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Mary Anne Rawson's The Bow in the Cloud (1834): A Scholarly Edition

Buxton, Thomas F.

Buxton, Thomas Fowell

Name ID: http://viaf.org/viaf/12306089

Born: 1786

Died: 1845

Faith: Quaker

Note: Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton, 1st Baronet Buxton of Belfield and Runton (1 April 1786 – 19 February 1845) was an English Member of Parliament, brewer, abolitionist and social reformer. In 1822 he succeeded William Wilberforce as leader of the campaign in the House of Commons for the abolition of slavery in the British colonies and thus was partly responsible for the Abolition Act of 28 August 1833.

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Letter from Thomas Fowell Buxton to Mary Anne Rawson (English MS 415/116)

Northrepps Hall Cromer
Dear Madam

Your letter followed me in an
absence from home which had delayed
my answering it until now. I hope
therefore you have proceeded without
waiting for me & that I shall soon
have the pleasure of seeing your little
Work in Print. -- ^X As to me, the fact
is I have talked written & thought
on the subject of Slavery till I can
talk & write no longer. A mighty
work is accomplished as far as this
Country is concerned. A mighty
effect remains to be produced on
the other side of the Atlantic. _^~~We[?] [???]~~^{How many in England will}
wait & watch the Result with
intense anxiety & interest! I only
hope they will not forget how much
they may contribute to its perfect
success -- The more I hear & read
the more I am convinced that the
Negro Race are blessed with rather
a peculiar aptitude for the
reception of moral & religious Instruc[-]
tion, and it does seem to me that
there never[?] was a stronger call on
any nation than there is now on
us to meet this inclination in
them, to supply them amply
with the means of Instruction
to [deleted word?] dispath Missionaries; to institute
Schools & to send out Bibles --
this is the only Compensation more
Power. & it is an abundant one! [deletion]
We may in this manner recompense
all the sorrows & sufferings we have
inflicted & be the means of making
in the End, their barbarous Removal
from their own [deleted word] Land. The
greatest of blessings to them. My
I am cheered indeed by hearing
the note of Preparation on many
sides. Various Denominations of
Dissenters are preparing the
Emissaries. The Church I trust
will not be behind & the ~~service[?]~~
Wilberforce Subscription which after
the Erection of a monument is to
be applied to some the foundation
of some Institution in the West Indies
which shall be a more appropriate
Monument _^to Him than Marble, will
trust be widely patronized ^X
If -- dear Madam you can
condescend to print into your Work
as an extract from a letter the
Paragraph I have placed between
crosses, you are of course at
liberty. It is little worth while,
but I am too much occupied to
write a more formal Contribution
I am Yr faithful Servt
T. F. Buxton

I am far from wishing or
advising you to insert it ----
[addressed:]
Cromer Oct Six --
1833
Mrs. W. B. Rawson
Jos. Read's Esq.
Wincobank Hall
Sheffield
T. F. Buxton
Letter from Thomas Fowell Buxton to Mary Anne Rawson (English MS 415/117)

Dear Madam
I am almost ashamed to address you at all after my long apparent neglect of your kind Favour & of the beautiful Book you were so good as to send me. I need not say I have been interested in it & admire the Execution & putting together of it. The only part which disgrace it is my Letter & must say it makes a most contemptible figure among its far superior Neighbours -- I have been extremely engaged of late on a Subject of new Interest -- the state of the Natives in our Colonies & this must be my Excuse for my long Silence. I send you a Paper on the 1st of August I cannot refuse myself the pleasure of telling you though a purely private Interest, that my eldest Daughter is to be married on that Day -- which every thing therefore combines to render most memorable to me --
I am Dear Madam
Yr faithful Servt
T. F. Buxton
July 11, 1834
The Dying Negress, by Charlotte Elliott

(Written after hearing Mr. Buxton's reply to Mr. Canning's speech, March, 1824.)

[authorial note: This poem ought to have been placed in the former part of the volume, but it was not received in time.]

Kind Companion! cease to mourn me,
  Not for Leila smite thy breast;
Fiercer pangs than these have torn me,
  Ending not like these in rest.

Weep no more to see me suffer,
  On this burning sand laid low;--
Can the grasp of Death be rougher
  Than these chains which gall me now?

Yesternight my tears were steeping
  Slavery's coarse and scanty food,
Guilty of the crime of weeping,
  I have paid each tear with blood.

Now, in vain his threats will urge me,
  Hark! the blood-stained whip resounds!
But the lash no more can scourge me;
  Death is binding up my wounds.

Yet, though they are fresh and bleeding,
  And for me no cure remains,
There are tortures far exceeding
  Those the outward frame sustains.

Scars deface my limbs all over;
  Burning brands have scorched my skin;
But, couldst thou my heart uncover,
  Wounds more painful bleed within.

Where are those I fondly cherished,
  Husband, children, once my own?
May they all, ere this, have perished,
  Nor a lot like mine have known!

Till the fierce Oppressor tore us
  From our native land so fair,
Life's gay prospect smiled before us; --
  White men, then, were strangers there.

But, at midnight, they descended,
  Like the dread tornado's sweep; --
Seized us sleeping, undefended,
  Bore us to their dungeon-ship.

Swift we flew, with rapid motion,
  Chained together, o'er the wave;
Wildly gazing on the ocean,
  Longing there to find a grave.

Once, I burst the chains that held me,
  Resolute to plunge and die;
But my husband's voice withheld me --
  And I heard my children's cry.

To this land of woe they brought us,
  Weak, dispirited, forlorn;
Slavery's lessons soon were taught us, --
  Labour, stripes, injustice, scorn.

Still one gleam of comfort brightened
  For a time poor Leila's fate;
Even Slavery's yoke was lightened,
  While we jointly bore its weight.

Soon this solace was denied me; --
  Husband, babes, were torn away; --
And the tyrant dared deride me
  While I knelt to weep and pray.

Since the fearful hour we parted,
  Though the frenzy left my brain,
Leila, sad, and broken-hearted,
  Never raised her head again.

Oft, in Memory's vivid painting,
  I behold them standing near;
Oft I see them bleeding--fainting;--
  Oft their cries of anguish hear.

O, ye loved ones!--could I view you
  Once before I yield my breath!--
Still do pain and grief pursue you;
  Or are ye at rest in death ?

Once they told me there existed,
  In some realm beyond the sea,
Patriots, in our cause enlisted,
  Who had vowed the Slave to free.

Oh! this thought assuaged my sadness;
  For my babes I wept no more:--
Oft my heart exclaimed with gladness,
  "Freedom is for them in store!"

[A Missionary enters, and addresses her.

Hark! What unknown voice is speaking,
  While my eyelids close in death?--
Though poor Leila's heart is breaking,
  Words like these can stay my breath.

[She listens, while the Missionary reads from the Bible and prays; then says:--

Why, O why did Leila never
  Hear this heavenly news before?
Why must Death my life-strings sever
  Now I long to live once more?

Now I hear, with awe and wonder,
  Of a God who loves to save;
And that He who wakes the thunder
  Pities e'en the Negro-slave.

Will the white man's Saviour bless us?
  Can his name indeed be Love?--
While they torture and oppress us,
  Can He see them from above?

[She listens again, while the Missionary converses.

Yes!-the day of light is dawning;
  It will shine o'er Leila's grave!
She has heard, in death, the warning:--
  Christ has freed the Negro-slave!

Charlotte Elliott.
Westfield Lodge,
Brighton.
Compensation for the Slave, by Thomas F. Buxton

"For yet imperfect is the work of Love."

(Extract from a Letter to the Editor.)

"A mighty work is accomplished so far as this country is concerned: -- a mighty effect remains to be produced on the other side of the Atlantic. How many in England wait and watch for the result with intense anxiety and interest! For myself, I feel that the main business of my life is now brought to an end,-- an end which, great as are its imperfections, excites in me the deepest thankfulness. May a blessing indeed be now with it! and may a blessing also richly descend on the nation which has made so noble a sacrifice for the cause of justice! All that remains for us to do is to endeavour cordially to render both the people of England and the negroes contented with it, and to do our utmost for the religious education and instruction of the latter. To this last object I hope all our energies will be directed.

Let us not forget how much we may contribute to the perfect success of this great measure. The more I hear and read, the more I am convinced that the negro race are blessed with rather a peculiar aptitude for the reception of moral and religious instruction; and it does seem to me, that there never was a stronger call on any nation than there is now on this to meet this inclination in them; to supply them amply with the means of instruction; to despatch missionaries; to institute schools; and to send out Bibles. It is the only compensation in our power, and it is an abundant one! May we in this manner recompense all the sorrows and sufferings we have inflicted, and be the means of making, in the end, their barbarous removal from their own land the greatest of blessings to them! I am cheered indeed by hearing the note of preparation on many sides: various denominations of Dissenters are preparing their emissaries; the Established Church, I trust, will not be behind; and the Wilberforce subscriptions, which, after the erection of a monument, are to be applied to the foundation of some institution in the West Indies which shall be a more appropriate memorial than marble, will I trust be widely patronized."

T. F. Buxton.

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