2 nays; New Jersey, 3 yeas; Pennsylvania, 5 yeas; Virginia, 5
yeas, 6 nays; Maryland, 1 yea, 4 nays; Delaware, 1 yea.

[32] At this period, one hundred and fifteen American citizens,
captured by piracy, were held as slaves in Algiers, for whom large
ransoms were demanded by the pirates.

[33] The convention, after discussing principles, appointed a
"committee of detail," consisting of Mr. Rutledge of South Carolina,
Mr. Randolph of Virginia, Mr. Wilson of Pennsylvania, Mr. Ellsworth of
Connecticut, and Mr. Gorham of Massachusetts, to reduce to the form of
a constitution the resolutions agreed upon. This committee without
instructions, or authority from the resolutions adopted, introduced a
clause forever prohibiting the abolition of the African slave-trade.
Mr. Randolph earnestly protested against this clause. He was opposed
to any restriction on the power of Congress to abolish it. He "could
never agree to the clause as it stands. He would sooner risk the
Constitution." Madison Papers, p. 1396. Mr. Ellsworth "was for leaving
the clause as it now stands. Let every State import what it pleases.
The morality, the wisdom of slavery, are considerations belonging to
the States themselves. What enriches a part, enriches the whole; and
the States are the best judges of their particular interest." Id., p.
1389. It was moved, as a compromise, to guarantee the slave-trade for
twenty years, by postponing the restriction to 1808. This motion was
seconded by Mr. Gorham, of Massachusetts, and it passed. Mr. Madison,
of Virginia, opposed it. "Twenty years," he said, "will produce all
the mischief that can be apprehended from the liberty to import
slaves. So long a term will be more dishonorable to the American
character, than to say nothing about it in the Constitution." Id., p.
1427. Mr. Mason, of Virginia, pronounced the traffic as "infernal."
Id., p. 1390.

[34] Life of Benjamin Lundy, Phil. 1847, p. 218. The total membership
of the 130 societies was 6625, exclusive of twelve societies in
Illinois from which no returns had been received. These statistics
were gathered by the American Anti-Slavery Convention, which was held
at Philadelphia, in 1827.

Addenda.

Since the preceding pages were in type, I have seen, in the
library of the New York Historical Society, the printed minutes
of the first convention held by the Abolition Societies of the
United States, which met at Philadelphia, January 1, 1794