ch, and more
especially over religious opinions. Fox supported this view by weighty
arguments; but the motion was opposed by Pitt on the same ground as
before; and on a division it was lost by one hundred and twenty-two
against one hundred and two. On a subsequent clay, Lord Stanhope
introduced a bill into the house of peers for relieving all
nonconformists from the operation of the penal laws, and allowing them
free exercise of their faith in preaching and writing; papists only
being excepted on account of their persecuting spirit. Lord Stanhope
denounced these penal laws as a disgrace to our statute-books; but the
motion was opposed by Dr. Moore, Archbishop of Canterbury, and the
whole bench of bishops, as tending to unloose the bonds of society,
by substituting fanaticism for religious order and subordination, by
opening a door to licentiousness and contempt of Christianity, under
pretence of religious liberty; and as destructive to the Church of
England and the constitution, of which that church was a firm support.
The bill was rejected on the second reading; and another, which was
shortly after brought in by the same noble lord, to prevent suits in the
ecclesiastical courts for the recovery of tithes, shared the same fate.

SLAVE-TRADE QUESTION.

Since the last session the privy-council had been employed in
investigating facts concerning the slave-trade; and on the 12th of May
an elaborate report was laid upon the table of the house of commons,
together with petitions for and against that traffic. Mr. Wil-berforce
had recovered from his illness; and on his motion it was voted that
the report, with the petitions, should immediately be taken into
consideration by a committee of the whole house. In committee,
Wil-berforce moved twelve resolutions, condemnatory of the traffic and
the barbarous treatment of the African slaves, which he enforced by a
long and excellent speech; in which he considered the subject, first, on
the question of humanity, and next, on that of policy. From the evidence
before the council, it appeared that the number of slaves carried away
annually from Africa, on an average of four years, amounted 38,000.
These were chiefly brought from the interior of the country; and they
consisted of four classes: prisoners taken in war; persons seized for
debt or imputed crimes; domestic slaves, sold for the emolument of their
masters; and persons seized by violence or fraud. Mr. Wilberforce showed
th