the same circumstances as Air. Stanley, bat very undecided on the subject. He was, however, so strongly convinced by the arguments he had heard, that he was become equally earnest for the abolition.
Air. Smith (member for Pontefract) said that he should not trouble the house at so late an hour further than to enter his protest, in the most solemn manner, against this trade, which he considered as most disgraceful to the country, and contrary to all tho principles of justice and religion.
Air. Burke said he would use but few words. He declared that he had for long time had his mind drawn toward this great subject. He had even prepared a bill for the regulation of the trade, conceiving at that time that the immediate abolition of it was a thing hardly to be hoped for; but when he found that Air. Wilberforce had seriously undertaken the work, and that his motion was for the abolition, which he approved much more than his own, he had burnt his papers, and made an offering of them in honor of his nobler proposition, much in the same manner as we read that the curious books were offered up and burnt at the approach of the Gospel. He highly applauded the confessions of Mr. Stanley and Mr. Ryder. It would be a glorious tale for them to tell their constituents, that it was impossible for them, however prejudiced, if sent to hear discussion in that house, to avoid surrendering up their hearts-and judgments at the shrine of reason.
Mr. Wilberforce made a short reply to some arguments in the course of the debate; after which, at half-past three in the morning, the house divided. There appeared for Mr. Wilberforce's motion eighty-eight, and against it one hundred and sixty-three; so that it was lost by a majority of seventy-five votes.
Upon the news of this defeat the friends of the cause held a meeting. They passed a vote of thanks to the illustrious minority which had stood forth in the house of commons as the assertors of British justice and humanity; and they resolved not to desist from appealing to their countrymen until the commercial intercourse with Africa should cease to be polluted with the blood of its inhabitants. Mr. Clarkson made an abridgment of the evidence before the house of commons, which was circulated through the kingdom. Great numbers of people left off the use of articles produced by slave labor, and vented their feelings in public meetings to address parliament on the subject; and this they did with so much earnestness and activity, that by the latter end of March, in 1792, no less than 511 petitions were laid on the table of the commons, praying for the total abolition of the slave-trade. Emboldened and supported by the people, Mr. Wilberforce again introduced the question on the 2d of April, 1192, and after a speech of four hours, moved "that it is the opinion of this house that the African slave-trade ought to be abolished." This led to a long and interesting debate. Never in the house of commons was so much splendid oratory displayed as on that night. We extract from the parliamentary records a report of some of the speeches made on that occasion.
Mr. Wilberforce opened the debate in a luminous and impressive speech. After remarking at considerable length upon the evils and the injuries of the
