Page:The History of Slavery and the Slave Trade.djvu/220

 decided but in a full assembly of the representatives of the nation, moved for a call of the house on that day fortnight. Mr. Wilberforce stated that he had no objection to such a measure, believing the greater the number present, the more favorable it would be to his cause. This motion, however, produced a debate and a division, in which it appeared that there were one hundred and fifty-eight in favor of it, and twenty-eight against it. The business of the day now commenced. The house went into a committee, and Sir William Dolben was put into the chair. Mr. Serjeant Le Blanc was then called in. He made an able speech in behalf of his clients; and introduced John Barnes, esquire, as his first witness, whose examination took up the remainder of the day. By this step they who were interested in the continuance of the trade attained their wishes, for they had now got possession of the ground with their evidence; and they knew they could keep it almost as long as they pleased, for the purposes of delay.

At length, on the ninth of June, by which time it was supposed that new light, and this in sufficient quantity, would have been thrown upon the propositions, it appeared that only two witnesses had been fully heard. The examinations, therefore, were continued, and they went on till the twenty-third. On this day, the order for the call of the house, which had been prolonged, standing unrepealed, there was a large attendance of members. A motion was then made to get rid of the business altogether, but it failed. It was now seen, however, that it was impossible to bring the question to a final decision in this session, for they who were interested in it affirmed that they had yet many important witnesses to introduce. Alderman Newnham, therefore, by the consent of Mr. Wilberforce, moved that "the further consideration of the subject be deferred to the next session."

At the next session, in January, 1790, Mr. Wilberforce carried a motion that witnesses should be examined in future in a committee-room, which should be open to all members. This was important, as the examinations otherwise might have taken up ten years. In the interim, Mr. Clarkson had again traversed the kingdom, and collected a respectable body of witnesses. He had visited over four hundred vessels. By the 20th of April, all the witnesses in favor of the trade had been examined, and an effort was made to have the case argued immediately, without hearing the evidence on the other side; but the eloquence of Wilberforce prevailed, supported powerfully by Pitt and Fox, and the witnesses for their side were also examined. The session closed before half the evidence deemed necessary was heard.

One circumstance occurred to keep up a hatred of the trade among the people in this interval, which, trivial as it was, ought not to be forgotten. The amiable poet Cowper had frequently made the slave-trade the subject of his contemplation. He had already severely condemned it in his valuable poem, The Task. But now he had written three little fugitive pieces upon it. Of these the most impressive was that which he called The Negro's Complaint, and of which the following is a copy: