ndia ships only about one and
a half per cent were lost, including every 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,