population were neceffary, could not deny that thefe had more than been fupplied by the multitudes which had been brought from Africa, from the year 1792, to the prefent period.

mitted to? For what? For the avowed purpose of accelerating the abolition of the flave trade; an event which the Weft-Indians in general have frankly confeffed they confider as in the highest degree injurious to their interests. With regard to any regulations operating in the Weft Indies for the protection of flaves, gentlemen must bear in mind, that there is a certain efprit de corps, which, varying in nature and kid, naturally belonged to every community. In the WestIndies, it was a fellow-feeling for the rights and authority of masters = fome curious proofs of this were afforded by the papers recently tranfmitted from the colonial affemblies, and laid on the table of the house. It appears that the committee of the affembly of St. Chrif topher's, when the efprit de corps was in action for the defence of all the planters in general, against charges never urged but against individuals, maintained that all was perfect in their management; yet that affem. bly frankly declared, that the allowances of food given by masters to their flaves were too small to enable them to go through their work with fpirit. Mr. Wilberforce next made fome remarks on the criminal courts of juftice in the Weft-Indies, and particularly that of St. Chriftopher's, which pretended to have taken cognifance of the barbarous treatment of flaves in the fame manner as crimes of a fimilar nature committed against white men. The act of aflembly, which was paffed in 1783, exprefsly declares, that " any owner or poffeilor of any negro, or other flave, who fall wilfully or wantonly cut out the tongue, put out an eye, flit the nofe, ear, or lip, &c. &c. fhall be fined five hundred pounds, and imprifoned for fix months." Mr. Wilberforce

It might be alleged, that laft year the house of commons had aldreffed the crown, humbly requesting his majefty to fend inftructions to the governors of the Weft-India islands, directing them to concert fuch measures, with the different legislative affemblies, as, by promoting the population of the iflands, might gradually render the flave trade lefs neceffary, and finally lead to its total termination. But fo far was this from being the cafe, that the very contrary was the truth. The meafure adopted last year, without that which he was now bringing forward, would be illufory and unavailing; but affociated with abolition, it would be efficient and complete. The right honourable gentleman (Mr. Dundas) had propofed an addrefs to the crown, fimilar to that which had been adopted last year: the right honourable gentleman differed with Mr. Wilberforce as to the time when this abolition fhould take place; but concurred with him in thinking that its duration ought to be limited. Mr. Wilberforce then took a view of the regulations framed by the colonial legiflatures with respect to the population of the islands, and alfo of the food, religion, and neceffary correction; and contended, that no fet of regulations would be framed which would be univerfally applicable. Confidering how difficult it would be to a tempt to enforce the practice of these legislative provifions, which would go to the interior of every domeftic arrangement, could it be fuppofed that it would be fub

Wilberforce then produced an inftance which took place in the year 1784, where the penalty was not fanctioned by the courts: for two delinquents being convicted, were only fined, one in tool., the other gol.; and in neither cafe was there any imprifonment. He next mentioned another cafe, to show that the court did not not take that cognifance of the ill freatment of flaves which they pretended, and to prove that negroes did not enjoy the fame legal right and protection as the white people, But in addition to this, let it be remembered, that the affemblies, and particularly that of Jamaica,. have always plainly acknowledged, that it was their object to go on importing until they fhould have brought into cultivation all their barren lands, amounting to more. than twice the number which are now cultivated.

He then made fome obfervations on the extreme danger of infurrections, and on the new grounds of apprehenfion which were laid in the emancipating fyftem introduced by the French into their iflands; and faid, could we be weak enough to believe, that our islands would remain in their prefent ftate in the vicinity of the French iflands, in which the flaves were relieved from all the galling marks of inferiority. He faid he had been at the trouble to inquire into the number of flave fhips taken on their paffage from Africa to the Weft Indies, which, he faid, were all carried by the French to fome port in their iflands, where they were made free, and trained as foldiers. The number was confiderable: in the year 1796, there were above three thoufand of thefe; in 1797, above 1700; which in fact furnished our enemy with the best inftruments for the $798.

fubjugation of our islands. Mr. Wilberforce then made fome ob fervations on the petition which he had that day prefented from a body of refpectable men (the Quakers), whofe unwearied efforts in this great caufe did them the highest honour. He concluded by faying, if in times like thefe espe• cially, if we have any fenfe of the value of the favour of Heaven, if we have any feeling of juftice and humanity, let us no longer hesitate to do that which has been too long delayed, but embrace the opportunity which is afforded us of refcuing a great continent from the deftructive ravages to which it has been doomed for centuries by our felfishness and rapacity. He then moved for leave to bring in a bill for the abolition of the flave trade,

Mr. B. Edwards defired that the addrefs which had been prefented to his Majefty in 1797, concerning the abolition of the flave trade, might be now read; which being done, he then proceeded to fhow that its object was to recommend to the colonies the adoption of fuch meafures as might lead to a gradual abolition of this trade. Thofe who fupported the addrefs, as well as thofe who wished for an immediate abolition, were equally uncere in their defire that fuch meafures might be adopted as might finally tend to abolish the trade; but they were far from intending that this object was to be accomplished by any fudden violence, fuch as he might ftyle the prefent motion; because they prudently faw, that the exiftence and limited continu ance of the trade involved fuch a mass of complicated interests of mortgages, &c. &c. The honourable gentleman who brought forward his motion could not be ig. G

norant

child whofe mouth was faid to be cut from ear to ear, it was well known to be an act of infanity, and proved to be fuch in a court of law. Mr. Edwards next took occafion to mention the conduct of the king of Caffon, who, in fpite of every entreaty, had a number of prisoners, whom he had taken in battle, ordered into his prefence, and all their throats to be cut. Inftances of this kind might be collected from Mr. M. Parke's Journal, on which Mr. Edwards bestowed the highest encomiums, and from which he inferred that the difpofition of the natives, and not the intrigues of the flave traders, was the real cause of the barbarities they exercifed. He would ask the honourable gentleman whether it was better for the Africans to have their throats cut as he defcribed, or to be fent to the Weft Indies? By bringing in this bill, the honourable gentleman would only teach the negroes that they were treated with injuftice; and, by this leffon, would pretty plainly tell them to rife upon their mafters and murder them. Mr. Edwards concluded by affuring the honourable gentleman, that if the Weft-India planters were doomed to fall, he fhould fee they fhould not fall without a fruggle.

norant of the correspondence which had taken place between the iflands and the fecretary of ftate; by which it appeared, that they all, except Barbadoes and Jamaica, had acquiefced in the propofais that had been made to them, and affured that houfe, that they confidered themselves happy by difcovering and adopting the means that might lead to a final abolition. This was evident from the anfwers of the island of St. Vincent's and Tobago to the duke of Portland, which fhowed they had under confideration the best measures for limiting the caufes that increase the trade, and which might gradually lead to its total abolition. The Royal Gazette of Jamaica, which he had juft feen, mentioned that fimilar measures were under confideration, and that a tax of rol. was to be levied for all flaves above a certain age, to prevent the hardhips of flavery from being doubled on the old. It had been alleged that the penalty of 500l. had not been inflicted on fome masters who had been convicted of having mutilated their flaves; but it was well known, and it was a cuftom that prevailed in every civilifed country, that judges were invefted with a difcretionary power to mitigate punishment as the nature of circumstances might fuggeft and require. But the cafes alluded to happened before the paffing of the act, by virtue of which the penalty of 500l. was to be inflicted; and how could the law have been vio. lated before it had received exift ence? However fines of 50l. and 1ool, had been impofed before the act paffed, which proved at least an exifting difpofition to difcountenance and punish the cruelties that were fo induftriously exaggerated. With refpect to the inftance of the

Mr. Wilberforce faid a few words in explanation, and obferved that he had ample proofs in his poffeffion with respect to the facts which he had adduced relative to the mutilating of the flaves. The honourable gentleman had infifted that the cafes of cruelty which he had mentioned had not taken place after the act had paffed, but long before the pafsing of it; in contradiction to which Mr. Wilberforce read the records of the council, and the words of the act itself, which fully established the fact. With refpect to the master

of

of a child cutting its mouth from ear to ear, it was equally eafy to be fubftantiated; and as to the report of the mafter being deranged, no allegation of infanity had ever been brought against him; and even the jury who fat on his trial, proved that no fuch plea was ever fet up in his defence.

Mr. B. Edwards acknowledged he had made a flight miftake as to the precife date of the act; but with refpect to the mafter of the negro child, who he said was infane, it was notorious to all the country.

Mr. Canning faid, if there ever hung any doubt or hesitation upon his mind with regard to the propriety of the vote which he fhould give on the prefent queftion, that doubt was completely done away by the fpeech of Mr. B. Edwards. The honourable gentleman had laid down two propofitions which he Mr. Canning was very anxious fhould be minutely attended to; for, if there were any who entertained a doubt refpecting the propriety of an immediate abolition of the flave trade, fuch would do well to confider, whether, by acceding to thefe propofitions, they were not going to vote a complete perpetuity of that trade? Thefe propofitions held out to us, that as long as there was a market for flaves, there would be found buyers; and, that as long as Africa would furnish negroes, there would not be wanting other countries to purchase them. The fpecimens of cruelty to which the miferable Africans were expofed was, feemingly, in the opinion of the honourable gentleman, fome apology for the continuance of the flave trade; and under this perfuafion he put the question, whether they would not prefer being fent to the Weft

Indies, to having their throats cut at home? For his part, were the queftion put to him-whether he would finish his being in his native land, or be fent in flavery to the Weft Indies, where he might, at the cruel caprice of a tyrant mafter, be ignominiously maimed and miferably mangled? much rather he would fay, "May I perish at home! than yield up my liberty and expofe my perfon to fuch cruel and outrageous indignities." The ho nourable gentleman proceeded to urge the neceffity of continuing the flave trade as long as there remained uncultivated lands in our Weft-India iflands, and the impropriety of difcuffing the question, of the abolition of the flave trade until this object had been accomlifhed. Mr. Canning faid he could not fpeak from local knowledge; but he understood, from good authority, that a third of the lands in the islands ftill remained uncultivated. On this he would only obferve, that thofe who did not diftinctly difclaim this ground, for fupporting the further coutinuance of this trade, could never perfuade him that they had ever been fincere in their wishes for its abolition.

Mr. Thornton rofe and made fome remarks upon Mr. Parke's Journal, from which Mr. Edwards had collected his information. He allowed Mr. Parke to be a gentleman of probity; but as Mr. · Parke's route was by water, for many hundred miles up the great river Gambia, he had not perhaps been in a fituation to make extenfive obfervations and inquiries near the fea coaft, concerning the flave trade. Certain, however, it was, that no part of Mr. Parke's information could invalidate the pofitive evidence that had come froin other quarters. Mr. Thornton

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then

then read from governor Macaulay's Journal fome extracts concerning the mode of procuring flaves in the Mandingo country, a part in which Mr. Edwards feemed to fuppofe that no enormities were prac. tifed, and proved that kidnapping was frequent; and, it was agreed upon between the flave traders and the kidnappers, that none of the natives round fhall be admitted to a fight of the flaves, who were ufually conveyed away by the craft in the night. Mr. Thornton proceeded to defcribe the fources of the flave trade in Africa, which he faid were four, viz. wars, crimes, debts, and kidnapping. At Sierra Leone, there were abundant proofs, that wars were both fomented and prolonged by this traffic. It had been faid by the honourable gentleman (Mr. Edwards), the abolition of the flave trade would caufe many of the Africans to be butchered, because there would be no market for the prifoners of war; on the contrary, in that country it appeared that the flave trade was chargeable, not only with the wars themselves, but with the murder of thefe prifoners who were unfit for fale. With regard to flaves fold for alleged crimes, as far as he had learnt, of flaves fold from Sierra Leone, not one conviction was fupported even by the femblance of justice. The pretended crimes were generally witchcraft and adultery. Somebody or other was accufed of witchcraft on the death of almost every great man. The perfon accufed was compelled to drink a poisonous draught, called red water; if he died, his relations were frequently feifed and fold as flaves; if the wretch furvived, he himfelf was fold for a flave-and there were not wanting inftances of English flave-traders encourag

ing this iniquitous kind of fuperfti tion. Mr. Thornton next made fome remarks on the practice of feifing and felling debtors, &c. which he faid neceffarily led to kidnapping; fince when any man was threatened, or actually feifed for debt, he or his connexions were under the strongest temptation to go and kidnap fome other perfon, in order to redeem him or thofe who were fo threatened or feifed. Mr. Thornton next touched on the various obftacles to civilifation which attended the slave trade; and concluded by making fome obfervations on the duty of the British legiflature to abolish such a traffic as he had defcribed on the principles of morality, justice, and found policy.

Mr. Sewell faid a few words against the motion, and obferved it would unfettle the legal tenures, by which the proprietors of West India eftates held their poffeffions. He would afk, was the houfe prepared to take fuch a step without, at the fame time, offering them adequate compenfation? He objected alfo to the motion, as it went to counteract the address of last feffion, in which his Majefty was requested to recommend to the colonies to adopt fuch measures as feemed neceffary to meliorate the condition of the flaves.

Colonel Gafcoigne fpoke against the motion, and faid it called upon the house to refcind its former refolution, which was neither confistent nor prudent.

Mr. Buxton fupported the motion, and faid it could not be thought that the negroes in our colonies could be long continued in a state of flavery, when, at the same time, they faw thofe in our enemies' colonies emancipated.

Mr. Hobhouse remarked, that in

the