I AM fully sensible of the greatness of that free­dom, which I take with you on the present occasion; a liberty which seemed to me scarcely allowable, when I reflected on that distinguished and dignified station in which you stand, and the almost general prejudice and prepossession, which is so prevalent in the world against those of my complexion.

I suppose it is a truth too well attested to you, to need a proof here, that we are a race of be­ings, who have long labored under the abuse and censure of the world; that we have long been [Page 4] looked upon with an eye of contempt; and that we have long been considered rather as brutish than human, and scarcely capable of mental en­dowments.

Sir, I hope I may safely admit, in consequence of that report which hath reached me, that you are a man far less inflexible in sentiments of this nature, than many others; that you are measur­ably friendly, and well disposed towards us; and that you are willing and ready to lend your aid and assistance to our relief, from those many dis­tresses, and numerous calamities, to which we are reduced.

Now Sir, if this is founded in truth, I appre­hend you will embrace every opportunity, to era­dicate that train of absurd and false ideas and opi­nions, which so generally prevails with respect to us; and that your sentiments are concurrent with mine, which are, that one universal Father hath given being to us all; and that he hath not only made us all of one flesh, but that he hath also, without partiality, afforded us all the same sensa­tions and endowed us all with the same faculties; and that however variable we may be in society [Page 5] or religion, however diversified in situation or co­lor, we are all of the same family, and stand in the same relation to him.

Sir, if these are sentiments of which you are fully persuaded, I hope you cannot but acknow­ledge, that it is the indispensible duty of those, who maintain for themselves the rights of human nature, and who possess the obligations of Chris­tianity, to extend their power and influence to the relief of every part of the human race, from what­ever burden or oppression they may unjustly labor under; and this, I apprehend, a full conviction of the truth and obligation of these principles should lead all to.

Sir, I have long been convinced, that if your love for yourselves, and for those inestimable laws, which preserved to you the rights of human na­ture, was founded on sincerity, you could not but be solicitous, that every individual, of whatever rank or distinction, might with you equally enjoy the blessings thereof; neither could you rest satis­fied short of the most active effusion of your exer­tions, in order to their promotion from any state [Page 6] of degradation, to which the unjustifiable cruelty and barbarism of men may have reduced them.

Sir, I freely and cheerfully acknowledge, that I am of the African race, and in that color which is natural to them of the deepest dye; and it is under a sense of the most profound gratitude to the Supreme Ruler of the Universe, that I now confess to you, that I am not under that state of tyrannical thraldom, and inhuman captivity, to which too many of my brethren are doomed, but that I have abundantly tasted of the fruition of those blessings, which proceed from that free and unequalled liberty with which you are favored; and which, I hope, you will willingly allow you have mercifully received, from the immediate hand of that Being, from whom proceedeth every good and perfect Gift.

Sir, suffer me to recal to your mind that time, in which the arms and tyranny of the British crown were exerted, with every powerful effort, in or­der to reduce you to a state of servitude: look back, I entreat you, on the variety of dangers to which you were exposed; reflect on that time, in which every human aid appeared unavailable, and [Page 7] in which even hope and fortitude wore the aspect of inability to the conflict, and you cannot but be led to a serious and grateful sense of your mira­culous and providential preservation; you cannot but acknowledge, that the present freedom and tranquility which you enjoy you have mercifully received, and that it is the peculiar blessing of Heaven.

This, Sir, was a time when you cleary saw into the injustice of a state of slavery, and in which you had just apprehensions of the horrors of its condition. It was now that your abhorrence thereof was so excited, that you publicly held forth this true and invaluable doctrine, which is worthy to be recorded and remembered in all succeeding ages: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, and that among these are, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

Here was a time, in which your tender feel­ings for yourselves had engaged you thus to de­clare, you were then impressed with proper ideas of the great violation of liberty, and the free pos­session [Page 8] of those blessings, to which you were en­titled by nature; but, Sir, how pitiable is it to reflect, that although you were so fully convinced of the benevolence of the Father of Mankind, and of his equal and impartial distribution of these rights and privileges, which he hath conferred upon them, that you should at the same time counteract his mercies, in detaining by fraud and violence so numerous a part of my brethren, un­der groaning captivity and cruel oppression, that you should at the same time be found guilty of that most criminal act, which you professedly de­tested in others, with respect to yourselves.

I suppose that your knowledge of the situati­on of my brethren, is too extensive to need a recital here; neither shall I presume to prescribe methods by which they may be relieved, other­wise than by recommending to you and all others, to wean yourselves from those narrow prejudices which you have imbibed with re­spect to them, and as Job proposed to his friends, "put your soul in their souls' stead;" thus shall your hearts be enlarged with kindness and benevolence towards them; and thus shall [Page 9] you need neither the direction of myself or others, in what manner to proceed herein.

And now, Sir, although my sympathy and af­fection for my brethren hath caused my enlarge­ment thus far, I ardently hope, that your candor and generosity will plead with you in my behalf, when I make known to you, that it was not ori­ginally my design; but having taken up my pen in order to direct to you, as a present, a copy of an Almanac, which I have calculated for the succeeding year, I was unexpectedly and unavoid­ably led thereto.

This calculation is the production of my ardu­ous study, in this my advanced stage of life; for having long had unbounded desires to become ac­quainted with the secrets of nature, I have had to gratify my curiosity herein, through my own assiduous application to Astronomical Study, in which I need not recount to you the many diffi­culties and disadvantages, which I have had to encounter.

And although I had almost declined to make my calculation for the ensuing year, in conse­quence [Page 10] of that time which I had allotted there­for, being taken up at the Federal Territory, by the request of Mr. Andrew Ellicott, yet finding myself under several engagements to Printers of this state, to whom I had communicated my de­sign, on my return to my place of residence, I industriously applied myself thereto, which I hope I have accomplished with correctness and accura­cy; a copy of which I have taken the liberty to direct to you, and which I humbly request you will favorably receive; and although you may have the opportunity of perusing it after its pub­lication, yet I choose to send it to you in manu­script previous thereto, that thereby you might not only have an earlier inspection, but that you might also view it in my own hand writing.

And now, Sir, I shall conclude, and subscribe myself, with the most profound respect,

I THANK you, sincerely, for your letter of the 19th instant, and for the Almanac it con­tained. No body wishes more than I do, to see such proofs as you exhibit, that nature has given to our black brethren talents equal to those of the other colors of men; and that the appear­ance of the want of them, is owing merely to the degraded condition of their existence, both in Africa and America. I can add with truth, that no body wishes more ardently to see a good system commenced, for raising the condition, both of their body and mind, to what it ought to be, as far as the imbecility of their present existence, and other circumstances, which cannot be ne­glected, will admit.

I have taken the liberty of sending your Al­manac to Monsieur de Condozett, Secretary of the [Page 12] Academy of Sciences at Paris, and Member of the Philanthropic Society, because I considered it as a document, to which your whole color had a right for their justification, against the doubts which have been entertained of them.