HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



218 



subjected their property to be 

 seized by onr enemies, and em- 

 ployed to our detriment, — it was 

 ail act of justice to ourselves to 

 prevent their intentions, by de- 

 taining this property in our own 

 hands : in so doing, however, the 

 strictest faith should be kept with 

 those individuals to whom it be- 

 longed, and to whom it should in- 

 violably be remitted, whenever it 

 could be done V\ith safety to our- 

 selves. He would, tlierefore, pro- 

 pose to stop the payment of what- 

 ever might be due in the line of 

 property to individuals now resi- 

 dent in France, whether foreigners 

 or natives of that country ; taking, 

 at the same time, every precaution 

 to keep in the profoundest secrecy 

 the names of those French indi- 

 viduals who possessed property in 

 this country, lest tliey should, by a 

 detection, become liable to suspi- 

 cions, and fall in consequence the 

 victims of the barbarous policy 

 of their inexorable enemies. After 

 some inmaterial objections, the pro- 

 posal was passed into an act, mak- 

 ing it high treason to violate it, and 

 securing, at the same time, the pay- 

 ment of the property to the lawful 

 owner. 



The subject so long agitated of 

 the slave-trade, was again renewed 

 by its orignal mover, Mr. Wilber- 

 force. Shortly after the opening of 

 the session, he introduced a bill for 

 the abolition of that branch of the 

 trade by which we supplied with 

 slaves the islands and territories 

 belonging to foreigners. Hereby, 

 he observed, iheir possessions would 

 receive less cultivation, and becimie 

 less ablr to maintain a competition 

 with our own. 1 hose who con- 

 tended for the necessity of an 

 ample supply © ls'<jv<-s, couklnot. 



he said, consistently with such a 

 requisition, lefuse to second his 

 proposal J and those who had de- 

 clared, that if there were no slave- 

 trade, they would oppose the es- 

 tablishment of such a trade, were 

 no less bound, if sincere in their 

 declaration, to unite with him in 

 opposing that branch of it he was 

 now endeavouring to abolish ; and 

 which was already so much on the 

 decline, that to prohibit its further 

 continuance would be of little con- 

 sequence to any fine. 



Sir William Yoimg replied, in 

 opposition to the motion, that the 

 whole of the slave-trade being in a 

 state of gradual abolhion, it were 

 more prudent to let it fall of itself, 

 without any further acceleratioii. 

 He was seconded by Colonel Caw- 

 thorn and Mr. Dent. 



It was obser\ cd by Mr. Dudley 

 Rider, in answer to these and some 

 other allegations of the same ten- 

 dency, that the general intention 

 to abolish the slave-trade having 

 been approved of as a laudable 

 measure, and gradual abolition al- 

 lowed to be the most prudent and 

 adviseable method of proceedinir. 

 it would be unreasonable to reject 

 the bill now proposed, which coin- 

 cided evidently with tlmt method. 

 I'he argument, that other nations 

 would take up this branch of the 

 trade were we to relinquish it, 

 was no juMification, I'he motion 

 tended completely, and at the same 

 time without the least precipitation, 

 to effect the ultimate purpose in 

 view, and was therefore unobjec- 

 tionable. 



The sentiments of Mr. Pitt were 

 equally favourable to the motion. 

 It could not, he said, be the inten- 

 tion of the House, after consenting 

 to abolish tne slave-trade by dc- 



I' -i grees, 



