204] 
ed. He strongly objected to the 
idea, that civilization first fourished 
on sea coasts : some persons, he ob- 
served, had travelled three hundred 
miles from Sierra Leone, into the 
interior parts of Africa, and had 
discovered civilized people, inha- 
biting considerable towns, possessed 
of the knowlege of reading and 
writing, and of many more of the 
conveniences of life, than were 
Known to the inhabitants on the sea 
shore. He took notice of the ma. 
nifest disposition of the newly im. 
rted negroes to rise against the 
white people, and of the consequent 
necessity of maintaining a numerous 
military force to keep them in awe 
and subjection. He urged several 
other arguments against their farther 
importation into the West.India 
islands, and concluded by moving a 
final abolition of the slave-trade. 
He was seconded by Mr. W. 
Smith, and opposed by Mr. Denr, 
Mr. Barham, and Mr. East. Were 
such a bill to pass, these gentlemen 
thought the property of planters 
would be greatly endangered : they 
deprecated all discussion as extreme- 
ly dangerous in the present crisis : 
were the. negroes once induced to 
hope for emancipation, disappoint- 
ment would render them ungovern- 
able, through the irritation it 
would occasion, and the com. 
parisons they would make between 
_ their situation and that of their 
countrymen inthe French islands, 
Were even the bill to pass in the 
commons, it was. not probable the 
lords would acquiesce in it. 
They were answered by Mr, 
Whitbread, and Mr. Fox, who 
pointedly noticed the length of time 
employed by the house of lords in 
the examination of witnesses on this 
subje&.. But even those who were 
ANNUAL’ REGISTER, 
1795. 
averse to the abolition of the trade, 
had not ventured to justify it. The 
calculations of Mr. Wilberforce, 
respecting the sufficiency of the ac- 
tual number of blacks in the islands, 
for their cultivation and improve. 
ment, were undisproved. The 
more moderate their numbers, the 
less would be the danger from them, 
and the better their treatment. The 
French system of disciplining their 
negroes ought to be an example to 
us: in proportion as we shewed 
them confidence, they would be. 
come attached and faithful. At all 
events, it became a British parlia- 
ment to discontinue the countenance 
it had shewn to so iniquitous and 
inhuman a trade. 
Mz. Dundas alleged, in reply, 
that the motive ofdeferring the abo. 
lition until the beginning of 1796, 
was, to afford time to the planters to 
ah suitable arrangements for it : 
but the war had prevented the re. 
cruiting of the present numbers, 
which were not sufficient for their 
exigencies. He approved of the 
abolition, but was of opinion it 
ought to be gradual, 
Mr. Pitt declared for an immedi- 
ate abolition.. The numbers’ of 
slaves imported into the colonies, 
had, he said, been large enough 
during the three last ‘years, to an- 
swer every purpose of the colonists. 
The negroes themselves were not 
desirous of these importations,. as 
they found, by experience, that 
their own labours were not lessened 
thereby, nor their condition better- 
ed. After a variety of other argu- 
ments for and against the abolition, 
the motion was postponed for‘six 
months, by a majority of 17. 
This decision’ was conformable to 
the expectations of the ‘public, 
which had, for some time past, 
begun 
