On the day appointed, the house met for the purposes now specified; when Alderman Newnham, thinking that such an important question should not be decided but in a full assembly of the representatives of the nation, moved for a call of the house on that day fortnight.  Mr. Wilberforce stated that he had no objection to such a measure; believing the greater the number present the more favourable it would be to his cause.  This motion, however, produced a debate and a division, in which it appeared that there were one hundred and fifty-eight in favour of it, and twenty-eight against it.  The business of the day now commenced.  The house went into a committee, and Sir William Dolben was put into the chair.  Mr. Serjeant Le Blanc was then called in.  He made an able speech in behalf of his clients; and introduced John Barnes, esquire, as his first witness, whose examination took up the remainder of the day.  By this step they, who were interested in the continuance of the trade, attained their wishes, for they had now got possession of the ground with their evidence; and they knew they could keep it, almost as long as they pleased, for the purposes of delay.  Thus they, who boasted, when the privy council examinations began, that they would soon do away all the idle tales, which had been invented against them, and who desired the public only to suspend their judgment till the report should come out, when they would see the folly and wickedness of all our allegations, dared not abide by the evidence, which they themselves had taught others to look up to as the standard by which they were desirous of being judged:  thus they, who had advantages beyond measure in forming a body of evidence in their own favour, abandoned that, which they had collected.  And here it is impossible for me not to make a short comparative statement on this subject, if it were only to show how little can be made out, with the very best opportunities, against the cause of humanity and religion.  With respect to ourselves, we had almost all our witnesses to seek.  We had to travel after them for weeks together.  When we found them, we had scarcely the power of choice.  We were obliged to take them as they came.  When we found them, too, we had generally to implore them to come forward in our behalf.  Of those so implored three out of four refused, and the plea for this refusal was a fear lest they should injure their own interests.  The merchants, on the other hand, had their witnesses ready on the spot.  They had always ships in harbour containing persons, who had a knowledge of the subject.  They had several also from whom to choose.  If one man was favourable to their cause in three of the points belonging to it, but was unfavourable in the fourth, he could be put aside and replaced.  When they had thus selected them, they had not to entreat, but to command, their attendance.  They had no fear, again, when they thus commanded, of a refusal on the ground of interest; because these were promoting