You cannot
take it out of his hands. I am sure he will be second to no one on this
occasion."
On my return to my hotel, I perused the outlines of the speech which the
Comte de Mirabeau had lent me. It afforded a masterly knowledge of the
evils of the trade, as drawn from reason only. It was put together in
the most striking and affecting manner. It contained an almost
irresistible appeal to his auditors by frequent references to the
ancient system of things in France, and to their situation and prospects
under the new. It flowed at first gently like a river in a level
country; but it grew afterwards into a mountain-torrent, and carried
everything before it. On looking at the questions which he had written
down for me, I found them consist of three. 1. What are the different
ways of reducing to slavery the inhabitants of that part of Africa which
is under the dominion of France? 2. What is the state of society there
with respect to government, industry, and the arts? 3. What are the
various evils belonging to the transportation of the Africans from their
own country?
It was peculiarly agreeable to me to find, on reading the first two
questions, that I had formed an acquaintance with Monsieur Geoffroy de
Villeneuve, who had been aide-du-camp to the Chevalier de Boufflers at
Goree; but who was then at his father's house in Paris.
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