SLAVE-TRADE, &c. On Monday the 2d of April, 1792. A GREAT number of PETITIONS* were prefented, praying for the ABOLITION of the SLAVE TRADE. The Right Honourable Mr. DUNDAS prefented one from the Inhabitants of the City of Edinburgh, and SIR WATKIN LEWES One from the Livery of London in Common Hall affembled. Referred to the Committee on the Slave Trade. Mr. WILBERFORCE moved that all the Evidence given on this Trade be referred to the Committee.-Ordered. He then moved the Order of the Day, which was " for "the House to refolve itself into a Committee of the whole "House, to confider of the circumftances of the African Slave Trade.” The whole number of Petitions prefented to this Day, was 508. The House refolved itself into a Committee accordingly, SIR WILLIAM DOLBEN in the Chair:t MR. WILBERFORCE.-In entering on the great business of this day, a business in itself of the first importance, and which, after having fo long occupied the minds of men, is at this moment the subject of univerfal expectation and solicitude, it is natural to imagine that I must feel no small degree of diffidence and apprehenfion. It is, however, a fatisfaction to me to reflect, that it will not be neceffary for me to take up so much of the time of the Houfe, as I have felt myself compelled to do on former occafions; for befides that I might well be content to leave the task of enforcing the propofition I shall bring forward, to the greater abilities and more powerful eloquence of thofe by whom I have the honour to be supported, the whole of this fubject has been already so thoroughly inveftigated; every part of it has been fo canvaffed and fcrutinized, that it may be fufficient for me now merely to refer you to our past discuffions, and to fpare the House and myself the pain of a laborious and minute detail. I have before had occafion to remark, that nothing has tended more to prevent the impartial and candid confideration. of our arguments, than the indifcriminate cenfures which have fometimes been really caft on the whole body of West Indians. There may have been those who, fuffering their paffions to hurry them to hafty and immature conclufions, have connected with the evils of the fyftem, the perfonal character of every individual embarked in it, as being closely and infeparably asfociated; the charge rafhly brought has been indignantly repelled; heat and acrimony have prevailed on both fides, reproaches and invectives have been mutually retorted, parties have been formed with all their confequent effects of prejudice and bitterness, the Weft Indians in this ftate of things have grown incapable of liftening difpaffionately to the voice of reason, and many perhaps of the very best and most benevolent amongst them have been the moft warm, because most confcious of the injuftice of the accufations they deemed caft on on them, and resenting and spurning at them with emotions of honeft difdain. The House will do me the juftice to recollect, whatever may have been faid to the contrary, that this is a language I have never held, nor have I been kept from it by motives of decorum or of personal civility; it is a language to which in my heart I have never affented, and which has always appeared to me not only injudicious and impolitic, but contrary to truth and justice, and to what abundant experience has taught us of the nature of the human mind: and I the rather make this declaration at the outfet of my speech, in order, that if in the courfe of what I fhall fay on a fubject which cannot but excite the ftrongest emotions in any man who is not dead to the feelings of his nature, any over-warm or too general expreffions fhould escape me, it may be understood what are the cool deliberate opinions of my mind. I wish to speak the words of conciliation; I wish particularly to call on the Gentlemen of the Weft Indies to accompany me in my progrefs; I call upon them to investigate with me fully and fairly the various evils arifing from the Slave Trade, and those evils especially, which belong to the West Indies. If I can but bring them to do fo, I am perfuaded we cannot differ in the refult: I cannot but believe that they will acknowledge the defects of their own. system, and deplore the evils with which it fo abounds; for Sir, though I have acknowledged that there are many Owners of Slaves of benevolent tempers and generous hearts, who would be glad to use their abfolute power for purposes of kindnefs and beneficence, yet this muft not reconcile us to the fyftem of West Indian slavery itself; pregnant as it is with great and innumerable miferies. A Trajan and an Antoninus do not reconcile me to a defpotic monarchy; we should diftinguish in these cafes between what belongs to the perfon and what belongs to the fyftem; we should rejoice indeed in a fplendid exception to the ordinary character of tyranny; but not allow ourselves to be thereby feduced into an approbation of tyranny. Yet Yet even under a Trajan and an Antoninus the fatal effects of this fyftem were but too difcernible, though more flagrant and palpable under a Nero and Caligula. An impartial Weft Indian, therefore, inftead of being incensed by the frankness of my inveftigation, fhould rather join me in it, and affift me in tracing the mifchiefs to their proper fource; thefe will appear by no means greater than might be expected from confidering the various circumftances of the present cafe. It has been justly remarked, that aristocracy is a worse form of government than monarchy, because the people have been fubject to many tyrants inftead of one; but if this be true, what shall we fay to the present cafe, where despotic power is not the privilege of high birth, or of extraordinary eminence, or wealth, or talents, but where it is an article to be bought at market like any other commodity, by every man. who has £.40 in the world. There is often an elevation and liberality of mind produced by the consciousness of superior rank and confequence and authority, which ferve in fome degree to mitigate the fierceness of unreftrained power, and counteract the evils of which it is naturally productive; but when it comes into the poffeffion of the bafe and the vulgar, the evils will then be felt in their fullest extent. The causes of this we will not stop to examine, but the truth itself is important, and it bears directly on the present question. It fuggefts to us the wretched ftate of the Slaves in the West Indies, where they are often liable to the uncontrouled domination of men of all ranks, understandings, tempers, often perhaps of the moft ignorant and worthlefs, and meanest of the human race. This is no picture of the imagination, but the very fentiment which the scene itself impresses on the mind of a judicious obferver. Every man almost who can have a horse here, might be possessed of a slave there; who is there that confiders this, but muft expect to find scenes of wretched nefs and cruelty, on which it is impoffible to look, without fhame and indignation? But let us recollect, that this is not the whole of the prefent cafe; for of the more opulent and more liberal West India pro liberal prietors |