The Society, in the same year, anxious, that the conduct of its members should be consistent with its public profession on this great subject, recommended it to the quarterly and monthly meetings to inquire through their respective districts, whether any, bearing its name, were in any way concerned in the traffic, and to deal with such, and to report the success of their labours in the ensuing year.  Orders were also given for the reprinting and circulation of ten thousand other copies of ‘The Case.’

In the year 1785, the Society interested itself again in a similar manner.  For the meeting for sufferings, as representing it, recommended to the quarterly meetings to distribute a work, written by Anthony Benezet, in America, called, A Caution to Great Britain and her Colonies, in a short Representation of the calamitous State of the enslaved Negros in the British Dominions.  This book was accordingly forwarded to them for this purpose.  On receiving it, they sent it among several public bodies, the regular and dissenting clergy, justices of the peace, and particularly among the great schools of the kingdom, that the rising youth might acquire a knowledge, and at the same time a detestation, of this cruel traffic.  In this latter case, a deputation of the Society waited upon the masters, to know if they would allow their scholars to receive it.  The schools of Westminster, the Charter-house, St. Paul, Merchant-Taylors, Eton, Winchester, and Harrow were among those visited.  Several academies also were visited for this purpose.

But I must now take my leave of the Quakers as a public body[A], and go back to the year 1783, to record an event, which will be found of great importance in the present history, and in which only individuals belonging to the Society were concerned.  This event seems to have arisen naturally out of existing or past circumstances.  For the Society, as I have before stated, had sent a petition to Parliament in this year, praying for the abolition of the Slave-trade.  It had also laid the foundation for a public distribution of the books as just mentioned, with a view of enlightening others on this great subject.  The case of the ship Zong, which I have before had occasion to explain, had occurred this same year.  A letter also had been presented, much about the same time, by Benjamin West, from Anthony Benezet before mentioned, to our Queen, in behalf of the injured Africans, which she had received graciously.  These subjects occupied at this time the attention of many Quaker families, and among others, that of a few individuals, who were in close intimacy with each other.  These, when they met together, frequently conversed upon them.  They perceived, as facts came out in conversation, that there was a growing knowledge and hatred of the Slave-trade, and that the temper of the times was ripening towards its abolition.  Hence a disposition manifested itself among these, to unite as labourers for the furtherance of so desirable an object.  An union was at length proposed and approved of, and the following persons (placed in alphabetical order) came together to execute the offices growing out of it: