Mr. Grigby thought it his duty to declare, that no privy council report, or other mode of examination, could influence him.  A traffic in the persons of men was so odious, that it ought everywhere, as soon as ever it was discovered, to be abolished.

Mr. Bastard was anxious that the House should proceed to the discussion of the subject in the present session.  The whole country, he said, had petitioned; and was it any satisfaction to the country to be told, that the committee of privy council were inquiring?  Who knew anything of what was doing by the committee of privy council, or what progress they were making?  The inquiry ought to have been instituted in that House, and in the face of the public, that everybody concerned might know what was going on.  The numerous petitions of the people ought immediately to be attended to.  He reprobated delay on this occasion; and as the honourable baronet, Sir William Dolben, had stated facts which were shocking to humanity, he hoped he would move that a committee might be appointed to inquire into their existence, that a remedy might be applied, if possible, before the sailing of the next ships for Africa.

Mr. Whitbread professed himself a strenuous advocate for the total and immediate abolition of the Slave Trade.  It was contrary to nature, and to every principle of justice, humanity, and religion.

Mr. Pelham stated, that he had very maturely considered the subject of the Slave Trade; and had he not known that the business was in the hands of an honourable member, (whose absence from the house, and the cause of it, no man lamented more sincerely than he did,) he should have ventured to propose something concerning it himself.  If it should be thought that the trade ought not to be entirely done away, the sooner it was regulated the better.  He had a plan for this purpose, which appeared to him to be likely to produce some salutary effects.  He wished to know if any such thing would be permitted to be proposed in the course of the present session.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer said he should be happy, if he thought the circumstances of the house were such as to enable them to proceed to an immediate discussion of the question; but as that did not appear, from the reasons he had before stated, to be the case, he could only assure the honourable gentleman, that the same motives which had induced him to propose an inquiry into the subject early in the next session of parliament, would make him desirous of receiving any other light which could be thrown upon it.

The question having been then put, the resolution was agreed to unanimously.  Thus ended the first debate that ever took place in the Commons, on this important subject.  This debate, though many of the persons concerned in it abstained cautiously from entering into the merits of the general question, became interesting, in consequence of circumstances attending it.  Several rose up at once to give