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Show 226 ON TilE SLAVERY AND CoMMERCE joining in the dance, and that they had every comfort and convenience, that people are generally fuppofed to enjoy on fuch convivial occalions. But this is far from the cafe. Reafon informs us, that it can never be. If they wiih for fuch innocent recreations, they mull enjoy them in the time that is allotted them for Jleep ; and fo far are thefe dances from proceeding from any uncommon degree of happinefs, which excites them to convivial fociety, that they proceed rather from an uncommon depreffion of fpirits, which makes them even facrifice their * rell, for the fake of experiencing for a moment a more joyful oblivion of their cares. For fuppofe any one of the receivers, in the middle of a dance, were to add refs his Jlaves in the following manner: " Africans! I begin at !all to feel for your lituation; and my confcience is feverely hurt, when~ ever I refleCl: that I have been reducing • Thefe dances are ufually in the middle of the night; 2nd fo defirous are thefe unfortunate people of obtaining but a joyful hour, that they not only often give up their neep, but add to the labours of the day, by going fcveral miles to obuinit. " thofe oF THE HuMAN S~EciES • thofe to a fiate of mifery and pain, who have never given me oftence. You feem to be fond of thefe exercifes, but yet you arc obliged to take them at fuch unfealonable hours, that they impair your health, which is fufliciently broken by the intolerable !hare of labour which I have hitherto impofed upon you. I will therefore make you a propofal. Will you be content to live in the colonies, and you !hall have the half of every week entirely to yourfelves? or will you choofe to return to your miferable, wretched country ?"--But what is that which llrikes their ears ? Which makes them motionlefs in an infiant? Which interrupts the fefiive fcene ?--their country ?--tranfporting found !--Behold! they are now flying from the dance: you may fee them running to the lhore, and, frantick as it were with joy, demanding with open arms an inllantaneous palfage to their beloved native plains. Such are the colonial delights, by the reprefentation of which the receivers would perfuade us, that the Africans are taken from P 2 their |
