154] 
it was impossible to send abroad 
upon more dangerous voyages than 
that to the coast of Africa. 
The allegation that the negroes 
were in their own country bred 
for sale, was treated as equally false 
and absurd; it having been proved, 
from the most competent evidence, 
that war and rapine were the prin- 
cipal means of procuring negroes 
for the shipping employed in the 
slave trade. Good morals and sound 
politics were mutually subservient 
to each other, and it was therefore 
the interest, as well asthe duty of 
the British legislature, to put a fi- 
nal stop to a traffic evidently accom- 
panied with the most flagrant injus- 
tice and barbarity. 
The two main arguments for a 
gradual abolition, were, it was said, 
that supplies of negroes were still 
necessary, for extending and im- 
proving the cultivation of the West 
India islands, and to preserve at the 
same time the present stock of 
slaves. But these pretensions were 
so untrue, that it appeared from 
authentic documents laid before 
the House, that only 200 negroes 
had been brought to Barbadoes, 
in the course of six years, before 
the present business had been agi- 
tated in parliament. In some of 
the other islands there had been no 
importation at all; and into Ja- 
maica negroes had been imported, 
not to preserve the population, 
but solely for the purpose of ex- 
tending agriculture: at all events, it 
was deserving of a fair trial, whe- 
ther the importation, so much in- 
sisted on, was really necessary for 
the support of the colonies. A 
suspension of the trade for the 
short term of five years, would de- 
termine whether it ought to be 
followed by a total abolition, or 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1792. 
the trade entitled to an immediate 
resumption. 
The opponents to these reason- 
ings were Colonel Phipps, Mr. Est~ 
wick, and Mr. Dundas: the former 
two contended that the petitioners 
for the abolition consisted chiefly 
of ignorant people, enthusiastically 
inclined ; and that in case a méa+ 
sure of this kind was to be adopted, 
the colonists would have a just claim 
to a compensation, which must fall 
heavily upon the public, already 
Joaded with a multiplicity of bur- 
dens. 
Mr. Dundas frankly allowed there 
was no contradicting the argu- 
ments drawn from the inhuma- 
nity of the slave trade; but he 
also maintained, that by a gradual 
abolition all ends would be answer- 
ed; the rights of humanity would 
be consulted, and the interest of 
the planters would be guarded, by 
putting it in their power to make 
atimely provision for the period 
held out to them for a final abo- 
lition of the trade in question. 
The use of the plough, and of 
other utensils, would progressively 
be introduced, and render the 
cultivation of land by manual la+ 
bour unnecessary. Improvements 
of this nature being adopted, would 
by degrees lessen their present 
aversion tothe alterations proposed 
which would finally be established 
without murmurs, and with a 
peaceable conviction of their supes 
rior utility to the modes now in 
practice. 
Should, on the contrary, a pre- 
cipitete abolition be resolved upon, 
the abruptness of such a measure 
would certainly exasperate the co- 
lonists, and drive them into expe- 
dients highly inimical to the in- 
terest of thiscountry. Supplies of 
negroes 
