e not only to be maintained, but increased there, by natural population.
He agreed, too, as to the propriety of the abolition. But when his
honourable friend talked of direct and abrupt abolition, he would submit it
to him, whether he did not run counter to the prejudices of those who were
most deeply interested in the question; and whether, if he could obtain his
object without wounding these, it would not be better to do it? Did he not
also forget the sacred attention, which Parliament had ever shown to the
private interests and patrimonial rights of individuals?

Whatever idea men might then have of the African trade, certain it was that
they, who had connected themselves with it, had done it under the sanction
of Parliament. It might also be well worth while to consider (though the
conduct of other nations ought not to deter us from doing our duty) whether
British subjects in the West Indies might not be supplied with slaves under
neutral flags. Now he believed it was possible to avoid these objections,
and at the same time to act in harmony with the prejudices which had been
mentioned. This might be done by regulations, by which we should effect the
end much more speedily than by the way proposed. By regulations, he meant
such as would increase the breed of the slaves in the West Indies; such as
would ensure a moral education to their children; and such as would even in
time extinguish hereditary slavery. The extinction, however, of this was
not to be effected by allowing the son of an African slave to obtain his
freedom on the death of his parent. Such a son should be considered as born
free. He should then be educated at the expense of the person importing his
parents; and, when arrived at such a degree of strength as might qualify
him to labour, he should work for a term of years for the payment of the
expense of his education and maintenance. It was impossible to emancipate
the existing slaves at once; nor would such an emancipation be of any
immediate benefit to themselves: but this observation would not apply to
their descendants, if trained and educated in the manner he had proposed.

He would now address himself to those who adopted the opposite extreme: and
he thought he should not assume too much, when he said, that if both
slavery and the Slave-trade could be abolished with safety to their
property, it deeply concerned their interests to do it. Such a measure,
also, would only be consistent with the princi