The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1806-09-05
BRITISH HOUSE OF LORDS, JUNE "a.
SLAVE TRADE.

| Mort conversation took placr between the
Earl of Wettmoreland and Lord Grenville, re-
la'ive the propriety of hearing Council on a
Petition. prefented on a former day by the
Noble Earl. againft the abolition of the Slave
! Trade. Lord Granville objected to hearing
Council, and no motion being made by the Earl
| OF Wctmoreland. the former Noble Lord NOV
ed the Order ofthe Day for taking into conf
! ieration the Reiolution of the Hopfe Of Com
mons relative to the abolition of the Slave Trade,
which being read,
| Lord Grenville faid, that upon this fubieef,
after the repeated difeuiiions, and the minute
llnvcf'gations it had undergone for twenty years
he did not think it necellary to take up muchof
their Lordihips' time. The Refoldtion Of the
tioufe of Commons contained concufop
drawn from certain premies, and the uueftion
| now 'cas, whether thofe prcmifes were correct
and it 10, whether the conciuion drawa was
correct. The .Reiolution Gated, that the Slave
Trade was contrary to bMnanity, juaiee and
found poie,, and ought to be abolHhrd. That
the trade WAS contrary to humanity could not
| turely be doubted for moment, nor did he
believe there was one man to be found who
would venture 20 declare. that this trade was
IN the leaf degree confident with humanity.
| Let It be confdered in the three nages Of it's
progrefs; hrft, dragging away the unfortunate
Africans from their homes, their families and
| their comforts next, the transfer Of them from
thence 70 the Wei Indies; and laft!y, the treat
'nent at them whit there and in all it would
he found mot inhu;nan. The means that wers.
adopted to- drag the unfortunate victims from
their homes, were in the hghet degree cruel,
and at the fame time contributed to keep np
continued fyltem of barbarifm in Africa. Torn
from all the tender and focal ties from which
they derived their happinefs, and feeling pog-
nant'y the miicries of the condition impofed up
on them by our traders, they were doomed to
endure fill greater miferies i'm the transfer from
| thence to the Welt-lndies. 1t was impolfible
for any, however fteeled his heart, to read of
the horrors Of middle paifage, of the treatment
which thefe negroes experienced, or the mife-
| ries which they endured, without fhuddering at
| the recital. Arrived inthe Wet Indies, a new
tcene OF mfery op ned TO their view. Goaded
| with the hih they were compelled TO labour
from morning till night beneath burning fun,
and under the opprefiive tyranny of talk ma tiers
fet over them by their owners, and though they
might fometimes be mildly treated, yet it could
not be denied that nothing was greater cor
ruptor or the human heart, than arbitrary pow
err conld be GREATER ten, n. tion ~ ~. +.
buff. of power, than fituatrons where as in the
| W~tt-indies, white overteer, amongft great
| number OF negroes, had it in his power To III
treat them in the grof1eR manner, whf they
could not be legal evidence againf him in apv
| OF the courts Of jufice. That the trade was
| contrary to iafiee was clearly in his mind ef-
tabliihed; the principles of juftce as amongft
the 'nt'vidunls of nation, applied equally a
| mongft nations, and nothing could he more con-
trary to iuitoe than robbng men of the fruits
ot their indnitry, without giving them any com
! penfatiou, the cafe with thoIc upfor+u
nate nreroe'. the fruits of whole induRry was
wre'ted from them, they receiving nothing in
rerurn. hut an aCeravdtion of the iniutce, the
hitter portio0 of havery. That what was con-
trary 10 humanity and iufice, nun alto be con-
trary to Ioand boiicy, il unnecelfary 10 argue.
| d to any argu Tent fet up reflect ny the pro
nj 1T the trade, it would ierve to iufifv robbe
ry, or any other CRIME. On grounds of policy.
| however. he called upon ihofe who advocated
the cauie of the planters TO agree to the aboliti
on. He alf, dIvelt at fome length o the fitua-
ton ut St. Domingo, as holding forth an alarm
ing lefon to this county with regard to the
tendency of continued importation of new
haves. His Lordtbip concluded with moving,
! tNat the Houfe hould concur in the Revolution
/ ofthe Commons.
Lord Hawkefburv oppofed the Rsfoution, as
being couched in terms too ATTRACTED to admit
| OF a fair confederation of the fubiect, The
| Quetion to De confidered was, whether we
could put flop ~ the exfencc of 0syerv
which every one admitted to be practical evil
| but one which, in iome form or other, had ex
fled at all times, and particularly in Africa.
| IT'S optbn WAS, 'hdt the Only effect or the AhO-
ition of the Slave Trade By This country, would
| he 70 trausferit to thofc States who conducted
ii on principles iefs humane than thofe adopte
| by the BritiIh merchant. With thefe frnti
ments, they thong. the beft way of dfpoGng
81 the fubjeGt, was to move the previous Quef
| ton.
| The Bfhop of London, in fuppor. of the Re-
iolution, quoted various psHages of the evil
dence laid before Parliament and the Priv
Council, as 10 the mode of conducting the traf
| Fl k in flaves.
| The Lord Chancellor ffated, that from his
perfona knowledge of the fate of the flaves in
| Jamaica, great deal of the evidence refpeetine
them was exaggerated; but he had witneiIed
the horrors which accompa led the traffi k on
the coat Of Guinea and in the Middle paGage,
and he conceived that no man who flw or be-
lie0ed IN their eSifence, could WITHHOLD his
ailent to the motion now made.
| The original motion was fupported in the
furt her progrefs IF the debate by he Bifhop of
ST. Afaph, Lord Spencer, Lord Peterborough,
Lord Holland, and Lord Grofvenor and op-
| poied by Lord Wetuorelanj, Lord Sdmouth,
and Lord Fitzwam the two latter however,
Objected rather to the form than the principle
| Of the motion.
Lord Grenville then fpoke in reply: and,
before fitting down, gave notice, that as foon
as the refoution was dfpofed of, he lhould
move an address to his MaieHy, reoueRing him
! 10. r