ABSTRACT
In the early years of the new century, national and international developments began to shift in favour of the abolition of the slave trade. Ireland was now represented in the British Parliament, and the new Irish Members had little interest in the slave trade. The West Indians were still complaining of debt but were taking no steps toward gradual abolition. After long warfare with France, Britain had gained control of the seas. Moreover, as Linda Colley points out in Britons, after Napoleon reintroduced slavery into the French Empire in 1802,
Supporting the cause of slaves became a means to uphold the reputation of the existing order against both radicals at home and the French enemy. 1
