s as
reconcileable to political expediency as to national humanity. It belonged
to no party-question. It would in the end be found serviceable to all
parties; and to the best interests of the country. He did not come forward
to accuse the West India planter, or the Liverpool merchant, or indeed any
one concerned in this traffic; but, if blame attached any where, to take
shame to himself, in common indeed with the whole parliament of Great
Britain, who, having suffered it to be carried on under their own
authority, were all of them participators in the guilt.

In endeavouring to explain the great business of the day, he said he should
call the attention of the house only to the leading features of the
Slave-trade. Nor should he dwell long upon these. Every one might imagine
for himself, what must be the natural consequence of such a commerce with
Africa. Was it not plain that she must suffer from it? that her savage
manners must be rendered still more ferocious? and that a trade of this
nature, carried on round her coasts, must extend violence and desolation to
her very centre? It was well known that the natives of Africa were sold as
goods, and that numbers of them were continually conveyed away from their
country by the owners of British vessels. The question then was, which way
the latter came by them. In answer to this question the privy council
report, which was then on the table, afforded evidence the most
satisfactory and conclusive. He had found things in it, which had confirmed
every proposition he had maintained before, whether this proposition had
been gathered from living information of the best authority, or from the
histories he had read. But it was unnecessary either to quote the report,
or to appeal to history on this occasion. Plain reason and common sense
would point out how the poor Africans were obtained. Africa was a country
divided into many kingdoms, which had different governments and laws. In
many parts the princes were despotic. In others they had a limited rule.
But in all of them, whatever the nature of the government was, men were
considered as goods and property, and, as such, subject to plunder in the
same manner as property in other countries. The persons in power there were
naturally fond of our commodities; and to obtain them (which could only be
done by the sale of their countrymen) they waged war on one another, or
even ravaged their own country, when they could find no pretence for
qua