Pudential and Political Thoughts on the Slave Trade.

fare. That part of Africa, which is known by the general name of Guinea, is divided into many fmall communities, each of which is governed by a petty tyrant of its own, no lefs defpotic among his people, than the Grand-Signior or the Great Mogul. Prompted by intereft to preferve his being, and by common humanity to treat him with fome degree of lenity, the condition of the Negro is perhaps more tolerable under the fervitude of his foreign mafters, than under the yoke of his native tyrants; defpotifm being found the moft abfolute and op. preffive, where the limits of territorial jurifdiction are the most confined. We are told by a reputable and well-informed Author of the prefent day. "That the more civilized Negroes reflect with horror on their favage condition, and do not cafily forgive the reproach of having been born in Africa, and of ever having lived in a state that nature intended for them, unless fome compliment be added on their improvements." To reprobate the commerce of the Europeans on the coaft of Africa, as the primary fource of war and depredation among the natives of that barbarous region, betrays the groffeft ignorance of the hiftory of our fpecies, in the uncultivated periods of fociety. From the frequent caufes of animofity which arife among a barbarous people, that extenfive region, peopled by hoftile nations of favages, mult have been always in a flate of warfare. War is a neceffary confequence of human depravity, a calamity with which human nature has been afflicted in all ages, and in every gradation of fociety. Among civilized communities, war is a confequence of policy or ambition, the feverities of which are alleviated by the genius of humanity: but among favage nations, war is an operation of the most turbulent and deftructive pallions. Animated by rage, by animolity, and by re. venge, neither the aged nor the innocent is fpared; the infint upon the breast, no lefs than the warrior in the foreft, becomes the victim of their tury. Such is the flate of nature, which fome dreamers in philofophy, blinded by the prejudice of teftein, have celebrated as the moft virtuous and the moft happy. Prejudice, Co-operating with native obftinacy of temper, and nourished by the vanity of being diftinguished, clofes every avenue to conviction; and the bigot in philo fophy, like the zealot in religion, or the partizan in politics, continues to be the advocate of his favourite tyllem, in de GENT. MAG. May, 1780.

409

fiance of reafon, evidence, and common
fenfe. By prefenting to the natives an
object of traffick in their countrymen,
the commerce of the Europeans on the
coaft of Africa, though confetfedly the
moft exceptionable now practifed by man-
kind, has rendered their domeftic wars
lefs barbarous and fanguinary; and has
changed the character of the natives from
fierce barbarity and implacable revenge,
into that of fraud and selfishnefs, arunice
and precaution. The manumiffion of
the Negroes in the British plantations,
for which a fubfcription has been opened
in the metropolis, is one of the most ex-
travagant projects that folly ever devifed;
and may ferve to evince, that when hu-
manity is abandoned by good fenfe, in
the epidemic fever of benevolence, its
exertions become abfurd and visionary.
When we confider the magnitude of the
object, we are convinced of its being im
practicable; and when we reflect on the
diforders that might arise from the exe-
cution of fuch a plan, we are aftonished
at the inconfiderate ignorance of those
with whom it originated. A numerous
body of men, deftiture of property, and
awed by fervitude and dependance, fet
free from the fhackles of reftraint, be-
coming infolent from independence, and
daring from the ftrength and fuperiority
of its numbers, would be ready for the
commiffion of the most flagrant enormi-
ties. The paffions of a multitude, de-
preffed by poverty, and overawed by fear,
are like the waters of a torrent confined
within their banks, ever ready to burst
forth on the first occafion that prefents
itlelf. Here the imagination might ex-
patiate, without departing from the range
of probability, on the feenes of blood, of
rapine, and of perfonal violence, that
might follow the enfranchifement of a
numerous and defperate banditti: but
fince humanity refufes to proceed in the
detail, we fhall drop the icenery of this
ideal tragedy. When liberality becomes
the fathion of the day, it is of no in
portance to the crowd of imitators, to
what object the expreflion is applied, or
for what purpose their bounty is to be
employed; they will run with the cur
rent, whether it flows in the chauner of
reafon or abfurdity; fuch is the preva
lence of popular defufion!
Cumberland, May 5.

Mr. URBAN,

POLINUS

N your tali Magazine you have given us a very imperkέt account of a book, ch in your own way, the Dortmun

on the Parian Chronicle, which furely deferves a far more particular review than you have given it. I have always had a veneration for that ancient infcription, but I am forry to find its authenticity now called in queftion; and I thould be glad to fee what could be advanced in favour of the marbles. Nevertheless, I muft ingenuously confefs, that this late publication appears to me a very ingenious, acute, and learned piece of criticifm, written with great modefty and candour, and affording much more entertainment than I expected on fo dry and barren a fubje&t. Though I am no well-wither to the fuccefs of this new hypothefis in general, as it gives us an unfavourable opinion of mankind, I could not forbear paying this impartial tribute to the merit of the anonymous author. Yours, &c.

A CONSTANT READER.

We have just received the following Advertisement from Paris, which we infert as a curiofity:

at its make; as a proof of which the above perfon, amongst many others in the world, is a striking inftance. He was born at Old Newton, near Stowmarket in the faid county, in the year 1743 When he was very young he loft his father, and had never any other edu cation than what his mother was able to give, in teaching him the alphabet, and to read fhort fentences. He followed the bufinefs of an husbandman, and nothing remarkable occurred till he was 27, when fome carpenters being at work at his mafter's, one of his fellow-fervants obferved to him that a certain number of tiles, at twopence halfpenny each, would come to fo much money. Mole thought he was wrong, and in a few minutes told him the exact fum, to the aftonishment of all the workmen prefent. One queftion naturally giving rife to another, he was afked how many pounds there are in a million of faithings, which he folved in about half an hour. This appeared more extraordinary than the former, as he had no other knowledge of figures

Par permiffion du Roi & de Morfur le Lieu- than what he collected by enquiry what

L

tenant-Général de Police.
AVIS.

E PETIT HOMME DE
NOIRE.

Malgré fa petite structure,

Ce Nain n'a pas à fe plaindre des foins

De la bienfaifante nature,

Son efprit a le plus, & fon corps a le moins.

Le Sieur AKENHEIL a vingt huit pouces justes de haut; ce n'eft point de ces êtres difformes, qui révolrent le Public, en trompant fa curiofité.

Toutes les parties de fon corps font dans

les plus juftes proportions.

Il parle tres bien François, Italian, & Al Jemand; il répond à toutes les queftions fur la Géographie.

Il fait adroitement des Tours de Phyfique & l'excercife Militaire

fuch and fuch a rumber ftood for, and in this manner he became gradually acLA FORET quainted with numeration. Some time afterwards he was asked how many quarters of inches there were in one foot; this he foon told; alfo how many there were in 10,000 folid feet, and likewife how many farthings there were in a inillion of moidores. Mole then applied to Mr. Garrard, of Nacton, to teach him multiplication, when he was told that multiplication was an improper part of arithmetic to begin with, as he did not cafe. He however thewed him how to know Addition, which was really the multiply 12 by 12 the long way, making two lines of the product, and after that how to add them together. This was all he learnt the first time of trial. The next day Mr. Garrard fhewed him two or three fmall fums more, when on the fifth day, Mole produced the moments in the date of the year by Multiplication. He was after this advifed to ftudy books of arithmetic; but there being a great many words in thefe books which be them down, and get perfons to pronounce could not articulate, he ufed to wiite them for him. The figures he found lefs difficult, and could improve himlelf in them without aliitance. In the first year (befides learning to write a little) he made himfelf acquainted with Reduc tion, and acquired a tolerable notion of the Rule of i hree. Thele he thought

De prix des Places eft de 24 fols. On pourra le voir tous les jours au Palais Royal, depuis dix heures du matin jusqu'à deux heures, & depuis quatre heures du foir jufqu'à neuf heurs.

Les Perfonnes qui defireront le voir chez elles le feront avertir, quand elles le jugeront à propos.

Short Sketch of the Lje of JOHN MOLE, of Nacton, near Iplwich, Author of ihe Book entitled, "A SYSTEM of ALGEDRA," lately published.

IT is aftonishing to what perfection in any fcience a man may attain by intenfe application, when the principles or as are stamped upon the foul or mind

great

Anecdotes of Mole.-Remarks on the Salmon Fijnery.

Freat acquifitions, for it may reasonably
be fuppofed that his views were at first
very contracted. However, on further
progrefs, he perceived there was more to
be done than he expected: he found by
books that perfons must be acquainted
with Algebra, before they can perfectly
understand the folutions to questions, in
which the extraction of roots is required.
This led him on to Algebra. What
proficiency he has made in it, is fubiait-
ted to the judgement of thofe learned in
that useful science, who may be inclined
to perufe his publication, which is in-.
tended as an introduction to Algebra,
wherein a beginner may learn with little
trouble, he having taken the more pains,
that learners may have the lefs. He fays,
he has often been pleafed with the im-
provement he made in an evening; but
the next morning, on examination, he
had the mortification to find it of little
avail, and with chagrin has felt the apt-
nefs of Pope's remarks:

In buman works, though labour'd on with
pain,
[gain.
A thousand movements searce one purpose
A few days fince he was in London
for the first time, and was introduced by
P. B. Brooke, Efq; of Natton, to the
Bithop of Lincoln, and Lord Walpole,
and was highly pleafed with the manner
of his reception. But nothing in that
city ftruck his attention fo much as the
height of the houfes. He has for fome
years kept a fchool in the above village

at his leiture hours he now ftudies aftro-
nomy, and his demeanor is as humble as
his fituation in life,

April 26, 1788.

Mr. URBAN,

May 7.

HEN I wrote the letters in

I am therefore rather inclined to think, that the increase of their fize is not fo very rapid, as is fet forth in that letter to J. C. Efq; London; but rather that the fry of laft featon, which were four inches long when they went to the fea, return this feafon of the fize of 12, 14, or 16 inches, and will the next feafon return gilfes, of the fize of two or three feet long, and of the weight I have mentioned, and that the vear thereafter they may reach what he calls well-grown falmon.

It is not, however, my purpose to dif courage enquiries by entering into controverfy; on the contrary, I wish to promote them on a fubject which merits a much greater degree of attention than has hitherto been paid to it; and I hope I have, in my former letters, faid enough to attract the notice of the naturalifts, who are urqueflionably the fitteft per fons to follow out this important inventigation, "Do the pars become falmon ?"

I have already faid, it is alerted by fome, that the pars are all males, and the fry are all females, and that the first are caught without any restraint, but that there is a law forbidding the deftruction of the latter: if, therefore, the pars are males, and they are caught without reftraint, and the fry are females, and are defended by a law for their prefervation, it must neceflarily follow, that the number of female well-grown falis it fo? I am informed it is really a mon will exceed that of the males; but

WH 297, I had not feen your February Magazine, nor of course the " original Jetter on the falmon fishery on the Tweed,' which you have therein given to the publick; I agree however with the opinion of the writer of that letter, when he fays, "the gilfes are the falmon fry, and therefore of the fame fpecies;" but I do not admit, that their growth is fo quick as that gentleman reprefents, when he fays, that the mouts or melts, “which are about four inches in length, "when they leave the river in the fpring, "return in the month of June as gilles, *12, 14, or 16 inches long;" and alfo, "that thole gilfes return from the fea "well-grown falmon," for in this river we have gilfes, which appear in July or Auguit, and meafure from two to three feet, and weigh from five to eight pounds.

matter of fact, that on this river a much, greater proportion of females are taken than of inales; from my own obfervation I fhould be inclined to think three females to one maie, fome have called it five to one, and others have even gone fo far as to lay ten to one.

I am forry that my abfence from home this year, during the greatest part of the fifhing featon, has prevented me from making an accurate comparifon on this point at my own fishery; but I promise you I will give attention to it, and communicate the refult of my obfervations in future, through the channel of your Magazine; but in the mean time permit me to entreat, that your readers, who are difperfed far and wide, and have opportunities of making fimilar obfervations, may aid my purfuits, by communicating allo to you their remarks on the numbers of males and females.

People, who are accuftomed to view falmon, can difcover the difference of the fex at first fight, by the head of the be

fub