might never have attached himself to the cause. A similar account may be
given of Mr. Ramsay; for, if it had not been for what he had seen in the
island of St. Christopher, he had never embarked in it. It was from
scenes, which he had witnessed there, that he began to feel on the
subject. These feelings he communicated to others on his return to
England, and these urged him into action.

With respect to the second class, the reader will recollect that it
consisted of the Quakers in England: first, of George Fox; then of the
Quakers as a body; then of individuals belonging to that body, who
formed themselves into a committee, independently of it, for the
promotion of the object in question. This committee, it may he
remembered, consisted of six persons, of whom one was William Dillwyn.

That William Dillwyn became fitted for the station, which he was
afterwards to take, will be seen shortly. He was born in America, and
was a pupil of the venerable Benezet, who took pains very early to
interest his feelings on this great subject. Benezet employed him
occasionally, I mean in a friendly manner, as his amanuensis, to copy
his manuscripts for publication, as well as several of his letters
written in behalf of the cause. This gave his scholar an insight into
the subject; who, living besides in the land where both the Slave Trade
and slavery were established, obtained an additional knowledge of them,
so as to be able to refute many of those objections, to which others,
for want of local observation, could never have replied.

In the year 1772, Anthony Benezet introduced William Dillwyn by letter
to several of the principal people of Carolina, with whom he had himself
corresponded on the sufferings of the poor Africans, and desired him to
have interviews with them on the subject. He charged him also to be very
particular in making observations as to what he should see there. This
journey was of great use to the latter, in fixing him as the friend of
these oppressed people; for he saw so much of their cruel treatment in
the course of it, that he felt an anxiety ever afterwards, amounting to
a duty, to do every thing in his power for their relief.

In the year 1773, William Dillwyn, in conjunction with Richard Smith and
Daniel Wells, two of his own society, wrote a pamphlet in answer to
arguments then prevailing, that the manumission of slaves would be
injurious. This pamphlet--which was entitled, _Brief Considerations on
Slav