which he thus condemned, he wifhed to contraft the abolition, which was exactly fuch an agent, if he might fo exprefs himself, as the nature of the cate required. All hopes of fupplies from the Coaft being cut off, breeding would henceforth become, what it had never been before, a ferious and general object of attention, the effects of which would not be confined merely to thofe greater articles of better feeding and milder difcipline, but would extend to innumerable other particulars, which an act of Affembly could neither fpecify nor enforce. Whatever might be faid to the contrary, or whatever might have prevailed in the cafe of liberal or opulent men, it was plain too many had gone upon the fyflem of working out their flaves in a few years, and 1ecruiting their gangs with imported Africans. The abolition would give the death blow to this fyftem. The oppofite one, with all its charities, would force itfelf on the most contracted and unfeeling heart. Ruin would ftare a man in the face, if he did not conform to it. The fense of intereft, fo much talked of, would not, as heretofore, be a remote, a feeble, or even a dubious impulfe; but a call fo preffing, loud, and clear, that its voice would be irrefiftible. But its grand excellence was, that it would ftand between the abfentee mafter and his flaves, and fecure to them the effects of his benevolent intentions. Managers would henceforth be forced to make breeding the prime object of their attention; and every non-refident owner would exprefs himself in the terms of Sir Philip Gibbs, "That he fhould confider it as the fault

of the Manager, if he did not keep up the numbers." This reafoning, confidering the dangerous tendency of the one fyftem, and the happy confequences of the other, appeared to Mr. Wilberforce almoft felf-evident. Facts were not wanting, however, to confirm the truth of it. It had been remarked by the historian of Jamaica, that infurrections almost conftantly owed their rife to the African flaves, who, not having loft the consciousness of civil rights, which they had enjoyed in their own country, could not brook the indig nities to which they were fubjected in the West Indies. The effects broke out in general rebellions, or appeared in particular acts of fuicide, of which laft, though frequent among the African negroes, he did not recollect to have ever heard of a fingle inftance among the Creoles. The fafety of his fyftem had been tried already in this relation; for it was univerfally agreed, that the treatment of the flaves had been gradually growing better, and infurrections had been lefs frequent in the fame proportion. An inftance, in point, was afforded by what had lately taken place in the island of Dominica. It was notorious, indeed, that the difturbance had chiefly arifen from fome runaway flaves from the French VOL. XXIX. iflands;

Ff

inlands; a circumftance which, as appeared from the Report of the Privy Council, had produced the fame confequences feveral years before; but, fo far as any cause connected with treatment was concerned, what was that caufe, and what was the object on which the diffatisfaction of the flaves was faid to have faftened? What, but that they were not allowed the full time of recefs from labour to which they had a legal right and the quieting effects of mild treatment appeared in this, that the faves of fome perfons who had been treated with kindness, were not among the number of the infur gents. He could not help adding, that he thought his doctrine, that the flaves muft owe their comforts to the mafters' indulgence, rather than to the protection of law, had been, in a confiderable degree, fanctioned and verified, even in the inland of Jamaica; for, all the laws for the protection of flaves, which had been formed into one confolidated act, having expired in 1784, and the Affembly, owing, as was alledged, to "preffing bufinefs," not having revived it till 1787, during the whole period of three years the flaves were altogether deftitute of the protection of all those so much boafted ftatutes; and yet we do not hear that they were, in any degree, better or worse off than when these continued in force.

But when gentlemen coolly talked of putting an end to the flave trade, through the medium of the Weft-India Legiflatures, and of gradual abolition, by the means of regulations, they furely forgot the continent of Africa, and the miferies which this horrid traffic occafioned there, during every moment of its being allowed to continue. This confideration was conclufive on his conduct, when called on to decide, whether the flave trade fhould be tolerated for a while, or immediately put an end to? The Divine law against murder was abfolute and unqualified, and precluded, with him, every confideration of expediency. Whilft, faid he, we were ignorant of all these things, our fuffering them to continue, might, in fome meafure, be pardoned; but now, when our eyes are opened, can we tolerate them for a moment, much lefs fanction them, unless we are ready at once to determine that gain fhall be our god, and, like the heathens of old, are prepared to offer up human victims at the fhrine of our idolatry?

This confideration precluded alfo the giving heed, for an inftant, to another plea which had been often urged and infifted on, that if Great Britain were ro abolish this trade, it would be proportionably taken up by other nations; for he muft add, that he could by no means conceive that this was likely to be the cafe. If, in this country, where the means of information were fo generally diffufed, the evils of this

detefted

detefted commerce were never before laid open to the view, what wonder if, in other countries, where thefe means are extremely deficient, thefe evils were unknown? And was it fair to infer, from edicts and proclamations encouraging the trade, which were paffed in this ftate of ignorance, that they would not, at once, revoke them, when their eyes fhould be fully opened to its enormities? He would not fo vilify and calumniate the character of other nations, as, even for a moment, to give place to the contrary fuppofition.

But it became Great Britain, in every view, to take a forward part. One half of this guilty commerce had been carried on by her fubjects.-As we had been great in our crime, let us be early in our repentance. If the bounty of Providence had fhowered its bleffings on us in unparallelled abundance, let us fhow ourselves grateful, as we ought, for the bleffings we enjoyed, by rendering them fubfervient to those purposes for which they were intended. There would be a day of retribution, wherein we fhould have to give an account of all thofe talents, and faculties, and opportunities, with which we had been entrusted. Let it not then appear, that our superior power had been employed to opprefs our fellow-creatures, and our fuperior light to darken the creation of God,-He could not but look forward, with delight, to the happy profpects which opened themfelves to his view in Africa, from the abolition of the flave trade, when a commerce, juftly deferving the name of commerce, fhould be established with her, not like that, falfely fo called, which now fubfifted, and which all who are interefted for the honour of the commercial character, though there were no fuperior principle, fhould haften to difavow. Had this trade, indeed, proved ever fo profitable, his decifion would have. been in no degree affected by that confideration. "Here's

the fmell of blood on the hand ftill, and all the perfumes. ❝of Arabia cannot sweeten it."

He doubted whether it was not almost an act of unbecoming condefcenfion to ftoop to difcufs the queftion in the view of commercial intereft. On this ground, however, he was no lefs ftrong than on every other. Africa abounded in many productions of value, which fhe would gladly exchange for our manufactures, when these were not otherwise to be obtained: and, to what an extent her demand might then grow, exceeded almoft the powers of computation to appretiate. One inftance already exifted of a native king, who being, by his religion, debarred the use of spirituous liquors, and therefore not feeling the irrefiftible temptation to acts of rapine, which they afforded to his countrymen, had abolished the flave trade, throughout all his dominions,

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and

Colonel

and was encouraging the arts of honeft and bloodless industry.

For his own part, he proceeded to declare, that interested as he might be fuppofed to be in the final event of the queftion, he was comparatively indifferent as to the present decifion of the Houfe. Whatever they might do, the people of Great Britain, he was confident, would abolish the flave trade, when, as would now foon happen, its injuftice and cruelty fhould be fairly laid before them. It was a nest of ferpents, which would never have endured fo long, but for the darkness in which they lay hid. The light of day would now be let in on them, and they would vanifh from the fight. For himself, he declared, that he was engaged in a work he never would abandon. The confcioufnefs of the juftice of his caufe would carry him forward, though he were alone; but he could not but derive encouragement from confidering with whom he was affociated, Mr. Wilberforce added, let us not defpair; it is a bleffed caufe, and fuccefs, ere long, will crown our exertions. Already we have gained one victory; we have obtained, for thefe poor creatures, the recognition of their human nature, which, for a while, was most fhamefully denied. This is the firft fruits of our efforts; let us perfevere, and our triumph will be complete. Never, never will we defift till we have wiped away this fcandal from the Christian name, releafed ourfelves from the load of guilt, under wh ch we at prefent labour, and extinguished every trace of this bloody traffic, of which our posterity, looking back to the hiftory of thefe enlightened times, will fcarce believe that it has been fuffered to exift fo long a difgrace and difhonour to this country.

Mr. Wilberforce then moved, "That the Chairman be "inftructed to move for leave to bring in a bill to prevent "the farther importation of flaves into the British colonies. in the West Indies."

Colonel Tarleton declared, that gratitude towards those Tarleton. conflituents who had fent him fo honourably to that Houfe, as well as a thorough conviction of the juftice of their caufe, impelied him to vindicate their character and property, although, perhaps, from experience, or inability, he might not be able to accomplish what he fo ardently defired. The ingenuity, the amplification, and the pathetic eloquence, of the honourable gentleman, having worked no conviction on his mind, he fhould proceed to arrange the arguments he had to offer against the abolition of the flave trade. So many branches of the commerce of this country were connected and interwoven with the queftion, that it would be neceffary to make flatements, form feveral calculations, and read various extracts, to elucidate the fubject. Throughout

the

the whole of what he had to fay, he fhould aim more at perfpicuity than embellishment, and labour rather to convince the understanding than bewilder the imagination.

Before he entered upon any part of the fubject, he thought it neceffary, for the fake of clearnefs, and to prove to gentlemen, that he did not mean to evade or blink any strong part of the question, to enumerate the different heads upon which he was about to speak. He faid, he fhould flate the beginning of the trade, the fanction given to it by Govern ment, the manner of conducting the trade on the coast of Africa, the tranfit to the West Indies, the employment and treatment of the negroes in the West Indies, the amount of the property engaged in the trade, the value of the WeftIndia iflands to this country, the eagerness which other nations have difcovered to enlarge their flave trade, and the importance of the trade as a nuifery for feamen. He then went into an hiftorical account, from the reign of Queen Elizabeth down to the prefent time, quoting his authority, and dwelling fome time on this part of the fubject.

Colonel Tarleton next came to the fanction of Parliament, which had always countenanced the trade, and could not, without a breach of faith, he withdrawn; and here he recollected what had fallen from a right honourable gentleman on a former occafion, and which he thought applicable to thofe concerned in the African trade; it was, that upon no occafion, fhort of abfolute neceffity, ought private property to be feized by public acts, without granting a compenfation. The Colonel contended, that the Africans themfelves had no objections to the trade; and many people who were prejudiced against it, had been led away by miftaken humanity, and often by mifreprefentation. With regard to the number of deaths which happened on the paffage, he had access to examine, and could diftinctly state to the Committee, that they never had exceeded in the Liverpool fhips, on an average, five out of a hundred, whereas, in regiments fent to the West Indies or America, the average was about ten and a half in the hundred.

Many attempts had been made to cultivate the lands in the different iflands by white labourers; but it was experienced, that from the difference of climate, and other caufes, population had decreafed, and that thofe who took the greatest pains to accomplish this, found that, in ten years time, they could not have any proportion of whites at all capable of purposes of cultivation. He therefore agreed in the neceffity of the flave trade, if we meant to carry on the WestIndia commerce and cultivation; and he quoted the opinions of Governor Parry, Admiral Hotham, Commodore Gardiner, Sir Archibald Campbell, and a long lift of refpectable names,

in