A review of the nature and actual extent of slavery in Christian2 Abyssinia, where the exile is sold and purchased—of the circumstances attending his loss of liberty in the countries whence he is stolen and exported—and of the various causes and passions that conspire3 to favour the continuance of the internal commerce in human flesh—leads naturally to the consideration of the remedy. This is no new subject. It is one which has been illustrated4 by the eloquence5 of British senators, and by the pen of many private philanthropists, who have devoted6 their energies to the restitution7 of the lost rights of man, and have sought, under God’s blessing8, to dry up the baneful9 springs that for so many ages have filled to overflowing10 the fountain of African misery11.
Bondage12 has been shown to arise in wars and intestine13 feuds14, and to be nurtured15 by evil passions, by avarice16, and by worldly interest. The excitement and delight of the foray, the surprise, and the captivity17 which follows, are by all tribes in Africa regarded as the highest themes of their glory. The gratification of power, sensuality, and revenge, are difficult of eradication18; and the easy though infamous19 acquisition of property, is a permanent incentive20 to violence of all kinds. The interests, also, by which the diabolical21 and debasing traffic is supported are not those of a few individuals. It is interwoven with the government, the commerce, the wants, and the revenues of many nations. The tribe that mourns to-day the loss of its young men and maidens22, is ready on the morrow with heart and hand to carry on amongst others the work of captivity; and the victor of one hour may be vanquished23 the next. The kings and rulers of the land profit by the transit24 of slave caravans26 through their dominions27—the countries all derive28 gain from the inhuman29 barter30—the intermediate clans31 have each their share in the traffic—the merchant on the sea-coast drives a most profitable trade—and the lazy Arab to whom the wretched beings are finally consigned32, has existed too long in a state of utter indolence and inactivity, willingly to assist himself many of the ordinary laborious33 avocations34 of life.
Commerce being a school for the improvement of nations, it may safely be anticipated that the important treaty concluded by Great Britain with the king of Shoa will tend to the temporal and intellectual advancement35 of the now ignorant and degraded natives of the north-eastern interior, in proportion to the extent of their intercourse36 with enlightened Europeans. The supply of foreign manufactures, which the African deems indispensable, has always been, and still is, exclusively in the hands of Mohammadan merchants, declared slave-dealers, who will receive human beings only in exchange for their wares38. A strong inducement to the continuance of the traffic will therefore be removed by the visits of men whose tacit example, without any declamation39 against slavery, cannot fail to have a beneficial influence upon untutored races, who have hitherto been taught and compelled to believe that their wants cannot be supplied unless through the medium of the barter of their fellow-creatures. The restoration of tranquillity40 to the provinces, which can alone be effected by a legal trade, must have the important result of putting an end to the exportation of slaves, which is here liable not only to the same objections as on the western coast, but to the still greater evil, that the victims carried away are chiefly Christians41, who inevitably42 lose in Arabia not only their liberty but also their religion.
The Mohammadan dealer37 being solely43 dependent for his supply of European manufactures on the brokers44 located in various parts of the coast—keen, artful, and rapacious45 Banians—he must speedily be driven from the market by the British merchant, who will at the same time create numberless new wants, to satisfy which the native will be goaded46 to industrious47 habits. The majority, both of people and rulers, will soon be enabled to comprehend the disadvantage of a trade which swallows up the flower of the population; and will open their eyes to the fact, that temporal wealth, far from being diminished, as they now believe, by the operation of such a measure, would in reality be much augmented48. They will at the same time perceive that the regular supply of European trinkets, so inestimable in their eyes, depends in a principal measure upon the tranquillity of the country; and since slaves are no longer in demand as an article of barter, they will generally be better disposed to permit and to bring about that state of peace and quietude which is so essential to mercantile pursuits.
An entrance to countries now only accessible by means of commerce, and at the pace of a merchant caravan25, will thus be afforded, and a friendly understanding established, which may be expected to pave the way to the introduction of more effectual measures towards decreasing the supply of slaves in the quarters whence they are derived49. European commerce conveying the strongest tacit argument against the traffic in human flesh, so long the staple50 business of all, must favour the speedy formation of advantageous51 treaties with many native chiefs for its entire suppression within their dominions—treaties which could not be proposed without prejudice so long as the slave-trade, deeply rooted, continues so intimately connected with the habits, pursuits, and interests of the whole population. Time is of course requisite52 to bring about the consummation desired to mercantile enterprise. The avarice of some of the more ignorant and degraded potentates53 may long induce them to retain the emoluments55 arising from the sale of their subjects, notwithstanding the more than equivalent revenues afforded by legitimate transit duties; but as establishments which are now fostered and fattened56 on the hotbed of slavery become gradually extinguished, the nefarious57 traffic cannot fail, in equal proportion, to disappear before the golden wand of commerce.
In all those interior countries to the south, whence slaves are principally drawn58, the mass of the miserable59 population would hail the advent60 of European intervention61, towards the preservation62 of their liberty. The Christian would find repose63 beneath the treaty concluded by the white man, and the wild Galla would cease to have an interest in the continual hostilities64 which now supply the market with human beings.
It might reasonably be conjectured65, that if it be practicable to conclude an anti-slavery treaty with any African ruler, it must be especially so with one professing66 the tenets of the Christian faith, and who may thus be supposed capable of receiving moral arguments—with a despot whose every will is law, who is guided chiefly by avarice and by self-interest, and who considers that the importation of slaves has a tendency to introduce heathenish ceremonies among his subjects. Sáhela Selássie is already fully67 sensible of the possibility of dispensing68 with slavery as a domestic institution, by the adoption69 of European machinery70, and of the practice of other Abyssinian states, where money is dispensed71 to the visitor in lieu of dirgo, or daily maintenance. His superstitions72 may be worked upon with the best effect by the fear of entailing73 the curses and imprecations of many thousand enslaved fellow-creatures who annually74 pass through his dominions; and his eyes have been opened to the fact, that the whole of these wretched beings become converts to Mohammadanism—a faith upon which every Abyssinian looks down with abhorrence75. The same voice that at European intercession commanded the release of many hundred Galla prisoners of war, could at once order the abrogation76 of domestic slavery within the kingdom; but its abolition77 before the establishment of British commerce shall have rendered His Majesty78 independent of the slave-dealing Ada?el would be delusive79. It would do harm instead of doing good; and whilst it led to little actual reduction of human misery, it would arouse the worst passions of the entire surrounding Mohammadan population. For Shoa is at this moment solely dependent upon the Danákil trader, not only for every description of foreign merchandise, but also for salt, which here constitutes the chief circulating medium of the realm; and the first inducement to the importation of this indispensable commodity, is found in the great profits derived from the traffic in slaves purchased at Abd el Russool.
In Shoa, too, every Christian subject is more or less interested in the continuance of slave importations; and notwithstanding that the trammels of the despot, who receives unbounded homage80, render each in fact a bondsman, he is in no danger of being kidnapped and driven into slavery. No one would dare to disobey the royal fiat81; but, involving as it must great personal hardship to all, it could not fail to be attended with universal loss of popularity to the monarch82. No such difficulty would attend the formation of a treaty of suppression in the northern provinces of Christian Abyssinia, where slavery in the true acceptation of the term has no existence, excepting in so far as it is carried on by the Moslem83 traders, of whom both ruler and people are comparatively independent. Thus in Gondar and Tigré, where domestic slavery is neither practised nor advocated by prince or subject, the external traffic might readily be crushed, and with the greatest advantage, through the friendly sentiments entertained by the present patriarch.
The spiritual influence exerted by Abba Salama over the mind of all classes, high as well as low—the spell by which he holds his supreme84 power—is acknowledged by every province, however remote, which constitutes a remnant of the ancient Ethiopic empire. Access to hitherto sealed portions of the interior, by which the objects of humanity would not less be forwarded than those of commerce, science, and geography, can thus readily be obtained through his assistance. They offer gold in return for the blessings85 of Christianity and civilisation86, and are believed to be accessible also from the coast of the Indian ocean. But it ought not to be forgotten in England, that, independently of other considerations, the surest hopes of working any favourable87 change in the present degraded state of the Abyssinian church, or of substantially promoting the views of philanthropy in Ethiopia Proper, must be considered to rest solely upon the good feeling, the potent54 influence, and the professed88 assistance of his holiness the Abuna, and that one better disposed is not likely ever to fill the episcopal throne at Gondar.
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1 legitimate | |
adj.合法的,合理的,合乎逻辑的;v.使合法 | |
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2 Christian | |
adj.基督教徒的;n.基督教徒 | |
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3 conspire | |
v.密谋,(事件等)巧合,共同导致 | |
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4 illustrated | |
adj. 有插图的,列举的 动词illustrate的过去式和过去分词 | |
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5 eloquence | |
n.雄辩;口才,修辞 | |
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6 devoted | |
adj.忠诚的,忠实的,热心的,献身于...的 | |
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7 restitution | |
n.赔偿;恢复原状 | |
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8 blessing | |
n.祈神赐福;祷告;祝福,祝愿 | |
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9 baneful | |
adj.有害的 | |
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10 overflowing | |
n. 溢出物,溢流 adj. 充沛的,充满的 动词overflow的现在分词形式 | |
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11 misery | |
n.痛苦,苦恼,苦难;悲惨的境遇,贫苦 | |
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12 bondage | |
n.奴役,束缚 | |
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13 intestine | |
adj.内部的;国内的;n.肠 | |
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14 feuds | |
n.长期不和,世仇( feud的名词复数 ) | |
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15 nurtured | |
养育( nurture的过去式和过去分词 ); 培育; 滋长; 助长 | |
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16 avarice | |
n.贪婪;贪心 | |
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17 captivity | |
n.囚禁;被俘;束缚 | |
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18 eradication | |
n.根除 | |
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19 infamous | |
adj.声名狼藉的,臭名昭著的,邪恶的 | |
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20 incentive | |
n.刺激;动力;鼓励;诱因;动机 | |
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21 diabolical | |
adj.恶魔似的,凶暴的 | |
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22 maidens | |
处女( maiden的名词复数 ); 少女; 未婚女子; (板球运动)未得分的一轮投球 | |
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23 vanquished | |
v.征服( vanquish的过去式和过去分词 );战胜;克服;抑制 | |
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24 transit | |
n.经过,运输;vt.穿越,旋转;vi.越过 | |
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25 caravan | |
n.大蓬车;活动房屋 | |
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26 caravans | |
(可供居住的)拖车(通常由机动车拖行)( caravan的名词复数 ); 篷车; (穿过沙漠地带的)旅行队(如商队) | |
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27 dominions | |
统治权( dominion的名词复数 ); 领土; 疆土; 版图 | |
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28 derive | |
v.取得;导出;引申;来自;源自;出自 | |
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29 inhuman | |
adj.残忍的,不人道的,无人性的 | |
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30 barter | |
n.物物交换,以货易货,实物交易 | |
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31 clans | |
宗族( clan的名词复数 ); 氏族; 庞大的家族; 宗派 | |
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32 consigned | |
v.把…置于(令人不快的境地)( consign的过去式和过去分词 );把…托付给;把…托人代售;丟弃 | |
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33 laborious | |
adj.吃力的,努力的,不流畅 | |
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34 avocations | |
n.业余爱好,嗜好( avocation的名词复数 );职业 | |
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35 advancement | |
n.前进,促进,提升 | |
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36 intercourse | |
n.性交;交流,交往,交际 | |
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37 dealer | |
n.商人,贩子 | |
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38 wares | |
n. 货物, 商品 | |
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39 declamation | |
n. 雄辩,高调 | |
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40 tranquillity | |
n. 平静, 安静 | |
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41 Christians | |
n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 ) | |
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42 inevitably | |
adv.不可避免地;必然发生地 | |
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43 solely | |
adv.仅仅,唯一地 | |
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44 brokers | |
n.(股票、外币等)经纪人( broker的名词复数 );中间人;代理商;(订合同的)中人v.做掮客(或中人等)( broker的第三人称单数 );作为权力经纪人进行谈判;以中间人等身份安排… | |
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45 rapacious | |
adj.贪婪的,强夺的 | |
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46 goaded | |
v.刺激( goad的过去式和过去分词 );激励;(用尖棒)驱赶;驱使(或怂恿、刺激)某人 | |
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47 industrious | |
adj.勤劳的,刻苦的,奋发的 | |
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48 Augmented | |
adj.增音的 动词augment的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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49 derived | |
vi.起源;由来;衍生;导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 );(从…中)得到获得;源于;(从…中)提取 | |
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50 staple | |
n.主要产物,常用品,主要要素,原料,订书钉,钩环;adj.主要的,重要的;vt.分类 | |
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51 advantageous | |
adj.有利的;有帮助的 | |
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52 requisite | |
adj.需要的,必不可少的;n.必需品 | |
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53 potentates | |
n.君主,统治者( potentate的名词复数 );有权势的人 | |
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54 potent | |
adj.强有力的,有权势的;有效力的 | |
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55 emoluments | |
n.报酬,薪水( emolument的名词复数 ) | |
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56 fattened | |
v.喂肥( fatten的过去式和过去分词 );养肥(牲畜);使(钱)增多;使(公司)升值 | |
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57 nefarious | |
adj.恶毒的,极坏的 | |
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58 drawn | |
v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的 | |
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59 miserable | |
adj.悲惨的,痛苦的;可怜的,糟糕的 | |
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60 advent | |
n.(重要事件等的)到来,来临 | |
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61 intervention | |
n.介入,干涉,干预 | |
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62 preservation | |
n.保护,维护,保存,保留,保持 | |
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63 repose | |
v.(使)休息;n.安息 | |
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64 hostilities | |
n.战争;敌意(hostility的复数);敌对状态;战事 | |
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65 conjectured | |
推测,猜测,猜想( conjecture的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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66 professing | |
声称( profess的现在分词 ); 宣称; 公开表明; 信奉 | |
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67 fully | |
adv.完全地,全部地,彻底地;充分地 | |
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68 dispensing | |
v.分配( dispense的现在分词 );施与;配(药) | |
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69 adoption | |
n.采用,采纳,通过;收养 | |
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70 machinery | |
n.(总称)机械,机器;机构 | |
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71 dispensed | |
v.分配( dispense的过去式和过去分词 );施与;配(药) | |
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72 superstitions | |
迷信,迷信行为( superstition的名词复数 ) | |
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73 entailing | |
使…成为必要( entail的现在分词 ); 需要; 限定继承; 使必需 | |
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74 annually | |
adv.一年一次,每年 | |
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75 abhorrence | |
n.憎恶;可憎恶的事 | |
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76 abrogation | |
n.取消,废除 | |
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77 abolition | |
n.废除,取消 | |
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78 majesty | |
n.雄伟,壮丽,庄严,威严;最高权威,王权 | |
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79 delusive | |
adj.欺骗的,妄想的 | |
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80 homage | |
n.尊敬,敬意,崇敬 | |
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81 fiat | |
n.命令,法令,批准;vt.批准,颁布 | |
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82 monarch | |
n.帝王,君主,最高统治者 | |
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83 Moslem | |
n.回教徒,穆罕默德信徒;adj.回教徒的,回教的 | |
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84 supreme | |
adj.极度的,最重要的;至高的,最高的 | |
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85 blessings | |
n.(上帝的)祝福( blessing的名词复数 );好事;福分;因祸得福 | |
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86 civilisation | |
n.文明,文化,开化,教化 | |
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87 favourable | |
adj.赞成的,称赞的,有利的,良好的,顺利的 | |
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88 professed | |
公开声称的,伪称的,已立誓信教的 | |
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