How could Africa ever be civilized under it?  While we continued to purchase the natives, they must remain in a state of barbarism.  It was impossible to civilize slaves.  It was contrary to the system of human nature.  There was no country placed under such disadvantageous circumstances, into which the shadow of improvement had ever been introduced.

Great pains were taken to impress the house with the propriety of regulation.  Sir Grey Cooper; Aldermen Sawbridge, Watson, and Newnham; Mr. Marsham, and Mr. Cruger, contended strenuously for it, instead of abolition.  It was also stated that the merchants would consent to any regulation of the trade, which might be offered them.

In the course of the debate much warmth of temper was manifested on both sides.  The expression of Mr. Fox in a former debate, “that the Slave-trade could not be regulated, because there could be no regulation of robbery and murder,” was brought up, and construed by planters in the house as a charge of these crimes upon themselves.  Mr. Fox, however, would not retract the expression.  He repeated it.  He had no notion, however, that any individual would have taken it to himself.  If it contained any reflection at all, it was on the whole parliament, who had sanctioned such a trade.  Mr. Molyneux rose up, and animadverted severely on the character of Mr. Ramsay, one of the evidences in the privy council report, during his residence in the West Indies.  This called up Sir William Dolben and Sir Charles Middleton in his defence, the latter of whom bore honourable testimony to his virtues from an intimate acquaintance with him, and a residence in the same village with him, for twenty years.  Mr. Molyneux spoke also in angry terms of the measure of abolition.  To annihilate the trade, he said, and to make no compensation on account of it, was an act of swindling.  Mr. Macnamara called the measure hypocritical, fanatic, and methodistical.  Mr. Pitt was so irritated at the insidious attempt to set aside the privy council report, when no complaint had been alleged against it before, that he was quite off his guard, and he thought it right afterwards to apologize for the warmth into he had been betrayed.  The Speaker too was obliged frequently to interfere.  On this occasion no less than thirty members spoke.  And there had probably been few seasons, when so much disorder had been discoverable in that house.

The result of the debate was, a permission to those interested in the continuance of the Slave-trade to bring counsel to the bar on the twenty-sixth of May, and then to introduce such witnesses, as might throw further light on the propositions in the shortest time:  for Mr. Pitt only acquiesced in this new measure on a supposition, “that there would be no unnecessary delay, as he could, by no means submit to the ultimate procrastination of so important a business.”  He even hoped (and in this hope he was joined by Mr. Fox) that those concerned would endeavour to bring the whole of the evidence they meant to offer at the first examination.