The priests of that persuasion had indeed been indefatigable in their vocation; so that imported Africans generally obtained within twelve months a tolerable idea of their religious duties.
He had seen the slaves there go through the public mass in a manner, and with a fervency, which would have done credit to more civilized societies.
But the case was now altered; for, except where the Moravians had been, there was no trace in our islands of an attention to their religious interests.
It had been said, that their punishments were severe.

There might be instances of cruelty; but these were not general.

Many of them were undoubtedly ill disposed; though not more, according to their number, on a plantation, than in a regiment, or in a ship's crew.

Had we never heard of seamen being flogged from ship to ship, or of soldiers dying in the very act of punishment?
Had we not also heard, even in this country of boasted liberty, of seamen being seized, and carried away, when returning from distant voyages, after an absence of many years; and this without even being allowed to see their wives and families?
As to distressed objects, he maintained, that there was more wretchedness and poverty in St.Giles's, than in all the West Indian islands belonging to Great Britain.
He would now speak of the African and West Indian trades.

The imports and exports of these amounted to upwards of ten millions annually; and they gave employment to three hundred thousand tons of shipping, and to about twenty-five thousand seamen.