rica, however they might differ about details,
meant kindly by the blacks, and by Africa. Mr. B. again expressed his
surprise that Mr. Thompson should occupy the time of the meeting by
repeating his own speeches. He had adverted to this matter before, he
said, and as he was in a poor state of health, and had work elsewhere,
and as there was much ground yet to go over, and Mr. T. declared his
materials to be most abundant, he thought those repetitions might have
been spared. They who took the trouble to read the published speeches
of this gentleman, would find, that however exhaustless might be the
boasted stores of his facts, proofs, and illustrations, about what he
called "American Slavery," he was exceedingly economical of them.
After reading six or seven of them, he found them so very like each
other, that the same stories, in the same order, and the same
illustrations, in the same sequence, and the same unfounded charges,
in the same terms of unmeasured bitterness, may be often expected, and
never in vain. Indeed, so meagre was his supply of wit, even, that it
also went on very few changes. The whole case exhibiting a most
striking illustration of the truth uttered in a personal sense by one
of their own statesmen and scholars, and now proved to be of general
application, namely, that when a man resorted to his memory for his
jokes, it was very probable that he would draw upon his imagination
for his facts. As he [Mr. B.] had been so often asked to produce
certain placards for the purpose of substantiating some of his
statements, there could be no better connexion in which to call upon
Mr. Thompson to bring forward proof of those charges which he brought
against certain persons, and classes of persons, unless he wished the
world to believe that he had brought those charges without having a
single iota of evidence on which to found them. He would call upon Mr.
Thompson to bring forward his proofs in support of all those charges,
those reckless and extravagant charges, which he brought against the
ministers of religion in America. Mr. Thompson had stood before
several London audiences with a runaway slave from America, who
charged certain individuals with unparalleled cruelty! Amongst other
things, with burning a slave alive; a matter to which Mr. T's
attention had in vain been called, and his proofs demanded. He would
take no further notice of the gross things he had uttered of the
president of the United States than