tate of Coldbrook after the death of Charles; and Thomas, who died in 1778 without issue.

The widow of Major Hanbury resided at Pont y Pool until her death in 1741, when Capel inherited the estate. On the death of Sir Charles, without issue male, Capel had, by his father's will, the option of the Coldbrook estate, on the condition of relinquishing that of Pont y Pool to his brother George. A compromise, however, took place; Capel retained Pont y Pool, with 23,000l. the remainder of the legacy left by Mr. Williams, which had not been expended in the purchase of lands, and George succeeded to Coldbrook.

Capel, after representing the borough of Leominster, was several times knight of the shire for the county of Monmouth, and declined the offer of a peerage.

Capel dying in 1765, was succeeded by his son John, who likewise represented the county of Monmouth, until the time of his decease in 1784; when the independent interest which had hitherto supported the family, was, by the minority of his son, diverted into another channel.

His eldest son John Capel, dying in 1795, the seat of Pont y Pool park, and the estate, were inherited by Capel Hanbury, Esq. the present proprietor, who has since assumed the name of Leigh, in consequence of the will of the late Lord Leigh, devising his property to his next of kin male, bearing the name and arms of Leigh.

(To be concluded in our next. )

Translated from the Abbe Raynal's celebrated History of the Indies.

M

BY A FRIEND TO THE VISITOK.

ONTESQUIEU could not bring himself to treat the subject of slavery with seriousness. In fact, it is to degrade the powers of reason to employ them, I will not say to defend, but even to palliate an enormity so repugnant to reason.-He that justifies a system so completely odious, deserves the utter contempt of the philosopher, and the dagger of the negro.

"If you touch me, I stab myself," says Clarissa to Lovelace-and I would say to him who should attempt to despoil me of my liberty, <if you approach me, I'll stab you." And I should reason better than Clarissa; for to defend my liberty, or which amounts to the same, my life, is my first, to respect that of another, is only my second duty. The death of an aggressor is more conformable to justice than the death of an inno❤.

cent.

Will any one say, that he who endeavours to enslave me is not an aggressor-that he avails himself of his rights? Where are his rights? Who has given them a character so sacred as to silence mine? I derive from nature the right to defend myself she has not given thee the right to attack me.-If thou thinkest thyself justified in oppressing me, because thou art more vigorous and more expert than I, do not complain when my nervous arm severs thy breast to tear thy guilty heart out of it. Do not complain when the agonies of that death which I have mingled with thy food are felt in thy tortured entrails-I am stronger and more expert than thou-be victim in thy turn-and expiate now the crime of having been an oppressor.

He who vindicates the system of slavery, is an enemy to the human species. He severs it into two grand divisions of legitimate assassins, the oppres sors and the oppressed; and as much as says to all around him, "if you mean to preserve your own lives, hasten then to deprive me of mine, for I certainly mean to despoil you of yours."

But you will say, the right of slavery reaches only to liberty and labour-not to the life. Alas! the master who disposes of my strength as he thinks proper, does he not also dispose of my days, which are worn away by the constrained and immoderate exertion of my faculties?-What is life to him who possesses no property in it? I must not murder my slave at once-but I may exhaust his blood drop by drop under the lash of the driver. I may overwhelm him by sorrow, labours, and deprivationsI may attack every member, and, deaf to his complaints, undermine the principles and the springs of life I may strangle, by lingering punishments, the unfortunate embrio which the negress bears in her bowels. In short, the laws protect the slave from instant death only to indulge me with the cruel right of compelling him to die all his days!

We add-the right of slavery is the right to commit every species of crime. It attacks propertyfor you leave to your slave no property in himself; -it destroys security-for you sacrifice it to your capricious humours-humours at which modesty shudders. . . . ... My blood boils at those horrible recollections-I hate-I fly the human species—a mass of victims and murderers-and, unless it reforms, may it be annihilated!

One word more, since it must be said, Cartouche seated at the foot of a tree in the depth of the forest, calculating the receipts and costs of his robberies, the rewards and the wages of his assistants, and casting up the rules of proportion and

distributive justice, Cartouche-Is he very differ ent from the slave merchant (Armateur), who bending over his desk, with pen in his hand, calculates how many crimes he must commit on the coast of Guinea; who examines at leisure how many and what will be the expence of the muskets which he must deliver out, in order ro carry on the war, of which slaves are the produce-how many iron chains, to bind them down to the decks of his vessels-how many whips to compel them to labour-what will be the cost of every drop of blood with which the negro will sprinkle his miserable dwelling-and, whether the negress will repay. him most by the labour of her hands, or by the produce of her womb!-What think ye of this parallel? The thief attacks you, and plunders you of your money-the merchant plunders you of yourself the one violates the laws of society, the other outrages the laws of nature. Yes, doubtless, and if there exists a religion which authorises, which tolerates, though only in silence, horrors such as these; which, however occupied with useless and seditious questions, forbears to thunder its anathemas upon the authors and the instruments of such tyranny if it constitutes it a crime when the slave breaks his chains--if it suffers in its bosom the iniquitous judge who condemns the fugitive to death if such a religion exists, may its priests be crushed beneath the ruins of its altars!

But the negroes are a species of men born for slavery; they are inferior in mental capacity to others; knaves, wicked; they themselves confess our superiority, and acknowledge the justice of our empire over them.

The negroes are inferior in mental capacity; because bondage enfeebles all the energies of the soul. They are wicked; wicked enough with you. They are crafty knaves; because truth is not due to their

tyrants. They confess the superiority of our minds, because we have abused their ignorance; the justice of our empire over them, because we have abused their weakness. I would rather say, that the Indians are a race of men born to be crushed, because there are fanatics among them who will precipitate themselves under the chariot wheels of their idol, before the temple of Jagernaut !

But the negroes were born slaves. On whom, barbarians, can you impress the belief that a man can be the property of his prince? A son the property of his father? A wife the property of her husband? A servant the property of his master? A negro the property of a planter?

But the slaves have sold themselves. Never could man consent, by any covenant or agreement, that another man should use or abuse him at his will-or, if he has consented to such covenant and agreement, it must have been in some moment of weakness, or ignorance. He is no sooner roused from it, his reason no sooner returns, than he is released from his obligation."

But they have been captured in war. What is that to you? Leave the victor to abuse his success as he pleases. Why should you render yourself an accomplice in his guilt?

But they were criminals, condemned by their country to slavery. Who were their judges? Are you to be taught that, under a despotic government, there is but one delinquent, the despot himself?

The subject of a despot, like the slave, is placed in a situation repugnant to nature. Every thing which contributes to detain man in it is a crime against his person. The hands which unite in subjecting him to the tyranny of one individual, are the hands of enemies. Would you know who are the authors and the accomplices of this vio