t discrimination,
either of age or sex. From these and other circumstances, we thought we
had sufficient reason to conclude, that, where _ten_ were supposed
to be taken, an _hundred_, including the victors and vanquished,
might be supposed to perish. Now, as the annual exportation from
_Africa_ consists of an hundred thousand men, and as the two
orders, of those who are privately kidnapped by individuals, and of
those, who are publickly seized by virtue of the authority of their
prince, compose together, at least, nine-tenths of the _African_
slaves, it follows, that about ten thousand consist of convicts and
prisoners of war. The last order is the most numerous. Let us suppose
then that only six thousand of this order are annually sent into
servitude, and it will immediately appear that no less than
_sixty-thousand_ people annually perish in those wars, which are
made only for the purpose of procuring slaves. But that this number,
which we believe to be by no means exaggerated, may be free from all
objection, we will include those in the estimate, who die as they are
travelling to the ships. Many of these unfortunate people have a journey
of one thousand miles to perform on foot, and are driven like sheep
through inhospitable woods and deserts, where they frequently die in
great numbers, from fatigue and want. Now if to those, who thus perish
on the _African_ continent, by war and travelling, we subjoin
those[114], who afterwards perish on the voyage, and in the seasoning
together, it will appear that, in every yearly attempt to supply the
colonies, an _hundred thousand_ must perish, even before _one_
useful individual can be obtained.

Gracious God! how wicked, how beyond all example impious, must be that
servitude, which cannot be carried on without the continual murder of so
many and innocent persons! What punishment is not to be expected for
such monstrous and unparalleled barbarities! For if the blood of one
man, unjustly shed, cries with so loud a voice for the divine vengeance,
how shall the cries and groans of an _hundred thousand_ men,
_annually murdered_, ascend the celestial mansions, and bring down
that punishment, which such enormities deserve! But do we mention
punishment? Do we allude to that punishment, which shall be inflicted on
men as individuals, in a future life? Do we allude to that awful day,
which shall surely come, when the master shall behold his murdered
negroe face to face? When a train of