6
but those in England who had been the means of developing 

and bringing to light the mass of crime and suffering 

contained in the Slave trade and whose feelings perhaps 

had led them to be two sanguine in their expectations had 

been disappointed (I hoped his Majesty would excuse 

the freedom with which I was going to speak) here he nodded 

assent - I them resumed "had been disappointed" at find-

ing that the Allied Sovereigns at the Congress at Vienna 

had not proclaimed the Slave trade to be piracy; this would 

have have been a noble declaration in the face of the whole 

World in favour of Justice and Religion, and it would 

not only have accorded with principles which all of them 

were oblidged daily to confess in the administration of 

their respective Governments, they were all oblidged to 

punish and thus to try to put an end to robbery and 

Murder; this was essentially necessary or their Govern-

ments could not go on; but the Slave trade was a 

complication of robbery and Murder, and it was deeply 

to be lamented under this and every other view of the 

Subject, that such a noble decree had been overlooked;

     The Emperor with great condescention admitted 

the truth of what I had said; he admitted that it would 

have been more worthy of Congress to have passed


			

Thomas Clarkson Papers

Account of an Interview with Emperor Alexander I of Russia