further importation of African negroes into the British colonies."

Among the most able oppofers of the motion of Mr. Wilberforce, were fir William Young and lord Sheffield. It was alfo refitted by colonel Tarleton, alderman Watfon, Mr. Drake, colonel Phipps, and others. The arguments of thefe gentlemen chiefly confifted in denying or depreciating the evidence which had been offered in favour of the abolition, which they afferted was in part fallacious, and in part exaggerated. The nations of Africa they reprefented as in a state of barbarism, and endeavoured to prove that the flave trade rather prevented than promoted the loss of human life, fince these nations were all in habits of putting to death their prisoners of war. They remarked that the ftrong and prevailing principle of felf-intereft bound the planters to take care of their flaves. They urged the faith of parliament fo frequently pledged to the Weft India planters and traders; pleaded the immenfity of their debts, and the danger that a precipitate abolition might draw their creditors upon them. Many facts and ftatements were adduced, to prove that the decrease of flaves in the Weft Indies was such as to require a conftant fupply from the coast of Africa; and even the refolutions propofed by Mr. Wilberforce on a former occafion were referred to, to fhew that fuch had formerly been his opinion. The flave trade, it was urged, employed a number of feamen, who were ready to fupply on occafion the neceffities of the navy. The lofs of feamen in that trade feldom exceeded five out of a hundred, whereas the lofs in regiments fent to the Weft Indies and America generally amounted to more than ten out of a hundred.

1791.

The exports to Africa were efti-mated by the fupporters of the trade at 800,000l. per annum; and to this we might add the Weft India trade, which they afferted must suffer by the abolition, the exports and imports of which amounted to upwards of fix millions per annum. All this they conceived to be at itake on the queftion of abolition; and our Newfoundland trade muft alfo fuffer.

It was afferted, that if the vote of that evening were to pafs, we fhould only abandon the trade, we should not abolish it. Every nation in Europe, and even the ftates of America, were endeavouring to force a trade with Africa. The report of M. Barnave, in the national affembly of France, which we noticed in a preceding chapter, was referred to, and was confidered as a fanction from that body to the trade. The opening of a free trade with Africa was confidered as a vifionary project, and never likely to be profitable.

Even the right of Great Britain to bind the colonies by fuch an act as that which was propofed was doubted. It was infinuated that we might for ever offend, and perhaps alienate the Weft India islands. The leaft confequences that could be apprehended were infurrections among the negroes in the islands. The ftigma which fuch a vote would fix on the traffic, would, it was afferted, render the flaves in the plantations diffatisfied with a state of flavery itfelf; and a late infurrection in Dominica was attributed wholly to the agitation of the question in England.

The measure, it was alleged, was not likely to anfwer the very end which was propofed by the advo cates for the abolition, fince the want of hands, which the ftoppage of the importation would occafion, would be an inducement to the

planter to work thefe who remained proportionably harder; and this labour increased from year to year muit finally prove the deftruction of the negroes, and confequently of the planter himself.

In reply to thefe arguments, the caufe of the abolition was very ably fupported by Mr. Francis, Mr. W. Smith, the chancellor of the exche. quer, and Mr. Fox, Several wellauthenticated inftances of the molt fhocking cruelties were ftated. It was evinced, that in the Weft India slands there was no law to the blacks; that the punishments inAicted upon them were of the moft horrid kind, fuch as flogging to death, and gibbeting alive; but that the moft atrocious murders, by the whites efcaped unpunished. That fo little attention was paid to popu lation, that even when children were produced, the planters would rather give them away than be at the trous ble of rearing them. That fo little care was taken of infants, that the women flaves deemed it a misfortune to have children; and that it was a maxim among the overfeers, that it was cheaper to buy African flaves than to breed, as they loft fo much of the mother's work during in fancy."

Mr. Pitt obferved, that the prefent was not a mere queition of feel ing; it was not for the purpofe of exercifing humanity, that the abolition was preffed upon the committee. The main argument was, that the flave trade was founded in injuftice. “It is therefore,” faid he, “fuch a trade as it is impoffible for me to fupport, unless gentlemen will in the firit place prove that there are no laws of morality binding upon na tions, and that it is no duty of a le giflature to retrain its fubjects from invading the happiness of other coua

tries, and from violating the fundamental principles of justice."

He took a very ample view of the probable confequences of the abolition to the West India islands ;— though he trufted "that no fmall or temporary difadvantage to the plantations, no flight degree of expediency, no trifling balance of profit, would determine any gentleman in the prefent queftion. The flave trade was an evil of fuch magnitude, that there must be one common wifh in the committee at once to put an end to it, if there was no very great and serious obftacle."

Taking the island of Jamaica as the ftandard of his calculations, as it in reality contained more than half of the flaves in the whole Weft Indies, he proceeded to fhew that the population might be fufficiently fupported without fresh importations from Africa. He obferved, that in the twenty years ending in 1788, the annual lofs of flaves (that is, the excefs of deaths above the births) was in Jamaica about one in a hundred. In preceding periods this lofs was greater, and had gradually diminifhed. A peculiar calamity had during that period fwept away 15,000 at once; and of the mortality which now took place, an immenfe proportion confifted of the new negroes who died in feafoning. From thefe premises therefore it was fair to conclude, as the decrease every year grew less and less, that in future, fhould the abolition take place, it would be very trifling indeed. Added to thefe cafons, it was evident, that when the importation ceafed, that difproportion between the fexes (the males imported being much more numerous than the females), which was one of the chief obitacles to population, would be removed; and the planters

finding

Ending fo near and urgent an intereft in promoting population, every means to that end would be em ployed, and a new fyftem of happinefs and profperity would be eftablished in the islands.

After thefe remarks, Mr. Pitt proceeded to take a view of the other iflands. In Barbadoes, he faid, the population appeared rather on the increase. In St. Kitts the decrease for fourteen years had not been one per cent. In Antigua, but for a particular calamity, the decreafe would have been almoft nothing. In Nevis and Montferrat there was little or no difproportion of fexes. In Dominica there was an increase of the births above the deaths. From all this he concluded, that there was no ferious ground of alarm to the West Indies from the immediate abolition of the trade.

The reafonings of the chancellor of the exchequer were ftrongly enforced by the energetic eloquence of Mr. Fox. He faid, that having received evidence, having had the facts undeniably established, knowing in fhort what the flave trade was, if they did not by the vote of that night mark their abhorrence of á practice fo enormous, fo repugnant to all laws human and divine, it would be more fcandalous and more defaming in the eyes of the world than any vote the houfe of commons had ever given. It would in fact be giving a parliamentary fanction to rapine, robbery, and murder.

If the population of the iflands was not on the increafe, he proved it muft entirely arife from the errors and negligence of the planters themfelves. The climate was declared

to be remarkably congenial to the negroes, so much fo, that this circumftance had been actually pleaded in favour of the flave trade. Why then should they not breed? It

was merely because the West India planters thought it more convenient, or more cheap, to buy them. What then was the purpose for which this accurfed and horrid trade was kept up? The purpofe was this-to give the planters an opportunity of deftroying the negroes on their plantations as faft as they pleafed.

Mr. Fox adverted to the means of obtaining flaves, and particularly that mode in which the flave dealers wifhed us to believe they were ufually obtained, viz. by the banishment of criminals. The flave trade in this view, he obferved, was kept up by us on a fort of friendly principle, and as a neceffary part of the police of Africa. The chief crimes which produced convictions were alleged to be adultery and witchcraft. Was adultery then a crime, that we need to go to Africa to punish? Or, in the cafe of witchcraft, was it the part of an en-、 lightened nation, inftead of endeavouring to difpel the ignorance of thefe poor people, to lend themfelves to their fuperftition, and become the instruments of their blind vengeance?

To the inftances of barbarity narrated by Mr. Smith, Mr. Fox added two others. In one of the French iflands a poor negro had run away; to prevent his repeating the offence, and as a common punishment for fuch offences, the planter ordered the furgeon to amputate his leg: but the furgeon, who had more humanity than his mafter, 1efused. “You refufe," faid the planter;" then what you decline as an act of friend fhip to me, I will force you to do as an act of duty," and immediately broke the poor wretch's leg in a barbarous manner. The other inflance occurred in an English island. As one of the evidences, Mr. Rofs, was walking along, he heard the

M 2

most

moft dreadful fhrieks proceeding from a barn or outhoufe. On looking in, he perceived a young female tied up to a beam by her wrists, entirely naked, writhing and fwinging about, while the author of her torture was applying a lighted torch to different parts of her body as it ap. proached him.

Mr. Fox added, that it was one of the most glorious triumphs of the chriftian religion, that it produced the almost immediate abolition of domeftic flavery, and this it did by inculcating this important truth"That in the fight of heaven all mankind were equal."

Such was the impreffion which the fpeeches of Mr. Fox, and the other members who fupported the abolition, made on the understanding and the feelings of their hearers, that Mr. Stanley declared that he had come to the houfe for the exprefs purpose of voting against the abolition, but what he had heard had convinced him that the entire abolition of the flave trade was equally called for by found policy and juftice. Mr. Wilberforce's mo. tion was notwithstanding negatived by a majority of 75.

To thofe who have perufed with an impartial eye the evidence, or even the debate, on the flave trade, it may appear at firft extraordinary that the motion of Mr. Wilberforce fhould not at once have met with an unanimous concurrence. We are, however, to remember, that the propofal had many prejudices to encounter. Man is by nature a timid animal, and is with difficulty perfuaded to enter upon any innovation, the direct confequences of which are not exceedingly clear. In this bufinefs, the interefts of two confiderable bodies were either really or apparently involved, the Weft India planters and merchants, and the flave

dealers and all connected with the trade. To the former defcription of perfons every poffible tendernefs and attention from the British legislature is undoubtedly due. To men who have embarked their capitals, and expofed their perfons in a tropical climate, and whofe labours all ultimately tend to the enriching of the mother country, too much favour, as far as is confiftent with the principles of justice, can scarcely be fhewn; and if it could be proved that they would be materially injured by the meafure, then Mr. Pitt's propofition would be the only argument for the abolition, and the flave trade would be condemned only on account of the grofs and manifeft injuftice which it radically involves, and which none has prefumed to deny. Many of the Weft India planters and merchants are perfons of the highest refpectability, and on account of their utility to the ftate, as the fupporters of a lucrative and important commerce, have a further claim on the attention of the legislature. The flave dealers, and those immediately concerned in that trade, have not this claim upon the public. They are chiefly defperate adventurers, who have, with a true gam bling fpirit, embarked in this precarious, but fometimes profitable traffic. We cannot indeed help fufpecting, that the gentlemen who are poffefied of West India eftates, or are engaged in that trade, have in this bufinefs been made the dupes of the flave dealers in part, and in part of their own managers, who on many accounts are interested in the fupport of the African trade. Upon the broad principles of human nature, it is impoffible to doubt but that with proper management a very confiderable increafe might be produced in the population of the Weft Indies, nor can we helitate to believe

that

that this would be the moft profitable and advantageous mode of cultivation for the planters. But whatever their motives, as friends to the Weft Indians, we cannot but lament the oppofition which they have given to the propofal for abolishing the flave trade. One immediate confequence, which muft in the end prove materially injurious to the interefts of the Weft India islands, was the establishment of a company for the exprefs purpose of cultivating Weft India and other tropical productions at Sierra Leona, on the coaft of Africa, the bill for chartering whom was introduced on the 28th of March by Mr. Thornton. Another circumftance, which, trifling as it may appear, will ultimately prove not to be in their favour, is the number of perfons whom their oppofition has impelled to the difufe of fugar, a confiderable majority of whom will certainly not return to the use of it in every mode. Suppofing even for a moment, that the interests of the Weft Indies fhould be in fome degree affected by the abolition; in that cafe, had the gentlemen connected with the islands come liberally forward on the firft agitation of the queftion, declared their abhorrence of the trade, but pleaded their apprehenfions from the immediate abolition, there is little doubt but they might have obtained better terms than they are now likely to obtain; we mean, a more diftant period might have been fixed for the annihilation of the trade than is now likely to be fixed; fince the truth is, that the more the flave trade has been investigated, the more has the indignation of the public been excited against it.

It has been already intimated, that one of the main objects recommended in his majesty's fpeech was, that the houfe would confider of

fuch regulations for the government of the province of Quebec, as the prefent circumftances of the province fhould appear to require. Early in the feffion the matter was brought more in detail before the houfe, by a meffage from the king, importing that it appeared to his majesty, that it would be for the benefit of the inhabitants of the province, that the fame fhould be divided into two feparate provinces, to be called the Upper and Lower Canada. He further recommended to the houfe to confider of fuch provifions as might enable his majesty to make a permanent appropriation of lands within the faid provinces, for the maintenance of a proteftant clergy within the fame, &c.

On the 4th of March, in purfuance of this meffage, the chancellor of the exchequer moved for leave to bring in a bill to repeal certain provifions of the fourteenth of his majefty refpecting the government of Canada, and to make fuch further provifions, &c.

Mr. Pitt ftated, that the divifion of the province into an Upper and Lower Canada, he hoped, would put an end to the competition between the old French inhabitants, and the new fettlers from Britain and the British colonies: this divifion, he trufted, would be made in such a manner as to give each a great ma. jority in their own particular part, although it could not be expected to draw a complete line of separation. Any inconveniences, however, to be apprehended from a: cient Canadians being included in the one, or British fettlers in the other, would be averted by a local legiflature to be established in each.

In imitation of the conftitution of the mother country, he should propofe a council and house of fembly for each; the affembly