The minister, he hoped, who patronized this wild scheme, had some new pecuniary resource in store to supply the deficiencies it would occasion.
To the mercantile members he would speak thus: "A few ministerial men in the house had been gifted with religious inspiration, and this had been communicated to other eminent personages in it: these enlightened philanthropists had discovered, that it was necessary, for the sake of humanity and for the honour of the nation, that the merchants concerned in the African trade should be persecuted, notwithstanding the sanction of their trade by parliament, and notwithstanding that such persecution must aggrandize the rivals of Great Britain." Now how did this language sound?
It might have done in the twelfth century, when all was bigotry and superstition.

But let not a mistaken humanity, in these enlightened times, furnish a colourable pretext for any injurious attack on property or character.
These things being considered, he should certainly oppose the measure in contemplation.

It would annihilate a trade, whose exports amounted to eight hundred thousand pounds annually, and which employed a hundred and sixty vessels and more than five thousand seamen.

It would destroy also the West India trade, which was of the annual value of six millions; and which employed one hundred and sixty thousand tons of shipping, and seamen in proportion.

These were objects of too much importance to the country to be hazarded on an unnecessary speculation.
Mr.Grosvenor then rose.