100
29. V:
Mr S. A. Eliot, a son of
Mr Samuel
Eliot of Boston came yesterday and left a Letter of
recommendation from Mr Quincy. I called this
morning at his lodgings at Strother’s to see him, but he was gone out. At the Office
I found Mr George
Hay, who borrowed a parliamentary pamphlet containing
papers relating to the Slave-trade, received with the last despatches
from R. Rush. Hay said he had a
great avidity for all papers concerning the project for abolishing the
Slave-trade; a project which he believed would ultimately fail; which
had already produced incomparably more mischief than good, and which he
had no doubt would continue to be pernicious. For he had no doubt that
the Insurrection in Saint Domingo, and the total destruction of the
white powers there were the legitimate offspring of Mr
Wilberforce’s first abolition plans, and our colonization
Society here, whatever pretences they may put forth, and whatever some
enthusiastic people among them might believe and intend, could have no
other ultimate object than a general emancipation— I said that the
Colonization Society were pushing their objects with so much zeal and
importunity, that I very much wished their memorials might be taken up
by Congress, and fairly discussed; for under the colour of colonizing
black people, I was afraid they would smuggle in upon us a system of
establishing Colonies beyond Sea, of the consequences of which the
People of this Country were little aware; while in England, under the
mask of abolishing the Slave trade, they were introducing, and had
already obtained the consent of Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands, a
new principle of the Law of Nations more formidable to human liberty,
than the Slave trade itself—A right of the Commanders of armed vessels
of one Nation, to visit and search the merchant vessels of another in
time of Peace. I observed that the Colonization Society had derived
great strength from the part which the Virginia Legislature had taken in
their favour— He said the Virginia Legislature had been tricked into
that Resolution. That there was no such weak and absurd Reasoner in the
world as humanity. It never looked but at one side of a question. That
the resolution of the Virginia Legislature had been obtained by Mr
Mercer; who was the father of the Colonization Society and of
all their projects. That he himself had inconsiderately voted for it
under the impulse of humanity; and three hours after, and ever since had
bitterly repented his vote— The subject had afterwards been brought up
again upon some correspondence between Mr Jefferson and Mr Monroe,
which had been discussed in both Houses of the Legislature with closed
doors. Afterwards the House had removed the injunction of secrecy; and
the Correspondence to have been published, but Mercer lost the copies
which had been before the house— And subsequent application was made to
the Senate, for their copies, for publication— A motion that the copies
might be given was made in the Senate; which he Hay had opposed—and he
took the occasion to review the whole subject— When the vote was taken
only two Members of the Senate voted for granting the copies, and now,
if a vote of the Virginia Legislature could be taken, it would be any
thing but in favour of the Colonization Society and its projects— Mr Jefferson he said had favoured them,
because it was he who many years since had introduced and carried
through the Law of the State, for partial emancipation of the Slaves;
and after witnessing the pernicious consequences that had followed from
it he was desirous of finding another remedy for it. But the friends of
emancipation had a memorable example before them, of which it was
surprizing that they would not avail themselves as an admonition— The
Negro Slave-trade itself was the child of Humanity— The contrivance of
Las Casas to mitigate
the condition of the American Indians— Mr
Hay’s opinions upon the Colonization Society, and its projects were
unexpected to me— There are so many considerations of difficulty and of
delicacy mingling with this subject, that I would gladly keep aloof from
it altogether. But I apprehend the Society, which like all fanatical
Associations is intolerant, will push, and intrigue, and worry, till I
shall be obliged to take a stand, and appear publicly among their
opponents. Their project of expurgating the United States, from the free
people of Colour, at the public expence, by colonizing them in Africa,
is so far as it is sincere and honest, upon a par with John Cleves Symmes’s project of going to
the North Pole, and travelling within the Nut shell of the Earth— I
finished the draught of General Instructions to J. Graham. Mrs
Adams spent the Evening at her Sister Smith’s— Evening
without fire in my cabinet.
