^ I LIBHAIIY OF CONGRIiSS. I i - / #: I UNITED STATK8 UK AMERICA. J k. PROCEEDINGS IN RELATION TO THE PRESENTATION OF THE ADDRESS •YEARLY MEETING OF THE RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS, ON THE / SLAVE-TRADE AND SLAVERY V TO SOVEREIGXS AND THOSE TX AT'THORITV IN THE NATIONS OF EUROPE, AND IN OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD, WHERE THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION IS PROFESSED. ^LONDON: PRINTED BY EDWARD NEWMAN, 9 DEVONSHIRE STREET, piSHOPSGATE STREET. 1854. NEW-YORK: JAMES EGBERT, PRINTER, 321 PEARL STREET 1S56. PROCEEDINGS IN KELATION TO THE PRESENTATION OF THE ADDRESS OF THE YEARLY :MEETING RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS, GN THE SLAVE-TUADE AND SLAVEEI, TO SOVEREIGNS AND THOSE IX AUTHORITY IN THE NATIONS OF EUROPE, AND IN OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD, WHERE THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION IS PROFESSED. LONDON: PRINTED BY EDWARD NEWMAN, 9 DEVONSHIRE STREET, BISHOPSGATE STREET. 1854, N E W-Y ORE: JAMES EGBERT, PRlNTEli, 321 PEARL STREET 1856. L^-- The last Yearly Meeting gave permission for some corrections to he made in the Report which was then read ; and it has been found desirable to adopt this course, though to a smaller extent, in reference to the other Reports which precede it. London, 9th month, 1854. CI \ 4 PROCEEDINGS, &c, YEARLY MEETING, 1848. Tins Meeting, whilst afresh deeply feeling the cruelty and atro- cious character of the African Slave-trade, as well as the abom- inations of the system of Slavery, thinks it right 1o commend the whole subject to the very serious attention of the Meeting for Sufferings, to act therein as in its judgment may seem best. Minute of the TtLeling for Sujfcrings, \st of 12th snontli, ISA^. The last Yearly Meeting referred, by minute, to the very serious atten- tion of this Meeting, the continued horrors and cruelties of the Slave- trade and the iniquitous system of Slavery, with a view to its acting therein as might be thought best, according to the circumstances of the case. This important subject has from cue time to another obtained the very close consideration of this Meeting. We feel that the long-continued existence of these crimes should not in any wise weaken our sense of their enormity, but, on the contrary, that the additional evidence of their true character ought to bring us in- creasingly to see their sinfulness. It is a very distressing reflection at this day, that since the commence- ment of the active exertions of the members of our Society and of the inhabitants of this island, millions of innocent, unoffending human beings, children of the same merciful Parent with ourselves, have been subjected to the complicated inhumanity and injustice of the Slave-trade and Slavery,- And we feel that the termination of British colonial bondage should not, by any of us, be considered as the period when our sympathies for the . sufferings of the oppressed, or our sense of the injustice of the oppressor,, and pity for him in his unrighteous doings, should cease. We knoY/ that, at this very p-riod, the Slave-trade is carried on from tlie shores of Africa to the Western World with unabated eagerness, and with cruelties aggravated by the very efforts used to prevent it ; and wc know also, that this trade cannot be pursued without the continuance of those scenes of plunder and barbarity on the African soil, and those hor- rors of the middle passage, with which we have, alas, been long made familiar. We know that, in violation of the law of Christ, millions of Africans or of their descendants are now held in slavery in the United States of America, in the Brazils, in Cuba, and elsewhere, who are enti- tled by that law, equally with ourselves, to immediate, unconditional freedom. We feel that it is not enough for us to know these things, and even to admit the force of them. The question should be brought home to us individually, whether we are doing our proper parr, towards their removal. We desire to commend the whole subject to the very serious attention and warm sympathy of Friends generally, believing that in this cause of righteousness and benevolence we are called to steadiness, perseverance, and continual breathing of spirit to the God and Father of all, who for- med of one blood all the families of the earth. As we maintain this in- >dividual religious exercise in the fear of the Lord,- we shall be in that condition of mind in which we can discern our right course of procedure, .and in which we believe that our efforts on behalf of these, our deeply injured brethren and sisters, will be most availing amongst men, and most Jikely to be owned by the Divine blessing. At a Meeting for Sufferings, held 5t.h of 1st month, 1849 : — 'This Meeting, having at this as well as at a previous sitting had under Its consideration the holding of a Special Meeting of its members, toge- ther with Friends from the country, at which the subject of the continu- ance of Slavery and the Slave-trade, referred to its attention by the late Yearly Meeting, may be deliberately and seriously considered, concludes to appoint a Special Meeting for Sufferings, to be held on Sixth-day, the 23rd of nexl month, at eleven o'clock, to which the country correspon- dents and other members of this Meeting are invited. At a Special Meeting for Sufferings, held '23fdof 2nd month, 1849: In a measure, we trust, of that love which is not at our command, and imder a tender feeling for the sufferings of our fellow-creatures held in cruel bondage, as well as pity for their oppressors, a concern has arisen to address the nations of Europe and elsewhere with a declaration of our Christian testimony against the Slave-trade and Slavery. And this Meeting, with much imanimity of religious feeling, appreliends that it will be moving iu the line of its Christian duty in taking this step. A Committee was then appointed to prepare an Address accordinghj. At a Special .Meeting for Sufferings, held 19ih of bth month, 1849 : The Committee appointed at the Special Meeting for Sufferings, held 23rd of 2nd month, to prepare an Address to the nations of Europe, &c., on tlie continuance of the Slave-trade and Slavery, have produced the draft of an Address, which has been twice read and deliberated upon, and, being feelingly united with, is directed to be presented to the approach- ing Yearly Meeting. YEARLY MEETING, 1849. The Address alluded to in the foregoing minutes lias been now presented to this Meeting : it has been twice read, and is, after solid consideration, adopted, as expressive of the feelings of our religious Society on the deeply-important subject to which it re- fers. The following is a copy of the said Address, which has been signed in this Meeting on its behalf by the Clerk i- " To Sovereigns a\d those in authority in the Nations of Europe, and in other parts of the World where the Christian Religion is professed. " From tlie Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends of Great Britain and Ireland, held in London, 1849. " It having pleased the Lord to bring our fathers to a sense of the cruelty and wickedness of the African Slave-trade, and of the injustice of holding their fellow-men in Slavery, they were strengthened to act upon the conviction wrought on their minds : they set at liberty those they held in bondage, and in their faithfulness they enjoyed the answer of a good conscience towards God. In that love which comes from Ilim their heai-ts were enlarged in love to their neighbour, and they could not rest without endeavouring to bring otliers to thai sense of justice and mercy to which the Lord had brought them. From that time to the present day we have felt it to be laid upon us as a church to bear a tes- timony against the sin of Slavery. " We have believed it to be our Christian duty to represent the wrongs inflicted upon the people of Africa, and repeatedly to plead the cause of the Slave in addresses to our own Government. We rejoice and are thankful at the progress which has been made in this country and in other nations, in this cause of righteousness. Hundreds of thousands of slaves have been restored to liberty, and many of the nations of the civ- ilized world are now, to a large extent, delivered from the guilt of the African Slave-trade, — a trade which the Congress of Vienna, in 18J 5, pronounced to be ' a scourge which desolates Africa, degrades Europe and afllicts humanity ;' and for the suppression of which laws have been enacted. But our hearts are sorrowful in the consideration that this traffic is still carried on to a large extent; and that a vast amount of the population of the western world is still subject to the cruelty and the wrong of Slavery. We desire to cherish this sympathy, and that we may behold the increase of it amongst all men everywhere. " One God is the Creator of us all ; his eyes are in every place behold- ing the evil and the good. He will bring every work to judgment, and every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil. The fam. ilies of the earth are all of one blood ; all partakers in the same, corrupt nature consequent upon the fall of man ; all are alike subject to infirmity, disease, and death, and all amenable to the same judgment after death. In the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ there is no respect of persons ; Hb tasted death for every man ; all distinctions of country, tongue, and colour arc merged in the immensity of that love in which the Father has sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Wherever the religion of the Gospel of Christ obtains its proper place within us, it softens our hearts ; it brings man into fellow-feeling whh his fellow-man ; it brings him to re- gard every man as a brother, and to look upon the nations of the earth as all of one family. Amongst the millions of mankind there is not one beneath the notice of our Father who is in Heaven : if we be partakers of his love, it leads us into pity for the forlorn, the helpless, and the oppressed; and it constrains us to do w^hat we can to mitigate the pain and to assuage the sorrows of those who are in suffering, to befriend the friendless, and to labour for the improvement of the condition of the most degraded of our race. " We are now assembled in our Yearly Meeting for the promotion of charity and godliness amongst ourselves, and, according to our measure. for the spreading of truth and righteousness upon the earth. The con- dition of the natives of Africa, as affected by the continuance of the Slave-trade, and that of the slaves in North and South America and on the islands adjacent to that continent, have again awakened our sympathy. We believe it to be a duty laid upon us to plead the cause of these our fellow men. We submit to the consideration of all those in authority in the nations which take upon them the name of Christ, the utter incom- patibility of Slavery with the Divine law, ' Thou shalt love thy neigh- bour as thyself; ' ' All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them ■: ' these were the precepts of our Lord. He spoke as never man spoke, and of his words He declared, ' Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away : ' they are the law of God's righteousness to all generations. We submit whether, without breaking this law, it be possible for man to hold or to claim a right to property in the person of his fellow-man; whether, admitting the supreme authority of this law, man can buy or sell his brother ; whether he can with- hold from those who labour for him that which is just and equal; whe- ther the forced and uncompensated labour of the Xegro slave be not the breaking of this law ; in short, whether any man or any of the nations of men can, in any one of these things, violate the law of the Lord and be guiltless. " For the space of three hundred years, the trade in slaves has been carried on from Africa to the opposite shores of the Atlantic; and this traffic in the persons of men is still prosecuted with unrelenting and unmitiga- ted cruelty : year by year, countless multitudes are torn from all that they hold dear in life, to pass their days in toil and misery. Men are still to be found so hardened in heart, so bent upon the gain of oppression, and so devoid of all that we deem the common feelings of humanity, as to spend their time and talents in pursuit of this criminal commerce. We forbear to enter in detail upon the large variety of himian suffering, in- separable from this complicated iniquity , But we trust we do not take too much upon ourselves, in asking those whom we now address, to open their ears to the groaning of the oppressed, and to give themselves to sympathy with their sufferings ; to think upon the war, and rapine, and bloodshed, attendant upon the capture of slaves in the interior of Africa — upon what they are made to endure in their transit to the coast, and in their passage across the ocean ; and not to shrink from making themselves acquainted with the horrors and the loathsomeness of the Slave-ship ; to follow the poor, helpless, unoffending Negro, if he survive the suffering of the voyage, and to think upon his condition when landed upon a for- eign shore, and entered upon a life of hard and hopeless servitude — it may be — to be worked to death in his early manhood, or to live to behold his children subjected to the same degradation and oppression as himself. " Blessed is the man that cousidereth the poor. The blessing of the Lord resteth upon him who, Imowiug the evil which attends his neighbour's lot in life, is stretching forth his hand for the relief of his poverty and distress ; and his blessing is upon those who, like the Patriarch of old, are inquiring into the sorrows and hardship of the poor, the fatherless, and those that have none to help them. 'The cause which I knew not,' said he, ' I searched out.' " Our sympathies are awakened not for the native African alone, and the victims of the African Slave-trade, but we feel for those who are living and labouring in a state of Slavery, who were born in Slavery, and pos- sibly may die subject to its privation and its hardship. lu those coun- tries in which this system is upheld by law, man is degraded to the conditionof a beast of burthen, and regarded as an article of merchandise. The slave has nothing in life that he can call his own ; his physical powers, the limbs of his body, belong to another; it can scarcely be said that the faculties of his mind are his own. All that distinguishes him as ' a rational creature is, by the law of the State, treated as the property of another. He may be a man fearing God, and desiring to approve himself a disciple of Christ — we believe that there are such, — whatever the consistency of his character as a Christian, and however advanced in the cultivation of his mind, all avails him nothing, he is still a Slave, and the law allows him nothing to look to in life but hopeless, helpless, friendless Slavery. ■ Endowed by his Maker with capacity for enjoyment, like other men he has his social affections ; he may l)e honourably married, and in married life surrounded by offspring dear to him as his own flesh ; but he knows not the day nor the hour in which he may be torn from his wife, or in which his children, at their tender age, may be snatched away, sold to the man-trader, and carried into far distant captivity. So long as Slavery is upheld by law, we can have no security for the extinction of a trade in slaves. Such are the contingencies of the system, under every modification of which it is capable, that, until Slavery be abolished, men, women, and children will, we fear, be imported from Africa, and be bought and sold like the cattle of the field ; and the barbarities of the Slave-market will continue to pollute the towns and villages of those islands in the West Indies in which Slavery exists, and in the Slave^hold- ing countries of America. " The subject is so vast and of such manifold atrocity, we think, that even the history of the whole world does not furnish a parallel! to its crime. We deem it scarcely possible for a man of the most comprehensive mind fully to possess himself of the extent of the evil. The Lord alone doth know, none bat the Infinite Mind can comprehend, the individual and tlie aggregate sufferings of those subjected to these enormities. God alone can reach the heart and awaken the conscience. It is our strong dssire, — we sp(!ak with reverence and fear, — it is our prayer, that He may bring every one to a sense of his own share in the guilt, and that, ceasing from his iniquity, the condemnation resting upon the man-stealer and upon those who trade in the persons of men may no longer attach it- self to any one bearing the name of a Christian ; and that the Slave-holder, whether he be more or less involved in the sin of oppression, may be brought to act in obedience to the law of impartial and uncompromising equity, and, without hesitation and without delay, restore to immediate and unconditional freedom every slave that he holds in bondage. " The Gospel of Christ is precious to us. Through the mercy of God to our souls, we trust we are prepared, in some degree, to appreciate the means which, in his wisdom and love. He has provided for the redemption of the world, and the reconciling of man to Himself. In the word of ancient prophecy, Christ was promised, that in Him all the families of the earth might be blessed. "We cannot but entertain the opinion that the en- lightenment of multitudes of the inhabitants of Africa, and their participa- tion in the privileges and the consolations of the Christian religion, have been much retarded by the evil deeds of many who have gone among them ; and especially that the cruelty and wickedness of the Slave-trade have done much to keep them in ignorance of Him who died for them. In that love which extends over sea and land, and seeks the happiness of the whole human race, we make our appekl to those with whom it lies ,- and respectfully press upon them to take their part, in accordance with the peaceable religion of Christ, in removing every impediment out of the way, that, through the grace of God, the African of every tribe and every tongue, may be brought to the knowledge of the Truth as it is in Jesus. " May it please the Lord Almighty to bless those who reign, and those who are in authority, in every nation in which Christianity is acknowl- edged. May his wisdom preside in all their councils, and the law of his righteousness be the rule of their actions. May the Prince of Peace, Christ Jesus our Saviour, be honoured wherever his name is known. May his holy religion obtain its rightful influence in the earth ; and the people become prepared to offer praise to God, in the language uttered by the Heavenly Host — ' Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.' " Signed in and on behalf of the Meeting, " George Stagey, Clerk." The disposal of the said Address has obtained the solid conside- ration of this fleeting, in the course of which our dear friend 10 William Forster has, in a feeling manner, mentioned Lis willing- ness, under a sense of religious duty and of the weightiness of the engagement, to be the bearer of the said Address. The pro- posal of our beloved friend, who is a minister of the Gospel well esteemed by us, has had our very serious attention, and cordial unity having been felt and expressed with him in this service,, he is left at liberty, and encouraged to proceed in the arduous under- taking as the Lord may open the way. And this Meeting com- mends our dear friend to His preservation and care, and to the kind consideration of all those amongst whom he may come ; and may it please the Almighty to bless the presentation and circula- tion of this Address, to the advancement of the great end in view — the promotion of righteousness in the earth. 18 5 0. Report from the Cormnillee of the Meeting for Sufferings appointed to attend to the jpresentatwn of the Address on the Slave-trade and Slavery. On the 22nd of the 6th month, 1849, our dear friend William Forster, accompanied by Peter Bedford and Josiah Forster, crossed from Folk- stone to Boulogne, and travelled with but little intermission to the Hague. They were detained there nearly two weeks, in consequence of the absence from that city of William III., King of Holland; dtn-ing which time they found occupation in procuring, completing, and printing translations of the paper into the French and Dutch languages. As there seemed no probability of the King's early return, and as it was not judged suitable for him to be seen on the occasion at his country re- sidence, they placed the copy of the Address entrusted to them for him in the hands of his Prime Minister, who undertook the due presentation of it. Our three friends afterwards had an opportunity ofdelivering a printed copy of the same to each of the members of the Government, and also forwai'ded it to the several members of the First and Second Chambers of the Parliament, and to other persons of influence. They visited Amsterdam, Utrecht, Aruheim, Haarlem, Leyden, and Rotterdam ; at each of which towns they presented or forwarded the paper to the burgomas- ler, members of the town councils, Protestant and Roman Catholic ministers, influential men, civil or ecclesiastical, and to other persons of influence ; leaving at Leyden a suflicient supply for the professors in that University, addressed to them. From Rotterdam several small parcels 11 of the Address were forwarded to most of the principal towns in the kingdom which they had not visited. In many of the distributions in Hol- land there was given with it a small pamphlet translated into the Dutch language, containing some informatioii on the present state of the Slave- trade and of Slavery. On the 17th of the 7th month, our friends left Holland and went to Brus- sels, where, after a detention of a very few days, an opportunity was readily granted to see Leopold, the King of the Belgians, to whom the Address was read in English, and by whom it was kindly and attentively received. They returned to England on the 24th of the 7th month. William Forster left Dover on the 30th of the following month, ac- companied by John ]\Iarsh, of Dorking, and travelling without any detention, except passing the First-day with the Friends at Minden, they reached Hanover on the 3rd of the 9th month. A translation of the paper into German was printed in that city : a copy was forwarded to the King of Hanover ; another was presented to the Crown Prince, to whom it was read ; it was given to the principal Ministers of State, and other copies were distributed in that city. Our two friends were joined at Hanover by Auguste Mundhencke, of Pyrmont, and they proceeded together by way of Hamburg and Copen- hagen to Gothenburg. As the season was advancing, they thought it best to go forward to Stockholm, and went across Sweden by inland navigation, and afterwards up the Baltic to that city, which they reached about the ISth of the 9th month. They were detained there several weeks, in consequence of the King not being returned from a visit to his dommions in Norway, in the course of which time William Forster went up to Upsala. An early opportunity was obtained after the arrival of King Oscar at Stockholm to present the Address to him, and he received it very kindly. An edition of 1500 copies of a Swedish translation was printed in that city. The paper was afterwards presented to some other members of the Royal family. Copies were freely distributed to the Ministers of the Crown, and to other persons of influence ; it was forwarded to the Governors of the twenty-four provinces; a liberal supply was sent for the professors of the two Universities of Upsala and Lund, and 150 copies for the upper students in the former, and 50 for those in the latter. The ecclesiastical officers in Sweden were supplied, and copies in Danish were forwarded to the Governors of the provinces of Norway, from an edition in that language which had been printed at Copenhagen. The paper was freely distributed among the influential inhabitants of the prosperous commercial port of Gothenburg, and supplies were sent to the islands of Gothland and Oland. 12 The three friends returned to Copenhagen on the 1st of the 11th month, where in the course of a few days, the Address was presented to Frederick VII., King of Denmark, and afterwards to the two Queens Dowager. It was freely distributed in that city ; copies were forwarded to the Governors of the provinces, to the Bishops of the Lutheran Church, and to the University of Copenhagen ; two parcels were sent to Iceland, and many copies were given away in Sleswick andHolstein, as our friends travelled through those duchies towards Hamburg. In that important and commercial city they were diligently occupied in going with tlie paper from house to house, leaving it, among others, for the civil authorities, and also for themerchants, many of whom arc much engaged i)i trade to the Brazils and to the Spanish settlements. Our dear friend William Forster arrived at Berlin on the 4th of the 12th month, where he was joined by Josiah Forster and Cornelius Hanbury. John Marsh left him on the following day, Augustc Mund- hencke having returned home from Hamburg. By the friendly assistance of Baron Humboldt an early opportunity was kindly granted to present the Address to Frederic William IV., King of Prussia, at his palace at Potsdam : it was read to him by William Forster, and was favourably received. It was also presented to the Princess of Prussia, and to several of the Ministers of State in that city, and was respectfully received, being forwarded also to the other Ministers : copies for distribution were furnished to the Rector of the large University of Berlin, who kindly undertook the care of forwarding them to the professors. Lists were obtained of the names of the members of the "First and Second Cham- bers" of the Legislature, and copies were distributed to them. The Ministers of the Interior and of Public Worship very readily agreed to furnish lists, the former of the Governors of the provinces, and the lat- ter of those in ecclesiastical authority ; and a supply of the paper was sent for them to transmit accordingly. Copies were also distributed to some other influential persons in the tity of Berlin ; an edition of 2000 copies, in German, having been printed there.* The three friends went to Dresden on the 21st of the 12th month, where an early opportunity was afforded to present the Address to Frederic Augustus, King of Saxony, by whom it was kindly received. Copies were forwarded to his ministers, to the members of the Two Chambers, and to one of the ministers who took charge of them for per- sons of influence throughout that kingdom. They afterwards visited * In this city our friend William Forster liad religious sei-vicewith several congre- gations of seiious and awakened Protestants, to the relief of his own mind, and, it is believed, to the comfort and edification of those amongst whom he laboured. 13 Leipsic and Halle, from wliicli last-mentioned place Cornelius Hanbury returned to England. In each of these towns is a University ; care was taken for the supply of the professors connected with them, as we'll as of the members of th(! civil administration in the commercial town of Leipsic. Soon after returning to Dresden, William Forster and Jesiah Forster left for Vienna. They remained two days at Breslau, in Silesia, in the King of Prussia's dominions, on their way. There is a large University in that city ; they saw the Rector and forwarded to him copies of the Ad- dress for the professors, presented other copies to persons of intlnence, and also left a few for more general distrib'ition. With the Address, there was generally circulated, in Prussia and in Saxony, an appeal on the Slave-trade and Slavery, containing in a few pages extracts from a paper published by Friends in 1844, more circumstantial in its details, and also some evidence, of a recent date, of the horrors of the African Slave-trade. Our friends were favoured to arrive at Vienna on the 5tli of the 1st month, 1S50. Through the kind assistance of the British Ambassador, an interview was obtained with the Prime ^[inister of the Austrian Em- pire, and in the course of a few days they were informed that the Emperor Francis Joseph would see them on the l4th. They attended at the palace at the time appointed, when the Address was presented to him. He was alone : he kindly engaged to read the paper, and listened to a few remarks connected with the subject which were oifered to him. The interview was agreeable, and satisfactory in its character. After some little detention from the pressure of public business, opportunities were obtained to present the Address to the several Minis- ters of State. It was well received, and on most of these occasions short conversations took place on the circumstances of the oppressed. They readily agreed to send copies to the several Governors of the pro- vinces throughout the Empire, to those in ecclesiastical authority, and to the Austrian Consuls in the Mediterranean. Copies were furnished for the purpose, and also to the Archbishop (who was seen,) for the priests in that city. The protestant ministers were also supplied w'ith copies, for members of the small congregations of the Lutheran and Reformed Churches. The names of about twenty of the nobility were obtained, and the Address was left at their houses or handed to them. The Rec- tor of the large University of Vienna kindly consented to forward copies to the professors. He furnished a list of their names, and a supply was placed with him addressed to them. Our two friends left Vienna on the 26th of the 1st month and procee- ded to Prague. They tarried in that city a few days, and found oppor- 14 tunities to distribute the Address to several persons of influence among the Roman Catholics, and also among the few Protestants settled there, to the professors of the large University in that city, and to the Ex- Empress of Vienna now resident at Prague. They next visited Munich, arriving there, after a long journey, on the 1st of the 2nd month. Maximilian, the King of Bavaria, early granted them an interview, and gave them a friendly, open reception. As he understood English, portions of the Address were read to him. His Ministers of State were severally seen ; the interviews were granted with much readiness. They willingly received the Address, and consented to forward it to civil and ecclesiastical officers in different parts of the Idng- dom : supplies were furnished for the purpose. The Address was ako sent to the professors in tho Bavarian Universities, of Erlangen, Wiirtz- burg and JMunich. The Two Chambers of the Legislature were then sitting, and copies were forwarded to the members at their own dwellings. Sepa- rate small packages were made up for distribution to persons of influence in the city, in diS"erent stations, and were sent to them. Tarrying two nights at Augsburg, where occasions where made use of to distribute the paper in a similar manner to persons in that city, our friends arrived at Stuttgard on the 12th of the 2nd month, where they obtained an early opportunity to present the Address to the King of "Wurtemburg, who received them with much openness. It was after- wards given to the several Ministers of State ; packets were prepared to be forwarded to the professors at the University of Tubingen, and to those in civil and ecclesiastical authority in different parts of the kingdom, and were committed to the care of the Ministers of State, who furnished the necessary directions, and agreed to forward them : a supply for influen- tial persons of different classes in Stuttgard was also entrusted to an individual in that city. Our friends then visted Carlsruhe, the chief town in the Grand Duchy of Baden, where they were without difficulty allowed to present the Address to the Grand Duke, who very willingly received it. Copies were delivered or forwarded to his several Ministers; and also placed under the kind care of one of the Ministers to be sent to the professors in the Universities of Heidelberg and Freiburg, as well as to other persons of influence, both at Carlsruhe and in the territory of Baden. They went forward to Strasburg, which city they reached on the ISth of the 2nd month. Josiah Forster then returned to England, and Francis Fry and Robert Alsop, jun. joined William Forster. Our three friends proceeded from Strasburg to Basle, in Switzerland, and, after attending to some service there, visited Berne, Lausanne and Geneva, distributing the paper entrusted to them at each place. In the 15 first of these three cities they saw the President of the Federal Council, and left copies of the Address for the members for the twenty-two can- tons, as well as for other influential persons. At Geneva they held a meeting with several religious characters of that city, with whom they had free communication on the object of their visit. This object was very cordially responded to ; an interest was awakened in the minds of those present ; and it was admitted that the intercourse between Geneva and the Brazils presents an opportunity for diffusing information on the subject of the Slave-trade. On the I4th of the 3rd mouth William Forster with his two compan- ions left Geneva, and, after passing the Alps, they were favoured to arrive in safety at Turin on the evening of Second-day, the 18th. After an unavoidable detention of several days, owing to the absence of Victor Emanuel II., the King of Sardinia, from that city, an inter- view was obtained with him, when the Address of the Yearly JMeeting was presented and kindly received. Translations of the same and of the Appeal into the Italian language had been prepared, and printed copies were presented in person to the several Ministers of State, and put in the way of distribution to the members of both Houses of the Legislature, to each of the professors of the University, to the Roman Catholic bis- hops in the kingdom, and to each of the Governors ot the several pro- vinces. Leaving Turin on the 1st of the 4th month, our friends reached Milan late that evening, where opportunities were afforded to present the paper to several of the nobility and others of influence. They went forward to Venice, and, tarrying there a few days, the way opened to obtain an interview with the Governor of the Province, and others in authority, civil and ecclesiastical. The Dukes of Parma and Modena, being in Venice at the time, interviews were sought and obtained to present the Address to them, and it was satisfactorily received. The Duke of Bor- deaux was also resident in that city : he was seen by our friends, and gave them a kind reception. They were at Verona, both on their wav to Venice and on their return. Marshal Eadetzky, the Governor of Aus- trian Lombardy, resident at that place, was visited ; and the paper was forwarded to several persons of influence there, as well as at Padua, where also it was generally distributed to the professors of the Uni- versity. Passing through the cities of Parma and Modena, the opportunities which presented were made use of to forward the Address to the Minis- ters and others within those small territories ; and our friends reached Florence on the 27th of the 4th month. It may be added, in concluding this narrative, that with very little ex- 16 ception, tlie Address, wlien not presented personally, was, on being for- warded, accompained by a note explaining in a few words its purport, and commending it to the serious attention of tbose to whom it was sent. And we may further remark, tliat whilst the primary object of the jour- ney was steadily kept in view, the performance of this service has also tended, as we believe, to the exaltation and spreading of the Truth, as it is in Jesus. The particulars conveyed in this Report may be thought to be simple details ; the nature of the undertaking, however, seems to preclude anything further. The course of proceeding adopted by the Yearly Meeting was an act of religious concern. The offer, by our friend William Forster, to be the bearer of the Address was made under a feeling of Christian duty. In that character he has been travelling, and both he and his companions felt that it was their place to keep this in view.* They have had satisfaction in the performance of their ser- vice. It did not seem to be the place of those who were thus engaged to attempt to point out any specific course of action, but to endeavour to awaken sympathy for the oppressed, and a willingness to be interested in their sufferings. We entertain the belief that so wide a diffusion of a paper advocating the principles of truth and righteousness and mercy has not been in vain, but that it will tend to the advancement of the great object which the Yearly Meeting felt itself called upon to promote. Signed on behalf and by direction of the Committee, Thos. Norton, Jun., Clerk. London, 29th of 5th mo., 1850. YEARLY MEETING, 1850. Repout is received from the Meeting for Sufferings of the atten- tion paid by the said meeting to the minute of this meeting of last year, respecting the presentation of the Address to Sovereigns and those in authority, on the subject of the Slave-trade and Sla- * On several subsequent occasions, as well as at Berlin, our dear friend William Forster felt called to some religious service in the ministry, for the discharge of which the way satisfactorily opened. 17 very ; together with a detailed narrative of the pi'oceedings of our dear friend William Forster and those who have successively accompanied him in the prosecution of the said service. The said Report and Narrative are very satisfactory to this meeting, and we desire to record our thankfulness to the Lord for the way which has been made for thus carrying out the religious concern of tlie Society. ^I'he subject is referred to the further care and attention of the Meeting for Sufferings, and to the continued in- terest and sympathy of Friends generall}'. Report of the Committee of the Meeting for Sufferings, SfC. In our last Report we informed the Meeting for Sufferings of the arrival in Florence of our friend William Forster, and his companions Francis Fry and Robert Alsop, jun., accompanied by William Rasche, a young Friend of Minden. They reached Florence on the 27th of the 4th month, 1S50 : a pretty large distribution of the Address was made among the Ministers of State (with some of whom personal interviews were obtained), the nobility, ecclesiastical officers and gentry. After a little tarriance, they found that the Grand Duke of Tuscany was in the country, but that they might expect an interview on his return : they therefore proceeded to Pisa, Lucca, and Leghorn, at each of which towns distribution was made of the Address. It was also presented to the pro- fessors of the University at Pisa, and to many of the ecclesiastical offi- cers in that place The professors of the University of Sienna were supplied by post. At Leghorn a large distribution of it was made among the higher class of the inhabitants, including consuls of different nations, merchants, and bankers. On the 11th of the 5th month the Ad- dress was presented to the Grand Duke of Tuscany, at Florence : he received it kindly, expressing much interest in the subject, and making numerous inquiries connected with it. Our friends arrived at Genoa on the 15th, in which city about 400 copies were circulated amongst the nobility, municipal authorities, professors, and merchants. About 90 co- pies were distributed to the principal authorities, physicians, advocates, and others, at Nice. Our friends arrived at Marseilles on the^23rd, when Francis Fry return- ed to England. At this important sea-port — one of the first in France — 2 18 the prefect and mayor were personally visited and furnished with the Address, and about 450 copies were distributed amongst the civil autho- rities, professional men, merchants, and manufacturers. William Forster and Robert Alsop, jun., arrived at Nisraes on the 29th of the 5th month. The latter came home from this place ; the former tarried behind for a time, attending to some religious service among our friends in those parts, as he did in a few places in the department of the Ardeche and in the neighbourhood of Valence, on his way northwards, arriving at Paris about the ISth of the 6th month. In this city, after some little delay, an ap- pointment was made for presenting in person to Louis Napoleon Bona- parte, the President of the French Republic, a copy of the Address. In this interview he was accompanied by Josiah Forster, who had met his brother in that city, and Paul Bevan, one of this Committee, who was in Paris at the time. The Friends were well received, and an oppor- tunity was afforded for further pleading the cause of the oppressed. Copies of the Address were afterwards left at the hotels of the several Ministers of State, and also put in the way of circulation to the members of the National assembly, about 750 in number. Together with the Address copies were forwarded of the small tract on the present state of the Slave-Trade, which had been likewise circulated in the north of Italy. A supply was sent to Lyons from Paris, to be distributed among the in- fluential men in the former city. Our dear friend William Forster was favour- ed to arrive in safety and in health in England at the beginning of the 7th month. Signed on behalf of the Committee, Thos. Norton, Jun., Cleric. YEARLY IM E E T I N G , 1851. Report is received iVom the Meeting for Sufferings, of the farther attention paid by that IMeeting to the piesentation of the Address to Sovereigns and those in authority, ou the subject of the Slave- tra.de and Slavery, together with a continued narrative of the proceedings of our dear friend William Forster and his compan- ions, in the prosecution of the said service. The subject is con- tinued under the care of the Meeting for Sufferings ; and this Meeting desires, at this time, to record its continued sympathy with our beloved friend William Forster, and its cordial unity with his services in carrying out the concern of the Yearly Meet- ing, and with his Gospel labours in the course of his several journies undertaken with that object. 19 1852. Report from the CoiiimiUca of the Meeting for Suffcrir.gs, ^yc. Ouii dear friend WillianiForster left London on the 11th of the 3rd montli 1S51, accompanied by our friend Edmund Richards, of Redruth, in Corn- wall, for the purpose of presenting the Address to the Queen of Spain, and circulating copies of it among the inhabitants of that country, as the way might open. They arrived at Paris on the 13th, and staid in that city only as long- as it was necessary to print an edition of the Address in the French lan- guage. They left on the ISth and readied Bordeaux on the 20th, and were diligently occupied for a few days in preparing packets of the Ad- dress, with a short circular note commending its contents. Of these packets contained in envelopes they sent out about 300 copies, by special messenger, to merchants, professional men, and other influential inhabit- ants resident in a city which had in past years been deeply implicated both in the Slave-trade and in Slavery. On the 25th they left Bordeaux, and, tarrying at Bayonnefora day or two, pursued their journey. Sleeping one night at Burgos, they arrived at Madrid by the diligence in the after- noon of Second-day, the 5th of the 4tli month. They lost no time in putting themselves in communication with Lord Howden, the British Minister at the Court of Spain. He received them courteously, but gave them to understand that it would be very difficult to obtain a per- sonal interview with the Queen, and would take some time to bring it about : however, he kindly undertook to do his best. In the course of several days the way was opened for an interview ; and our two friends, accompanied by the Secretary of the British Minis- ter, he himself having left the city for Seville, were personally introduced to Isabella, Queen of Spain, on the evening of Seventh-day, the 10th of the-4th month, when the Address of the Yearly Meeting was handed to- her in its name and on its behalf. She replied that she had read it (copies'- having been previously forwarded) and received it with jileasure. After expressing a desire that the sympathy of the Queen might be awakened' to the sufferings of the African race, and her influence engaged for the removal of the evil, our friends withdrew. It was then thought desira- ble to present a copy to the Queen-Mother, Christina. Application was made in what was found to be the right quarter ; and on the afternoon of Third-day, the 13th, an opportunity was aftorded to present the Ad- dress to her in person. They had on the previous day called on the Prime Minister, accompanied by the Secretary of the British Minister, ta 20 obtain permission to print the Address at Madrid He read the Address, but was unwilling at that time to grant the liberty applied for. William Forster told him that, in all the European States where that liberty had been asked for, it had been granted. He was further reminded that it is righteousness which exalteth a nation, and that Spain could not expect the blessing of the Most High whilst she continued openly to yiolate the Divine law ; that this was not a mere political question, but one that had regard to the law of Divine justice. He behaved courteously, and said that he would advise about it. Hearing nothing for several days in re- ply to this application, our friends, on the 20th of the 4th month, had another interview with the Prime Minister. He read the Address with attention, and said that he saw nothing in it to prevent its being printed -and distributed, but he did not incline to give a written permission, add- ing, however, that in printing it no law would be violated. On the following day they put themselves in communication with a printer. "When it was ready for distribution they made up packets of the Address, with a lithographed circular, similar to that which had been used in other countries. This service occupied several weeks ; and in the course of the engagement they were satisfied that it was better to send the copies out from Madrid, where they had become well known to the British Minister and his Secretary and to the members of the Spanish Government, than to attempt to travel in Spain for the purpose of pre- senting the Address in person. They called, in the course of the time that they were at Madrid, on the Ambassadors from Naples, Austria, Holland, Sardinia, Belgium, and other European nations, as well as on those from Chili and Mexico : they also visited the Minister of the United States of America, to whom they presented copies of the Address, as well as to the several Ministers of the Crowii of Spain, either to themselves directly or through their Secre- taries. They saw the Archbishop of Toledo, Primate of Spain, and the Patriarch of the Indies, Primate of the Colonies, both advanced in years, to whom they handed copies of the Address, and by whom they were kindly received. They had personal access to the father of the King of Spain, and handed him a copy in English. He at once liegan to read it, putting it into Spanish as he went on. They spoke freely to him on the ■cruelty exercised towards the people of Africa, and besought his influence for the extinction of the Slave-trade : he was free and courteous in his behaviour. In proof of the diligence of our friends during their tarriance in this city we subjoin the following particulars of distribution :— 21 Copies, To Senators in Madrid, .... . 169 Physicians " " 20 Lawyers " " . . . . . 58 Ministers «' " .... 6 Professors " " . 79 Principal Inhabitants .... 755 The Members of the New Cortes . 214 Luis de Usos, for distribution . 37 Given personally, by calls on individuals . 355 1693 Sent and directed to the respective Members of the Committees of Societies for Beneficence and Health, in each Province of Spain, .... 464 Sent to Burnel St. Sebastian, for distribution there, and by post to other places . . .75 2232 Sent by post, franked, to individuals in the Provinces, Yiz..^tQfJBishops ; Professors in the respective Uni- versities ; Secretaries of the Political Government in the Provinces ; Vice-Presidents in the Provincial Courts ; Inspectors of Instruction, primary, second- ary and third ; Directors of Superior and Elemen- tary Schools ; Teachers ; Directors and Secretaries of Economical Societies ; and Governors of Terri- torial Districts, .... 1098 3330 Before leaving the city our friends called on the different newspaper editors, and gave to each a copy of the Address, leaving it to the discre- tion or inclination of eacli to publish in their respective journals the whole or any part of the same. It will be obvious that great industry must have been used in maldng up, directing, and forwarding so many thousands of separate packets. The procuring of the proper addresses must have been no small labour ; and here we think it right to remark that care was scrupulously taken not to 22 make use of those complimentary titles ^\iiich are so common in address- ing men of influence and autliority, more especially in foreign countries — and indeed in addressing all persons of respectability. Although our friends tarried two mouths in Madrid, no way seemed to present for any public labours in the ministry of the Gospel on the part of our friend William Forster, whilst at the same time we feel warran- ted in saying that his mind was exercised en the subject, and open to any service, had the way been seen to perform it. They sat down regularly, both on First-day and in the course of the week, to hold their Meetings for Divine Worship, when we believe they were often refreshed in spirit together. On these occasions they generally had the company of a na- live of Spain, resident in Madrid, much attached to the religious princi- ples of Friends. When on the eve of their departure from Madrid, our friends forward- ed the following communication to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, with a written request that its contents might be made known to the other Ministers of the Crown : •' To Bertram de Lis, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in the Government of Spain. " Having accomplished the object which brought us to this city, we feel that we can do no less, before we take our departure, than very gratefully acknowledge the kindness we have received from the Ministers of the Crown of Spain, and from others holding office in the Govern- ment; We are thankful that the way has been made for our obtaining access to the Sovereign of this realm, and that we have been permitted to discharge the duty entrusted to us by offering the Queen a copy of the Address from the religious Society of Friends in Great Britain and Ire- land, on the cruelty, the horrors, and the sinfulness of the African Slave- trade, and upon the injustice of Negro Slavery ; that so many of the Ministers of this Government have granted us an audience, and allowed us to present to them personally a copy of the Address; and that, during the many weeks we have spent in Madrid, we have met with no impedi- ment in attending to what we believed to be our duty, in sending the Address by special messenger to the houses of persons of rank and in- fluence in the city, and by post to those occupying stations of authority in the provinces. " We are strangers in a strange land ; but we trust we shall not be taking too much upon ourselves in again commending the object we have at heart to the sympathy and conscientious attention of the Ministers of the Crown ; it is an object of deep and constant solicitude to our breth- 23 ren in religious Society ; and it is that which has induced us in the de- cline of life to leave our homes, and to travel into a country so distant from our hahitations. " We humbly and earnestly beseech them to keep their hearts open to a sense of the sorrows and sufferings inilicted upon the people of Africa by the continuance of the Slave-trade, and to use all such means as com- port with the peaceable nature of the Christian religion in putting an end, at once and for ever, to the trade in Slaves from that Continent to the Spanish Colonies in the West Indies, and for the accomplishment of the abolition of Slavery itself, so that those now subject to its degradation and oppression may be put into poss'.-ssion of the rights and liberty enjoy- ed by other citizens of this nation. " We entertain a warm and lively interest in the welfare, the peace, and the prosperity of this great nat'on. It is our strong desire that it may please the Lord Almighty largely to bless the rulers of the land and the people whom they govern ; and that Spain may take her full share, in unison with the other nations of Europe, in promoting the im- provement, the civilization, and ths happiness of the inhabitants of Africa, and of the whole world. " William Forstek. " EOiMuxD Richards." ■ " Madrid, 31st of the 5th month, 1851." It became a subject of very serious thought what course to take from ^Madrid : the weather was very hot, and the political fr-:j'^ ^^4i^ u.