al Majesty the Emperor of Morocco, to co-operate with and to
assist them in putting down the traffic in slavery in every part of the
world.

"If the government of the Queen had thought that they should recommend
to your Excellency and your royal master anything contrary to your
religion, they could not have given me letters of introduction to their
consuls in this country. Rest assured that the English people believe it
to be agreeable to the doctrines and precepts of all religions to
abolish the traffic in human flesh and blood.

"I pray, therefore, your Excellency to receive the petition, of which I
am the bearer, from the Society of English gentlemen. Our Government
have already spent three hundred millions of dollars, the money of the
people of England, to destroy the traffic in human beings; every day our
government continues to spend vast sums, adding to this enormous amount
for the same object of humanity. I am sure that, if your Imperial Master
value the friendship of England and the British government, if it be a
politic and good thing for Morocco to be allied with the most powerful
Christian nation in the world, the most certain way to conciliate and
found this alliance on a durable basis, is to cooperate with the people
of England for the abolition of the traffic in slaves, and graciously to
receive this address from the Society of Abolitionists in London.

"We come not to your Excellency with force of arms--this could not be
just; we use only moral persuasion. Our religion disapproves of
compulsion in all such affairs. But I can assure your Excellency that
the English people will never cease, though all nations be against them,
as long as God Almighty holds them up as a people, to endeavour in every
possible way, to persuade and convince the world that the traffic in
human beings is a great crime."

The Governor replied in these terms: "Your mission is against our
religion, I cannot entertain it or think of it, in any way whatever. If,
in other countries, the traffic in slaves is contrary to the religion of
those countries, in this it is not; here it is lawful for us to buy and
sell slaves. Mahomet, our Prophet, has authorized us to do this; but, at
the same time, our slaves must be fed and clothed like ourselves. If you
wish a proof of this, you can go and look at my slaves," (pointing to
his house). "To be holders of slaves, is a merit with us.

"Your address ought to come directly from your Government