Parliament was not an assembly of delegates from the powers
of Europe, but of a single nation. It could not therefore suppress the
trade; but would eventually aggravate those miseries incident to it,
which every enlightened man must acknowledge, and every good man must
deplore. He wished the traffic for ever closed. But other nations were
only waiting for our decision, to seize the part we should leave them.
The new projects of these would be intemperate; and, in the zeal of
rivalship, the present evils of comparatively sober dealing would be
aggravated beyond all estimate in this new and heated auction of bidders
for life and limb. We might, indeed, by regulation give an example of
new principles of policy and of justice; but if we were to withdraw
suddenly from this commerce, like Pontius Pilate, we should wash our
hands, indeed, but we should not be innocent as to the consequences.
On the first agitation of this business, Mr. Wilberforce had spoken
confidently of other nations following our example. But had not the
National Assembly of France referred the Slave Trade to a select
committee, and had not that committee rejected the measure of its
abolition? By the evidence it appeared, that the French and Spaniards
were then giving bounties to the Slave Trade; that Denmark was desirous
of following it; that America was encouraging it; and that the Dutch had
recognized its necessity, and recommended its recovery.
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