the vale, and midway leaves the storm;
Though round its breast the rolling clouds are spread,
Eternal sunshine settles on its head.

Here then, on this august eminence, he hoped we should build the Temple
of Benevolence; that we should lay its foundation deep in Truth and
Justice; and that we should inscribe upon its gates, "Peace and Good
Will to Men." Here we should offer the first-fruits of our benevolence,
and endeavour to compensate, if possible, for the injuries we had
brought upon our fellow-men.

He would only now observe, that his conviction of the indispensable
necessity of immediately abolishing this trade remained as strong as
ever. Let those who talked of allowing three or four years to the
continuance of it, reflect on the disgraceful scenes which had passed
last year. As for himself, he would wash his hands of the blood which
would be spilled in this horrid interval. He could not, however, but
believe, that the hour was come, when we should put a final period to
the existence of this cruel traffic. Should he unhappily be mistaken, he
would never desert the cause; but to the last moment of his life he
would exert his utmost powers in its support. He would now move, "That
it is the opinion of this committee, that the trade carried on by
British subjects for the purpose of obtaining slaves on the coast of
Africa, ought to be abolished."

Mr. Baillie was in hopes that the friends of the abolition would have
been contented with the innocent blood which had been already shed. The
great island of St. Domingo had been torn to pieces by insurrections.
The most dreadful barbarities had been perpetrated there. In the year
1789, the imports into it exceeded five millions sterling. The exports
from it in the same year amounted to six millions; and the trade
employed three hundred thousand tons of shipping, and thirty thousand
seamen. This fine island, thus advantageously situated, had been lost in
consequence of the agitation of the question of the Slave Trade. Surely
so much mischief ought to have satisfied those who supported it; but
they required the total destruction of all the West Indian colonies,
belonging to Great Britain, to complete the ruin.

The honourable gentleman, who had just spoken, had dwelt upon the
enormities of the Slave Trade. He was far from denying that many acts of
inhumanity might accompany it; but as human nature was much the same
everywhere, it would be unreasonable to expect amo