9_C
bettle's notices of
of the natives. Avhom he sold to the Spaniards in His-
paniola ; and. although censured by the queen, it appears
that he still continued to prosecute the trade.* The
French commenced this business about the same time,
although Louis XIII. gave the royal sanction with re¬
luctance, and only Avhen soothed by the delusive pretext
of converting the Africans to Christianity. In 1645 a
laAV Avas passed by the General Assembly of Massachusetts,
prohibiting the buying and selling of sla\res, except those
taken in laAvful Avar or reduced to servitude for their
crimes by a judicial sentence; and these were to have
the same privileges as Avere allowed to Hebrew slaA-es by
the law of Moses.-)- In 1713 the Legislature of Massa¬
chusetts imposed a heaAry duty on every negro imported
into the State.
The next in order amongst those Avorthy and enlight¬
ened men, avIio Avere the very early opponents of slavery,
is the founder of the Society of Friends, George Fox.
This pious Christian visited Barbadoes in 1071, and whilst
* See Holmes' Annals, I., p. 101, where he refers to Hakluyt, I.,
pp. 521, 522, for an account of this voyage. Hawkins says Stow
(Chron. SOT, quoted by Holmes) died in 1595, "as it was supposed
of melancholy "—Editor.
■f In this veai' a remarkable instance of justice to a negro, in exe¬
cution of this law, occurred in Massachusetts. He had been fraudu¬
lently taken and brought from Guinea, was demanded of the pur¬
chaser by the Government, and the Court "resolved to send him
back without delay " Perhaps this circumstance has led our author
into the error of fixing this year as the date of this Act. Jt was part
of the hundred law-, called the Body of LH/crlirs (Winthrop's Jour¬
nal, 237 j, established by the General Court of Massachusetts, in
1041. — See Holmes' Annals, I., 317, 335. Edition of 1805, and the
authorities cited.—Editor.
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