ven the right honourable gentleman himself must yield the pulm: for what region in the empire, what city, what borough, what county, what tribunal, in this kingdom, is not full of his labours? Others have been only fpeculators, he is the grand practical reformer; and whilft the Chancellor of the Exchequer pledges in vain the man and the minitter, to increase the provincial members, Mr. Benfield has aufpiciously and practically begun it. Leaving far behind him even Lord Camelford's generous defign of beftowing Old Sarum on the Bank of England, Mr. Benfield has thrown in the borough of Cricklade to reinforce the county reprefentation. Not content with this, in order to station a steady phalanx for all future reforms, this public-fpirited ufurer, 'amidít his charitable toils for the relief of India, did not forget the poor rotten conftitution of his native country. For her, he did not difdain to stoop to the trade of a wholesale upholsterer for this house, to furnish it, not with the faded tapestry figures of antiquated merit, fuch as decorate, and may reproach fome other houses, but with real, folid, living patterns of true modern virtue. Paul Benfield made (reckoning himself) no fewer than eight members in the laft parliament. What copious ftreams of pure blood muit he not have transfufed into the veins of the prefent! But what is even more striking than the real fervices of this new imported patriot, is his modefty. As foon as he had conferred this benefit on the conftitution, he withdrew himself from our applaufe. He conceived that the duties of a member of parliament (which with the elect faithful, the true believers, the Ilam of parliamentary reform, are of little or no merit, perhaps not much better than fpecious fins) might be as well attended to in India as in England, and the means of reformation to Parliament itself, be far better provided. Mr. Benfield was therefore no fooner elected than he fet off for Madras, and defrauded the longing eyes of parliament. We have never enjoyed in this Houfe the luxury of beholding that minion of the human race, and contemplating that vifage, which has fo long reflected the happiness of nations.' In anfwer to the objection of Mr. Dundas, "that the enquiry was of a delicate nature, and that the state would fuffer detriment by the expofure of the tranflation," Mr. Burke remarks. a "He and delicacy are a rare and a fingular coalition. He thinks that to divulge our Indian politics, may be highly dangerous. He! the mover! the chairman! the reporter of the Committee of Seerecy! He that brought forth in the utmoft detail, in feveral vaft printed folios, the most recondite parts of the politics, the military, the revenues of the British empire in India. With fix great chopping baftards, each as lufty as an infant Hercules, this delicate creature blushes at the fight of his new bridegroom, affuunes a virgin delicacy: or, to ufe a more fit, as well as a more poetic comparifon, the perfon fo fqueamish, fo timid, fo trembling left the winds of heaven fhould vifit too roughly, is expanded to broad funshine, expofed like the fow of imperial augury, lying in the mud with all the prodigies of her fertility about her, as evidence of her delicate 0 2 amours amours-Triginta capitum fætus enixa jacebat, alba folo recubans albi circum vbera nati. There is a paffage, however, in the performance before us, defcribing the devaftations of Hyder and the ruined ftaté of the Carnatic, more beautiful than any we have produced. But it is of confiderable length, and we have already extended our article as far as the limits of our undertaking will permit us. We therefore chearfully refer our readers to the fpeech itself, and we believe, we do not take credit for too much when we fuppofe, that every reader capable of relishing the elevated beauties of compofition, will devour the whole performance with the extremeft avidity. Mr. Burke certainly treads upon the very verge of what human power can effect in the line of eloquence; and under whatever perfonal difcredit he may have fallen, by the combination of events, he will always have the whole world of letters at his command when he addreffes them from the prefs. It will therefore, be incumbent upon the prefent adminiftration, if they have any remaining regard for popularity, and for popularity in its original fource, the opinion of the learned and the wife, the dictators of taste and the empire of good sense, to provide a full, explicit, and unequivocal anfwer to the charges that are exhibited against them in the fpeech of Mr. Burke. ART. XIII. Curfory Remarks upon the Reverend Mr. Ramfay's Effay on the Treatment and Converfion of African Slaves in the Sugar Colonies. By a Friend to the Weft India Colonies, and their Inhabitants. 25. 6d. Wilkie, 1785. HE author of thefe remarks, in a fhort preface expreffes 6 felf to the cenfures of the different tribunals of periodical criticism; more especially of fuch of them as have been uncommonly, and perhaps unguardedly, lavith in the encomiums they have bestowed on the Efay he has taken the liberty to fcrutinize. He is not, however, without hopes, that on a cool retrospection, thefe arbiters of modern literary reputation may be induced, with that impartial equity which generally does, and ever fhould, accompany their decifions, to retract fomething, of their indifcriminate applaufe; when they find, that dazzled by the fpecious and benevolent profeffions of a refpectable writer, they have been mifled to overlook the general and illiberal, acrimony of his language, the inconclufiveness of many of his arguments, the cruel perfonality of his invectives, and the friking inconfiflency of his different affertions; as well as to enquire too lightly into the authenticity of his facts. Under thefe Lavourable impreflions, the enfuing pages are chearfully fubmitted to the candid and judicious correction of fuperior leifure and abilities.'.. It is very true, that we beftowed high approbation on the defign which Mr. Ramiay had in view, and the extent of Knowledge and ability which he difplayed in his endeavours towards its execution. It is impoffible, for any human reviewer to penetrate into the fecret motives which influence the conduct of men. The fearcher of hearts alone can diftinguish with certainty the dictates of benevolence from the pretexts of malice. On a fubje&t naturally interefting to the human heart, why should we have doubted that a clergyman, poffeffed of genius and learning, not often found in conjunction with hypocrify and deceit, and in an eafy and refpectable fituation; why fhould we have doubted, that fuch a man in fuch circumftances would not have declared the truth, and nothing but the truth? And after all that the author of the remarks has written in oppofition to Mr. Ramfay, on what principles are we to prefer the declarations of an anonymous, though certainly a very lively and fhrewd writer, and evidently well acquainted with Weft-India affairs, to the folemn affirmation of a clergyman who has had equal means of information, and who fubfcribes his name to his book, and publicly intimates the place of his refidence? Where the affirmation of an anonymous is oppofed to that of an open adverfary, common fenfe, all other circumftances being equal, declares in favour of the latter But, nevertheless, it must be owned, that the present writer has rendered it very probable, that the defcriptions which Mr. Ramfay has given us of the hardships of the negroes, and the Weft-India manners, originate, not fo much in humanity, as in an irritable difpofition, fharpened by perfonal pique, and foured by long fermented prejudice; and certain, that many parts of Mr. Ramfay's plan are impolitical, inconfiftent, and impracticable, As this laft, is a, matter of reafoning, a judgment may be formed of it without that local knowledge and particular information which. are neceffary to determine the real fituation of the flaves in the Weft-Indies. Mr. Ramfay himself indeed confeffes, that the negroes are ill adapted for inftruction. And entertains but small hopes that his project will ever be carried into ex ecution. Mr. Ramfay expatiates on the oppreffion of the English flaves in the Weft-Indies, and contrafts their fituation with the happier condition of the French negroes. Our author reprefents the English flaves as living in a very easy and comfortable state; and, on the contrary, quotes the famous Charlevoix, and another French writer, to fhew that the French flaves are in a more wretched, and indeed in an extremely miserable condition. O 3 On On this reafoning of our author we obferve, that he ought in fairness, to fuppofe that the defcriptions of the French writers inay be as much exaggerated as thofe of Mr. Ramsay, Indeed he feems to think that they are fo, and tacitly to acknowledge a degree of mildness and humanity in the French treatment of flaves, from the very free and promifcuous intercourse between the French planters and their female flaves, which peoples their plantations with a mixed race participating as much of the European as the African constitution. But with regard to the main queftion, the actual state of the negroes in the English plantations, our author, by an appeal to certain conceffions on Mr. Ramfay's part, refpecting the conduct of at least fome planters, and to facts which he fays are notorious, endeavours to fhew that they are in no uncomfortable condition. He fays, that the lives of the flaves are not in the power of their mafters, and produces an inftance of a white man being not long fince executed in the Hland of Grenada for the murder of a female flave with whom he cohabitéd, and that there are many English laws in favour of negroes. But he produces only one inftance of this law of retaliation being put in force, and that not of a mafter being punished for the murder of a flave, but of a white man in general. The laws too, in favour of negroes, he confeffes, are obfcured and buried amidst volumes of other laws, and therefore not eafily appealed to by illiterate and oppreffed negroes. He farther acknowledges, that local policy may fometimes indeed have occafioned a remiffness of enquiry into acts of paffionate, and perhaps, fatal severity. These things will recur to the imagination of the reader while he perufes the following description of the state of the negroes in our Weft-India fettlements, contrafted with that of the peafantry or labouring people in England, whom he confiders" as the devoted fons and daughters of wretchednefs.' 'I will now turn, from this mortifying view of nominal liberty, aud carry my readers across the Atlantic, to take a profpect of those regions of flavery, which, according to the representations of Mr. Ramfay, are the favourite abodes of tyranny, diftrefs, and defpondence. The young negroes are no fooner taken from the breasts of their mothers, than they receive an equal allowance with them: which, on many eftates, is regularly dreffed for them, with a mixture of vegetables, and ferved out two or three times a day. They are allowed cloaths according to their fize, but are feldom feen with in the day time, being fuffered by their parents to range about in the fun without the leaft incumbrance, by which means their limbs become fupple, mufcular, and active. As foon as they are old enough, they are put into a little gang by themfelves, and employed, under the direction of fome fteady, careful old woman, any in gathering grafs, or other food, for fheep, horfes, &c.-From this light work, as they advance in age and ftrength, they are draughted into what is called the fmall gang, and from thence as they arrive at manhood are taken into the great or ftrongest gang.-When a negro lad attains the age of eighteen or twenty, he begins to think of quitting his father's family, and building a houfe for himself, and, at the fame time, of connecting himself with fome particular young woman as a wife. It must be confeffed, that he does not always abide ftrictly by the first choice he makes on fuch occafion; yet, attachments of long standing are much more frequent than could be expected under fuch a latitude of toleration, and are, perhaps, oftner the refult of real inclination, among the uncivilized negroes, than in thofe highly polifhed focieties, where the bonds of union are indiffoluble. When he has erected his houfe, and taken unto himfelf a helpmate, he begins to confider himself as fettled, and both he and his wife continue to improve their fettlement, and plant the ground around it, as well as what may be allotted them in other parts of the plantation, in caffoda, yawms, potatoes, &c. for ufe; and in cotton, pot-herbs, fruit, &c. for fale; and to enable them to accomplish this work, they have for themselves the whole of each Sunday, frequently Saturday afternoon, and their own daily recefs every noon, which they rarely employ in eating, fup per being their chief and favourite repaft. With the first mo ney they acquire, they generally purchase a hog, which is foon increafed to two, or more, with the addition of goats, and poultry, if they are fuccefsful, and induftrious. They, most of them, likewife, are poffeffed of a favoutite dog or two, which they are in no fear of being deprived of by the gun of a furly over bearing game-keeper.-They alfo plant lime, lemon, plantain, banana, and calabash trees about their houses, which, by a quick vegetation, foon afford them both fhade and fruit. As a young negro advances in riches, he will fometimes fo far venture to indulge his pride, or inclinations, as to take an additional wife or two; but as the fable ladies are by no means exempt from the troublesome paffion of jealoufy, this is deemed rather a hazardous adventure, and the few libertines of the ton, who take advantage of this licence, have generally caufe to repent of their rafhnefs.-As the funda mental neceflaries of life are pretty amply provided for them, their fpare time is only dedicated to the procuring fuch additions, as an English overfeer of a country parish would be inclined to confider, as the most baneful luxuries among his fqualid dependants. The men procure fith, crabs, lobíters, and various other fea productions, which, added to the grain and falt provifions they receive from the eftate, and the roots and vegetables raised by themselves, enables their wives (who are naturally much better caterers and cooks thanthe lower order of women in England) not only to prepare the most nourishing but the most favory meals for their husbands and children. Their kids and poultry they carry to market; their hogs they kill, and referving the head and offals, and fometimes a quarter for their own eating, dif pofe of the rest. By thefe means a fober, industrious negro is feldom without a good fuit or two of cloaths to his back, and a few dollars in his pocket: neither is the whole of their own time, by any means, devoted to laborious employments, but mirth, feftivity, 0 4 mufic, |
