His Majesty and his Government, under the advice of the Right Honourable William Pitt, First Lord of the Treasury and 'Prime Minister' of the United Kingdom, having taken into consideration the following:
That the commerce, known by the name of "the Slave Trade," has been considered, by just and enlightened men of all ages, as antithetical to the principles of humanity and universal morality, a traffic repugnant to the principles of natural justice of the age in which we live;
That the particular circumstances from which this commerce has originated, and the difficulty of abruptly arresting its progress, may have concealed, to a certain extent, what was odious in its continuance, but that at length the public voice, in all civilized countries, calls aloud for its prompt suppression;
That the General Peace which has now, by and large, fallen across the continent of Europe provides more than ample Opportunity for Peaceful and Productive Discourse between the Powers on Great Matters of State which concern us all;
And that since the character and the details of this traffic have become better known, and the evils of every kind which attend it, completely developed, several European governments have come to the resolution of putting a stop to it previously, and as such the time is just and right for the pressing of the issue in order to end the abominable practice.
With these considerations in mind, it is the aim therefore of His Majesty's Government to induce all the Powers of Christendom to proclaim the universal and definitive Abolition of the Slave Trade. We believe that the governments of the Civilised Powers cannot do greater credit to their mission, better fulfil their duty, and manifest the principles which actuate their august Sovereigns in the sight of Almighty God, than by endeavouring to carry this engagement into effect by proclaiming their wish of putting an end to a scourge, which has so long desolated Africa, degraded Europe, and afflicted humanity with a pestilence of sin and amorality.
We propose a solemn Declaration of the principles which will govern this undertaking; accordingly, being duly authorized for this purpose, by the unanimous accession of their respective Governments to the principle; which we will declare, in the face of Europe, that, considering the universal Abolition of the Slave Trade as a measure particularly worthy of their attention, conformable to the spirit of the times, and to the generous principles of their august Sovereigns, they are animated with the sincere desire of concurring in the prompt and effectual execution of this measure, by all the means at their disposal; and of acting, in the employment of these means, with all the zeal and perseverance which is due to so great and noble a cause.
The Parliament of the United Kingdom is presently considering legislation which will outlaw the Slave Trade throughout all the domains and territories of the British Empire, and provide a place which all English-speaking slaves, or those that aspire to enjoy the British tradition of liberty, may settle as their own country, under British protection. We believe that successively all the Powers, including possessing colonies in different parts of the world, must, for the sake of our very souls, in time acknowledge, either by legislative Acts, or by Treaties, or other formal engagements, acknowledge and carry out the duty and necessity of abolishing this vile and ignoble practice which debases us all, across the whole of this Globe.
We perceive, that however honourable and just Abolition may be, that this noble objective cannot and will not be attained without due regard to the interests, the habits, and even the prejudices of the rulers and subjects of the Powers in question. His Majesty's Government therefore acknowledges that this general Declaration cannot prejudge the period that each particular Power may consider as most advisable for the definitive Abolition of the Slave Trade.
Consequently, the determining the period when this trade is to cease universally must be a subject of negotiation between the Powers. It must be understood, however, that no proper means of securing its attainment or of accelerating its progress, in any particular and more limited area, are to be neglected; and that the engagement reciprocally contracted in the present Declaration, between the Powers who are parties to it, cannot be considered as completely fulfilled until the period when complete success shall have crowned their united efforts.
In communicating this Declaration to all civilized countries, His Majesty's Government hopes to prevail on every other Government to give them their support in this cause: the final triumph of which will be one of the noblest monuments of the age which embraced it, and which shall have brought it to a glorious termination.
William Wyndham Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
Member of the Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade
