David Robinson's article on John Newton was a timely reminder of a shameful period in British history.
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However, it contains a significant error.
Slaves were not taken to Britain but to the West Indies and America.
The system kept the sale of slaves at arms length, and it worked this way: Ships took trade goods from Britain to Africa, where slave traders sold them the slaves.
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They were then taken to the West Indies or America directly across the Atlantic ocean, (the Middle passage). There a cargo of rum, the product of the plantations where isedthe slaves sere sent comprised the third leg of their voyage.
The port of Whjitehaven in Cumberland, (now Cumbria) was one of their destinations, and an interesting museum describing the Rum Trade can be seen there.
Anpther picture of how respectable the trade was can be found in Jane Austen's novel Mansfield Park.
