View of the Capitol of the United States, after the Conflagration in 1814.AMERICAN
SLAVE TRADE;
OR,
An Account of the Manner in which the Slave Dealers take Free People from some of the United States of America, and carry them away, and sell them as Slaves in other of the States; and of the horrible Cruelties practised in the carrying on of this most infamous Traffic:
WITH
Reflections on the Project for forming a Colony of American Blacks in Africa, and certain Documents respecting that Project.
By JESSE TORREY, Jun. Physician.
WITH FIVE PLATES.
LONDON:
REPRINTED BY C. CLEMENT, AND PUBLISHED BY
J. M. COBBETT, 1, CLEMENT'S INN.
1822.
PREFACE.
"And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found inhis hand, shall surely be put to death."
1. Throughout this work I have numbered the paragraphs, a practicewhich I find to be attended with numerous advantages. The work waspublished in Philadelphia in 1817.
2. The reader will perceive, that Mr. Torrey, the author of the workhere presented to the public, has mixed his reflections with hisnarrative of facts. A different arrangement would have tended toclearness. But, as applicable to the English reader, there is a defectof greater importance; namely, the want of a description of the relative[Pg iv]extent and situation of the Countries or States, in which thisabominable slave trade is carried on. The author speaks of the MiddleStates, and the Southern States. He speaks of Maryland, ofDelaware; and, then again, of Georgia, Carolina, Mississippi;but the English reader ought to be told, and have pretty clearlyexplained to him, how these several Countries lie with regard to eachother; and, that he may judge of the magnitude of the evil, he ought tobe informed over how large a part of the whole of the United StatesSlavery does actually extend. He ought further to be informed of thenature of the Governments, and of the laws, as far as these latterrelate to Slavery. For, he must otherwise naturally be astonished tofind that this dreadful traffic is carried on with impunity. He hearsMr. Torrey talk of Judges, Senators, Governors, Presidents, speaking[Pg v]against this traffic; and yet he finds it most vigorously carried on;and actually making a part of the internal trade of the Country; atwhich he is utterly astounded, so often hearing the virtues ofRepublicans sounded in his ears, and being informed that Mr. JeremyBentham is actually engaged, at this moment, in the Southern Peninsulaof Europe, to teach the art of Constitution-making upon the Americanplan. The book stands, therefore, in need of a Preface to explain thesematters a little; and such Preface I am now doing myself the hono