But I must now take my leave of the Quakers as a public body[A] and go back to the year 1783, to record an event, which will be found of great importance in the present history, and in which only individuals belonging to the society were concerned.  This event seems to have arisen naturally out of existing or past circumstances.  For the society, as I have before stated, had sent a petition to parliament in this year, praying for the abolition, of the Slave Trade.  It had also laid the foundation for a public distribution of the books as just mentioned, with a view of enlightening others on this great subject.  The case of the ship Zong, which I have before had occasion to explain, had occurred this same year.  A letter also had been presented, much about the same time, by Benjamin West, from Anthony Benezet, before mentioned, to our queen, in behalf of the injured Africans, which she had received graciously.  These subjects occupied at this time the attention of many Quaker families, and among others, that of a few individuals, who were in close intimacy with each other.  These, when they met together, frequently conversed upon them.  They perceived, as facts came out in conversation, that there was a growing knowledge and hatred of the Slave Trade, and that the temper of the times was ripening towards its abolition.  Hence a disposition manifested itself among these, to unite as labourers for the furtherance of so desirable an object.  An union was at length proposed and approved of, and the following persons (placed in alphabetical order) came together to execute the offices growing out of it:—­

[Footnote A:  The Quakers, as a public body, kept the subject alive at their yearly meeting in 1784, 1785, 1787, &c.]

WILLIAM DILLWYN, THOMAS KNOWLES, M.D. 
GEORGE HARRISON, JOHN LLOYD,
SAMUEL HOARE, JOSEPH WOODS.

The first meeting was held on the seventh of July, 1783.  At this “they assembled to consider what steps they should take for the relief and liberation of the negro slaves in the West Indies, and for the discouragement of the Slave Trade on the coast of Africa.”

To promote this object; they conceived it necessary that the public mind should be enlightened respecting it.  They had recourse; therefore, to the public papers, and they appointed their members in turn to write in these, and to see that their productions were inserted.  They kept regular minutes for this purpose.  It was not however known to the world that such an association existed.

It appears that they had several meetings in the course of this year.  Before the close of it they had secured a place in the General Evening Post, in Lloyd’s Evening Post, in the Norwich, Bath, York, Bristol, Sherborne, Liverpool, Newcastle, and other provincial papers, for such articles as they chose to send to them.  These consisted principally of extracts from such authors, both in prose and verse, as they thought would most enlighten and interest the mind upon the subject of their institution.