he second and
third classes had opened an intercourse on the subject and thus was
William Dillwyn the great medium, through whom the members of the two
classes now mentioned, as well as the members of all the three, might be
easily united also, if a fit occasion should offer.

CHAPTER VII.

Fourth class of forerunners and coadjutors up to 1787.--Dr.
Peckard, vice-chancellor of the University of Cambridge, the first of
these; gives out the Slave Trade as the subject for one of the annual
prizes.--Author writes and obtains the first of these; reads his
Dissertation in the Senate-house in the summer of 1785; his feelings on
the subject during his return home; is desirous of aiding the cause of
the Africans, but sees great difficulties; determines to publish his
prize essay for this purpose; is accidentally thrown into the way of
James Phillips, who introduces him to W. Dillwyn, the connecting medium
of the three classes before mentioned; and to G. Sharp and Mr. Ramsay,
and to R. Phillips.

I proceed now to the fourth class of forerunners and coadjutors up to
the year 1787 in the great cause of the abolition of the Slave Trade.

The first of these was Dr. Peckard. This gentleman had distinguished
himself in the earlier part of his life by certain publications on the
intermediate state of the soul, and by others in favour of civil and
religious liberty. To the latter cause he was a warm friend, seldom
omitting any opportunity of declaring his sentiments in its favour. In
the course of his preferment he was appointed by Sir John Griffin,
afterwards Lord Howard of Walden, to the mastership of Magdalen College
in the University of Cambridge. In this high office he considered it to
be his duty to support those doctrines which he had espoused when in an
inferior station; and accordingly, when in the year 1784 it devolved
upon him to preach a sermon, before the University of Cambridge, he
chose his favourite subject: in the handling of which he took an
opportunity of speaking of the Slave Trade in the following nervous
manner:--

"Now, whether we consider the crime with respect to the
individuals concerned in this most barbarous and cruel traffic,
or whether we consider it as patronized and encouraged by the
laws of the land, it presents to our view an equal degree of
enormity. A crime, founded on a dreadful pre-eminence in
wickedness--a crime, which being both of individuals and the
na