he Treatment and Conversion of African Slaves in the British Sugar
Colonies_, which I recommend to the perusal of the humane reader.
This work reflects great praise upon the author, since, in order to be
of service to this singularly oppressed part of the human species, he
compiled it at the expence of forfeiting that friendship, which he had
contracted with many in those parts, during a series of years, and at
the hazard, as I am credibly informed, of suffering much, in his private
property, as well as of subjecting himself to the ill will and
persecution of numerous individuals.

This Essay _on the Treatment and Conversion of African Slaves_,
contains so many important truths on the colonial slavery, and has come
so home to the planters, (being written by a person who has a thorough
knowledge of the subject) as to have occasioned a considerable alarm.
Within the last eight months, two publications have expressly appeared
against it. One of them is intitled "_Cursory Remarks_ on Mr.
Ramsay's Essay;" the other an "_Apology for Negroe Slavery_." On
each of these I am bound, as writing on the subject, to make a few
remarks.

The _cursory remarker_ insinuates, that Mr. Ramsay's account of the
treatment is greatly exaggerated, if not wholly false. To this I shall
make the following reply. I have the honour of knowing several
disinterested gentlemen, who have been acquainted with the West Indian
islands for years. I call them disinterested, because they have neither
had a concern in the _African_ trade, nor in the _colonial_
slavery: and I have heard these unanimously assert, that Mr.
_Ramsay's_ account is so far from being exaggerated, or taken from
the most dreary pictures that he could find, that it is absolutely below
the truth; that he must have omitted many instances of cruelty, which he
had seen himself; and that they only wondered, how he could have written
with so much moderation upon the subject. They allow the _Cursory
Remarks_ to be excellent as a composition, but declare that it is
perfectly devoid of truth.

But the _cursory remarker_ does not depend so much on the
circumstances which he has advanced, (nor can he, since they have no
other existence than in his own, brain) as on the instrument
_detraction_. This he has used with the utmost virulence through
the whole of his publication, artfully supposing, that if he could bring
Mr. _Ramsay's_ reputation into dispute, his work would fall of
course, as of no