150] 
that it was only by progressive re- 
gulations, enacted rrom time to 
time, that hopes could be enter- 
tained of their being at last abo- 
lished. 
The methods to be adopted for 
this purpose, were, gradually to in- 
crease the number of native ne- 
groes in the plantations; to sup- 
press hereditary slavery; ard to bet- 
ter the condition of the slaves them- 
selves. He appealed to the cool 
and moderate for the propriety of 
such a system; and he requested 
them to join in the formation of a 
plan that might reconcile the plant- 
ers with the abolition proposed. 
The speaker, Mr. Addington, 
coincided with this idea, from a 
persuasion that there did not now 
exist a sufficient stock of negroes to 
form the basis of such a population 
as the islands required for their due 
cultivation, The trade ought, for 
that reason, to be permitted for 
the space of about ten years ; and 
receive, at the same time, such ad- 
ditional regulations as might prove 
satisfactory to those who demanded 
an abolition, One regulation, he 
said, appeared to him indispensable: 
this was to require greater duties 
on the proportion of males than of 
females. Anotherregulation seemed 
no Jess beneficial than humane: to 
make donations of money, or of 
lands, to those who should bring up 
a@ certain number of children; and 
to grant liberal rewards to those 
who invented or improved imple- 
ments of husbandry. He could not 
in policy vote for the direct aboli- 
tion of the trade in question ; but 
hoped in the mean time that such 
prudent means would be proposed, 
as both himself and others who 
sought a due medium, would rea- 
dily approve. 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1792. 
This declaration was not accept- 
able to Mr. Fox, who delivered ‘his 
sentiments in the strongest terms, 
on the necessity of no longer delay- 
ing the suppression of the slave- 
trade. He could not, he said, con- 
sider, without vexation, the legal 
continuance of a traffic deserving 
of abhorrence, for any term of 
years ; especially as that term might 
be prolonged, and possibly have no 
end. No delusive promises were 
admissible in the present case ; and 
moderation itself was unworthy of 
men who felt as they ought for hu- 
man nature. The question was, 
Whether the House would pass a 
law for the toleration of enormities 
in those distant Cependencies, that 
at home would be punished with 
the utmost rigour, and even in some 
cases with death itself? Were any 
regulations applicable to the com- 
mission of crimes, a larger impor- 
tation of females, for instance, 
would only contribute to a more 
frequent seizure of daughters from 
their parents, and of mothers from 
their children, by those hardened 
ruffans who made it a business to 
steal the natives in Africa, to sell 
them tothe shipping. What were 
the considerations that could bring 
forward a clause for this horrid pur- 
pose, with any degree of plausi- 
bility? 
It had been objected, he said, 
that were the British trade in Afti- 
ca for slaves to be abolished, still it 
woulil be continued by other na- 
tions ; from which our islands would 
then be necessitated to receive their 
usual supply of slaves: but even 
this, he asserted, would be preferable 
to the direct authorizing of such @ 
commerce in our own people. An- 
other objection was, that multitudes 
of the signatures to. the petitions 
against 
