would be decided. Mr. Wilberforce on the nineteenth of March rose
up in the House of Commons, and desired the resolution to be read, by which
the house stood pledged to take the Slave-trade into their consideration in
the then session. He then moved that the house should resolve itself into a
committee of the whole house on Thursday, the twenty-third of April, for
this purpose. This motion was agreed to; after which he moved for certain
official documents, necessary to throw light upon the subject in the course
of its discussion.

This motion, by means of which the great day of trial was now fixed, seemed
to be the signal for the planters, merchants, and other interested persons
to begin a furious opposition. Meetings were accordingly called by
advertisement. At these meetings much warmth and virulence were manifested
in debate, and propositions breathing a spirit of anger were adopted. It
was suggested there, in the vehemence of passion, that the Islands could
exist independently of the Mother-country; nor were even threats withheld
to intimidate government from effecting the abolition.

From this time, also, the public papers began to be filled with such
statements as were thought most likely to influence the members of the
House of Commons, previously to the discussion of the question.

The first impression attempted to be made upon them was with respect to the
slaves themselves. It was contended, and attempted to be shown by the
revival of the old argument of human sacrifices in Africa, that these were
better off in the islands than in their own country. It was contended also,
that they were people of very inferior capacities, and but little removed
from the brute creation; whence an inference was drawn, that their
treatment, against which so much clamour had arisen, was adapted to their
intellect and feelings.

The next attempt was to degrade the abolitionists in the opinion of the
house, by showing the wildness and absurdity of their schemes. It was again
insisted upon that emancipation was the real object of the former; so that
thousands of slaves would be let loose in the islands to rob or perish, and
who could never be brought back again into habits of useful industry.

An attempt was then made to excite their pity in behalf of the planters.
The abolition, it was said, would produce insurrections among the slaves.
But insurrections would produce the massacre of their masters; and, if any
of these should hap