The Debate On The Motion For The Abolition Of The Slave-Trade, On Monday And Tuesday, April 18 And 19, 1791. Abolitionism

First edition of this account of Wilberforce's second, abortive attempt to introduce an abolition bill in the House of Commons. The report includes an account of Wilberforce's famous four-hour speech in favour of abolition, while recording the contributions of such figures as Pitt the Younger and Charles James Fox. Since the founding of the Anti-Slavery Society in 1787, Parliament had debated many aspects of the slave trade and considered many abolitionist petitions, including Wilberforce's own 12 resolutions in 1789. In 1791, Wilberforce was better prepared than ever with the evidence submitted to parliamentary committees and the encouragement of the aged John Wesley. Despite this, the motion was ultimately defeated by 163 to 88 votes, largely due to fears over the French Revolution and Toussaint L'Ouverture's nascent slave revolt in Haiti. Goldsmiths' 14987. Octavo (209 x 127 mm). Modern black cloth, spine with paper label lettered in manuscript. Engraved headpiece. Bound with half-title. Twentieth-century engraved bookplate of "Ronald Hirst" to front pastedown. Small near-contemporary ink manuscript "3" to head of half-title. Light bumping, sunning, and rubbing, minor browning and foxing to endpapers and contents, neat paper repair to final leaf: a very good copy.