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402 African Memoranda. But how will this affect the slave trade, seeing that Christians carry it on at present ? The people from whom they procure slaves, being more civilized than they are at present, and find ing a safer and surer mode of acquiring wealth, than by plunder and rapine, will no longer pursue those nefarious practices by which they formerly supplied us with slaves; and the difficulty of procuring them will insure more care in the possessors of our West Indian colonies, to keep up the stock which they Population in already have. This keeping up of the stock naturally leads well govern- . . ed countries one to ask a question, which is, “ what part of the habitable crease. en globe, except our West Indian islands, can be pointed out, where the population (except in cases of tyranny, cruelty, into lerance, or some other oppression) does not increase ?” I believe none. However if it does not increase, it does not (except in the above cases) decrease. How comes it then that in the West Indian Islands a constant fresh supply is required ? Does not this argue some radical evil ? It certainly does. And what is Slaven' ad- this evil ? Slavery ! I do not mean, in the most distant manner, to insinuate here that this arises from ill treatment; I will allow it to be as good, and as humane as possible ; yet, such is the effect of slavery that it cannot, nay, it should not, keep up in population its own numbers. The cultiva- Besides the good effects, already mentioned, which, it is con- tion-of Africa . , ... . . ... . - . . win moreover ccived, will attend the cultivation of that portion of Africa XturTof Tc- a h°vc proposed, it is also thought that it will afford us more knowledge of ^ re ff uen b safe, and beneficial means of exploring, and becoming its interior, acquainted with, the interior of that country, than can ever re sult from the laborious, the perilous, the indefatigable exertions of a few European individuals ; who, at times, with unshaken
