SLAVE-TllADE. 



ny perfons interelled in the traffic, againft its abolition. 

 Mr. Wilberforce rofe up and addrefled the houfe. After 

 tliis, an altercation took place rather than a debate, in 

 which much heat and animofity were manifefted. Thofe 

 members who efpoiifed the caufe of tlis interelled perfons, 

 feeing that it would be overthrown, if they judged of the 

 merits of it by the privy-council report, would not now 

 abide by the latter, but rejefted it as an imperfeft fort of 

 evidence, and demanded that witneffes fliould be heard at 

 the bar of the houfe of commons in explanation of many of 

 the mis-ltatements which that book contained. By thefe 

 means they endeavoured to get rid of the propofitions alto- 

 gether. Their demand, however, after a good deal of 

 contention, was complied with, and on the 26th of May 

 counfel were heard, and one witnefs, a flave-captain, was 

 examined. Their objedl now was to interpofe every legal 

 fpecies of delay, and in this they fncceeded fo well, that 

 from the 26th of May to the 9th of June, only two of their 

 writneiTes had been examined. In this flow way they went 

 on till the 23d of the fame month, when it was feen that 

 it would be utterly impolTible to bring the quellion to a 

 final decifion in that feffion, for they declared that they 

 had many evidences yet to produce, and that they muft 

 and would be heard. Accordingly they moved, and Mr. 

 Wilberforce agreed, that the farther confrderation of the 

 fubjeft (hould be poftponed to the next feffions. 



As thofe who were interelted in the continuance of the 

 trade had now got rid of the privy-council report, and had 

 introduced new evidences to the commons in behalf of their 

 cafe, it became the committee to coUeft as refpeftable a 

 body of witneffes as poliible on their own fide of the queltion. 

 Mr. Clarkfon had undertaken to traverfe the kingdom again 

 for this purpofe, and had fet out, when, hearing that the 

 French revolution had broken out, and that a committee for 

 the abolition of the flave-trade had been formed in Paris, he 

 returned, and immediately haltened to the latter city, where 

 he arrived at the latter end of .July. He foon became ac- 

 quainted with the marquis de la Fayette, monfieur Necker, 

 the duke de la Rochefoucauld, the marquis de Condorcet, 

 and MelTrs. Mirabeau, Petion, Brifl'ot, Claviere, and other 

 diftinguiflied perfons. He fpent his time, while in Paris, 

 in attending the committee there, in vifiting members of the 

 National AflTembly, and in the perfonal dittribution of books 

 among them, but particularly his " Effay on the Impolicy 

 of the Slave-Trade," which he had caufed to be tranflated 

 into French for that purpofe. Returning to London in 

 January 1 790, he found that Mr. Wilberforce had carried 

 a motion in the commons, that witneffes fliould not be 

 examined in future at the bar of that houfe, but in a com- 

 mittee-room, which fliould be open to all members. This 

 was ncced'ary f^r the fake of difpatch, as the examinations 

 othcrwife might have taken up ten years. Mr. Clarkfon 

 now refumed the journey which he had begun in the pre- 

 ceding fummer, in fearch of new asd refpeftable witneffes. 

 He made a tour of 1 200 miles in three weeks, during which 

 he found out fixtcen perfons capable of giving good tef- 

 timony on the fubjcft, but could only prevail upon three 

 to be examined. On his return to London, he found 

 that the examinations of witnefles in behalf of thofe in- 

 terefted were going on in the committee of the houfe of 

 commons, and with fo much rapidity, that it was expefted 

 their cafe would be foon clofed. This alarmed him 

 exceedingly ; for out of feventeen perfons who flood upon 

 his lill as having promifed to give their tellimony in behalf 

 of the abolition, one had lately died, and no Icfs than eight, 

 being feafaring perfons, were then out of the kingdom. 

 He determined, therefore, upon another journey ; aud un 



Vol. XXXIII. 



turning the fubjeft over in his mind, he thought he fliould 

 obtain the greateil number of difinterefted witnefles in the 

 fliortell poffible time, if he could go on board all the fhips 

 of war lying in ordinary at the king's ports in different parts 

 of the kingdom. Imprefled with this idea, he went to 

 Deptford, and firft boarded all the men of war that were 

 lying there. He then proceeded to Woolwich, and after- 

 wards to Chatham, Sheernefs, Portfmouth, and Plymouth, 

 where he boarded others in like manner, to the number alto- 

 gether of four hundred, in which he picked up feveral very 

 excellent and important witneffes. On the 20th of April, 

 the perfons intereiled had juft clofed their cafe. Accord- 

 ingly Mr. Wilberforce moved, on the 23d of the fame 

 month, in the houfe of commons, that witnefles fhould be 

 heard in behalf of the abolition. Upon this much cla- 

 mour enfued. The members, who afted in union with 

 the perfons interelled in the continuance of the flave-trade, 

 wilhed to have the cafe direftly argued, that is, upon their 

 own evidence, and without hearing any on the other fide, 

 and refilled accordingly. Their oppofition, however, proved 

 ineffedlual againft the eloquence of Mr. Wilberforce, fup- 

 ported powerfully as he was by that of Mr. Pitt and Mr. 

 Fox. At length, the witneffes in behalf of the abolition 

 took poffefHon of the ground which the others had left, 

 and no lefs than twenty-four, fome of whom had been 

 found out fince the lafi tour, were examined before the 

 clofe of the fefTion. At this time it is very curious to re- 

 mark, that the feelings of parliament, and thofe of the 

 people, were very different on this great queftion. The 

 tide certainly ran againft the abolitionifls in the houfe of 

 commons. The old hue and cry had been revived of in- 

 tended emancipation under the pretence of abolition ; of 

 montlrous indemnification to the planters; and of the certain 

 mafi'acre of the whites by the negroes, if the trade were to 

 be abohflied, but in more furious language, and to a greater 

 extent than before. The feeling, on the other hand, in the 

 country, was warmly on the fide of the abolition. It had 

 been kept up and increafed by various circumflances. The 

 committee had been daily employed in anfwering, through 

 the medium of the public papers, every objection which 

 had been ftarted as hoftile to their caufe. They had a)fo 

 by this time dillributed all over England, Scotland, and 

 Wales, the horrible and affefting engraving of the feClion 

 of the flave-fliip before-mentioned. Individuals, too, had 

 kept alive the popular feeling in various ways. Wedgewood^ 

 the celebrated manufafturcr, had taken the committee's feal, 

 as before explained, for a model, and had ftruck off and 

 diftributed many thoufand fmall cameos in plafler. The 

 ground of each of thefe cameos was white, but the negroe, 

 who was feen imploring compaffion on his knee.t in the 

 middle of it, was of his own native colour. Cowpcr alfb, 

 and other poets, had written beautiful and affefting fongs 

 on the fubjeft. Thefe were circulated very copioufly 

 through the kingdom, and fome of them were fung in the 

 very.flreets. 



Not more than half the evidence, which was deemed 

 neceflary, having been heard on the fide of the abolition in 

 the fcflfion jull pafled, it became an imperious duty in the 

 committee to ufe every pofTible exertion to complete it, 

 and this in the bell poflible manner, before the next. Such 

 exertion was abfohitely effential to viftory. Mr. Clarkfon 

 was, therefore, again folicited to traverfe the kingdom for 

 this purpofe. Tlus journey being of the ntmoft importance, 

 Mr. Wiiberf )rce prepared an ingeniou; lill of queflions to 

 aflill him in his examinations and inquiries. With this he 

 departed, and travelled from Augult 1790, to February 

 1751, during which time he went over the greateil part of 

 R the 



