HISTORY OF EUROPE. 
verted the dispositions of the people, 
and taken numbers of them from 
their occupations, to their manifest 
injury. ‘lo convert so iniquitous a 
practice into a regular mode of rais- 
ing money, was disgraceful to the 
nation. Those who gave it their 
countenance in parliament, seemed 
to have forgotten that the duty of 
legislators was to sacrifice every 
consideration to the support of pub- 
lic honour and virtue, instead of 
sacrificing these for the mere aug- 
mentation of income. 
The talents of Mr. Courtney were 
on this occasion remarkably exerted 
in favour of the opposition to lotte- 
ries. He ironically represented the 
minister as judiciously converting 
private vices into public benefits, 
and availing himself of the multi- 
tudes that wanted wisdom, to ren- 
der their folly of national utility. 
Mr. Francis united with the ene- 
mies of a lottery, in condemning it 
as a source of many calamities; it 
filled the jails with unhappy indivi- 
duals, both as debtors and crimi- 
nals ; an ignominious death, or trans- 
portation was its usual effect; and 
misfortune or infamy its usual con- 
comitant. 
Mr. Sheridan deprecated the use 
of lotteries as banes to the nation: 
they stripped families of their furni- 
ture, their apparel, and the most ne- 
cessary appurtenances, Parentsand 
children were daily reduced by them 
to every species of wretchedness; 
and the drawing of a lottery was 
always a period marked by the 
most deplorable incidents, and 
every description of domestic cala- 
mities. 
_ Through Mr. Taylor’s reiterated 
remonstrances, a committee was 
appointed to inquire into the various 
evils resulting to the community 
Vou. XXXIV. 
[145 
from the establishment of lotteries. 
A report was accordingly laid before 
the House; and the friends to the 
abolition of this mode of raising mo- 
ney, determined to leave no effort 
untried to put an end to it. 
Another object of an odious na- 
ture was brought to the considera- 
tion of the House during this ses- 
sions: this was the slavé trade; 
which had already been canvassed 
in several sessions with uncommon 
warmth andaccuracy, and given rise 
toamultiplicity of regulations form- 
ed with the humane view of soften- 
ing its horrors, and obviating the 
complaints of those who represent- 
ed it as an outrage on human na- 
ture, and a disgrace to civilized 
people. 
On the 2d of May, through the 
repeated endeavours of Mr. Wilber- 
force, who had the honour of pri- 
mitively leading the way in this laud- 
able attempt, the House went into 
a committee of examination into the 
particulars of the trade to the coast 
of Africa, for the purchasing of ne- 
groes for the use of the plantations 
in America. 
That gentleman had experienced 
a multitude of obstacles in this at- 
tempt; but he had uniformly per- 
sisted in repeating it every sessions, 
though opposed with all thestrength 
and art of those who disapproved 
of his design; which he had now 
brought, through his resolution and 
perseverance, to a maturity that his 
many opponents did not expect he 
would have been able to effect. 
The more he reflected on this 
iniquitous branch of commerce, the 
more he said it appeared to deserve 
an immediate prohibition. It was 
equally inimical in its principle to 
public interest, and to the feelings 
of individuals of any rational senti- 
[LZ] ments, 
