But it had been said, that the births and deaths in the islands were now equal; and, that therefore no further supply was wanted.  He denied the propriety of this inference.  The slaves were subject to peculiar diseases.  They were exposed also to hurricanes and consequent famines.  That the day, however, would come, when the stock there would be sufficient, no person who attended to the former part of his argument could doubt.  That they had gradually increased, were gradually, increasing, and would, by certain regulations, increase more and more, must be equally obvious.  But these were all considerations for continuing the traffic a little longer.

He then desired the House to reflect upon the state of St. Domingo.  Had not its calamities been imputed by its own deputies to the advocates for the abolition?  Were ever any scenes of horror equal to those which had passed there?  And should we, when principles of the same sort were lurking in our own islands, expose our fellow-subjects to the same miseries, who, if guilty of promoting this trade, had, at least, been encouraged in it by ourselves?

That the Slave-trade was an evil, he admitted.  That the state of slavery itself was likewise an evil, he admitted; and if the question was, not whether we should abolish, but whether we should establish these, he would be the first to oppose himself to their existence; but there were many evils, which we should have thought it our duty to prevent, yet which, when they had once arisen, it was more dangerous to oppose than to submit to.  The duty of a statesman was, to consider abstractedly what was right or wrong, but to weigh the consequences which were likely to result from the abolition of an evil, against those, which were likely to result from its continuance.  Agreeing then most perfectly with the abolitionists in their end, he differed from them only in the means of accomplishing it.  He was desirous of doing that gradually, which he conceived they were doing rashly.  He had therefore drawn up two propositions.  The first was, That an address be presented to His Majesty, that he would recommend to the colonial assemblies to grant premiums to such planters, and overseers, as should distinguish themselves by promoting the annual increase of the slaves by birth; and likewise freedom to every female slave, who had reared five children to the age of seven years.  The second was, That a bounty of five pounds per head be given to the master of every slave-ship, who should import in any cargo a greater number of females than males, not exceeding the age of twenty-five years.  To bring forward these propositions, he would now move that the chairman leave the chair.

Mr. Este wished the debate to be adjourned.  He allowed there ware many enormities in the trade, which called for regulation.  There were two propositions before the House:  the one for the immediate, and the other for the gradual, abolition of the trade.  He thought that members should be allowed time to compare their respective merits.  At present his own opinion was, that gradual abolition would answer the end proposed in the least exceptionable manner.