THE ROYAL SCOTTISH BURGH OF ELGIN’S COPY: An Act for the Abolition of the Slave Trade. 25th March 1807: Anno Quadregesimo Septimo Georgii III. Regis.

The first printing of one of the most important 19th century Acts of the British Parliament which ended the slave trade in 1807. The passing of this bill into law on 25 March 1807 marked a turning point in the campaign led by William Wilberforce against this cruellest of trades transporting human cargoes between Africa, the West Indies and the Americas. This imprint is bound up with the other Acts of Parliament for 1807 in a copy bound for and owned by the Royal Burgh and ‘Town of Elgin’ in Scotland, no doubt forming part of a uniformly bound run of Acts of Parliament maintained by the town authorities.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Small folio bound in speckled calf with red and black spine labels - a most attractive binding which remains sound. Several pencilled statements of the ownership of the ‘Town of Elgin’ together with volume numbers. Dustiness to endpapers, occasional spotting but a very good copy. Collates complete with indexes to the Acts preceding the imprints themselves: [16] pp 466 followed by [30] 578; pp14 (Royal College of Physicians Vaccination Reports). The Abolition Act occupies pp 315-326, showing a drophead title with the Royal Arms above a Latin statement giving the year of the reign of King George III and following on below the title and text of 'An Act for the Abolition of the Slave Trade. [25th March 1807]'.

Although the bill became law on the above date the trade was banned from the first of May of the same year when: 'the African Slave Trade, and all manner of dealing and trading in the Purchase, Sale, Barter, or Transfer of Slaves, or of Persons intended to be sold, transferred, used, or dealt with as Slaves, practised or carried on, in, at, to or from any Part of the Coast or Countries of Africa, shall be... utterly abolished, prohibited and declared to be unlawful'.