employ for the encouragement of this execrable trade. They allow
their merchants a bounty of 150 livres tournois for each slave they
import into _Cayenne_ and _La Guyenne_ Françoise; 100 livres for
the southern parts of _St. Domingo_; 80 livres for _La Jeremie_
and its dependencies; 60 livres for _St. Marie_, _Leogane_, and
_Port au Prince_; and 50 livres for _Cape François_ and its
dependencies.—Besides this, Government pays a premium of 40 livres per
ton for all the ships that go to the coast, and they are also more
favoured in the measurement than any other. These bounties, granted for
promoting the sale of human flesh, is the occasion of their committing
the most abominable abuses, which cry for vengeance, and are even
injurious in the extreme to the Government which encourages them.
[11] Mr. Sefstrom, in Sweden, has lately discovered, that a very small
quantity of campfire, strewed on a fire-coal, immediately destroys
every insect within the reach of its effluvia, and no doubt would prove
fatal to the musketoes. See the Acts of the Royal Society of Sciences
at Stockholm, for the year 1787.
[12] Establishments of new colonies in Africa have been opposed by
some with an apparent strength of argument; the principal points of
which may be collected under the following heads: 1st. That it would
be introducing among the simple and innocent people the corrupted
manners of the Europeans.—2d. That such establishments would be the
means of increasing and perpetuating the practice of making slaves.—3d.
That Government will be exposed to considerable sacrifices to secure
protection to the colonies, and to supply them with necessaries from
Europe, &c.—In a work I am preparing to lay before the publick, it is
my intention to submit, for candid perusal, the reflections I have made
on these objections, and endeavour to prove the great error by which
these real friends to humanity are at present influenced.
[13] This journal gives the history of a young man whom the author knew
to have died, in consequence of a very dissolute life, induced from
a faulty education, and from which the most important deductions may
be made, respecting publick education, and the duty of parents. The
same Mr. _de la Blancherie_ has, since the publication of this work,
digested and carried into execution in Paris, the plan of a _Bureau de
correspondence générale et gratuite pour les Sciences et les Arts_,
where men of all nations, and every class, should find, as in _a living
Encyclopedia_, (to use the happy expression of His Royal Highness the
Duke of Gloucester) the means of communication and instruction, and
every good office relative to the Sciences and the Arts. For twelve
years past he has contended with all possible obstacles, in order to
persuade mankind to pursue their true interests, by a _reciprocation of
good offices_. Mr. _de la Blancherie_ is at present, and will remain
some time in England, to acquire connexions useful to this grand view.
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE
The original Table of Contents was in two parts at the front and the
back of the book. These have been joined in this etext.
The one change in the ERRATA at the back of the book has been applied
to the etext. The spelling of ‘Salum’ has been changed to ‘Sallum’ to
be consistent with all other occurrences in the book.
Obvious typographical errors and punctuation errors have been
corrected after careful comparison with other occurrences within
the text and consultation of external sources.
Some hyphens in words have been silently removed, some added,
when a predominant preference was found in the original book.
Except for those changes noted below, all misspellings in the text,
and inconsistent or archaic usage, have been retained.
Pg 30: ‘and thus cooly’ replaced by ‘and thus coolly’.
Pg 35: ‘the conveniencies and’ replaced by ‘the conveniences and’.
Pg 36: ‘lands of Camarons’ replaced by ‘lands of Camaroons’.
Pg 41: ‘and Portugueze’ replaced by ‘and Portuguese’.
Pg 42: ‘sparmaceti whales’ replaced by ‘spermaceti whales’.