History of the Liverpool Privateers and Letters of Marque

Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. In dealing with the delicate subject of the Liverpool Slave Trade - a subject which, for reasons that may be guessed, has been lightly touched upon by most local writers - the author has endeavoured to confine himself to a plain statement of facts - facts which need no comment or exposition. He has directed his indignation against the system, or national sin, rather than against individuals, for many of the slave merchants and slave-captains of old Liverpool claim our regard as patriots and worthies of no common order. Though we are on the threshold of the Twentieth Century, with its tremendous possibilities, there are indications that white men still exist who would gladly revert to the iniquitous system of a bygone age, and enslave the African in his own land. If anything in this book should help to awaken the public conscience to jealously watch that under no specious pretext shall the bodies and souls of African labourers be again handed over to the tender mercies of greedy and unscrupulous adventurers, the author will rejoice.