He believed, however, that it was upon the whole a
losing concern; in the same manner as the lottery would be a losing
adventure to any company who should buy all the tickets. Here and there
an individual gained a large prize, but the majority of adventurers
gained nothing. The same merchants, too, had asserted, that the town of
Liverpool would be mined by the abolition. But Liverpool did not depend
for its consequence upon the Slave Trade. The whole export-tonnage from
that place amounted to no less than 170,000 tons; whereas the export
part of it to Africa amounted only to 13,000. Liverpool, he was sure,
owed its greatness to other and very different causes; the Slave Trade
bearing but a small proportion to its other trade.
Having gone through that part of the subject which related to the
slaves, he would now answer two objections which he had frequently heard
stated. The first of these was, that the abolition of the Slave Trade
would operate to the total ruin of our navy, and to the increase of that
of our rivals. For an answer to these assertions, he referred to what he
considered to be the most valuable part of the report, and for which the
House and the country were indebted to the indefatigable exertions of
Mr.
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