The noble lord had also said, that the planters were against the abolition,
and that without their consent it could never be accomplished. He differed
from him in both these points: for, first, he was a considerable planter
himself, and yet he was a friend to the measure: secondly, by cutting off
all further supplies, the planters would be obliged to pay more attention
to the treatment of their slaves, and this treatment would render the trade
unnecessary.
The noble earl had asserted also, that the population in the West Indies
could not be kept up without further importations; and this was the opinion
of the planters, who were the best judges of the subject. As a planter he
differed from his lordship again. If indeed all the waste lands were to be
brought into cultivation, the present population would be insufficient. But
the government had already determined, that the trade should not be
continued for such a purpose. We were no longer to continue pirates, or
executioners for every petty tyrant in Africa, in order that every holder
of a bit of land in our islands might cultivate the whole of his allotment;
a work, which might require centuries.
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