GENERAL HISTORY. 



[9S 



had, iuileed, committed acts of 

 piracy of the most tiagrant kind. 

 They had driven away the native 

 merchants fix)m the coast, to keep 

 it clear for tlieir horrible traffic. 



After some further observations, 

 Mr. Wilbeiforce concluded with 

 moving, "That an humble address 

 be presented to his Royal Higli- 

 ness the Prince Regent, most 

 liumbly to represent to his Royal 

 Highness, that, in bringing to a 

 close the other business of this 

 session, a great and important 

 duty stills remains to be perform- 

 ed bv Parliament, that of again 

 submitting to his Royal Highness, 

 in the most dutiful hut urgent 

 terms, the expression of our con- 

 tinued aiu\ unceasing solicitude 

 for the luiiversal and final aboli- 

 tion of the Afi'ican slave trade : 



" That we are grateful for the 

 efforts already made; and for the 

 progress which we have had the 

 happiness to witness, in the 

 achievement of this great work : 

 That we rejoice that, in all his 

 Majesty's dominions, this wicked- 

 ness is now for ever proscribed, 

 and that our laws ha^■e stigmatiz- 

 ed it by severe aud ignominious 

 punisliment : 



" That we have seen, with un- 

 speakable satisfaction, that so 

 many of the other nations, under 

 whose flag this criminal traffic 

 had formerly been protected, had 

 now joined in the same prohibi- 

 tion, and have contracted with his 

 Majesty, and with each other, the 

 obligation of persevering in it, as 

 in a duty from which they never 

 can be released : and tliat our 

 confident expectations of tlie uni- 

 versal adoption of that prohibition 

 have been greatly confirmed and 

 •trengthened by that memorable 



declaration which was promul- 

 gated by the plenipotentiaries of 

 all the principal powers of Eu- 

 rope, assembled in their general 

 congress ; a declaration which well 

 became the just and powerful so- 

 vereigns in whose names it was 

 issued ; proclaiming to their sub- 

 jects and to the world, their delibe* 

 rate conviction, that " the African 

 slave trade is repugni.nt to the 

 principles of hiunanity and of 

 universal morality;" and adding 

 to that avowal, the giacious and 

 solemn assurance of their earnest 

 desire " to put an end to a scourge 

 which has so long desolated Afii- 

 ca, degraded Europe^ and atilicted 

 humanity : 



"That we must indeed deeply 

 regret, that practices acknow- 

 ledged to be of such a character 

 should, even for an hour, be con- 

 tinued, aud even tolerated under 

 the sanction of any civilized and 

 Christian government ; but that 

 it is impossible for us to doubt of 

 that ultimate determination by 

 w-hich these crimes and miseries 

 will finally be terminated : this 

 engagement has been deliberately 

 taken, and publicly and unequi- 

 vocally announced, and its per- 

 formance is imperiously required 

 by every motive of interest, and 

 of honour, of humanity, and of 

 justice : 



" That we beg leave, however, 

 with all humility, to represent to 

 his Royal Highness, that the ac- 

 tual attainment of this great ob- 

 ject can alone discharge our coun- 

 try fr(mi the obligation of pursu- 

 ing it with unremitted attention 

 and with daily increasine: earnest- 

 ness ; and that we cnnnot disguise 

 from ourselves the painful cer- 

 tainty, that the inteimediate sus- 

 pense 



