The excuse which this execrable wretch made on board for his conduct, was the following, "_that if the slaves, who were then sickly, had died a natural death, the loss would have been the owners; but as they were thrown alive into the sea, it would fall upon the underwriters_."] [Footnote 058: This gentleman is at present resident in England.

The author of this Essay applied to him for some information on the treatment of slaves, so far as his own knowledge was concerned.

He was so obliging as to furnish him with the written account alluded to, interspersed only with such instances, as he himself could undertake to answer for.

The author, as he has never met with these instances before, and as they are of such high authority, intends to transcribe two or three of them, and insert them in the fourth chapter.

They will be found in inverted commas.] * * * * * CHAP.