hardly brighten a fpot big enough to be visible from the moon, unless with Herfchel's telefcope; fo vaft are the regions ftill in wood.

It is however fome comfort to reflect, that, upon the whole, the quantity of induftry and prudence among mankind exceeds the quantity of idleness and folly. Hence the increase of good buildings, farms cultivated, and populous cities filled with wealth, all over Europe, which a few years fince were only to be found on the coaft of the Mediterranean; and this notwithstanding the mad wars continually raging, by which are often destroyed in one year the works of many years peace. that we may hope, the luxury of a few merchants on the coaft will not be the ruin of America.

So

One reflection more, and I will end this long rainbling letter. Almoft all the parts of our bodies require fome expence.. The feet demand fhoes; the legs ftockings; the reft of the body cloathing; and the belly a good deal of victuals. Our eyes, tho' exceedingly useful, afk, when reasonable, only the cheap afiftance of fpectacles, which could not much impair our finances. But the eyes of other people are the eyes that ruin us. It all but myfelf were blind, I thould want neither fine cloathes, fine boules, nor fine furniture.

ON THE SLAVE TRADE.

EADING in the newfpapers the fpeech of
Mr. Jackfon in congrefs, against meddling

with the affair of flavery, or attempting to mend the condition of flaves, it put me in mind of a fimilar fpeech, made about an hundred years fince, by Sidi Mehemet Ibrahim, a member of the divan of Algiers, which may be seen in Martin's account of his confulship, 1687. It was againit granting the petition of the fect called Erika or Purifts, who prayed for the abolition of piracy and slavery, as being unjuft.-Mr. Jackfon does not quote it; perhas he has not feen it. If, therefore, fome of its reafonings are to be found in his eloquent fpeech, it may only fhew that men's interefts operate, and are operated on, with furprifing fimilarity, in all countries and climates, whenever they are under fimilar circumstances. The African fpeech, as

tranflated, is as follows:

"Alla Bifmillah, &c. God is great, and Mahomet is his prophet.

"Have thefe Erika confidered the confequences of granting their petition? If we ceafe our cruifes against the Chriftians, how fhall we be furnished with the commodities their countries produce, and which are fo neceflary for us? If we forbear to. make flaves of their people, who, in this hot climate, ale to cuêtivate cur lands? Who are to perform the common labours of our city, and of cur families? Muft we not then be our own flaves? And is there not more compaffion and more favour due to us Mufilmen, than to thofe Chriftian dogs? -We have now above fifty thoufand flaves in and near Algiers. This number, if not kept up by fieth fupplics, will foon diminish, and be gradually annibilated. If, then, we ceafe taking and plunder. 3 the infidel fhips, and inaking flaves of the

feamen and paffengers, our lands will become of no value, for want of cultivation; the rents of houfes in the city will fink one half; and the revenues of government, arifing from the fhare of prizes, must be totally deftroyed?--And for what? To gratify the whim of a whimsical fe&t, who would have us not only forbear making more flaves, but even manumit those we have. But who is to indemnify their mafters for the lofs? Will the

ftate do it? Is our treafury fufficient? Will the Erika do it? Can they do it? Or would they, to do what they think juftice to the flaves, do a greater injuftice to the owners? And if we fet our flaves free, what is to be done with them? Few of them will return to their native countries; they know too well the greater hardships they must there be fubject to. They will not embrace our holy religion; they will not adopt our manners: our people will not pollute themselves by intermarrying with them. Muft we maintain them as beggars in our streets; or fuffer our properties to be the prey of their pillage? for men accustomed to flavery, will not work for a livelihood, when not compelled.And what is there fo pitiable in their prefent condition? Were they not flaves in their own countries? Are not Spain, Portugal, France, and the Italian ftates, governed by def pots, who hold all their fubjects in flavery, without exception?. Even England treats her failors as flaves, for they are, whenever the government pleafes, feized, and confined in fhips of war, condemned, not only to work, but to fight for fmall wages, or a mere fubfiftence, not better than our flaves are allowed by us. Is their condition then made worfe by their falling into our hands? No;

they have only exchanged one flavery for another; and I may say a better; for here they are brought into a land where the fun of Iflamifm gives forth its light, and fhines in full fplendor, and they have an opportunity of making themselves acquainted with the true doctrine, and thereby faving their immortal fouls. Thofe who remain at home have not that happinefs. Sending the flaves home, then, would be fending them out of light into darknefs.

"I repeat the question, what is to be done with them? I have heard it fuggefted, that they may be planted in the wilderness, where there is plenty of land for them to fubfift on, and where they may flourish as a free ftate.But they are, I doubt, too little difpofed to labour without compulsion, as well as too ignorant to establish good government and the wild Arabs would foon moleft and deftroy, or again enflave them. While ferving us, we take care to provide them with every thing; and they are treated with humanity. The labourers in their own countries, are, as I am informed, worfe fed, lodged, and clothed. The condition of moft of them is therefore already mended, and requires no farther improvement. Here their lives are in fafety. They are not liable to be impreffed for foldiers, and forced to cut one another's Chrif. tian throats, as in the wars of their own countries. If fome of the religious mad bigots who now teafe us with their filly petitions, have, in a fit of blind zeal, freed their flaves, it was not generofity, it was not humanity that moved them to the action; it was from the confcious burthen of a load of fins, and hope, from the fuppofed merits of fo good a work, to be excufed from damnation.-How groff

ly are they mistaken, in imagining flavery to be difavowed by the Alcoran? Are not the two precepts, to quote no more, "Mafters, treat your lives with kindnefs-Slaves, ferve your mafters with cheerfulness and fidelity," clear proofs to the contrary Nor can the plundering of infidels be in that facred book forbidden; fince it is well known from it, that God has given the world, and all that it contains, to his faithful Muffulmen, who are to enjoy it, of right, as faft as they can conquer it. Let us then hear no more of this deteftable propofition, the manumiffion of Chriftian flaves, the adoption of which would, by depreciating our lands and houfes, and thereby depriving fo many good citizens of their properties, create univerfal difcontent, and provoke infurrections, to the endangering of government, and producing general confufion. I have, therefore, no doubt that this wife council will prefer the comfort and happiness of a whole nation of true believers, to the whim of a few Erika, and difmifs their petition.

The refult was, as Martin tells us, that the Divan came to this refolution: "That the de&trine, "that the plundering and enflaving the Chriftians

is unjuft, is at bett problematical; but that it is "the intereft of this ftate to continue the practice, "is clear; therefore, let the petition be rejected." And it was rejected accordingly.

And fince like motives are apt to produce, in the minds of men, like opinions and refolutions, may we not venture to predict, from this account, that the petitions to the parliament of England for aboliilling the flave-trade, to fay nothing of other