While the Comte de Mirabeau was continuing his canvass among the members of the National Assembly, relative to his motion, attempts were again made in the public papers to mislead them.  Emancipation was now stated to be the object of the Friends of the Negros.  This charge I repelled, by addressing myself to Monsieur Beauvet.  I explained to him the views of the different societies, which had taken up the cause of the Africans; and I desired him to show my letter to the planters.  I was obliged also to answer publicly a letter by Monsieur Mosneron de Laung.  This writer professed to detail the substance of the privy council report.  He had the injustice to assert, that three things had been distinctly proved there:  First, that slavery had always existed in Africa; Secondly, that the natives were a bloody people, addicted to human sacrifice, and other barbarous customs; and, Thirdly, that their soil was incapable of producing any proper articles for commerce.  From these premises he argued, as if they had been established by the unanimous and uncontradicted testimony of the witnesses; and he drew the conclusion, that not only had England done nothing in consequence, but that she never would do anything, which should affect the existence of this trade.

But these letters had only just made their appearance in the public papers, when I was summoned to England.  Parliament, it appeared, had met; and I was immediately to leave Paris.  Among those, of whom I had but just time to take leave, were the Deputies of Colour.  At this, my last conference with them, I recommended moderation and forbearance, as the best gifts I could leave them; and I entreated them rather to give up their seats in the Assembly, than on that account to bring misery on their country; for that with patience their cause would ultimately triumph.  They replied, that I had prescribed to them a most difficult task.  They were afraid that neither the conduct of the White Colonists nor of the National Assembly could be much longer borne.  They thanked me, however, for my advice.  One of them gave me a trinket, by which I might remember him; and as for himself, he said, he should never forget one, who had taken such a deep interest in the welfare of his mother[A].  I found, however, notwithstanding all I said, that there was a spirit of dissatisfaction in them, which nothing but a redress of their grievances could subdue; and that, if the planters should persevere in their intrigues, and the National Assembly in delay, a fire would be lighted up in St. Domingo, which could not easily be extinguished.  This was afterward realized:  for Oge, in about three months from this time, left his companions to report to his constituents in St. Domingo the state of their mission; when hearing, on his arrival in that island, of the outrageous conduct of the Whites of the committee of Aquin, who had begun a persecution of the People of Colour for no other reason than that they had dared to seek the common