HOUSE OF COMMONS. Friday, March 1. Williams's Divorce Bill was received from the Lords, and read a first time. 'Mr. Abbot rose to make his promifed motion refpecting the Committee on the Expiring and Expired Laws. He enumerated the many inconveniencies which arofe from permitting acts which had long expired to remain upon the Statute-book, and alfo the evils that might refult from inattention to the termination of many laws that it would be advantageous to continue. There were at prefent upon the Statute-book more than two hundred acts which had been entirely temporary; and if the various explanatory and fub, fidiary acts were taken into the calculation, they would fwell the number to nearly fix hundred-it must be obvious to every man how great must be the inconvenience, and the evil that must arife out of this monftrous multiplication, and how materially it must affect the operations of Government, the courfe of general and criminal law, and in general the whole adminiftration of justice. He needed not on the other fide remind the House of the eventual ill confequences that might enfue from neglecting the time fixed for the expiration of fome ftatutes. There was no law more important to the fecurity and welfare of the country than that which authorised his Majefty to fummon the Parlia ment, and call out the Militia in periods of national danger. Every one was fenfible of the happy effects that had refulted from the exercife of this power in the year 1794; and this very law had expired for feveral years before it was noticed. The principal ftatute also in the Bankrupt Code, was within a few days of expiring, when it was accidentally perceived at the close of the laft Seffion of Parliament. Great difficul ties had often occurred in State Profecutions from this neglect, and there was no doubt that profecutions had fometimes taken place and punishments been inflicted, which if the Statute Book had been explored, there would be found no law to fanction. It was therefore his with that fome guard might be adopted to prevent the recurrence of this evil, and in that with he would now move that a Committee be re-appointed to examine into the ftate of these laws; and that it be an instruction to the Committee to enquire what public general laws have expired during the twelve months preceding the prefent Seffion of Parliament; what laws are to expire during the twelve months fubsequent to the prefent Seffion, or in the next Seffion of Parliament, or at at the end thereof, and to report the fame, from time to time, to the Houfe, together with their opinion what laws. were fit to be revived and made perpetual. The Attorney General expreffed his opinion of the neceffity of this measure, and his fatisfaction at feeing it brought forward. The motion was then agreed to, and the Committee appointed. Mr. Abbot next moved, that the Report of the Committee on the Expiring Laws Bill, prefented to the House on the 17th of May, 1796, be referred to the faid Committee -Ordered-and alfo, that it be an inftruction to the Committee to enquire what Laws which were expiring have been made perpetual by acts of the prefent Seffion Agreed to, The Bill for regulating the time for the shooting of Partridges was read a fecond time. The report of the Committee on the Bill for raifing three millions by Exchequer Bills, was received, and the Bill was ordered to be read a third time on Monday the 4th of March. MESSAGE FROM HIS MAJESTY. The Chancellor of the Exchequer brought down the following Meffage from his Majefty: GEORGE R. His Majefty being defirous of making competent provifions for the honourable fupport and maintenance of his dearly beloved fons, Prince Edward and Frince Erneft Auguftus, which the monies applicable to the purposes of his Majefty's Civil Government would be infufficient to defray, and being alfo defirous of being able to extend to his beloved daughter the Princefs Amelia the provifion which he has been enabled to make out of the hereditary Revenue for the other branches of his Royal Family, defires the affiftance of Parliament for this purpofe, and his Majefty relies on the affection of his faithful Commons that they will make fuch provifion as the circumstances of the cafe may appear to require. G. R. The Meffage being read from the Chair, the Chancellor of the Exchequer moved, that it be referred to the Committee of Supply.-Agreed to. The Chancellor of the Exchequer then read a Claufe from the Land Tax Redemption Bill, by which all perfons poffeffing landed property are enabled to purchase their Land Tax, and he then moved that leave be given to bring in a Bill Bill to facilitate the Redemption of the Land Tax, for Bishops, Ecclefiaftical Dignitaries, and Corporations.— Granted. Mr. Dundas prefented a copy of the examinations taken at the Quarter Seffions for the county of Middlesex refpecting the treatment of certain perfons confined in the New Prifon at Cold Bath Fields.-Ordered to lie on the table. Mr. Burdon was glad to fee thefe papers now before the House, and gave notice that on Tuesday next he would move for the appointment of a felect Committee, to whom they fhould be referred. MAROONS. General Walpole moved, that an humble addrefs be prefented to His Majefty, praying that he would be graciously pleafed to give directions that there be laid before the Houfe, an account of the fums granted by the affembly of Jamaica for the fettlement of the Maroons in Novia Scotia.-Ordered. THE SLAVE TRADE. Mr. Wilberforce rofe to make his promifed motion for the abolition of the Slave Trade. He had already, he said, fo often detained the attention of the Houfe upon the motives and arguments which had induced him to take up the measure, the propriety of which, he was now again about to fubmit to them, that he was determined to give them as little unneceffary trouble as poffible on the prefent occafion. Indeed he felt great pain in addreffing the Houfe at all upon the fubject, for events had taken place fince he first agitated the question, which had entirely changed the mind and temper of many Gentlemen refpecting the propriety of the measure he had to propofe; it was now twelve years fince he first pointed out its neceflity-he was then liftened to with much attention, but from what had fince past, as often as the subject was brought before the House, he had but too much reason to fear that the attention at firit beftowed upon it, was attracted only by its novelty. Then the Houfe engaged with him in a long and laborious inveftigation of the grounds, upon the merits of which the queftion refted, and for his own part, he had devoted much time and labour to make that investigation as perfect as poffible, in the fond expectation that in time it would bring forth its due fruits, and that it would at length induce the House to a dereliction of that fyftem of iniquity which they have fo frequently acknowledged and condemned. They would fcarcely believe the teftimony of their own eyes and ears, ears, when they read or heard the enormities with which that system was accompanied and difgraced;-they have fince feverely fcrutinized every argument and every fact upon which the neceffity of the meafure was refted; and though fome Gentlemen differed in opinion respecting the time of putting it in force, and the greater or lefs degree in which it would affect the interests of the colonies, yet there appeared to be but one fentiment, with the exception of three or four Gentlemen, as to the propriety of abolishing this infamous traffic as foon as it was compatible with these interefts, or as foon as a fufficient number of flaves were imported, to enable the number now requifite to be kept up. The number then deemed fufficient was much short of what had fince been imported, and the trade was profecuted with as much ardour as ever. The period of 1796 at length arrived, when the trade, agreeable to the decision of the House, fhould be abolished; but what enfued? The opinion of the West India agents was confulted on the matter; it was fuppofed it was beft understood by them, and they oppofed the entire abolition: their opinion prevailed against the former determination of the Houfe; and, in fhort, the trade was not abolished. By thefe difappointments he was not deterred from following up what his confcience and his duty made it incumbent upon him to perform. He then felt it incumbent upon him to call upon the House, agreeably to their own refolution, to check that fcene of devaftation, which, under their own patronage, had extended itself far and wide. He brought forward the question in 1796, in 1797, in 1798, and it was with a heavy heart he had to obferve, that even now, in the fourth year after it was determined that the trade should cease, he faw himself much fallen back from the ftation which he firft occupied, and that his hopes were now lefs fanguine than before, that he should ever fee it abolished by the British Parliament. This, perhaps, might be an improper obfervation at the prefent moment, but it was extorted by the feelings of his own mind, and was not intended to offend that of any Gentleman. But what were now the fentiments of his adverfaries upon the bufinefs? do they not think it better to rely on the wifdom and prudence of the colonial affembly, who would endeavour to remove every objection, than to fix any precife period for abolishing the trade? For his part he was not in the dark with refpect to the wishes and intentions of the colonial affembly, and convinced he was that they had nothing lefs in view than that the trade fhould should go on till every acre now uncultivated in the West Indies was brought to a proper degree of cultivation.-Indeed others argued that it must be carried on as long as the interefts of those who have property in the West Indies were at stake, while others were not for such an indefinite term. These arguments were then opposed by him on the general and unalterable principles of the common nature of man. In the manner thefe Gentlemen treated the matter it was impoffible that they either could or would abolish the trade. The means they propofed to employ were wholly disproportionate to the end. They would still argue that fresh importations were neceffary to keep up their gang of flaves. But he would contend that this was not the fole object of fuch importations; but that the real object was to open new fources of cultivation. But at the time they were talking of introducing a fufficient number of flaves, it should have been recollected that above 700,000 acres cultivated, while the number of uncultivated were between two and three millions. Was the importation to be carried on regularly until the whole of that uncultivated? At least the quantity of land uncultivated was three times greater than that now acknowledged to be under cultivation. It was idle to fay, with the affembly of Jamaica, that due enquiry should be made into, and regulations adopted, refpecting the clothes, the food, the degree of correction, &c. which mafters should be bound and obliged to give their flaves-no fuch enquiry could poffibly take place, or fuch regulations enforced, in the domestic arrangements of any family. To attempt it were to attempt fomething more odious and invidious than a general excife. He would leave it to the judgment of any Gentleman, whether it was probable that the West India planters would voluntarily confent to have perfons coming to examine into the manner in which they fed and treated their flaves. It was a very current obfervation, that those in an arbitrary state who poffeffed power were more jealous of their freedom than perfons in any other fituation. It was an idea not to be borne a moment by any one who was acquainted with the feelings and nature of man. It was not therefore invidious in him to fay, that no Gentleman would be found to fubmit to it, even if they had the strongest inducements to bring them to fuch an acquiefcence. But, in the prefent cafe, had thofe more immediately concerned any fuch strong inducements to adopt such regulations?—Would it advance their interefts?-Would it fecure their profperity? No: they deprecated it as the greatest evil; they looked |