It had been said, that there were no regulations in the West Indies for the protection of slaves.  There were several; though he was ready to admit, that more were necessary; and he would go in this respect as far as humanity might require.  He had passed ten months in Jamaica, where he had never seen any such acts of cruelty as had been talked of.  Those which he had seen were not exercised by the Whites, but by the Blacks.  The dreadful stories, which had been told, ought no more to fix a general stigma upon the planters, than the story of Mrs. Brownrigg to stamp this polished metropolis with the general brand of murder.  There was once a haberdasher’s wife (Mrs. Nairne) who locked up her apprentice girl, and starved her to death; but did ever any body think of abolishing haberdashery on this account?  He was persuaded the Negros in the West Indies were cheerful and happy.  They were fond of ornaments; but it was not the characteristic of miserable persons to show a taste for finery.  Such a taste, on the contrary, implied a cheerful and contented mind.  He was sorry to differ from his friend Mr. Wilberforce, but he must oppose his motion.

Mr. Pitt rose, and said, that from the first hour of his having had the honour to sit in parliament down to the present, among all the questions, whether political or personal, in which it had been his fortune to take a share, there had never been one in which his heart was so deeply interested as in the present; both on account of the serious principles it involved, and the consequences connected with it.

The present was not a mere question of feeling.  The argument, which ought in his opinion to determine the committee, was, that the Slave-trade was unjust.  It was therefore such a trade as it was impossible for him to support, unless it could be first proved to him, that there were no laws of morality binding upon nations; and that it was not the duty of a legislature to restrain its subjects from invading the happiness of other countries, and from violating the fundamental principles of justice.

Several had stated the impracticability of the measure before them.  They wished to see the trade abolished; but there was some necessity for continuing it, which they conceived to exist.  Nay, almost every one, he believed, appeared to wish, that the further importation of slaves might cease; provided it could be made out, that the population of the West Indies could be maintained without it.  He proposed therefore to consider the latter point; for, as the impracticability of keeping up the population there appeared to operate as the chief objection, he trusted that, by showing it to be ill founded, he should clear away all other obstacles whatever; so that, having no ground either of justice or necessity to stand upon, there could be no excuse left to the committee for resisting the present motion.