The History of the Rise, Progress and Accomplishment of the Abolition of the African Slave Trade by the British Parliament (1808), Volume IIClarkson, Thomas
History
The History of the Rise, Progress and Accomplishment of the Abolition of the African Slave Trade by the British Parliament (1808), Volume II
Clarkson, Thomas
Slave trade -- Africa
That our acknowledgements are particularly due to William Wilberforce,
esquire, for his unwearied exertions to remove this opprobrium of our
national character; and to the right honourable William Pitt, and the right
honourable Charles James Fox, for their virtuous and dignified cooperation
in the same cause.
That the solemn declarations of these gentlemen, and of Matthew Montagu and
William Smith, esquires, that they will not relinquish, but with life,
their struggle for the abolition of the Slave-trade, are not only highly
honourable to themselves as Britons, as Statesmen, and as Christians, but
must eventually, as the light of evidence shall be more and more diffused,
be seconded by the good wishes of every man not immediately interested in
the continuance of that detestable commerce.
And, lastly, that anticipating the opposition they should have to sustain
from persons trained to a familiarity with the rapine and desolation
necessarily attendant on the Slave-trade, and sensible also of the
prejudices which implicitly arise from long-established usages, this
committee consider the late decision in the House of Commons as a delay,
rather than a defeat. In addressing a free and enlightened nation on a
subject, in which its justice, its humanity, and its wisdom are involved,
they cannot despair of final success; and they do hereby, under an
increasing conviction of the excellence of their cause, and inconformity to
the distinguished examples before them, renew their firm protestation, that
they will never desist from appealing to their countrymen, till the
commercial intercourse with Africa shall cease to be polluted with the
blood of its inhabitants.
These resolutions were published, and they were followed by a suitable
report.
The committee, in order to strengthen themselves for the prosecution of
their great work, elected Sir William Dolben, baronet, Henry Thornton,
Lewis Alexander Grant, and Matthew Montagu, esquires, who were members of
parliament, and Truman Harford, Josiah Wedgwood, jun. esquire, and John
Clarkson, esquire, of the royal navy, as members of their own body; and
they elected the Reverend Archdeacon Plymloy (now Corbett) an honorary and
corresponding member, in consequence of the great services which he had
rendered their cause in the shires of Hereford and Salop, and the adjacent
counties of Wales.
The several committees, established in the country, on receiving the
resolutions and report as before mentioned, testified their sympathy in
letters of condolence to that of London on the late melancholy occasion;
and expressed their determination to support it as long as any vestiges of
this barbarous traffic should remain.
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