On my return to my hotel, I perused the outlines of the speech, which the Comte de Mirabeau had lent me.  It afforded a masterly knowledge of the evils of the trade, as drawn from reason only.  It was put together in the most striking and affecting manner.  It contained an almost irresistible appeal to his auditors by frequent references to the ancient system of things in France, and to their situation and prospects under the new.  It flowed at first gently like a river in a level country; but it grew afterwards into a mountain torrent, and carried every thing before it.  On looking at the questions, which he had written down for me, I found them consist of three. 1.  What are the different ways of reducing to slavery the inhabitants of that part of Africa, which is under the dominion of France? 2.  What is the state of society there with respect to government, industry, and the arts? 3.  What are the various evils belonging to the transportation of the Africans from their own country?

It was peculiarly agreeable to me to find, on reading the first two questions, that I had formed an acquaintance with Monsieur Geoffroy de Villeneuve, who had been aide du camp to the Chevalier de Boufflers at Goree; but who was then at his father’s house in Paris.  This gentleman had entertained Dr. Spaarman and Mr. Wadstrom; and had accompanied them up the Senegal, when under the protection of the French government in Africa.  He had confirmed to me the testimony, which they had given before the privy council.  But he had a fund of information on this subject, which went far beyond what these possessed, or I had ever yet collected from books or men.  He had travelled all over the kingdom of Cayor on foot; and had made a map of it.  His information was so important, that I had been with him for almost days together to take it down.  I determined therefore to arrange the facts, which I had obtained from him, of which I had now a volume, that I might answer the two first questions, which had been proposed to me; for it was of great importance to the Comte de Mirabeau, that he should be able to appeal, in behalf of the statements in his speech to the Assembly, to an evidence on the spot.

In the course of my correspondence with the Comte, which continued with but little intermission for six weeks, many circumstances took place, which were connected with the cause, and which I shall now detail in their order.

On waiting upon Mr. Necker, at his own request, he gave me the pleasing intelligence, that the committee of finances, which was then composed of members of the National Assembly, had resolved, though they had not yet promulgated their resolution, upon a total abolition of all the bounties then in existence in favour of the Slave-trade.