of vessels employed in other trades.

By looking out constantly for information on this great subject, I was
led to the examination of a printed card or table of the dock duties of
Liverpool, which was published annually. The town of Liverpool had so
risen in opulence and importance from only a fishing-village, that the
corporation seemed to have a pride in giving a public view of this
increase. Hence they published and circulated this card. Now the card
contained one, among other facts, which was almost as precious, in a
political point of view, as any I had yet obtained. It stated that in
the year 1772, when I knew that a hundred vessels sailed out of
Liverpool for the coast of Africa, the dock-duties amounted to 4552_l._,
and that in 1779, when I knew that, in consequence of the war, only
eleven went from thence to the same coast, they amounted to 4957_l_.
From these facts put together, two conclusions were obvious. The first
was, that the opulence of Liverpool, as far as the entry of vessels into
its ports, and the dock-duties arising from thence, were concerned, was
not indebted to the Slave Trade; for these duties were highest when it
had only eleven ships in that employ. The second was, that there had
been almost a practical experiment with respect to the abolition of it;
for the vessels in it had been gradually reduced from one hundred to
eleven, and yet the West Indians had not complained of their ruin, nor
had the merchants or manufacturers suffered, nor had Liverpool been
affected by the change.

There were specimens of articles in Liverpool, which I entirely
overlooked at Bristol, and which I believed I should have overlooked
here also, had it not been for seeing them at a window in a shop; I mean
those of different iron instruments used in this cruel traffic. I bought
a pair of the iron hand-cuffs with which the men-slaves are confined.
The right-hand wrist of one, and the left of another, are almost brought
into contact by these, and fastened together, as the figure A in the
annexed plate represents, by a little bolt with a small padlock at the
end of it.

[Illustration: Handcuffs]

I bought also a pair of shackles for the legs. These are represented by
the figure B.

The right ancle of one man is fastened to the left of another, as the
reader will observe, by similar means. I bought these, not because it
was difficult to conceive how the unhappy victims of this execrable
trade were confined, but to