justify the American planter in refusing
to emancipate his slaves. Her conduct is a practical acknowledgment of
the Southern theory of the African race--that slavery is their normal
condition, otherwise she must have adopted the same policy in West
Africa that she has in South Africa.

But before closing this part of our investigations, it may be well to
examine the claims of Great Britain in relation to her humanity towards
the African, or any of the inferior races doomed to lives of toil--such
as the coolies of India and the laborers of China.

The contest for the advantages of supplying the increasing demands for
cotton, is between Great Britain operating in India and Africa, and the
American planter operating by an increased amount of labor furnished by
means of the slave trade. The contest between the parties may be
imagined as assuming this form: A portion of the American planters
insist, that they should be allowed to manage this matter; but Great
Britain says, nay: my subjects can do it better than you can. You
Americans are governed by mercenary motives: we Britons by philanthropic
intentions. You Americans have made no sacrifices for the cause of
humanity: we Britons have emancipated our West India slaves.

Aye, aye, replies the American planter; we understand all about the
humanity of which you boast. Your special type of philanthropy is fully
displayed in the history of your West Indies. Look at it. The total
importation of slaves from Africa into your West Indian Islands, was
1,700,000 persons; of whom and their descendants, in 1833, only 660,000
remained for emancipation; we had less than 400,000 imported Africans,
of whom and their descendants there existed among us, in 1850, more than
3,600,000 persons of African descent; that is to say, the number of
Africans and their descendants in the United States, is nearly eight or
ten to one of those that were imported, whilst in the British West
Indies there are not two persons remaining for every five imported.[37]
And besides, we have 500,000 free colored persons among us, a number
nearly equal to that which your emancipation act set at liberty, and
more than the whole number imported. Your slavery seems to have been a
system of wholesale slaughter: ours the reverse.

All true, says Britain: but then we have ceased to do evil, and are
learning to do well. We found "that slavery was bearing our colonies
down to ruin with awful speed; that had it lasted but