214 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1794. 



degrees, to stop in the midst of its 

 progress, and never to accomplish 

 its abolition. The resolution to 

 this intent was to take place in 

 1796. An immediate abolition 

 had been moved by the original 

 proposer of the design ; but the 

 serious inconveniences and losses 

 that must have fallen upon indi- 

 viduals by so sudden a measure, 

 induced tlieHouse to proceed gra- 

 dually. But the present motion 

 answered so precisely this deter- 

 mination, that it well desei-ved to 

 be received favourably. Mr. Wil- 

 bcrforce's motion was passed by 

 63 against 40. 



In the mean time, petitions had 

 been presented against the bill 

 moved for by Mr. Wilberforce, 

 on the behalf of the West India 

 merchants of London and Liver- 

 pool. When laid before the House, 

 they occasioned a multiplicity of 

 discussions, similar to those already 

 produced by this long debated sub- 

 ject. Amongotherparticulars, itwas 

 asserted by Mr. Vaughan, that the 

 negroes in our West India islands 

 were well acquainted with the 

 transactions relating to them in 

 parliament. They were no longer 

 to be conside»ed in the same state 

 of ignorance as formerly ; and 

 though not to be kept m order 

 without the exertion or authority, 

 yet much more would now de- 

 pend upon good policy. The mu- 

 lattoes and negroes that had ob- 

 tained their freedom, ought, thro' 

 kind trtatment, to be secured in 

 our interest ; which also required 

 a larger number of small settlers 

 than heretofore, while the negroes 

 were implicitly submissive. Mr. 

 Fox was decidedly of opinion, that 

 parliament should express itself 

 unequivocally on the present occa- 



sion, and openly declare a fised re- 

 solution to persevere in its repro- 

 bation of the slave-trade, and finally 

 to abolish it ; othei-wise, the sup- 

 porters of this infamous traffic 

 would avail themselves of their 

 silence on the subject, to insist, at 

 a convenient opportunity, that par- 

 liament had given, as it were, a 

 tacit consent to its existence. The 

 House of X^ords not hnving come 

 to any precise determination on 

 this matter, it was the more incum- 

 bent en the House of Commons 

 to be firmly attentive to it, and to 

 remind their lordships of the ne- 

 cessity of paying it the like atten- 

 tion. From their judgment and 

 equity, he promised himself a con- 

 currence with the Commons in a 

 business of so much vreight anij 

 importance. 



In further support of the bill, 

 Mr. Pitt observed, that the freedom 

 solemnly granted by the French toi 

 the negroes in their West India 

 islands, was the powerfullcst argu- 

 ment that could be adduced in fa- 

 vour of Mr. Wilberforce's propo- 

 sal. We were, in some measure, 

 compelled by what the French had 

 done, to adopt new methods of 

 proceeding with our own negroes ; 

 not indeed by proclaiming them 

 free, in imitation of the precedent 

 set up by the French ; but by ju- 

 dicious regulations in behalf of our 

 slaves, and by treating them with 

 a due admixture of gentleness and 

 authority. The emancipation of 

 their negroes by the French, ren- 

 dered the farther importation of 

 slaves into our islands extremely 

 dangerous, as it was evidently an 

 acquiBitiori of strength to those of 

 our negroes who were mutinously 

 inclined. Those newly imported 

 would be the most likely to join 



them. 



