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Wilberforce
William
A Letter to His Excellency the Prince of Talleyrand Perigord, on the subject of the slave trade
Pamphlet
London
J. Hatchard. Cadell & Davis.
1814
English
Lettre à Son Excellence Monseigneur le Prince de Talleyrand Périgord [...] au sujet de la Traite des Nègres (London: Schulze & Dean, 1814). French.
Abolition Campaigns
Anti-Slavery International, 'Recovered Histories' collection. Goldsmiths' Library of Economic Literature, University of London. British Library.
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Letter Wilberforce Talleyrand Slave Trade Congress Vienna Haiti France
Wilberforce's letter to Talleyrand summarises the arguments which were successfully used in the British campaign to end the slave trade, including the socio-economic effects of the trade on Africa, and the conditions on board slave ships. He refers to the Haitian Revolution as an example of the danger of importing large numbers of African slaves. Wilberforce concludes that French public opinion, once informed of the true nature of the slave trade, will turn against the traders of Nantes, and asks Talleyrand to take the lead in abolishing the trade. He cites a number of travel narratives in support of his arguments against the slave trade, including "Parke, Golberry, Winterbottom, and other respectable authorities" (12).
Also published in The Pamphleteer, vol. 5 (1815).