1792 opened, as we would fain have our financial years open now-a-days, with an increase of revenue over the preceding year of £300,000, and a surplus of more than £900,000, besides paying the annual million in reduction of the national debt. Pitt repealed £200,000 of burdensome taxes, added £400,000 to the million to extinguish the debt, and discreetly kept the balance in hand for eventualities. Trade had vastly increased, as we may see from the following figures:—In 1783 the exports were valued at £14,741,000; and, in 1791, they had risen to £20,120,000.
On 2nd April, the House of Commons being in Committee, Mr. Wilberforce again brought forward the question of the slave trade, and, after an eloquent speech, wound up with the motion:—"That it is the opinion of the Committee, that the trade carried on by British subjects, for the purpose of procuring slaves from Africa, ought to be abolished." After a debate, Mr. Secretary Dundas moved as an amendment, to insert the word "gradually" immediately before the word "abolished."
This was carried by a majority of 68, and the motion, so altered, being put, the numbers were—Ayes, 230; Noes, 85—majority for the motion, 145. The Chairman was then ordered to move the House for leave to bring in a Bill, pursuant to the said resolution.
England could not but be affected by the French Revolution. At the commencement of the movement there was some sympathy shown by the Whigs to a people who were struggling to free themselves from the trammels of despotism, but that sympathy rapidly grew cold, and faded, on witnessing the excesses committed by the people of Paris, and some other large cities, until the capture, and imprisonment of the Royal family, turned it to absolute loathing, and hatred.
There was great uneasiness throughout the country as to whether the tide of anarchy might not reach us, especially as numbers of fugitives were daily reaching our shores. Take, for example, two instances quoted in the Annual Register, both of the date 12th September:—
"Southampton.—One Ayland, a fisherman of Hamble, a village about seven miles from Southampton, was fishing for lobsters on the coast of France on Thursday last, and had taken in about half his cargo, when he espied two boats full of men, seemingly in great distress; on which he bore down, and received them on board. They had swam to their boats to get away from the coast, and many of them were much bruised and pelted with stones by others on shore. They begged the fisherman to land them somewhere in England, to prevent their being murdered; which he promised to do, and offered them subsistence till he had completed his lading. They represented the danger of being intercepted, if he did not immediately proceed to sea, and offered him any sum he should ask, to land them as soon as possible. He waived his own interest, set sail, and landed them at the above village; but with a spirit of humanity, which does honour to human nature, he absolutely refused any reward whatever, although he had not completed his fishing, which is the maintenance of his family."
"Lewes.—Upwards of 500 unfortunate emigrants were, last week, landed on our coast, who have had the fury of the elements to contend with, after escaping that of their countrymen. The Brighton packets, heavily laden with them, were driven by the winds far eastward off their usual track, and with difficulty made Hastings, Pevensey, and Eastbourne. At the former place, on Wednesday morning, 76, all ecclesiastics, came on shore, among whom were the Bishop of Auvranches, the Dean of Rouen, and several other dignitaries. The Bishop with great difficulty escaped from Auvranches by the assistance of one of his grand vicars, who, with domestics, accompanied him to Rouen, where they were for some days concealed. The populace having again discovered them, they were again obliged to travel on foot, in disguise, to Dieppe. They arrived in the night, took refuge a few hours in an hotel; and, at the time appointed for the departure of the packet, ran to the sea side, and, it providentially being high water, were enabled to get out of reach of the rabble, who, in one minute after, pursued them to the shore."
Take again an extract or two from the St. James's Chronicle of 11-13th September 1792. "Between daybreak and eight o'clock yesterday morning, thirteen broad-wheeled waggons, crowded with French emigrants, passed through the Borough. During the night, and the whole of yesterday forenoon, waggons, carts, and chaises, and carriages of almost every other description, continued arriving in town with emigrants, by way of Westminster, Blackfriars, and London Bridges."
"It is a known fact, that upwards of forty thousand French men, women, and children, are at this moment in England: two-thirds of them of the lowest class, who, taking advantage of the convulsed state of their native country, come over under the plausible title of exiled aristocrats."
"There are three powerful reasons why the very great number of arrivals here from France should excite the immediate attention of Government. One, that it may occasion a rapid rise in the price of provisions, already at a height that occasions much complaint among the lower orders of people. Second, lest under the appellation of fugitives, a multitude of insidious and evil-designing persons should intrude themselves, with the intention of raising similar disturbances in this kingdom. Third, lest it should be the means of introducing a great number of rascals, thieves, and villains, who are always cowards, and cannot have principle enough to take any side; these, therefore, are the first to run. An inundation of them, added to the bad among our own people, might not only render private property very precarious, but even prove dangerous to the state."