GENERAL HISTORY. 



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TiUied powers and Fiance ; and 

 when, among the terms of that 

 treaty, an article was found, sanc- 

 tioning to France the practice of 

 the Slave Trade during five years, 

 the zealous advocates for its total 

 abolition were struck with deep 

 concern, and foresaw a renewal, 

 to a wide extent, of all the horrors 

 which they had so long been em- 

 ployed in combating. The lead- 

 ers in each House of Parliament 

 in the measures above recorded, 

 prepared to exert themselves again 

 for the same benevolent cause, 

 though the part they had now to 

 take was of a more difficult and 

 complicated natvtre, since they 

 were to contend against an en- 

 gagement already entered into, 

 and in which the reputation of 

 the ministers was in some degree 

 involved. 



On June 27th, Mr. Wilberforce 

 rose in the House of Commons, 

 and began with expressing his 

 serere disappointment that the ad- 

 dress which on his motion had 

 been presented to the crown, im- 

 ploring its influence to induce fo- 

 reign powers tojoin in the aboli- 

 tion of the Slave Trade, had 

 proved ineffectual. He gave a 

 pathetic view of the miseries which 

 the supply with slaves of the 

 French colonies unconditionally 

 restored would inflict on a vast 

 number of human beings. He 

 said it had not been his intention 

 to express any opinion of the con- 

 duct of the jiegociators in this 

 treaty ; but for himself, no consi- 

 derations, however weighty, could 

 have induced him to resign set- 

 tlements which were to be culti- 

 vated in a way so abhorrent to 

 humanity. As the matter now 

 5tood, he was afraid that the ut- 



most we could hope was, that at 

 the end of five years France would 

 join with the rest of Europe in 

 the condemnation of this trade; 

 England however even now ought 

 to lift up her voice, and at least 

 endeavour to prevent the intro- 

 duction of the miseries formerly 

 existing in those parts of Africa 

 in which these horrors had been 

 repressed, and legitimate com- 

 merce had been established. After 

 various other observations on the 

 subject, urged with great earnest- 

 ness, Mr. W. concluded with 

 moving a longr address to the 

 Prince Regent, in which, after 

 expressing the regret of the House, 

 that the consequences of their 

 former address had not been such 

 as they had confidently antici- 

 pated, and stating the multiplied 

 evils that would result from the 

 renewal of the Slave Trade by 

 the French, they earnestly im- 

 plored his Royal Highness to en- 

 deavour to obtain, if possible, from 

 the government of France, some 

 diminution of the term permitted 

 to the Slave Trade ; but, in any 

 case, its restriction within certain 

 limits, and its total exclusion from 

 those parts of Africa, where the 

 exertions of Great Britain have 

 already succeeded in suppressing 

 it: also, that no exertion should 

 be omitted in the approaching con- 

 gress to procure a final and uni- 

 versal extinction of the Slave 

 Trade. 



Lord Castlereagh said, that he 

 warmly concurred in all the sen- 

 timents expressed by his hon. 

 friend with respect to the Slave 

 Trade, and the propriety of the 

 address proposed, though he could 

 have wished the discussion post- 

 poned till the time of taking the 



