by the Duke of Clarence, and by the Lords
Mansfield, Hay, Abingdon, and others, negatived it by a majority of
twenty-eight.

At length the bill itself was ushered into the House of Lords. On
reading it a second time, it was opposed by the Duke of Clarence, Lord
Abingdon, and others. Lord Grenville and the Bishop of Rochester
declined supporting it. They alleged as a reason, that they conceived
the introduction of it to have been improper, pending the inquiry on the
general subject of the Slave Trade. This declaration brought up the
Lords Stanhope and Lauderdale, who charged them with inconsistency as
professed friends of the cause. At length the bill was lost. During
these discussions the examination of the witnesses was resumed by the
Lords; but only two of them were heard in this session[A].

[Footnote A: After this the examinations wholly dropped in the House of
Lords.]

After this decision the question was in a desperate state; for if the
Commons would not renew their own resolution, and the Lords would not
abolish the foreign part of the Slave-trade, what hope was there of
success? It was obvious too, that in the former House, Mr. Pitt and Mr.
Dundas voted against each other. In the latter, the Lord Chancellor
Thurlow opposed every motion in favour of the cause. The committee
therefore were reduced to this;--either they must exert themselves
without hope, or they must wait till some change should take place in
their favour. As far as I myself was concerned, all exertion was then
over. The nervous system was almost shattered to pieces. Both my memory
and my hearing failed me. Sudden dizzinesses seized my head. A confused
singing in the ears followed me, wherever I went. On going to bed the
very, stairs seemed to dance up and down under me, so that, misplacing
my foot, I sometimes fell. Talking too, if it continued but half an
hour, exhausted me, so that profuse perspirations followed; and the same
effect was produced even by an active exertion of the mind for the like
time. These disorders had been brought on by degrees in consequence of
the severe labours necessarily attached to the promotion of the cause.
For seven years I had a correspondence to maintain with four hundred
persons with my own hand. I had some book or other annually to write in
behalf of the cause. In this time I had travelled more than thirty-five
thousand miles in search of evidence, and a great part of these journeys
in the night. All this t