h
islands.

And this Order in Council paved the way for the total abolition. One of
the earliest proceedings of the new ministry was the introduction by the
Attorney-general, Sir Arthur Pigott, of a bill to extend and make it
perpetual; to forbid "the importation of African negroes by British
ships into the colonies conquered by or ceded to us in war; or into the
colonies of any neutral state in the West Indies. For at present every
state that had colonies in America or the West Indies, and that was not
actually at war with us, availed itself of the opportunity of British
shipping to carry on the trade." It was resisted as vehemently as any
former measure with the same object, and partly on the new ground that
it would in no degree stop the trade or diminish the sufferings of the
Africans, but would merely rob our ship-owners of their profits to
enrich the Americans. Mr. Rose, the member for Christchurch, who
advanced this argument, had been a friend of Pitt; yet, though he quoted
an instance of a single vessel having buried one hundred and fifty-two
slaves on one voyage, he was not ashamed to deprecate the bill, on the
plea that "the manufacturers of Manchester, Stockport, and Paisley would
be going about naked and starving, and thus, by attending to a supposed
claim for relief from a distant quarter, we should give existence to
much more severe distress at home." The bill, however, was carried in
both Houses, and received the royal assent. And Fox, who supported it
warmly in his speech on the third reading (one of the last speeches
which he ever addressed to the House), invited Wilberforce to regard it
as a stepping-stone to the total abolition of the trade, and as an
encouragement to renew his motion for that object; and, though he could
not promise him the support of the government as a government, he "could
answer for himself and many of his friends who held the highest and most
dignified stations in the other House of Parliament. They still felt the
question of the total abolition as one involving the dearest interests
of humanity, and as one which, should they be successful in effecting
it, would entail more true glory upon their administration, and more
honor upon their country, than any other transaction in which they could
be engaged."

Mr. Fox did not live to see the opening of another session; but, when
that time came, the position which he had taken up, that the measure of
which he had thus promoted the p