Page:Substance of the speech of His Royal Highness the Duke of Clarence, in the House of Lords.djvu/25

 continent, the natives laughed at him, and observed, that the only beast of burden was the ass. Whenever a famine arises in any country where cultivation is little known, the consequences must indeed be fatal; and during dearths, Mr. Park mentions several instances of the natives selling themselves for food.

As for crimes being the cause of Slavery in Africa, it is, my Lords, even no more than the law of this country; for what are the Convicts that are annually transported to Botany Bay but Slaves? The last cause of Slavery in Africa, and which Mr. Stevens has, with his usual candour and close argument, dwelt largely upon, is the crime of Witchcraft. Now, my Lords, though this country has been for many centuries under the benign influence of Christianity, it is a fact well ascertained, that at the close of the last century, people were tried and convicted of Witchcraft, Can your Lordships, therefore,