Lescallier, who attributes his knowledge of slavery to having lived for some time in the colonies of various European nations, suggests that while France treated her slaves "the most humanely (or rather, the least inhumanely)" (5), the question of reform should be raised in the French National Assembly, as in Britain. Citing the maroons of Jamaica and Dutch Guiana, he argues that the slaves could demand their right to freedom, and that news of any emancipatory laws or agreements would soon spread within the colonies. He therefore argues for the gradual reform of slavery, based on the principles of humanity, justice and natural rights, as well as on the safety and prosperity of France's colonies. He calls for an end to the importation of slaves: "The Slave Trade is the shame of humanity, a stain on our Nation, and openly contradicts our principles and our constitution" (23), as well as the emancipation of all domestic slaves and all mixed-race slaves, then the distribution of a small share of the profits among the slaves, reform of conditions, and finally the gradual emancipation of the remaining slaves.