ABOLITION OF THE SLAVE TRADE. Abbé GRÉGOIRE Henri (1750 - 18 - Lot 465

ABOLITION OF THE SLAVE TRADE. Abbé GRÉGOIRE Henri (1750 - 1831) Priest, Philosopher, Revolutionary figure, Deputy for Loir-et-Cher at the Convention. Defender of the cause of Jews and Men of Color - Draft letter from Abbé GRÉGOIRE, addressed to William WILBERFORCE (1759-1833), English Deputy, leader of the Abolitionist movement. The Letter written in the hand of Abbé Grégoire's Secretary, who annotated and corrected it in his own hand. Manuscript, 5 pages (20 x 16 cm). Important letter following his book published in 1815: "De la traite et de l'esclavage des Noirs." by a friend of men of all colors (l'Abbé Grégoire): "I had formed, for some time, sir, the intention of addressing you with the confidence that two sincere friends of Liberty owe each other, when an accident deprived me of the faculty of using my eyes and of writing myself, and I was forced to postpone from day to day the overture to which M. CLARKSON (Thomas CLARKSON) was to write. CLARKSON (Thomas CLARKSON, Englishman, abolitionist) invited me as much as your personal reputation and the magnanimous services you have rendered to "La Cause des Nègres" encouraged me however, my recovery dragging a little, the session of the Parliament of England arriving, and my circumstances making me resolve to tackle rather than later the great question of the Abolition of the Slave Trade, I decided to address a few lines to you in a foreign hand, reserving further explanations for a freer and more abandoned way of corresponding. In the midst of the resistance and even plots that the planters' rage arouses against my motion and my individual, I fear for the success of our cause only the influence of this deplorable argument. En vain, si je partageais ce préjugé de nation à nation qui ont fait inventer cette odious expression d'ennemis naturels, je ne pourra ne souhaiteri aux anglais un privilège plus fatal exclusif que celui de "la traite des nègres."... Angleterre imiteriterament infailliblement notre exemple ou plutôt concourra à l'extension de notre loi, si nous décrétons l'abolition de l'infâme pratique.... Shall I prove that the Abolition of the Slave Trade is not a measure of choice, but inevitably becomes necessary for the nation which has allowed itself to be set an example, as soon as the Decree is carried to its neighbors? It is sweet to believe that a man such as Monsieur PITT must, in such a great parliamentary evolution, and if the party opposed to him thought to embarrass him by compromising his popularity, either with the others of Liberty, or the slave traders of Bristol, Liverpool ... felt there could be no trade-off between the temporary clamor of commerce and the undying glory of having federated the greatest plague afflicting mankind and decided on one of the revolutions that will improve the lot of the human race. But not everyone has the same confidence in Mr. PITT's opinion on the abolition of the slave trade, and the planters have responded with infernal activity, giving too much credence to the rumor that the English minister has outwitted his adversary by directing the trade's demands to the outside world, while in parliament he ostensibly shows himself to be the friend of the blacks... Can't we, Messrs. PITT and I, through you, give each other a token of confidence and good faith? You are Mr. Pitt's friend, and this is not the least of the rewards of his life. I don't have the honor of knowing you personally, but you are, if I may say so, the father of the Revolution I would like to bring about in France, with regard to the African Trade... I shall be punctual and even religious in observing what is prescribed to me. I offer, Sir, to pass on to you the bill that I intend to propose to the National Assembly, independently of the observations that your experience and wisdom may enrich. You will find me ready to conciliate with your localities, either in this new world, or in Africa to make a law that corresponds perfectly to yours; finally there is nothing more sensitive than the sensitive WILDERFORT (William WILBERFORCE (1759-1833) has a right to expect from my deference and zeal and respect with the people; I am yours."