These motions having been severally agreed to, the house immediately resolved itself into a committee of the whole house, and Sir William Dolben was put into the chair.

Mr. Wilberforce began by declaring, that, when he considered how much discussion the subject, which he was about to explain to the committee, had occasioned not only in that house but throughout the kingdom, and throughout Europe; and when he considered the extent and importance of it, the variety of interests involved in it, and the consequences which might arise, he owned he had been filled with apprehensions, lest a subject of such magnitude, and a cause of such weight, should suffer from the weakness of its advocate; but when he recollected that in the progress of his inquiries he had every where been received with candour, that most people gave him credit for the purity of his motives, and that, however many of these might then differ from him, they were all likely to agree in the end, he had dismissed his fears and marched forward with a firmer step in this cause of humanity, justice and religion.  He could not, however, but lament that the subject had excited so much warmth.  He feared that too many on this account were but ill prepared to consider it with impartiality.  He entreated all such to endeavour to be calm and composed.  A fair and cool discussion was essentially necessary.  The motion he meant to offer was as reconcileable to political expediency as to national humanity.  It belonged to no party-question.  It would in the end be found serviceable to all parties; and to the best interests of the country.  He did not come forward to accuse the West India planter, or the Liverpool merchant, or indeed any one concerned in this traffic; but, if blame attached any where, to take shame to himself, in common indeed with the whole parliament of Great Britain, who, having suffered it to be carried on under their own authority, were all of them participators in the guilt.

In endeavouring to explain the great business of the day, he said he should call the attention of the house only to the leading features of the Slave-trade.  Nor should he dwell long upon these.  Every one might imagine for himself, what must be the natural consequence of such a commerce with Africa.  Was it not plain that she must suffer from it? that her savage manners must be rendered still more ferocious? and that a trade of this nature, carried on round her coasts, must extend violence and desolation to her very centre?  It was well known that the natives of Africa were sold as goods, and that numbers of them were continually conveyed away from their country by the owners of British vessels.  The question then was, which way the latter came by them.  In answer to this question the privy council report, which was then on the table, afforded evidence the most satisfactory and conclusive.  He had found things in it, which had confirmed every proposition he had maintained before, whether this proposition