This gentleman
had entertained Dr. Spaarman and Mr. Wadstrom; and had accompanied them
up the Senegal, when under the protection of the French government in
Africa. He had confirmed to me the testimony which they had given before
the privy council: but he had a fund of information on this subject,
which went far beyond what these possessed, or I had ever yet collected
from books or men. He had travelled all over the kingdom of Cayor on
foot; and had made a map of it. His information was so important, that I
had been with him for almost days together to take it down. I
determined, therefore, to arrange the facts which I had obtained from
him, of which I had now a volume, that I might answer the two first
questions, which had been proposed to me; for it was of great importance
to the Comte de Mirabeau, that he should be able to appeal, in behalf of
the statements in his speech to the Assembly, to an evidence on the
spot.
In the course of my correspondence with the Comte, which continued with
but little intermission for six weeks, many circumstances took place,
which were connected with the cause, and which I shall now detail in
their order.
On waiting upon Mr. Necker, at his own request, he gave me the pleasing
intelligence, that the committee of finances, which was then composed of
members of the National Assembly, had resolved, though they had not yet
promulgated their resolution, upon a total abolition of all the bounties
then in existence in favour of the Slave Trade.
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