upon the earth. And, finally, for him the Lord of glory descended from heaven, was scorned and buffeted, and crucified upon the cross, to redeem him from the thraldom of sin, and make him an heir of God, and a joint heir with himself. It was thus that this distinguished advocate lifted up the down-trodden slave to an equality with the highest of the human race: and when he vividly portrayed the awful guilt of those who were plunging him into an abyss of degradation, depriving him of knowledge, and ruining his soul by a systematic process, a Christian audience could not be otherwise than moved to tears, roused to indignant remonstrance, and inspired to labor for his deliverance. I trust it will be remembered, throughout the mighty struggle that is now going on in this country, that it was upon the shoulders of Christianity, the anti-slavery cause was carried triumphantly to the goal of emancipation.

As the bill for the abolition of Colonial Slavery had passed both houses of Parliament, previous to my embarkation for the United States, and as the long protracted contest in England was about drawing to a close, it occurred to me, that if I could succeed in inducing MR. THOMPSON to visit America, and co-operate with the little band of abolitionists who were there struggling against wind and tide, my mission would be crowned with the highest success.

One day as I was dining at the house of THOMAS FOWELL BUXTON,* in London, our conversation naturally turned upon the state of the abolition question in the United States. In the course of many inquiries, he

* The successor of WILBERFORCE in Parliament.

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kindly remarked, that, as the friends of negro emancipation in England had nearly accomplished their work in the Colonies, they would soon be enabled to give their sympathies and aid to their brethren in America, in a more direct and efficient manner than they had hitherto done; and he was sure they would readily do what they could, consistently with duty, the relations that subsisted between the two countries, &c. In what way, then, Mr. Garrison,' he inquired, can we best assist your cause?' 'By giving us George Thompson,' I replied. But,' he asked, 'would not there be strong prejudices excited against him, on account of his being an Englishman? Do you think he could obtain a fair hearing before the American people? Would not the slaveholders, especially, and their violent adherents, endeavor to inflame the jealousy of the nation, and misrepresent the real object of his mission?' To these questions I replied, that the coming of MR. THOMPSON among us would undoubtedly stir up the bile of all those who were opposed to the abolition of slavery; that he might expect to encounter severe ridicule and bitter denunciation; that it would not be safe for him (as it was not safe for any New-Englander who was an abolitionist) to travel and lecture in the slave States; and that he would have to take his chance-probably an unequal chance-with the rest of us who were proscribed for our abhorrence of the slave system. Still, I believed he would find opportunities to speak in public, especially in New-England, as often as he could desire; and I felt confident, that whenever and wherever he should succeed in making himself heard, he would disarm prejudice, extort admiration, and multiply converts

to our cause; and that he would finally remove every obstacle in his path, arising from his transatlantic origin. As to his personal safety in New-England, I did not think there would be any hazard. How little did I then imagine, that, such was the ferocious spirit which slavery had generated among the sons of the pilgrims, MR. THOMPSON would soon be compelled to secrete himself from the daggers of a people, boasting continually of LIBERTY and EQUALITY, and proudly living within sight of Bunker Hill, for simply inculcating the selfevident truths' contained in their own Declaration of Independence! How little did I then anticipate, that, even in Boston,' the wealthy and respectable' portion of the community would riotously assemble together, at midday, in the broad sunlight of heaven, to tar and feather, and perhaps barbarously put to death, a foreign philanthropist, whose only aim was to assist them in driving the monster oppression from their shores! How impossible was it for me then to suppose, that the time was rapidly approaching when Bostonians would be so recreant to the character of their patriotic forefathers, so lost to all sense of shame, so greedy of the gain of unrighteousness, and so destitute not only of the princi ples of justice, but even of the common instincts of humanity, as to rush en masse into Faneuil Hall, their old CRADLE OF LIBERTY, and there, in the delirium of passion, brand the advocates of universal emancipation as traitors to their country, eulogize the robbers of the poor and needy as patriotic citizens, and cheer the memory of WASHINGTON, because he was a slaveholder! Little did I imagine, that the time was speedily coming when the freedom of speech and of the press would be

deemed a treasonable offence; when the U. S. mail would be plundered by a committee of respectable and affluent citizens in the open daylight of heaven, not only with impunity, but with the approbation of the people; when large rewards for the abduction of northern citizens would be offered in all parts of the south; when applications would be made by Governors of southern States to those of northern States, to deliver up individuals who were neither fugitives from justice, or guilty of any misdemeanor, that they might be put to an ignominious death; when northern citizens at the south would be arrested and condemned illegally, on suspicion of being opposed in principle to slavery, and cruelly scourged or lynched,' (i. e. gibbeted by a mob,') and the murderers suffered to go unmolested by the courts; when the President of the United States would urge upon Congress the duty of passing another ALIEN AND SEDITION LAW, for the perpetuity of the slave

and when a Bill would be reported in the Senate, making it an offence worthy of fine or imprisonment in any postmaster in a slave State, who should knowingly deliver or circulate any letter, newspaper, tract or pamphlet, containing sentiments hostile to slavery! No corrupt and despotic as I knew my country to be, and thoroughly infected with the poison of negro oppression as was her entire system, yet I had no anticipation of the occurrence of events so dreadful and scuicidal as these.

MR. BUXTON pleasantly remarked, that, if I thought they could obtain a hearing at the north, we might have not only MR. THOMPSON, but all their abolition lecturers, if desirable. He also said, that it was bis inten

tion to address a letter to the people of the United States upon the subject of slavery, which I urged him to write without delay.

At my next interview with MR. THOMPSON, I frankly stated to him my views and feelings. Novel and startling as was my proposition, it made at once a deep impression upon his benevolent mind, and he promised to give it all that consideration which its importance merited. It was an extraordinary sacrifice which he was invited to make a sacrifice of personal comfort, safety, emolument, reputation, home, relations, friends, and country. What trust in God, what love for the human race, what sympathy for the outcasts and the dumb, did it require! How few, how very few, even among the professed followers of Christ, are prepared to make a much smaller sacrifice! Ye who love your native country, say, is it a small matter to be exiled from her shores? Ye who feel and sing, that 'there is no place like home, be it ever so humble,' tell me, is it nothing to be severed from it by a boundless ocean, and to have all the fibres of your affections torn asunder? Ye who are holding continual intercourse with kindred and friends, and enjoying the delightful satisfaction of meeting in your daily walks familiar countenances and native forms -declare, how many pangs would it cost you to absent yourselves from their society, and sojourn in a strange land where you would be 'alike unknowing and unknown?' Ye who, as the darkness of night deepens and spreads over your abodes, lie down at ease and in safety, with none to molest or make you afraid-answer, would it be pastime voluntarily to surround yourselves, your wives and your little ones, with afflictions, necessities, distresses,