• Writ of Gertiorari fhall fuperfede execution or other proceedings upon any fuch order or conviction, but that execution and other proceedings fhall be had thereupon, any fuch writ or writs, or allowance thereof, notwithstanding.

And be it further Enacted, That if any action fhall be brought against any perfon or perfons for any thing done in purfuance of this Act, fuch action fhall be commenced within months next after the fact committed, and not afterwards, and fhall be laid in the county or place where the cause of com. plaint fhall arife, and not elfewhere; and the defendant or defendants in fuch action or fuit may plead the general iffue, and give this Act and the fpecial matter in evidence at any trial to be had thereupon; and if the jury fhall find for the defendant or defendants in fuch action or fuit, or if the plaintiff or plaintiffs fhall be nonfuited, or difcontinue his, her, or their action or fuit, after the defendant or defendants fhall have appeared, or if, upon demurrer, judgment fhall be given against the plaintiff or plaintiffs, the defendant or defendants thall cofts, and have the like remedy for the fame as any defendant hath in other cafes to recover cofts. And be it further Enacted, That this Act fhall have continuance during the prefent war with France.

have

Provided always, and be it further Enacted, That this Act, or any of the provifions herein contained, may be altered, varied or repeated, by any Act or Acts to be paffed in this pre'fent feffion of Parliament.'

HOUSE OF COMMONS.
Tuesday, April 3.

SLAVE TRADE.

Mr. Wilberforce faid, that he held in his hand a Petition from a very refpectable body of men, whofe abhorrence of a deteftable traffic was ftrongly, and at an early period, expreffed in a way that did them honour as men and as Chriftians. It was from the people called Quakers; and being connected with the fubject prefently to be difcuffed, he fhould, with the permiffion of the Houfe, then prefent it. The Petition being brought up, was read, and ordered to be laid on the Table.

Mr. Wilberforce again rofe---" Sir, long as I have had the honour of fitting in this Houfe, and often as I have had occafion to fpeak on the fubject which is this evening to form the topic of difcuffion, yet I muft declare, and declare it I do with truth, that fo gloomy and atrocious were the scenes which were for merly opened upon the Houfe, in the progrefs of difcuffing this question, of the abolition of a traffic which all had agreed to deteft, but which few, very few, had actively endeavoured to

difcourage

difcourage fo deplorably cruel are the acts which fince the last period of difcuffion have been ftated to me on the authority of upright, honeft men---fuch the hateful nature of a commerce which grows and flourishes on the ruins of human intellect, or that portion of it which, by a perverfe fyftem of injustice, is fometimes debilitated, in moft cafes wafted---fuch the inhumanity of those who engage their property in a fpeculation whose promife of fuccefs is ever in proportion to the prevalence of war and crime on the Coast of Africa, and of cruelty and gain in the Iflands in the Weft-Indies ;---when, Sir, I am occupied in the contemplation of thefe horrors, I fhrink from the difmal scene, I fhudder at the picture, I feel thofe emotions of forrow and contrition that minds of fenfibility ever experience on fubjects which involve the beft interefts of humanity; and it was becaufe I felt thus that I was not able to bring the fubject forward fooner. However, in the midst of all the emotions of contrition and forrow which I felt, I had no chafin of remorse---I had no gnawing recollections of want of zeal, or want of industry in a caufe of which I ever will be an humble advocate---the cause of humanity--and to diffuade men from perfeverance in a line of conduct which had difgraced the annals of a civilized country. No Member of this Houfe can, in my opinion, be active in the difcharge of his most important duties, unless he exerts all his power, and, with all his energies and might, labours to put an end to the mischief. Why have I fo often produced motions in this Houfe for the abolition of this traffic? Because, Sir, I am determined that on the review of my conduct I fhall have no perfonal feelings of remorfe. I will do my duty. I will conftantly oppofe my fingle feeble voice to the hoft who prey on humanity, and immolate, without forrow, the weakeft, most defenceless of their fpecies. I think it no unworthy avocation to plead the cause of the poor African, oppreffed as we are told at home, and tortured on a foreign foil. I think it not unbecoming me, but hold it to be my duty, to call upon the Houfe of Commons to confider of a trade which is carried on by the people of Great Britain and of her colonies, in repugnance to every moral obligation and to humanity. I call, Sir, upon this Houfe to abolish that trade which, if they are not unfaithful to themfelves, they are bound to abolish.

"Before I proceed, Sir, I must beg the Clerk to read the Refolutions of the third of May, 1792. (The Clerk read them, in one of which it is refolved, that from and after the firft of January, 1796, it fhall be unlawful to import any more negroes into the British Weft India Iflands). If this Refolution is not refcinded, if it remain an evidence of the folemn pledge given to humanity by the Houfe, I will not fay what will be the conNo. 22.

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clufion to which impartial minds may come on an inquiry fo uncommonly mortifying. What of that Refolution has been read contains in fact enough to fhew the world that on a folemn declaration of the Houfe, myself and other Honourable Members were told we might bring in a Bill for the abolition of the trade on the first of January, 1796. Notwithstanding all that had been faid on thofe occafions, I again renewed my labours, and this declaration of the Houfe was the result. That declaration was made after a folemn difcuffion, not premature, or made on the authority of a few loofe affertions, not on the bare statement of unauthenticated facts, but it was the result of a difcuffion continued during three fucceffive Seffions of Parlia ment. This was not all. After thefe ample difcuffions of a fubject which, by the eloquence and judgment of the very able men who fupported the two fides of the queftion, had been rendered fimple and eafy of comprehenfion by all, time was afforded to peruse the evidence given at your bar; but although much variety of opinion and much difcuffion arofe in the fequel of the proceedings, thofe opinions and difcuffions were favourable to the abolition of the trade at fome period, and embraced, on the whole, what ought, as it was contended, to be done in a cafe of vaft importance to the commercial interefts of the colo nies--not what juftice demanded, but what was thought fumcient to obtain a partial abolition, as the most falutary means of ultimately obtaining its total abolition. Gentlemen would remember that on the occafion I allude to, it was the common language to deteft the traffic. Sir, I never can forget the expreffions then used. They are memorable. They are affecting. They ought to have had a different influence on the conduct of thofe who oppofed, and those who fupported the trade. They live, Sir, in my heart; and when I repeat them, they must at least excite a momentary emotion of indignation mingled with horror in every feeling mind. On that occafion, Sir, the expreffions used were, that the traffic was the reproach of Great Britain, and the torment of Africa.' No epithet of abhorrence that could be drawn from the varied ftores of human fcience, and of human knowledge, was at that period left unapplied to this trade. It was, at leaft it appeared to have been, the general spirit then to render the commerce odious by the variety of difguftful views in which human language and human paffions were capable of exhibiting its a ominable effects, and its unchriftian origin. So much were the ardent feelings of reprobation then every where expreffed, fo exquifitely had every fympathy of our natures been then wounded or aroufed, that, in this House, Sir, it was at length faid, It is glorious for human nature, and honourable to the Commons of Great Britain, that

this abominable trade will not pollute the character of the nation longer than till the year 1796.' However, they were not merely circumstances of cruelty on which was formed that memorable decifion; every confideration of policy had entered into the compofition of thofe arguments of which it was the refult. For one, Sir, I think these confiderations were more attended to than they ought. Too much was allowed to a cold, creeping prudence, which in truth was nothing but avarice in its beft guife, begging from door to door for an alms to pamper the infatiable traders in human mifery. But it was the wifh of the Houfe to accommodate, if poffible, every intereft, if by doing fo humanity was not for ever to groan under the lafh, and bend the knee to the inexorable drivers of the poor forlorn African. And furely it could only have arifen from a defire thus to act on acknowledged principles of refpect for the property, however barbaroufly acquired, of individuals, that the Parliament of Great Britain, infulted by audacity, and quickened to refentment by the crimes of adventurous cruel men, patiently listened to the claims of the planters, whofe allegations were often but feebly fupported by the statements made to vindicate them.

"Thele ftatements were fo coolly and ably examined by my Right Honourable Friend (Mr. Pitt) below me, that the arguments he had ufed could not be refuted. On that occafion, the Right Honourable Gentleman had moft fatisfactorily proved, that the Weft India Islands were fufficiently populous to admit of their cultivation being wholly left to the flaves then exifting upon them; and if four years ago this was true of thofe colonies, how much more was their capacity increased by the addition since then made to the number of flaves. Thus, Sir, every confideration of policy and juftice was before the Houfe, when they came to that decifion in 1796, and yet, painful as it is to me to have it to observe, the year 1796 not only paffed without an effort, but the year 1797, and part of 1798, have hitherto been diftinguished by no act, no proceeding, no law founded on that folemn pledge of Parliament. But if, Sir, I am to learn that it is now at length intended to ameliorate the condition of thefe illfated men, I fhall congratulate the Houfe on this victory acquired by juftice over inhumanity. Sorry, however, I am, that I do not understand that any thing has yet been done to carry the decifion of Parliament into effect. Sir, I know of nothing that has occurred fince that act of the Legiflature was known in the colonies, which can warrant the belief, that the planters have affiduoufly, or at all, promoted thofe reforms which a right fenfe of their intereft would teach them to adopt, and which they ought years ago to have offered up as a facrifice on the altars of British juftice, or as fome atonement for that out

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rage and indignity with which themselves and their ancestors had rancorously ftained the annals of humanity.

"With respect to the motion which I fhall have the honour this evening to fubinit to the Houfe, it will probably be infinuated that the Addrefs to his Majefty voted by the Houfe in the year 1792, does in its nature preclude the motion I intend to make, But, Sir, I challenge any man to prove that this is to be inferred from the addrefs to his Majefty agreed to that day. The Right Honourable Gentleman who on that occafion oppofed me, moved a refolution, which was agreed to, that the trade might be abo lifted in 1796. Sir, this fact is to very material to my argument, and to maintain the truth of the affertion I have made, namely, that the addrefs cannot be urged in preclufion of my motion, I think it certainly worth while to direct the attention of the Houfe to the Refolutions. But, Sir, it may be enough for my prefent purpose to ftate, that the laft of them led to last year's Addrefs to his Majefty, which, it would be remembered, fet forth a request that our gracious Sovereign would make known to the Legislative Affemblies of the Colonies the defire of the Houfe for the Abolition of the Slave Trade, and take steps to improve the condition of the Negroes. The addrefs of the King to the Affemblies again ftated, that he would aid the planters, fo as to enable them, by their prudence, ultimately to fucceed in devifing meafures, by means of which they might carry on the cultivation of their eftates without flaves; and concluded with an affurance that his Majefty was ready to co-operate with the planters for thefe benevolent and wife purposes; yet this Refolution, in company with another to abolish the trade in 1800, had no effect. And fo far from the first Address of the Crown having affected that of last year, the one, as it were, arofe out of the other. Seeing, therefore, that no change has taken place in the fyftem of Weft India flavery, that man must, I think, be fanguine indeed, who expects the planters will abolish the trade. That they will not is to be collected from their own language, from their repeated declarations that their dearest and best interefts were implicated in the decision of a queftion which, if given against them, would deftroy those interefts for ever. They urged in the courfe of oppofing the motion for abolition, that they had one million of acres uncultivated; and, Sir, can it be fuppofed that men who are defirous of being permitted to cultivate fuch immense tracts of land, by means of their flaves, fhall ever cordially pursue measures for the abolition, even gradually, of the Slave Trade. What, Sir, has been done in the colonies in obedience to the request of his Majesty and in conformity to the Refolutions of this House? Not any thing emphatically expreffive of an intention seriously

entertained