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NEGRO’S, a Kind of Slaves, which make a considerable Article in the modern Commerce.
The Negro’s, properly call’d Blacks, or Moors, are a People of Africa, whose Country extends on each side of the River Niger, and is call’d Nigritia : Tho, whether the People communicated their Name to the River, &c. or received it thereform, is not easily determined.
The Origin of Negro’s, and the Cause of that remarkable Difference of Complexion from the rest of Mankind, has much perplex’d the Naturalists ; nor has any thing satisfactory been yet offer’d on that head. See BLACKS.
They are brought from Guinea, and other Coasts of Africa, and sent into the Colonies in America, to cultivate Sugar, Tobacco, Indigo, &c.
This Commerce, which is scarce defensible, on the foot of either Religion, or Humanity, is now carried on by all the Nations that have Settlements in the West-Indies ; particularly the English, Dutch, Spaniards, and Portuguese ; […]
The best Negro’s are brought from Cape Verd, Angola, Senegal, the Kingdom of Joloffes, that of Galland, Damel, the River Gambia, &c.
A Negro between 17 or 18 and 30 Years of Age, was antiently only valued at about 45 s. [= 0.3 kg of silver] in Commodities proper for that Country, which are Brandies, Iron, Linnen, Paper, Brass-Pots, Basons, &c. But their Value is now […] seven or eight [pounds] [= 0.8 to 1.0 kg].
There are various ways of procuring them : Some, to avoid Famine, sell themselves, their Wives and Children, to their Princes, or great Men, […] Others are made Prisoners in the War ; and great numbers seiz’d in Excursions, made for that very purpose by the petty Princes upon one another’s Territories […]
The Negro’s make a frequent Practice of surprizing one another while the European Vessels are at Anchor, and dragging those they have thus caught to ’em, and selling them in spite of themselves ; and ’tis no extraordinary thing to see the Son sell, after this manner, his Father or Mother, and the Father his own Children, for a few Bottles of Brandy, or a Bar of Iron.
As soon as the Ship has its Complement, it immediately makes off ; the poor Wretches, while yet in sight of their Country, falling into such deep Grief and Despair in the Passage, that a great part of ’em languish, fall into Sickness, and die : others of ’em dispatch themselves, by refusing any Food ; others by stopping their Breath,in a manner peculiar to themselves, by turning and folding their Tongue, which immediately strangles them ; others dash out their Brains against the Ship ; and others jump over board.
The only sure means to preserve ’em, is to have some Musical Instrument play to ’em, be it ever so mean. But this excessive Love for their Country abates as they get further off.
At their arrival in the Colonies, each Negro is sold for 38 to 40 pounds [= 4.6 to 4.8 kg]. They make it the chief Riches of the Inhabitants of the [Caribbean] Islands, &c. A Man, v. g. who has twelve Negroes, is esteemed a rich Man.
– Chambers’s Cyclopaedia, 1728.
Source: transcribed by me from the digitized copy of the encyclopedia at the University of Wisconsin. It was originally printed in London and was one of the first general-purpose encyclopedias in the English language. The entry for BLACKS, by the way, just says:
BLACKS, or NEGRO’S, a Nation of People, so call’d from the Colour of their Skin : For the Reason of their Colour, and the Commerce made with ’em, see NEGRO.
See also:
- Black people according to:
- -445: Herodotus,
- 1700: White racial frame
- 1787: Thomas Jefferson
- 1906: Franz Boas
- 1911: Encyclopaedia Britannica
- 1959: Golden Book Encyclopedia
- 2010: US television
- 2021: The Economist
- The Transatlantic slave trade
- “Africans sold their own people as slaves”
- Guinea coast
- Middle Passage
- pirate accent
- sugar
- tobacco
- brandy
- encyclopedia
- The term Negro
- “Manhattan was sold for $24”
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Abagond 
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