Star. — London, England, 1824-03-17 00:00:00

suc h a term the future. ermanence. of slaVery!—Weai-, guar!) If he were to be asked on the one hand whether he was disposed to advocate the continuance of slavery, he s!rould certainly reply No; if required to give his q v "on as to the propriety of an immediate emancipa tion, or icotispelled to choose between those two dif ficulties, he did not know whether lie should not choose to r emain where they were. Such, however, wits not pow the case. There was between those two extreme points a debateable ground for discussion. He looked confidently to such an improvement in the slaws them selves, that the station of slavery would of itself expire. - Ile was encouraged to do so from looking at the for merly servile state of all those countries in Europe which now had risen to the highest pitch of civilisation and liberty by the gradual operation of a variety of causes, which it was not inconsistent to expect would 'operate in the case of the population or these Colonies, 2$ well as in the cases of the population of Con tiaental Europe. For such a change he should pre fer to look to the gradual operation of the light of reason, rather than the coercion of authority—Wear!) The papers which he had submitted to the House were partly representations from the West India colonists, partly a statement of what had been done by the Go vernments there in order to further the Resolutions of this House last year. The former of these he should, pass by for the present, and proceed to state that the' constitution or condition of these colonies was two-fold; the smallest of them being subject to the Crown of Great Britain, and governed without the intervention of any Legislative Bodies of their own ; the larger being assimi lated in their form of government to the mother coun try, by each having a Legislature of its own. These Legislative Bodies were, as was usual in -most cases of a similar nature, exceedingly jealous of any,approvalur interference in their affairs on the part of the Legisla tive Body-in the mother country. In the course of the last year this jealousy had been awakened in some parts of the West Indies, In consequence of the Government at home being instigated to try the experiment of i-m -prcving the condition of the slave population, by such means as were in their power, in those islands where it was well known they had the most direct influence: those islands were Trinidad, Demerara, and St. Luck. Of these islands, that which seemed most eligible for experiment was that in which the Slave Code was already least objectionable. The degrees of superiority in which the Slave Code of each of those islands stood were—first Trinidad, next St. Lucie, and lastly, De merara-the Spanish , Code being confessedly the best, the French next, and the Dutch the least favour able to the comforts and amelioration of their slaves.— One great object to be obtained;was to excite a desire in the Colonists to improve the condition of their slaves yoloutatily. By amending the condition of the slaves in those Colonies more directly subject to the influence of his Majesty's Government, in consequence of being governed by the King, without the interference of a local Legislature, it was expected that those Colonies or !lands differently circumstanced would be influenced nr encouraged to amend the condition of .their own s:ave population, if the experiment tried by the British Government should prove successful enough to warrant their adopting similar resolutions and conduct. It Was new twenty years since he had supported the proposi tion for trying the experiment in the Island of Trinidad, as bePrig the Island most faiourably circumstanced for that furpose. The motion he then made had reference to the state of the Island. of Trinidad alone. At the ' , articular time at which it was brought forward, from the peculiar nature of existing circumstances, it pro duced no practical effect, nor did he entertain very san guine expectations that it should, but it VG at least so far useful as to draw the attention of the House to the importance of reserving that Island as a theatre, on , rrhich, at a future period, to try the experiment of anse !rotating the condition of the slave. ' It was upon this basis his Majesty's Government proposed to act, as it presented facilities not afforded by the other Islands. An Order in Council had therefore been framed, di recting the local government of Trinidad to take mea sures for effecting various ameliorations with respect to the slave population under their controul. He would now shortly state to the House the different arrange ments which, with a view to these ameliorations, it was proposed to introduce, arid he requested they would, while he made this statement, bear in mind what had been dwelt upon last Session, by those who took the greatest interest in the discussion, as the most desirable objects to be accomplished.' They could not fail 'to ob serve that some. of the objects here recommended had been anticipated to a degree even far beyond what the House then expected. The first arrangement in order, as in importance, had reference to a practice so loudly and so justly censured, as shocking in itself, and rept& sive to the best feelings of nature, the,practice of female chastisement with the whip—(Hear). Directions were given that it should beentirelyand immediately abolished. He was bound in justice to say, that the abolition of a practice so inhuman received the sanction of the West India body at a public meeting which took place last, year. They subscribed a declaration acknowledging the justice and the impottance of the measure, as the first step towards anything like effectual improvement. The next in order, was a prohibition to abstain from the use of the whip in the field, as a mean of stimulating the male slaves to labour ; from such a use of it as must have the effect of utterly degrading the unfortunate ob jects of such punishment in their own minds, of with drawing every generous and rational motive of action, and placing them on a level with the brute creation. It was net to be applied immediately and directly, as ca price or passion ;night suggest, but under regulations that must alter entirely the nature, and, be had no doubt, the effects of the punishment. A distinction was made betweets the instrument and the mode of applica tion—between the effect to be produced when applied ender proper regulations, to the reasoning faculties of the Man, aid applied as if to the brute that had no reasoning powers. With respect to the female slave, hoa ever, even this distinction did not exist :it was abolish 'd ''''ti'relYi so far as they were concerned. As regarded Ise niale, it was restricted by regulations both as to a. mouia, delay, an d w i tnesses b e f ore w h om i t w a s to be Inflicted. It was also provided that a record should be kept of what had been done in every instance where pu nisi:molt was inflicted. Under these regulations the whip might be applied as an i nstrument o f punishment, but in no circumstances as a stimulus to labour in the field. By this m eans t h e negro would be - raised from that * state o f d egradationirt which lie hefore - lited, being subject at 3 nY moment of life to be treated like the lowest brute. '.1..a,.: !rest point w as one o f t h e titmast importance—re i gions instruction and worship. ‘Vitis a view to these "teat ends, it' Was intended to widen the Ecclesiasticid saabiishment, on the. sate basis on which it hitherio sziatal in the West India Islands, without, lioweie'r; a i . ';: , .-ile of exclusion. It was proposed to widen it on 'the foundation of the Established did 'eh, the superin tendence and discipline to -be lodge I where it was lodged in this country. With religioui worship it was proposed to combine religious instruction. This was not the proper time for entering into the details of the subject; but . every person must see that it was of the utmost importance to tender the slave capable of re ceiving other benefits and of justly appreciating them when received. It Would be an injustice to the West India interest in England not to say that this part of the subject had been fully and zealously entered into Is/ them last year••; that it had been clearly explained, and measures adopted in mole than one of the Colonies. After religion and religious instruction, naturally came those considerations which regarded the obligations and the charities of private life. The encouragement of mar riage was strictly enjoined. The ar?angements on this. head also were in accordance ssith the wishes of the West India planters, and they had ,in many instances spewed a disposition to forward as much as possible so desirable an objeCt. • Growing out of marriage were all those charities of private life, ; all those tender relations the preservation•of which was so important. it was, there fore proposed, that in any alteration of pi operty, in trans ferring an estate from one person to another, families should not be torn asunder. The husband and wife, the child and the parent, were not to be separated—(Hear, hear).—Out of the charities and relations of private life grew another consideration, next to them in importance —the acquisition and securing of property. It was the power of transmitting it to those whom nature placed in the closest relation that gave to property its highest value. It was intended to secure to the slave by law what was now respected a; his by custom. .Though custom produced the same results, and no instances of violation occurred as far as he could learn, still it seas evident that the effect on the feeling and motel cha racter must be widely different. After the acquisition of property, naturally came a consideration of those means by which the power of enjoying it might be con feried. With that view it was proposed to introduce into the West India Islands those institutions which in other countries were only the result of ages of civiliza tion and successful industry ; he meant banks, with the advantage of a watchful. notoriety to secure the slave in his property. When by means like these new ideas were instilled into the mind of the slave—when he was lifted from the degrading level of the brute—when he was taught "Acclumque tueri, Jussit et erectos ad sidera tollere yultus;" when he came to feel all the charities of kipdred—to enjoy in full force the tender relations of husband and parent; the power of acquiring and transmitting pro perty, and the blessing of enjoying it; when by these means his mind and faculties were gradually raised and improved ; then, indeed, could the subject of his eman cipation be considered either with justice to himself or with any hope of a prosperous result. Another point to which the attention of Government had been di rected, was the admissibility of the slave to give evi dence in Courts of Justice. It would be as wild and impracticable to say that such evidence should be ad mitted upon all-occasions, and in all cases, as it would be unjust to say that upon all occasions it must be ex eluded. The slave was not fit under existink"citcOrP tances to be admitted to so important a privilege With out distinction. His mind might be said to be in a state of infancy, and. even in this country infants were not admitted to give-te-stimuny in a Court of Justice, unless , previous inquiry, chewed that they entertained •some sense of the sacred _obligation of an oath, unless it ap peared that education had fenced their minds with the guards which religion sets up against the assertion of falsebool It was, however, thought that it might lead to highly beneficial consequences, if those under whose instructive care the Negroes were plated , should;have the power of certifying generally, not With iletfliii.ente'to any particular trial, that a slave had made such ad vances in moral improvement as to be cognisant of the nature of an oath, and that those who had made such advanfes s h ould be considered something in the light of a privileged class. Something like an object of ambi tion would thus be established ; something to excite in the mind of the unfortunate slave a species of desire, the influence of which he never felt before; something to excite feelings of emulation, and to confer distinction among his fellow slaves—(Hear, hear). His fitness for giving testimony in a Court was AP to be judged by the examination of the moment, by questions put upon the particular occasion, but by the fact of his having been previously certified by his instructor as one of the class who bad made such advances in moral and reli gious feeling as to be sensible of the obligation of an loath. It was here again but justice to the West India interests to say that already in many of the Colonies, Barbadoes, Trinidad, St. Lucia, and other islands, slaves were qualified to give s evidenee under certain regula tions. Another thing .which, in connection with the points before touched upon, could not fail to tend power fully to the religious improvement of the Negroes, was . the abolition of Sunday markets. • These it was evident must operate strongly against their advancement in 1 moral instruction. The abolition of these markets was recommended unanimously by that highly respectable l body to which he had occasion to advert so often.— , They granted also such facilities for manumission as deserved the applause of all who had at heart the in terest of so large a class of their fellow-creatures. With that view the taxes on manumission had been taken away in some of the islands, and in others a disposition had been manifested to consider the whole question with a view to the adoption of beneficial arrangement. — It formed part of the Order in Council, that the subject should be pushed further; and with this view, it was prescribed that any Negro who acquired property should, under proper gum ds, be entitled to purchase his own freedom and that also of his wife and children. Ile had now stated the general regulations of the Order in Council, applicable however, solely to the Island of Trinidad. He was aware that at present strong pre judices prevailed upon the suhject of granting generally to slaves the right of purchasing their freedom. It was not however unknown. It existed at 5.... Kites, and by usage at Trinidad. Wishing to deal with this impoi tans subject as consistently with experience and existing regulations as possible, it was not the wish of Government to have recourse to dangezons and untried experiments; but he thought himself well founded in saying, that no amelioration 'was im practicable of wkich there existed a single voluntary instance' throughout the whale of the Colonies.— It was important to ascertain by experiment in the only case that was completely open to them, that was in the island.of Trinidad, the whole mass of good thAt might, be accomplished by brining to bear upoit it all the scattered regulations which were found to exist through but the colonic:. -While these regulations afforded the imean's or making . such an expet intent, they wire', at the sa ine. time, an entire , to; theatsittioni wbich wata ditto rbeestoshjOercthteed ne thtt r° tb b ey 7 t li e d W no est t so loudly Mad e . of a geaeral abandonment of the hue- India Society. It might go far enough ; but it was judged more w i se , more consistent with sound policy, more conducive even to the interests of the slave, to make ari effort towards gradual improvement, to come forward with regulations which had, even in one in- Koine, the recommendation of successful trial, than to risk the danger of failure by an attempt to effect too, much. The abolition of the whip, as affected the fe male; the prohibition of its use in the field as a stimulus to labour, with regard to the male; the important re strictions imposed on the use of it whenever it was to be applied as a punishment; religious and moral in struction, the encouragement of marriage, the abolition of Sunday markets, the acquisition and security of pro. perty by law, the adruission of the shee to the purchase of his own freedom and that of his wife and children, the prohibition against the violation of all the most ten der charities and endearments of life, by separating the husband from the wife, and the parent from the child such were the regulations which the Order in Council went to establish in the island of Triaidad.—(llear)..- . -- With respect to the purchase or ft eedom, he wa . § fully aware that though'they might go beyond the wishes of the West India body, they fell very far short of the de sires expressed by another party. If he slid not mistake, the Hon. Gentleman opposite (Nlr.Taslor, we believe) said he was disposed to go further, and to emancipate the children to be born of the present race of Neer oss, who existed in bondage throughout- the We.t India Islands. According us all the roost obvious principles of legislation, to enact liberty far a ri,ing generation was to risk an experiment likely to besprosinctive of the least good for the present, and pregnant with tl.e nro_:t serious evils for the future. The Hon. GeralLman he understood was not prepared to enact emancipation fOr the existing generation. To let in the full light of free dom on-the eyes of the slave before the scales of bondage had fallen off, before his mind had been prepared for so vast a change by religious, and moral, and social feel ings—by a sente of his importance as a human being-T. by the proud consciousness of his capacity to acquire and to transmit his acquisitions to those who came after him—would be to hold out an - object he could not appreciate, an object his mina could not • by possi bility grasp; but like the child who reached at some thing inaccessible, the distance of which it had not or, gans sufficiently mature to calculate— (Ilear, hear). But it was proposed to emancipate the future genera-, tion. Nothing could be more unwise, more injui lois to the parent as well as the child. Must it not be galling to the former to be told that his child was to have what he himself had perhaps long thought of and laboured for in vain ? Would it not be far the safer, the better, and even the more humane mode .to adopt such reguhasioa as would have the effect of making the parent, at some future period, instrumental in bri iging about the free doni of his child—Weary—by permitting him to pur chase it when he should have acquired sufficient pro perty ? thus precluding, he would not say the feeling of envy on the part of the parent, but at least of feelings which were anything else than what a parent should en tertain towards his offspring. It would be much safer and better-to extend in this way the blessing of liberty, .than if it were to be given as the boon of a sudden en-' actment. They must deal with the Negro as with the infant—accustom him by degrees to the proper use of his powers. But :o turn him loose, before he was pre pared, from all restraint—to give tip his physical strength to the unresisted sway of malignant passions and untutored reason, would be to create something like that Being of romance • who, clothed with flesh, and muscle, and nerves, but not informed with the high prerogative of . reason .40. regulate and direct his strength—the person who could create such a being found that he only raised up .a giant, before whose tremendous powers he himself recoiled—(Hear, hear). Such would be the effect of giving freedom to slaves before their mental organs were formed to see, or their perceptions to appreciate it. He knew there were those whose enthusiasm in the cause of these unhappy beings would willingly outstrip what must appearlo them but art indecisive step, who said that such a course required time. To be sure it did require time:—to be sure every such improvement must-(Hear, What.was it they had to contend with? Was it a thing of yester day No ;- it was the growth of a century—it was the growth of ten centuries—a state coeval with the Deluge —that existed with every war Which afflicted the world since man was man. Did they recollect that they were the only country which for centuries before had meddled with the subject? and was it to -be thoeght that they could destroy by a single blow so extended a system, and not rather eye with patience the progress of an ex periment for a gradual improvement? The regulations which he had endeavoured to put the House in posses sion of'were about to be applied to one of the islands; but the same iystern would be applied to St. Lucia' ' also. The difference between the two was this—that in Trinidad they had. the foundation of the Spanish law to work upon, and in St. Lucia, that of the Dutch. It might be extended to Demerara but for circumstances which must strike every lion. Gentleman's mind. The ques6on now arose, what was likely to be the effect on the other Colonies, to which the Order in Council did not extend, and in what way it was proposed to deal with them? If on such a subject it were possible to indulge in feel ings of irritation, the Government might be supposed, in consequence of recent events in some of the islands,. to feel desirous to apply something like coercion. This however be should think, in every point of 'view, roost unwise. In the ebullitions of feeling that Manifested themselves on the other side of the Atlantic, he saw Much to lament, *stitch to condemn, but nothhig to punish. Any attempt of the kind could only have the effect of carrying the Government into a very fooli•lt contest. If thee was anything like parity of strength, he should not be surprised if the pride which dictated such ebullitions of those who had been raised to such a pitch of exasperated majesty, should threaten the peace of Jamaica. But the other course was far the most Prudent. There were three ways of delivery with the Assembly of Jamaica ; first, by force, to push them into compliance; secondly, the means of coercion by laws; and thirdly, to deal with-them by the slaw • and silent course of admonition and example. He Was fcr the last expedient; he hoped they would not have occkuion to try the second ; and as for the first, he would say that no case but one of the lasts-and most imperious necessity could ever induce him to moot the question of the tran scendant powers of Parliament to force regulations on their Colonies. These powers if the necessity should • arise, he should be the first' to maintain. • But still a question of such magnitude was' to . be kept back, and trot brought forward unless upon ,some gnat occat.idn, not to - be applied to every instance of petty contumacy. Ibese Gentlemen of the Assembly used language which itd doubt Ehey skippoki would put. Lem on thisJi . 44,nt the wat* into the most to*eiing rite ir6lit any' :pith feeling, if intedded to be produted; must be entir ely precluded by the consciousness of weakneis on inie side, and the greatness of the power agiinst whom such threats were directed. If any of the Members of tliat Body were now conning over the speeches of Washing too for the purpose of applying them on a future octet, - sion, he thought they would act mote wisely by saying that they sh - ould have no occasion for thein. Such a mode of proceeding was far preferable to aay exercise of authority. He apprehended that their fire would go out from want of fuel, and that when no army was sent to-overawe them,they would calmly concur in the tegu lations recommended, and gradually adopt them. When they saw on one side the example hell out by St. Do mingo, and on the other those of Trinidad and St. Lucia prosperous and happy under the operation of better regulations, they would then, lie had no doubt, reconsider the subject. It was pniposed to extend the Ecclesiastical arrangements to Jamaica as well as the other Islands. Two Episcopal S;:es were to be erected; the authority of one to extend over Jamaica, and the other over the Leeward Hands. Thi; establishment would not be accompanied with any demand on the purses of the Vest India Body. From a calculation he lied made, hezhought the expense might be defrayed for the first two years cut of the interest of the money voted for the election of Churches. It would be two years bef , ,re any part of it would he wanted for the par t;cular purpose to which. it was hereafter to be applied. Even niter that period the expenditure would be Fla dual, and the diminution of course gradual, so that part of the interest would continue avaiiable to the same object for some future time. On the failure of that resource, arrangements-were made to prevent the necessity of .any grant. There was 'a disposition on the.. part of the Crown to bind up its hands from granting any more pensions on that branch of revenue known by the name of tin: I%'ur in . *? Cent. Duties, until such tiros as this establishment was fully settled. Bei.:g more de sirous to put the House in possession of the principles it was proposed to act upori, than to excite angry fezlings, he should abstain from any Observation that might be calculated to excite them.. Ije . would only conjure 'Gentlemen on one side to consider that, by indulging in that sort of language which the subject was calcu lated to excite, they would only • put in jeopardy the fortunes and interests of large bodies. They who were not on the spot—who did not know, from actual obser vation, the_ state of the West India Hands, could .not be aware"of.thar incurable alienation which difference of colour piciduced. He trusted Honottrable Gentle men would bear io mind that their debates might be read where.that prejudice was irtfall operation. Every man who entered the Hiuse was so interested in this question,. on whatever side his feelings might be, that upon no other were they ,so liable t%exaggeration. Above all, they should recollect thAt those for the ab stract justice of granting liberty to those whom, they might contend, were not in a condition to receive it ; and that, however desirable it might be, the great work' musLbe effected, net by sudden change, but by gradual and slow amendment. The masters of the unhappy • class whose condition it was sought to ameliorate, must be the•instrurrients by whom to work, and by sowing between diem and their slaves irremediable hatred, the greatest mischief must be produced, both now and for many years - to come. If any Honourable 'Gentleman had a measure to suggest which he thought more con,. ducive to the great end proposed, he, should be ready to pay every attention to his arguments. To immediate freedom, however, he was hostile. Gradual improve ment was the only principle by which the Blacks them selves:could be benefited—the only proposition that could insure the co-operation of the Whites. Upon this part of the subject, it was- not necessary to trouble the House longer; and as he promised, at the outset, he would not diverge into any general observations . . Connected with that spirit by which we are now crenu ously endeavouring safely and tranquilly to rescue from degradation so large a portion of our fellow -creatures, was - the consideration of that inhuman trade by which they were brought to that condition, and for the almost total extirpation 9f which trade, as far as regards this country, they .were :indebted to the exertions of his Honeurable 'Friend opptite (Mr. Wilberforce). «Y say the almost total extirpatio n of_ the Slave Trade (conti nued the Right Hon: Gentleritan) because after the most anxious inquiries on the subject, I am perfectly confi dent that in the British West Indies the prohibition .has been effectually observed-Hear,hear, hear). But true it undoubtedly is, that the trade itself still prevails, and to an enormous extent—(Hear). True it is, that all the efforts of this country to procure the active co-operation of many Powers against this evil have hitherto been comparatively unsuccessful. Amongst the many mea sures often-advised, and often attempted, has been that • of making the persons guilty of Slave Trading liable to capture, not only by - vessels of their own coon- try, but by vessels of other Powers—in other• words; that Slave Trading should be constituted piratY.--•-: Upon this-point, however, there has been a good deal of misapprehension : it has been supposed, for instance, that it was competent for the Congress at Verona, an assembly of Sovereigns, to erect Slave Trading into a piratical offence, and thereby to render the individual pin - suing it amenable to the law of rations. 1 reed hardly state, that this notion is founded in error : we are the last country that ought to admit that any convention cf Sovereigns, or union of Governments, can establish a law universal in its operation, and involving nations in no respect parties to' the convention—(Hear, hear, heat). The only mode of attaining tl.e ci'oject we have in view is this : that every nation shall for itself declare Slave Trading piratical—to be liable to the same law, and punished by the same sanction; in fact, what we in England call statut rble piracy. This 4 what Coe rt . Britain his, on more than one occasion, proposed ; brit 1 she has hitherto always proposed it in vain—(l-lap a. We offered both to France and to the United States by ,treaty, to give a right of mutual visit and search in case' of suspected 51.1% e Trading . . But Honourable Gentle men will not be surprised, recollecting the many sore points of maritime law and maritime pride, *that we have never, hitherto, been able to accbmolish our object with either—( Hear.) am now, therefore, half T iii -being able to inform the .1-louse, that not many days . ago, a Treaty was received, signed by my Right ho nourable Relation, our Minister to the United States, and by the American Minister, according this mutual. right of visit—(Herr, ,car.) It has been granted, of coutse, under certia regulations and restrictions, ap plying to both States:: -Mt, anise is that in the Uniterigteite.4 4.4 has ; lieoy passed, n- • •flicting upon slave trading; the, same penalty as upon probably aware: 'precisely piracy, an t d he l s p a r m op e o o s t e )itc tos t n , a re d t a to rot -I . :: i r f urzAni i a ..xv i e :s p li 4s : c •i ci t . h , 'll 'Led S - ates' the nations of Great Britain and of . • I . , , . 4111 :