much fewer than men have; and adding, as he looked round the company, which confifted of men only, there is not one of us who does not. think he might be richer if he would use his endeavour.

"He may hold up that SHIELD against all his enemies;"-was an obfervation by him on Homer, when referring to the description of the shield of Achilles, made by Mrs. Fitzherbert, wife to his friend Mr. Fitzherbert of Derbyshire, and refpected by Dr. Johnson as a very fine one. He had in general a very high opinion of that lady's understanding.

"An obfervation of Bathurst's may be mentioned, which Johnfon repeated, appearing to acknowledge it to be well founded, namely, it was fomewhat remarkable that how feldom, on occafion of coming into the company of any new person, one felt any with or inclination to fee him again.

Once when checking my boafting too frequently of myself in company, he faid to me, "Bofwell, you often vaunt fo much as to provoke ridicule. You put me in mind of a man who was ftanding in the kitchen of an inn with his back to the fire, and thus accofted the perfon next him, Do you know, Sir, who I am ?' No, Sir, (faid the other,) I have not that advantage.' "Sir, (faid he,) I am the great Twalmley who invented the New Floodgate." The Bishop of Killaloe on my repeating the ftory

to

to him, defended Twalmley, by obferving, that he was entitled to the epithet of great; for Virgil in his groupe of worthies in the Elyftan fields

Hic manus ob patriam pugnando vulnera paffi; &c. mentions

Inventas aut qui vitam excoluere per artes.

He was pleased to say to me one forenoon when we were left alone in his study, "Bofwell, (I think,) I am eafier with you than with almost any body."

He would not allow Mr. David Hume any credit for his political principles, though fimilar to his own; faying of him, "Sir, he was a Tory by chance."

His acute obfervation of human life, made him remark," Sir, there is nothing by which a man exafperates moft people more, than by difplaying a fuperiour ability or brilliancy in converfation. They feem pleased at the time; but their envy makes them curfe him at their hearts."

HAVING found Dr. Johnson's argument on the caufe of Jofeph Knight, the Negro, who claimed and obtained his freedom in Scotland, referred to Vol. II. p. 591, and of which Caufe an account is given in the fame Volume, p. 600, I fhall now communicate it.

"It must be agreed that in most ages many countries have had part of their inhabitants in a ftate of flavery; yet it may be doubted whether flavery can ever be supposed the natural condition

of

-of man. It is impoffible not to conceive that men in their original ftate were equal; and very difficult to imagine how one would be fubjected to another but by violent compulfion. An individual may, indeed, forfeit his liberty by a crime; but he cannot by that crime forfeit the liberty of his children. What is true of a criminal feems true likewife of a captive. A man may accept life from a conquering enemy on condition of perpetual fervitude; but it is very doubtful whether he can entail that servitude on his defcendants; for no man can ftipulate without commiffion for another. The condition which he himself accepts his fon or grandson perhaps would have rejected. If we should admit, what perhaps may with more reafon be denied, that there are certain relations between man and man which may make flavery necessary and just, yet it can never be proved that he who is now fuing for his freedom ever stood in any of those relations. He is certainly fubject by no law, but that of violence, to his present master; who pretends no claim to his obedience, but that he bought him from a merchant of flaves, whofe right to fell him never was examined. It is faid that according to the conftitutions of Jamaica he was legally enflaved; thefe conftitutions are merely positive; and apparently injurious to the rights of mankind, because whoever is exposed to fale is condemned to flavery without appeal; by whatever fraud or violence he might have been originally brought into the merchant's power. In our own time Princes have been fold, by wretches

to

to whole care they were entrusted, that they might have an European education; but when once they were brought to a market in the plantations, little would avail either their dignity or their wrongs. The laws of Jamaica afford a Negro no redress. His colour is confidered as a fufficient teftimony against him. It is to be lamented that moral right fhould ever give way to political convenience. But if temptations of intereft are fometimes too strong for human virtue, let us at least retain a virtue where there is no temptation to quit it. In the prefent cafe there is apparent right on one fide, and no convenience on the other. Inhabitants of this inland can neither gain riches nor power by taking away the liberty of any part of the human fpecies. The fum of the argument is this; No man is by nature the property of another: The defendant is,therefore, by nature free: The rights of nature must be some way forfeited before they can be justly taken away: That the defendant has by any act forfeited the rights of nature we require to be proved; and if no proof of fuch forfeiture can be given, we doubt not but the justice of the court will declare him free."

I record Dr. Johnson's argument fairly upon this particular cafe; where, perhaps, he was in the right. But I beg leave to enter my moft folemn protest against his general doctrine with respect to the Slave Trade. For I will refolutely fay that his unfavourable notion of it was owing to prejudice, and imperfect, or falfe information. The wild and dangerous

dangerous attempt which has for fome time been persisted in to obtain an act of our Legislature, to abolish fo very important and neceffary a branch of commercial intereft, must have been crushed at once, had not the infignificance of the zealots who vainly took the lead in it, made the vast body of Planters, Merchants, and others, whose immer.fe properties are involved in that trade, rea fonably enough fuppofe that there could be no danger. The encouragement which the attempt has received excites my wonder and indignation; and though fome men of fuperiour abilities have supported it; whether from a love of temporary popularity, when profperous; or a love of general mifchief, when defperate; my opinion is unfhaken. To abolish a status, which in all ages GOD has fanctioned, and man has continued, would not only be robbery to an innumerable clafs of our fellow-fubjects; but it would be extreme cruelty to the African Savages, a portion of whom it faves from maffacre, or intolerable bondage in their own country, and introduces into a much happier state of life; especially now when their paffage to the Weft-Indies and their treatment there is humanely regulated. To abolish that trade would be to

shut the gates of mercy on mankind."

Whatever may have paffed elsewhere concerning it, The HOUSE OF LORDS is wife and independent: