Parliament until 1804, which was fixed upon for renewed exertions. A bill then passed the Commons, but was thrown out by the Lords.
However, in 1805 "an order in council prohibited the importation of negroes to the newly conquered colonies of the British Crown." Following this "Sir A. Pigott, the Attorney-General, as an officer of the Crown, brought in a bill on March 31, 1806, the first object of which was to give effect" to that order. The second object was "to prohibit British subjects from being engaged in importing slaves into the colonies of any foreign power." A third object was "to prohibit British subjects and British capital from being employed in carrying on a slave-trade in foreign ships," and to prevent foreign slavers fitting out in British ports. This bill, "the first which dismembered this cruel trade," passed the Commons at once, and the Lords on May 7th, when it was signed by the King. The triamph of Humanity was at hand. Parliament was dissolved in November, 1806, but public opinion had so far changed that Roscoe, a noted abolitionist, could be sent from Liverpool, the chief slaver port, to the new Parliament that was soon convened. It was a short-lived Parliament, but a bill was passed declaring that no vessel should clear out for slaves from any port within the British dominions after May 1, 1807, and that no slave should be landed in the colonies after March 1, 1808. It received the King's signature on March 25, 1807. The fight that was organized in 1787, when the abolitionists formed their society for outlawing the trade, was won.
This was not the first time that the trade had been prohibited by legal enactment in an English-speaking
