He had shown, he said, last year, that Africa was exposed to all the horrors of war; and that most of these wars had their origin in the Slave Trade.  It was then said, in reply, that the natural barbarity of the natives was alone sufficient to render their country a scene of carnage.  This was triumphantly instanced in the King of Dahomey.  But his honourable friend Lord Muncaster, then in the House, had proved in his interesting publication, which had appeared since, called Historical Sketches of the Slave Trade, and of its Effects in Africa, addressed to the people of Great Britain, that the very cruelties of this king, on which so much stress had been laid, were committed by him in a war, which had been undertaken expressly to punish an adjacent people for having stolen some of his subjects and sold them for slaves.

He had shown, also, last year, that kings were induced to seize and sell their subjects, and individuals each other, in consequence of the existence of the Slave Trade.

He had shown, also, that the administration of justice was perverted, so as to become a fertile source of supply to this inhuman traffic; that every crime was punished by slavery; that false accusations were made to procure convicts; and that even the judges had a profit on the convictions.

He had shown again, that many acts of violence were perpetrated by the Europeans themselves.  But he would now relate others which had happened since.  The captain of an English vessel, lying in the river Cameroons, sent his boat with three sailors and a slave to get water.  A Black trader seized the latter, and took him away.  He alleged in his defence, that the captain owed him goods to a greater amount than the value of the slave; and that he would not pay him.  This being told on board, the captain, and a part of his crew, who were compelled to blacken their naked bodies that they might appear like the natives, went on shore at midnight, armed with muskets and cutlasses.  They fired on the trader’s dwelling, and killed three of his children on the spot.  The trader, being badly wounded, died while they were dragging him to the boat; and his wife, being wounded also, died in half an hour after she was on board the ship.  Resistance having been made to these violent proceedings, some of the sailors were wounded, and one was killed.

Some weeks after this affray, a chieftain of the name of Quarmo went on board the same vessel to borrow some cutlasses and muskets.  He was going, he said, into the country to make war; and the captain should have half of his booty.  So well understood were the practices of the trade, that his request was granted.  Quarmo, however, and his associates, finding things favourable to their design, suddenly seized the captain, threw him overboard, hauled him into their canoe, and dragged him to the shore; where another party of the natives, lying in ambush, seized such of the crew as were absent from the ship.