The New Hampshire Gazette And Historical Chronicle

From the Boston Gazette, of March 30, 1767.

Messrs. Edes & Gill,

I was very sorry to find that the Bill which was brought into the General-Court the last Session, for the prohibiting the African Slave-Trade had miscarried for the present: for the present, I say, as I trust the House, in some future Period will not fail to resume the consideration of so important a subject. The Pamphlet you published the other Day, upon this Trade was well calculated to answer the End designed; to give the public a proper Idea of this Business; and though the very desirable Act which was in Agitation has not been obtained, yet such publications will I doubt not lessen the future Importation of Negroes. And as I imagine the following Extract of a Letter will conduce to the same good Design, you are at liberty to publish it if you please.

The most popular and plausible Excuse for the Slave Trade is, that the Africans are brought from a Land of Darkness, to a Land of Gospel-Light. They who advance this in Justification of this Business, are guilty of the most abominable Hypocrisy, in making a religious Concern for the Salvation of immortal Souls, a Cloak for the basest Perfidy, Avarice and Barbarity. Shew me the Merchant or Captain, whose Conscience in a serious Hour, tells him, that he ever undertook a Voyage to Africa, with a benevolent Desire or Design of bringing poor Negroes to the Knowledge of Christianity. Is it consistent with such a Design to use the most inhuman, unchristian, infernal Methods of getting them away from their native Land? Is it consistent with such a Desire to foment perpetual Discord and War among the unhappy Nations? Is it consistent with such a Desire, to crowd so many hundreds together in a Ship, that a great Part must inevitably perish on the Voyage, and when they are brought to Port, to dispose of them in such a Manner as to put them under as great Disadvantage on Account of Religion, as before they came from their own Country? Suppose a Ship-load of immortal Souls brought to Market, one of 'em appears superior to the rest, & equally attracts the Liking of two Men who appear to purchase; that one of these is a sober, religious Man, and known to be so, he offers £. 20. The other is a notorious profligate, abandoned Wretch, he offers £. 24---Now Mr. Conscience, under which of these two Masters is the poor Soul likely to gain that divine knowledge, the Love of which was the moving Cause of thy sending to Africa, that these poor Creatures might obtain it equally with thee? And which of these will be the Purchaser? Can there be the least Struggle between Interest and Religion? I cannot help recollecting a Line or two I have somewhere met with,

Spain in America had two Designs,
To spread Religion, and to seize the Mines,
For where there is no sure supply of Wealth,
Mens Souls are never worth the Charge of Health.

If these Men have any sincere Desire that the Africans should be benefited by the Gospel, why do they not take the nearest and most effectual Method to accomplish this End? Why don't they either send English Missionaries among them, or else instruct those Negroes who are already here, and send them back on this benevolent Errand? The Truth is, this Plea of benefiting their Souls is nothing but a vile, detestable, hypocritical Artifice to smooth over their antichristian, diabolical Covetousness, Cruelty and Murder; for that they are guilty of these Sins is glaringly evident to the View of all Mankind; and why they should escape the Gallows, is beyond the Power of the most able Civilian to prove consistent with our natural Ideas of Justice.