My correspondence with the Comte de Mirabeau was now drawing near to its close.  I had sent him a letter every other day for a whole month, which contained from sixteen to twenty pages.  He usually acknowledged the receipt of each.  Hence many of his letters came into my possession.  These were always interesting, on account of the richness of the expressions they contained.  Mirabeau even in his ordinary discourse was eloquent.  It was his peculiar talent to use such words, that they who heard them, were almost led to believe, that he had taken great pains to cull them for the occasion.  But this his ordinary language was the language also of his letters; and as they show a power of expression, by which the reader may judge of the character of the eloquence of one, who was then undoubtedly the greatest orator in France, I have thought it not improper to submit one of them to his perusal in the annexed note[A].  I could have wished, as far as it relates to myself, that it had been less complimentary.  It must be observed, however, that I had already written to him more than two hundred pages with my own hand; and as this was done at no small expense, time and trouble, and solely to qualify him for the office of doing good, he could not but set some value upon my labours.

[Footnote A:  “Je fais toujours mille remercimens plus empresses et plus affectueux a Monsieur Clarkson pour la vertueuse profusion de ses lumieres, de ses reserches, et de ses travaux.  Comme ma motion et tous ses developpemens sont entierement prets, j’attends avec une vive impatience ses nouvelles lettres, afin d’achever de classer les faits et les raisonnemens de Monsieur Clarkson, et, cette deduction entierement finie, de commencer a manoeuvrer en tactique le succes douteux de cette perilleuse proposition.  J’aurai l’honneur de le recevoir Dimanche depuis onze heures, et meme dix du matin jusqu’a midi, non seulement avec un vif plaisir, mais avec une sensible reconnoissance.

25 Decembre, 1789.

Le comte de mirabeau.”]

When our correspondence was over, I had some conversation with him relative to fixing a day for the motion.  But he judged it prudent, previously to this, to sound some of the members of the Assembly on the subject of it.  This he did; but he was greatly disappointed at the result.  There was not one member, out of all those, with whom he conversed, who had not been canvassed by the planters’ committee.  And though most of them had been proof against all its intrigues and artifices, yet many of them hesitated respecting the abolition at that moment.  There was a fear in some that they should injure the revolution by adopting it; others, who had no such fears, wished for the concurrence of England in the measure, and suggested the propriety of a deputation there for that purpose previously to the discussion of the question in France.  While others maintained, that as England had done nothing, after having had it so long under consideration, it was fair to presume, that she judged it impolitic to abandon the Slave-trade; but if France were to give it up, and England to continue it, how would humanity be the gainer?