the abolition; and he appealed to the justice and honour of the house in behalf of an injured people; under the hope, that they would not allow a decision to be made till they had heard the whole of the case.  These observations, however, did not satisfy all those, who belonged to the opposite party.  Lord Penrhyn contended for a decision without a moment’s delay.  Mr. Gascoyne relented; and said, he would allow three weeks to the abolitionists, during which their evidence, might be heard.  At length the debate ended; in the course of which, Mr. Pitt and Mr. Fox powerfully supported Mr. Wilberforce; when the motion was negatived without any attempt at a division.

The witnesses in behalf of the abolition of the Slave-trade now took possession of the ground, which those in favour of it had left.  But what was our surprise, when only three of them had been heard, to find that Mr. Norris should come forward as an evidence!  This he did to confirm what he had stated to the privy council as to the general question; but he did it more particularly, as it appeared afterwards, in the justification of his own conduct:  for the part, which he had taken at Liverpool, as it related to me, had become a subject of conversation with many.  It was now well known, what assistance he had given me there in my pursuit; how he had even furnished me with clauses for a bill for the abolition of the trade; how I had written to him, in consequence of his friendly cooperation, to come up as an evidence in our favour; and how at that moment he had accepted the office of a delegate on the contrary side.  The noise, which the relation and repetition of these and other circumstances had made, had given him, I believe, considerable pain.  His friends too had urged some explanation as necessary.  But how short-sighted are they who do wrong!  By coming forward in this imprudent manner, he fixed the stain only the more indelibly on himself; for he thus imposed upon me the cruel necessity of being examined against him; and this necessity was the more afflicting to me, because I was to be called upon, not to state facts relative to the trade, but to destroy his character as an evidence in its support.  I was to be called upon, in fact, to explain all those communications, which have been stated to have taken place between us on this subject.  Glad indeed should I have been to have declined this painful interference.  But no one would hear of a refusal.  The Bishop of London, Mr. Pitt, and Mr. Wilberforce, considered my appearance on this occasion as an imperious duty to the cause of the oppressed.  It may be perhaps sufficient to say, that I was examined; that Mr. Norris. was present all the time; that I was cross-examined by counsel; and that after this time, Mr. Norris seemed to have no ordinary sense of his own degradation; for he never afterwards held up his head, or looked the abolitionists in the face, or acted with energy as a delegate, as on former occasions.