a very important and ftriking truth, worthy the ferious confideration of all thofe who doubt the enormous wickedness of Weft-Indian Slavery, that its moft respectable champions, and even those among them who, by an affectation of candour, have made the most powerful impreffion on the publick mind, have been obliged to refort to grofs misreprefentations of the facts upon which they reafon. Sometimes, in order to deprive of our sympathy the wretched victims of colonial despotifm, fallacious reprefentations have been wilfully given of their conduct and character; at other times, in order to draw a veil over their fufferings and wrongs, advantage has been taken of the ignorance of the European Publick refpecting Weft-Indian affairs, by diclofing just so much of a particular fact, as would furnish a bafis for an inference oppofite to the truth, and invidiously fuppreffing the reft.

Of this practice, Mr. Brougham, in his able work, entitled, An Inquiry into the Colonial Policy of the European Powers, has given fome examples in writers of the firft reputation among the Apologifts of the Weft-Indian system.

The cart-whip is the planter's ordinary instrument, both of coercion and punishment. When used for the former purpose by the driver in the field, it is generally applied to the poor labourers in their working posture, without stopping to ftrip them of the clothes by which their backs may

happen

happen to be defended. The effect is fufficiently fevere; yet not fo much fo as commonly to leave permanent marks on the body. But when a punishment is to be deliberately inflicted, the patient is stretched upon the ground, with his limbs extended, and the cart-whip, (which, in the hands of an expert driver, is a moft merciless inftrument of torture,) is vertically applied, with all his force, and with an iteration fometimes extending to an hundred lafhes, upon that fleshy part of the naked frame, which alone can receive fuch extreme difcipline, without great danger to life. Not only is the fcarf-skin peeled-off by every contact of the lash, but deep incifions are made, which often leave lasting scars of shocking appearance: from thefe fcars very few fieldnegroes are wholly exempt.

This general and notorious fact having been noticed by the Abolitionists, in the firft difcuffion on the Slave-trade, but without a diftin&t fpecification, as it would seem, of the part of the body which bore thefe badges of cruelty, a tour to the Windward Islands was written by one WestIndian planter of great eminence (Sir William Young), and published in a well-known work of another, (History of the Weft-Indies, by Mr. Bryan Edwards), in which the following paffage appears: "I particularly noticed every negro whom I met, or overtook, on the road; of those, I counted eleven who were dreffed as field-negroes, with only trowfers on, and, adverting to the evidence on the Slave-trade, I particularly remarked that not one of the eleven had a fingle mark, or fcar, of the whip, &c.-Never paffing a flave, without obferving his back, either in the field, or on the road, or wenches washing in the river, I have not feen one back marked, befides that of the woman observed on Mr. G.'s eftate, &c."

Sir William Young's object in bringing-forward this statement is obviously to difcredit the accounts which have

been

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