Speech at Exeter, England, August 29, 1846

The Meeting on Saturday Evening.

On Saturday evening, the Subscription Rooms was again croweded to excess, to hear Mr Douglass, so intense was me interest excited hv theTroSeSis of the previous evening The Rev. F. Bishop nLnoseTthaW Henmngs, Esq. father-in-law of the late lir Thomas Fowell Buxton, the friend and associate of Wdberforce should take the chair.

The Chairman opened the proceedings by reading a letter from Lord John Russell to Sir T. Buxton, dated many years back, strongly denouncing any encouragement to slavery. He contrasted this with Lord John Russell conduct in bringing in the Sugar Bill which he hoped every one in the room would oppose. Mr. Douglass said, that as he understood there was some fear of misapprehension as to the Wesley an sermon be had endeavoured to represent to them last night, he should this evening draw their attention chiefly to the religious aspect of slavery in America, in order to satisfy them that the picture had not been overdrawn, and that he was only desirous of showing them the difference between a false and a true profession.

In the course of his remarks he read a variety of advertisements, all including an acknowledgment or avowal of the connexion between slavery and the different religious bodies in the United States. In one the public were informed that a gang of ten negroes highly recommended would be sold, said negroes being the property of the Independent Church! On another occasion, the will of a highly evaugelical lady had been proved, by which she bequeathed one-fourth of her

livestock to "The Missionary Society, for the publishing ofthe Gospel among the heathens." The most conclusive document ot tne evening, was an extract of a Sermontobe preached to slaves, puDlished by one Bishop Meade, of Virginia, we understood ot the Episcopal Church), to which he had boldly taken the text Do unto others as ye would they should do unto you. "This," expounded the Bishop, "ought to be-Do to otheis as yon would wish they should do to you, if you were tion, and they were in yours. Now, servants, you see if you were in your master's position and they were your ayes, womanyou to be obedient and careful, andl prove and take care of your property Ut cou Lite natural. So you see you ought to do the ame th em lT he argument, said Mr, Douglass amount to ruffian should present a pistol at the chairman 0 ca his money, it would be his duty to give it up; because of course if he were the assailant, and the robber in. his position he would wish the purse to be given up to He then read the following extract from the sermon, to prove that thesermon, he.hadjiven rdght before was no caricature-" Almighty God hath been eased to make you slaves here, and to give you nothing but labour and novertv in this world, which you are obliged to submit to, as it is Take care that you do no fret or murmur, grumble or repine, at your not only make your life uneasy, but will greatly offend Almighty God Now when correction is given you, yooeuner deserve it, or you do not deserve it.

But whether you really deserve it or not, it is your duty, and Almighty God requires that you i oear it patiently. You may, perhaps, think that this is hard doctnue, but if you consider it right you must needs think ot Yu7JZv thlt Suppose, then, that you deserve correction, you cannot but say mat it is just and right you should meet with it. Supposes you do not or at least yon do not deserve so much or so severe a ection tor the fault you have committed, you perhaps escaped you are many more, and are at last paid for all. Or, oppose that you are quite innocent of the crime laid to your charge, and rongfullv in that particular thing, is it not possible Borne other bad thing which was never discovered, and that Almighty God who saw you doing it, would not let you escape without iCishmentonetime or another? And ought you not in such caTe glory to Him, and be thankful that He would rather nunish you in this life for your wickedness than destroy your souls for it in the next life But suppose that even this was not the case (a case hardly to be imagined), and that you have by no means, known or unknown, deserved the correction you suffered, there is this great comfort in it, that if you bear it patiently, and leave your cause in the hands of God, He will reward you for it in Heaven, and the punishment you suffer unjustly here, shall turn to your exceeding great glory hereafter." The reading of the above excited marked expressions of disgust. Mr.

Douglass then took a rapid review of all the religious bodies in the United States with relation to their connection with slavery. He read a resolution passed by the Wesleyan Methodist Society, statinir that they considered slavery a divine institution, and had Neither right, desire or intention to interfere with, the relation between masters and there slaves All the other religious bodies had slave holders among them, both of their clergy and laity, the exception of the Quakers, whom every black man looked on as bis friend. Still tho they had no slave holders among them, they gave a negative support to slavery by closing their doors to all discussion on the subject, which had caused the secession from the body of a few brave men who wished to pass resolutions denunciatory of slavery. What he wished was to see the religious bodies in this country, refuse all communion with them until they had wiped out the stain. If this were done he believed slavery would not live five years longer.

Mr. Douglass concluded by an eloquent and gallant appeal to the ladies, on behalf of the bazaar to be held in Phi ladelphia, for the benefit of the cause. It was desirable that contributions should be forwarded by the end of Septen ber. The Rev. Francis Bishop moved a resolution expressive ofthe thanks of the meeting to Mr.

Douglass, and pledging themselves to do all that they rightfully could to undo the heavy burdens of the three millions of slaves whose cause he so ably advocated. Mr. Nicholls seconded the resolution. R. W.

R. W. Fox, Esq., then proposed a vote of thanks to the chairman, which was seconded by G. W. Turner, Esq. who assured the lecturer that in whatever clime he might have been born, while be laboured in the cause of humanity, he had more respect for him than the highest potentates of the earth. Let him go on in his course, and he would perform a higher part on the theatre of life, than it'was the lot of many to possess and enjoy. To the Editor of the Western Times.