As he had had occasion to advert to the Eastern part of the world, he would make an observation upon an argument, which had been collected from that quarter.  The condition of the Negros in the West Indies had been lately compared with that of the Hindoos.  But he would observe that the Hindoo, miserable as his hovel was, had sources of pride and happiness, to which not only the West Indian slave, but even his master, was a stranger.  He was to be sure a peasant; and his industry was subservient to the gratifications of an European lord.  But he was, in his own belief, vastly superior to him.  He viewed him as one of the lowest cast.  He would not on any consideration eat from the same plate.  He would not suffer his son to marry the daughter of his master, even if she could bring him all the West Indies as her portion.  He would observe too, that the Hindoo-peasant drank his water from his native well; that, if his meal were scanty, he received it from the hand of her, who was most dear to him; that, when he laboured, he laboured for her and his offspring.  His daily task being finished, he reposed with his family.  No retrospect of the happiness of former days, compared with existing misery, disturbed his slumber; nor horrid dreams occasioned him to wake in agony at the dawn of day.  No barbarous sounds of cracking whips reminded him, that with the form and image of a man his destiny was that of the beast of the field.  Let the advocates for the bloody traffic state what they had to set off on their side of the question against the comforts and independence of the man, with whom they compared the slave.

The amendment was supported by Sir William Yonge, Sir William Pulteney, Colonel Tarleton, Mr. Gascoyne, C. Brook, and Hiley Addington.  On dividing the House upon it, there appeared for it seventy-seven, but against it only seventy.

This loss of the question, after it had been carried in the last year by so great a majority, being quite unexpected, was a matter of severe disappointment; and might have discouraged the friends of the cause in this infancy of their renewed efforts, if they had not discovered the reason of its failure.  After due consideration it appeared, that no fewer than nine members, who had never been absent once in sixteen years when it was agitated, gave way to engagements on the day of the motion, from a belief that it was safe.  It appeared also, that out of the great number of Irish members, who supported it in the former year, only nine were in the House, when it was lost.  It appeared also that, previously to this event, a canvass, more importunate than had been heard of on any former occasion, had been made among the latter by those interested in the continuance of the trade.  Many of these, unacquainted with the detail of the subject, like the English members, admitted the dismal representations, which were then made to them.  The desire of doing good on the one hand, and the fear of doing injury on the other, perplexed them; and in this dubious state they absented themselves at the time mentioned.