side. It was
certain, therefore, if the decision were to be made upon this basis,
that it must be entirely in their favour. Will it then be believed that
in an English House of Commons there could be found persons, who could
move to prevent the hearing of any other witnesses on this subject; and,
what is more remarkable, that they should charge Mr. Wilberforce,
because he proposed the hearing of them, with the intention solely of
delay? Yes, such persons were found; but happily only among the friends
of the Slave Trade. Mr. Wilberforce, in replying to them, could not help
observing that it was rather extraordinary that they, who had occasioned
the delay of a whole year, should charge him with that of which they
themselves had been so conspicuously guilty. He then commented for some
time on the injustice of their motion. He stated, too, that he would
undertake to remove from disinterested and unprejudiced persons many of
the impressions which had been made by the witnesses against the
abolition; and he appealed to the justice and honour of the house in
behalf of an injured people; under the hope that they would not allow a
decision to be made till they had heard the whole of the case. These
observations, however, did not satisfy all those who belonged to the
opposite party. Lord Penrhyn contended for a decision without a moment's
delay. Mr. Gascoyne relented; and said, he would allow three weeks to
the abolitionists, during which their evidence might be heard. At
length, the debate ended; in the course of which Mr. Pitt and Mr. Fox
powerfully supported Mr. Wilberforce; when the motion was negatived
without any attempt at a division.

The witnesses in behalf of the abolition of the Slave Trade now took
possession of the ground which those in favour of it had left. But what
was our surprise, when only three of them had been heard, to find that
Mr. Norris should come forward as an evidence! This he did to confirm
what he had stated to the privy council as to the general question; but
he did it more particularly, as it appeared afterwards, in the
justification of his own conduct: for the part which he had taken at
Liverpool, as it related to me, had become a subject of conversation
with many. It was now well known what assistance he had given me there
in my pursuit; how he had even furnished me with clauses for a bill, for
the abolition of the trade; how I had written to him, in consequence of
his friendly co-operation, to