ery casualty.--But the very men, under whose management this
dreadful mortality had been constantly occurring, had coolly said, that
much of it might be avoided by proper regulations. How criminal then were
they, who, knowing this, had neither publicly proposed, nor in their
practice adopted, a remedy!

The average loss of the slaves on board, which had been calculated by Mr.
Wilberforce at twelve and a half per cent., had been denied. He believed
this calculation, taking in all the circumstances connected with it, to be
true; but that for years not less than one tenth had so perished, he would
challenge those concerned in the traffic to disprove. Much evidence had
been produced on the subject; but the voyages had been generally selected.
There was only one, who had disclosed the whole account. This was Mr.
Anderson of London, whose engagements in this trade had been very
inconsiderable. His loss had only amounted to three per cent.; but,
unfortunately for the Slave-traders of Liverpool, his vessel had not taken
above three fourths of that number in proportion to the tonnage which they
had stated to be necessary to the very existence of their trade.

An honourable member (Mr. Grosvenor) had attributed the protraction of this
business to those who had introduced it. But from whom did the motion for
further evidence (when that of the privy council was refused) originate,
but from the enemies of the abolition? The same gentleman had said, it was
impossible to abolish the trade; but where was the impossibility of
forbidding the further importation of slaves into our own colonies? and
beyond this the motion did not extend.

The latter argument had also been advanced by Sir William Yonge and others.
But allowing it its full force, would there be no honour in the dereliction
of such a commerce? Would it be nothing publicly to recognise great and
just principles? Would our example be nothing?--Yes: every country would
learn, from our experiment, that American colonies could be cultivated
without the necessity of continual supplies equally expensive and
disgraceful.

But we might do more than merely lay down principles or propose examples.
We might, in fact, diminish the evil itself immediately by no
inconsiderable part,--by the whole of our own supply: and here he could not
at all agree with the honourable baronet, in what seemed to him a
commercial paradox, that the taking away from an open trade by far the
largest customer