n
with the former at all. Its connexion with the latter was principally on
account of the saltpetre which it furnished for making gunpowder. Out of
nearly three millions of pounds in weight of the latter article, which
had been exported in a year from this country, one-half had been sent to
Africa alone; for the purposes, doubtless, of maintaining peace, and
encouraging civilization among its various tribes! Four or five thousand
persons were said, also, to depend for their bread in manufacturing guns
for the African trade; and these, it was pretended, could not make guns
of another sort.--But where lay the difficulty?--One of the witnesses
had unravelled it. He had seen the negroes maimed by the bursting of
these guns. They killed more from the butt than from the muzzle. Another
had stated, that on the sea-coast the natives were afraid to fire a
trade-gun.

In the West Indian commerce, two hundred and forty thousand tons of
shipping were stated to be employed. But here deception intruded itself
again. This statement included every vessel, great and small, which went
from the British West Indies to America, and to the foreign islands; and
what was yet more unfair, all the repeated voyages of each throughout
the year. The shipping, which could only fairly be brought into this
account, did but just exceed half that which had been mentioned.

In a similar manner had the islands themselves been overrated. Their
value had been computed, for the information of the privy council, at
thirty-six millions; but the planters had estimated them at seventy. The
truth, however, might possibly lie between these extremes. He by no
means wished to depreciate their importance; but he did not like that
such palpable misrepresentations should go unnoticed.

An honourable member (Colonel Tarleton) had disclaimed every attempt to
interest the feelings of those present, but had desired to call them to
reason and accounts. He also desired (though it was a question of
feeling, if any one ever was,) to draw the attention of the committee to
reason and accounts--to the voice of reason instead of that of
prejudice, and to accounts in the place of idle apprehensions. The
result, he doubted not, would be a full persuasion, that policy and
justice were inseparable upon this, as upon every other occasion.

The same gentleman had enlarged on the injustice of depriving the
Liverpool merchants of a business, on which were founded their honour
and thei