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LON 
ports of this country for Africa previoufly to that day, to 
complete their cargoes in Africa, and trade with them to 
the Weft-Indies, and other parts of America, until the 
ilt of January, 1808, at which period the trade Ihould 
be finally abolilhed. The amendments propofed by his 
lordfhip were agreed to. 
On the queftion being put for engrofiing the bill, the 
bifliop of London rofe, and expatiated on the moral and 
religious confequences that might be expected to accrue 
from that falutary and humane aft of legiflative juftice. 
But he lamented that the number of clergymen was fo 
fmali, when compared with the great population of the 
blacks. In the illand of Jamaica, where there were from 
2 to 300,000 negroes, there were only 20 clergymen, whofe 
time was almoft entirely taken up in religious ijiftruftion, 
and exhortation, adminiftering the facramen’ts, and per¬ 
forming other duties of their funftion, to the whites. 
Earl St. Vincent, who had on former occasions fet his 
face in the moft decided manner againft the bill, embraced 
this laft opportunity of entering his proteft againft its 
adoption ; the confequences of which, he was fully per- 
fuaded, would prove fatal to the belt interelts of this 
country. As foon as France Ihould make peace with this 
country, (and Hie would haften a pacification in confe- 
quence of this meafure,) her firlt objeft would be to get 
complete polfelTion of the Have-trade ; and, if the fucceeded 
in that objeft, it would foon appear that (lie had got pof- 
felfion of an engine that would work the downfall of the 
naval fuperiority of this country. Such was his conviftion, 
and he uttered it now for the laft time. His lordlhip then 
immediately withdrew from the iioufe. The different 
claufes of the bill were then agreed to, and the bill en- 
groffed. 
Another naval commander of dill greater celebrity was 
as decided an anti-abolitionift as lord 3 t. Vincent, as appears 
from the following paflage, which is part of a letter from 
lord Nelfon, to Mr. Simon Taylor, Jamaica; dated Vic¬ 
tory, off Martinico, June 10. “I have ever been, and 
(hall die, a firm friend to our colonial fyftem. I was bred, 
you know, in the good old lchool, and taught to appre¬ 
ciate the value of our Weft-India pofleflions; and neither 
in the field, nor in the l'enate, (hall their intereft be in¬ 
fringed, while I have an arm to fight in their defence, or 
a. tongue to launch my voice againft the damnable and 
curled doftiine of **#* and his hypocritical allies; and I 
Jiope my birth in Heaven will be as exalted as his who 
would certainly caufe the murder of all our friends in the 
colonies. I did not intend to go fo far ; but the fentiments 
are full in my heart, and the pen would write them.” 
Next day, the order of the day for the third reading of 
the bill being read; lord Redefdale rofe, not, he laid, to 
detain their lordftiips with a fpeech, but to declare his 
convidlion that the prefent meafure would be the means 
of producing all the honors of a revolution that could 
poftibly be imagined. The abolition of the African trade 
fliould have gone hand in hand with the abolition of that 
in the Weft-Indies. Had the objeft of the bill been a 
gradual and general abolition of the flave-trade, it would 
have had his hearty concurrence—but he would not en¬ 
ter into any debate. Any attempt to withftand the pre¬ 
fent enthufiafm on the fubjeft would be in vain. But he 
could not help remarking, that, when a legiftature aded 
enthufiaftically, they did not always act wifely ; and he did 
not think, that, in the faithful and confcientious difeharge 
of their duty, the oppofers of this bill had much to an- 
fwftr for.—The earl of Buckinghamlhire faid, in reply, 
that mere enthufiafm was not calculated to laft for twenty 
years, during which period this meafure had been under 
.difeunion. When a member of the houfe of commons in 
the year 1792, he had voted for a gradual abolition, con¬ 
ceiving that perfons concerned in the trade ought to have 
fuflicient notice. Now, however, he had no doubt that 
the trade ought immediately to be abolilhed, not only be- 
caufe that trade was contrary to juftice and humanity, 
but ajfo becauft: the abolition was the only means of pre- 
D O N. 
venting thofe evils which mud otherwife neceffarily refulc 
from the multiplication of (laves in the weft.—The duke 
of Norfolk approved of the bill, and expreffed a confidence 
that the planters, by a moderate treatment of their (laves, 
would contribute to bring about that date of the colonies 
which was fo much to be defired.—The earl of Weftmore- 
land was at a lofs to underftand on what principle of lo¬ 
gic it was to be proved, that, if the flave-trade was con¬ 
trary to juftice and humanity, it was'not alfo contrary to 
juftice and humanity to keep the negroes, who had been 
procured by means of the trade, in a Itate of perpetual 
flavery. Not that he was fo mad as to think that freedom 
ought to be given to the flaves in the Weft-Indies, but 
that, on the principles on which the abolition-bill was 
now founded, emancipation ought alfo to follow.—Lord 
Grenville (aid, that, in abolifhing the flave-trade, juftice 
would be done to the inhabitants of Africa, who were the 
parties aggrieved ; but that liberty to the flaves on the 
islands would be to them, in their (late of ignorance and 
barbarifm, a baleful poifon.—The bill was then read a 
third time, palled, and ordered to be fent to the com¬ 
mons, for obtaining the concurrence of that houfe. 
The bill being laid on the table of the houfe of com¬ 
mons, a motion was made by lord Hovvick, for reading 
it a firft time. This was oppofed, in what is called a mai¬ 
den, or firft, fpeech in parliament, by Mr. George Hib- 
bert. He was particularly anxious to imprefs on the 
minds of all the members, that they were not a mere co- 
mitium, or popular affembly, nor yet a mere organ of the 
voice of the multitude ; but a deliberative body, limited in 
their number, that they might deliberate calmly, without 
any mixture of popular prejudice, enthufiafm, or paflion; 
bound to maintain the rights, and to confult the interefts 
and the wi(hes, of the people ; but bound alfo to decide, 
according to their confidences, for the good of the whole, 
after full and free difeufiion. He was determined to op- 
pole, at every ftep, a meafure which he believed to be 
grounded on a deltifive promife of good which it W'ould 
never accomplilh, and to be pregnant with inevitable, 
immediate, and extenfive, mifehief.— Captain Herbert 
too thought that the abolition of the flave-trade would 
become the ruin of the Britifh colonies in the Weft-In¬ 
dies, and confequently of our finances in that part of the 
world.—General Galcoyne alfo entreated the houfe to 
give the meafure before them the fulled and moft ferious 
confideration. Every meafure, he faid, that invention or 
artifice could devile, had been reforted to on the prefent 
occafion. The church, the theatre, and the prefis, had 
laboured to create a prejudice againft the flave-trade. It 
was not his intention, however, to fpeak at prefent on the 
general fubjeHt, as he fliould confider it as difrefpeftful 
to the lords, if any bill that came down from their houfe 
Ihould not at leall be read a firlt time.—Lord Hovvick, 
and Mr. W. Plumer, declared, that, if any artifices had 
been praftifed for railing a popular clamour againft the 
flave-trade, they were wholly unknown to them. Lord 
Howick knew’, he faid, that there had been a moil lauda- 
< ble and perfevering attention on the part of the honoura¬ 
ble gentleman (Mr. Wilberforce) with whom the mea¬ 
fure originated. This attention, however, had never been 
ufed to mifleud any one, but merely to make the matter 
generally underftood. 
The bill was then read a firft time, and ordered for the 
fecond reading on the 2.0th of February. On that day, 
counfel was heard againft it, as in the lords; but evidence 
was not allowed to be called to fpeak on the fubject of 
compenfation to the planters and others concerned, becaufe, 
lord Howick obfei ved, that would be a queftion of future 
confideration. Thofe who demanded compenfation might 
hereafter fubinit their cafe to the houfe, who were never 
backward in liftening to the cl. inis of juftice.—General 
Gafccyne could not forbear xpreifing Ids fatisfaftiou 
that the principle of indemnity feemed to be acknow¬ 
ledged by tiie noble lord.—Lord H. faid that he had only 
ftated a general principle.—SirP. Francis was not willing 
to 
