Star.
London, England, 1807-02-06 00:00:00

PiIIiLIAMEbTARr PROCEEMINGS.

HOUSE OF LORDS, THURSDAY, FEE 5.

The Duke of Sonierfet and the Marquis of Landfdowne took
the oaths and their feats.
The frifh Militia Service and Office Abolition sills, and the
Creenland Intercourfe Bill, were forwarded in their rtfpcdtive
fines.

ABOLIITMN OF THE SLAVE TRADE.

The Order of the Day for the fecund reading of
the Bill for abolifhing the African Slave Trade hav-
ing been read,
Lord GRENVILLE rote, for the purpofe of bring.
ing before their Lordthips the very important matter
contained in the Bill before the Haute. In doing fo,
it would be neceffary for him to tread over a great
ileal of ground, which was familiar to their Lord
Mips, to bring again to their confideration arguments
which had been often Rated by much abler perfons
than himfelf. Whatever diladvantage there might
be in repeating arguments which had been more for.
cibly urged before, he thought it better to fubmit to
it, than to omit any thing which might give weight
or die& to the great fubjea which he had prnpofed
to their Lordfhips. He would, therefore, with their
permillion, retrace a few of the great principles upon
which he conceived the queftion chiefly to reft. The
abolition of the African Slave Trade was, in his opi-
nion, indifpenfable towards the fafety of the Britifh
empire, which had unfortunately borne too great a
Aare in this pernicious and immoral traffic. In this
trade of blood and of treachery we were not merely ,
acceffaries but parties; we had lent our lanaian and
countenance to the moll flagrant fyflem that had ever
difgraced any period of the civilized world, and when
he had made cut that to a Britiffi Houfe of Lords, he
truaed he had done all that was neceffary. He knew
not in what fcbool of law, religion, or morality, the
principle was to be found which conftituted that to be
a juft proceeding in one nation, the manifefl tendency
of which was to inflia the groffeft irjullice upon the
inhabitants of another country. If there were any
loch principle, he would take leave to enter his pro.
*eft against it, as lapping the foundation of all
moral virtue. The Counfel who had been heard at
their Lordfl.ips' bar, had Mlles' much upon the
great irjury which individuals mutt futtain in conic•
quence of the abolition of the African Slave Trade.
This was an argument to which, as a 131 kith Legifla-
tor, legiflating ut n a great national quellion, in
which the honour no lefa than the interells of the
country was implicated, he did not feel hirnfelf ob-
liged to reply; but, however, he was not unwilling
to meet Counfel upon the point, and even to examine
it as a matter of account. He would undertake to
prove, that upon every ground of policy it was the
duty of Parliament to ;nterpore, and put an end to a
trade which was driving the Weft India Planter to
deftruaion. It was laid that it was impoffible to
keep up the population in the Weft India Iflands, but
by freth importation:). This fubjea had been ex-
arniaed, and the very reverie bad been proved. Why
fhould the laws of nature be inverted in the Weft In-
dies ? Why fhould that great principle, " increa le and
multiply," be rendered inoperative there, and there
alone?" Shew me (laid his Lordfhip) a country where
population is on the decreafe, and I will undertake to
prove, that it is owing to fometlring elfe than the int%
ence of climate ;that it is, in fail, owing to a moral and
not to a pbyfical cattle." If there was, therefore, any
of the Weft India Elands in which there was a rapid
decay of population, he would fay, that there it
would be found the labouring claihrs were greatly
overworked. He would admit that rills brutal and
horrible praftice was not fanaioned by the great
planters tefident in this country. He knew that their
feelings revolted againft fuch cruelty ; but how were
they, at the dittance of feveral thoufand miles, to
control chafe to whom they had delegated their power,
who °fun delegated it to others, and fo on, until it
fell into the bards of the molt callous and unfeeling
of human beings ? The planter, unfortunately, could
only judge by the returns of his eftate, whether his
flock upon it had been overworked ; and this difco-
very always came trio late to prevent, or even reme-
dy the rnifchief. But fo far from there being a de-
creafe in the Negro population in the Weft Indies, the
contrary was alcertained to be the fait. It was now
fourteen, or rather near twenty years ago, fince the
fubjea was examined in all its details, and minutely
inveltigated by the greateft political arithmetician
this or perhaps any other country ever produced, hi
meant the late Mr. Pitt, and Ire proved to the Houle
of Commons, front the anfwers of the planters and
other documents, that though the population might
have decreafed in former periods in the ifland of Ja-
maica, yet that decreafe was gradually diminifhed as
it approached nearer the pretent time. At different
periods the decreate, as he proved undeniably, dimi-
miler! fucceffively from three and a half to two and
a half, and one three fourth per cent. until at laft it
war reduced to kfs than one per cent. He proved,
that with refpeft to the waste isf population, the alle-
gations of the planters were totally ni,f Amsted, and
that tittle falfe affertioxas were not fa much the con-
fequences of their ignorance, as of their never having
given themfelves the trouble to enquire into the ran.