he rose to the climax of his powers, the house rang with thunders of applause. In the course of his lecture, he paused repeatedly, and thanking them for their very flattering reception, which he ascribed to their interest in the great cause of human rights, intimated that he would bring his remarks to a close, lest he should trespass upon their time and patience. But the cries of No! no! Go on! go on!' were unanimous, and encouraged him to proceed. At length, nature demanded relief: the powerful and long-continued action of his mind shattered its fleshly tabernacle, and he could speak no longer. It was, in truth, a masterly effort. I cannot conceive how he could have improved it by long deliberation, either in the delicacy of its satire, the force of its reasoning, or the splendor of its declamation. MR. BORTHWICK was challenged to discuss the subject of slavery in Bath, but wisely declined.

The qualifications of MR. THOMPSON, as a lecturer, filled my mind with admiration. His person was tall and graceful; his social manners captivating; his voice of great compass, and very pleasant in its lower tones; his action natural-at times vehement-yet generally governed by oratorical rules; his elocution beautiful, spontaneous, irresistible. Especially did he excel in debate he could do more for himself and his cause with MR. BORTHWICK, than without him: and he always preferred to have an antagonist, if one could be found. He had the faculty of thinking on his legs' faster than any other speaker I had ever heard. But it was not his quickness of perception, nor his fluency of speech, nor his brilliancy of retort, upon which he placed reliance. He felt that the cause which he es

poused was invincible, inasmuch as it was based upon the rock of TRUTH, supported by the pillars of JUSTICE and MERCY, and patronized by GoD. He was strong in faith-that faith which is as an anchor to the soul, both sure and steadfast-that faith which has so often overcome the world. His appeals were made to the CHRISTIANITY of Great Britain. He depicted slavery as a comprehensive system of soul-murder. If he alluded to the physical sufferings of the slaves, he did so rather in confirmation of his charges of animal cruelty against the planters, than to excite the highest indignation of his audience. He knew that he was addressing a professedly moral and religious people; and he rightly judged, that they would regard an outrage done to the intellect and soul of a human being, as transcending every other in enormity. It was his great aim, therefore, to establish the equality, exalt the value, and vindicate the immortality of the slave. For that despised and fettered victim, the heavens and the earth were created, as much as for patriarchs, prophets and apostles. For him, equally with the rest of mankind, God said, 'LET THERE BE Light.' For him, the sun and the moon and stars were ordained to shine in the firmament. For him, God commanded the earth to bring forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit after his kind;-the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth, after his kind. For him, God said, 'Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth.' To his dominion were subjected the fish of the sea, the fowl of the air, and every living thing that moveth

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 au 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.

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 principles 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