y, to venerate as sacred. He and his
friends, too, laboured under some disadvantages. They had been charged
with fanaticism. But what had Mr. Long said, when he addressed himself
to those planters, who were desirous of attempting improvements on their
estates? He advised them "not to be diverted by partial views, vulgar
prejudices, or the ridicule which might spring from weak minds, from a
benevolent attention to the public good." But neither by these nor by
other charges were he or his friends to be diverted from the prosecution
of their purpose. They were convinced of the rectitude and high
importance of their object; and were determined never to desist from
pursuing it, till it should be attained.

But they had to struggle with difficulties far more serious. The West
Indian interest which opposed them, was a collected body; of great
power, affluence, connexions, and respectability.

Artifice had also been employed. Abolition and emancipation had been so
often confounded, and by those who knew better, that it must have been
purposely done, to throw an odium on the measure which was now before
them.

The abolitionists had been also accused as the authors of the late
insurrection in Dominica. A revolt had certainly taken place in that
island. But revolts there had occured frequently before. Mr. Stanley
himself, in attempting to fix this charge upon them, had related
circumstance which amounted to their entire exculpation. He had said
that all was quiet there till the disturbances in the French islands;
when some negroes from the latter had found their way to Dominica, and
had excited the insurrection in question. He had also said, that the
negroes in our own islands hated the idea of the abolition; for they
thought, as no new labourers were to come in, they should be subjected
to increased hardships. But if they and their masters hated this same
measure, how was this coincidence of sentiment to give birth to
insurrections?

Other fallacies, also, had been industriously propogated. Of the African
trade, it had been said, that the exports amounted to a million
annually; whereas, from the report on the table, it had on an average
amounted to little more than half a million; and this included the
articles for the purchase of African produce which were of the value of
140,000_l._

The East Indian Trade, also, had been said to depend on the West Indian
and the African. In the first place, it had but very little connexio