Travels in Africa, Performed by Silvester Meinrad Xavier Golberry, in the Western Parts of That Vast Continent Volume 2; Containing Various Important Discoveries with a Particular Account of the Internal Government, Both Civil and Military, of the Various (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1808 Excerpt: ... tants; because without the trade, our connection with the eastern and western coasts of this continent, would suddenly be reduced to the proportion of one to forty; for if we were there to recommend the abolition of slavery, we should excite agajnst us not only the whole of the free proprietory of Africa, who, with respect to the portion in slavery, are as two to three, but also all the house-slaves, who are attached and devoted to their masters, contented with their fate, and who are very often themselves the proprietors of some more subordinate slaves. If the opinions which I have laid down should still appear reprehensible, and if they draw reproaches upon me, I will say to those whom prejudice or enthusiasm, may have misled, that Europe herself is very far from perfection; that it is not through the medium of persecutions, ruin, flames, and torrents of blood, that a wise system of philosophy would wish to draw her with violence towards that chimera which evil minds have dared to denominate perfectability; that we must leave to many worthy families, who all claim the imprescriptible rights of property, the sacred privileges of fraternity, and who, from the greatest opulence have fallen into the most abject misery, time and means to re-establish legitimate fortunes, which have long been the sources of the prosperity of the mother country; that France in toto is in need of repairing her losses; and that if the continuance of the slave trade should be indispensible for the restoration of our colonies, our navy, our commerce, and our power, a rational philosophy should submit to such a political necessity. We have made a sufficiently shocking experiment of the most false theories, to induce us to banish them for ever; they have conducted France to the bli...