y of our opponents, which we had looked upon as so great an evil,
proved in the end truly serviceable to our cause.

On going into the committee-room of the House of Commons on my return, I
found that the examinations were still going on in the behalf of those, who
were interested in the continuance of the trade; and they went on beyond
the middle of April, when it was considered that they had closed. Mr.
Wilberforce moved accordingly on the twenty-third of the same month, that
Captain Thomas Wilson, of the royal navy, and that Charles Berns Wadstrom
and Henry Hew Dalrymple, esquires, do attend as witnesses on the behalf of
the abolition. There was nothing now but clamour from those on the opposite
side of the question. They knew well, that there were but few members of
the House of Commons, who had read the privy council report. They knew
therefore, that, if the question were to be decided by evidence, it must be
decided by that, which their own witnesses had given before parliament. But
this was the evidence only on one side. It was certain therefore, if the
decision were to be made upon this basis, that it must be entirely in their
favour. Will it then be believed that in an English House of Commons there
could be found persons, who could move to prevent the hearing of any other
witnesses on this subject; and, what is more remarkable, that they should
charge Mr. Wilberforce, because he proposed the hearing of them, with the
intention solely of delay? Yes. Such persons were found, but, happily, only
among the friends of the Slave-trade. Mr. Wilberforce, in replying to them,
could not help observing, that it was rather extraordinary that they, who
had occasioned the delay of a whole year, should charge him with that, of
which they themselves had been so conspicuously guilty. He then commented
for some time on the injustice of their motion. He stated too, that he
would undertake to remove from disinterested and unprejudiced persons many
of the impressions, which had been made by the witnesses against 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 th