Inquiry into the slave trade, 1792
| This evidence presented to the Lords of the Committee of Council
appointed for the 'consideration of all matters relating to trade
and foreign plantations' shows that in 1792 around 74,000 slaves were
being exported from Africa every year. British merchants were responsible
for exporting about 50% of these. William Wilberforce had tried to
introduce a Bill to abolish slavery in 1787 - unsuccessfully, because
at that time slaves were regarded as essential to the economic prosperity
of the Caribbean, where they worked on sugar and tobacco plantations. HLRO Main Papers (3 May 1792) |
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