le it would be to his cause. This motion, however,
produced a debate and a division, in which it appeared that there were one
hundred and fifty-eight in favour of it, and twenty-eight against it. The
business of the day now commenced. The house went into a committee, and Sir
William Dolben was put into the chair. Mr. Serjeant Le Blanc was then
called in. He made an able speech in behalf of his clients; and introduced
John Barnes, esquire, as his first witness, whose examination took up the
remainder of the day. By this step they, who were interested in the
continuance of the trade, attained their wishes, for they had now got
possession of the ground with their evidence; and they knew they could keep
it, almost as long as they pleased, for the purposes of delay. Thus they,
who boasted, when the privy council examinations began, that they would
soon do away all the idle tales, which had been invented against them, and
who desired the public only to suspend their judgment till the report
should come out, when they would see the folly and wickedness of all our
allegations, dared not abide by the evidence, which they themselves had
taught others to look up to as the standard by which they were desirous of
being judged: thus they, who had advantages beyond measure in forming a
body of evidence in their own favour, abandoned that, which they had
collected. And here it is impossible for me not to make a short comparative
statement on this subject, if it were only to show how little can be made
out, with the very best opportunities, against the cause of humanity and
religion. With respect to ourselves, we had almost all our witnesses to
seek. We had to travel after them for weeks together. When we found them,
we had scarcely the power of choice. We were obliged to take them as they
came. When we found them, too, we had generally to implore them to come
forward in our behalf. Of those so implored three out of four refused, and
the plea for this refusal was a fear lest they should injure their own
interests. The merchants, on the other hand, had their witnesses ready on
the spot. They had always ships in harbour containing persons, who had a
knowledge of the subject. They had several also from whom to choose. If one
man was favourable to their cause in three of the points belonging to it,
but was unfavourable in the fourth, he could be put aside and replaced.
When they had thus selected them, they had not to entreat, but to command,