The Court was very much crowded : the novelty of the case produced a general and lively interest. Mr. Samo, on his arraignment, seemed deeply affected; he pleaded Not Guilty.
Mr.Biggs stated the case on the part of the Crown.
My Lord, and Gentlemen of the Jury, This is an indictment against Samuel Samo for feloniously dealing in slaves, in direct violation of an act of parliament passed in the fifty-first year of the reign of his present Majesty, for the more effectually abolishing the slave trade. The cause is, indeed, one of the most important, both in itself and its consequences, that hath occupied the public attention at any period in the nineteenth century. It is not merely the interests of an individual, a village, a city, a country, or a single kingdom, which this case is calculated to effect; but it embraces the essential concerns of one quarter of the globe we inhabit, and involves the security and morals, the happiness and liberty, of millions yet to live. Under circumstances of this vast magnitude, my Lord, and Gentlemen of the Jury, I feel confident, however deficient I may be in eloquence, your indulgence and. your duty will afford me a patient hearing throughout the laborious investigation into which I shall be obliged to enter. In a cause to be tried before a Court so high and learned, and a jury and audience so respectable, I could wish, for the renown of this case, that the prosecution of it had fallen into the hands of some one of those eminent luminaries of the British bar, who are highly distinguished for eloquence to persuade and knowledge to convince. But, since the task has devolved on me, I shall endeavour to make up for fluency by zeal, and for oratory by fact. My Lord, and Gentlemen of the Jury, a combination, of fortunate and singular circumstances has put we in possession of events and information relative to the
