its guilt, before them. They would see now that no mitigations, no
palliatives, would either be efficient or admissible. Nothing short of an
absolute abolition could be adopted. This they owed to Africa: they owed
it, too, to their own moral characters. And he hoped they would follow up
the principle of one of the repentant African captains, who had gone before
the committee of privy council as a voluntary witness, and that they would
make Africa all the atonement in their power for the multifarious injuries
she had received at the hands of British subjects. With respect to these
injuries, their enormity and extent, it might be alleged in their excuse,
that they were not fully acquainted with them till that moment, and
therefore not answerable for their former existence: but now they could no
longer plead ignorance concerning them. They had seen them brought directly
before their eyes, and they must decide for themselves, and must justify to
the world and their own consciences the facts and principles upon which
their decision was formed.

Mr. Wilberforce having concluded his speech, which lasted three hours and a
half, read, and laid on the table of the house, as subjects for their
future discussion, twelve propositions, which he had deduced from the
evidence contained in the privy council report, and of which the following
is the abridged substance:

1. That the number of slaves annually carried from the coast of Africa, in
British vessels, was about 38,000, of which, on an average, 22,500 were
carried to the British islands, and that of the latter only 17,500 were
retained there.

2. That these slaves, according to the evidence on the table, consisted,
First, of prisoners of war; Secondly, of free persons sold for debt, or on
account of real or imputed crimes, particularly adultery and witchcraft; in