The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1804-05-31 00:00:00

A c me leid 'oriole the Filer Council, and also be t. re the House, which were very contradietnry ye e on end corn/lion sense, co much so indeed, tttt he was . astonished any man could put them en paper. He could not believe them, nor eh i 0 , 4 ,k any rational beipp could believe them ; and calf oh the House to do away h e would, therefore, the evil which titer Were intended to support. It b e d, among other things, been stated for what caeses these unfortunate beings were made slaves is Africa. Some were made slaves, it had been urge d. for gaming ; some were made slaves for edultery, and many other causes ; and many, it Lad b ee n said, were bred slaves. He denied this to be the Case ; hut if it irelly were so, would it, he asked, be consistent with us, enlightened as we are in so ve ry superior a degrye, to countenance and enccu me the breeding or slaves in Africa, in order to s o r s:. , y the abominable traffic which it was the oh jiet f his Hon. Friend's Motion to abolish ? He .ire there could be but one answer, and that urns' he a dire& negative. It had been also stated, tit a if these poor 'Negroes, when taken in Africa, were not sold, they would be murdered. This he ridiculed, as fraught with the greatest absurdity, and called on the House to consider seriously whe ther any system of policy could justify them in con tinuing an encouragement to such enormous crimes and injustice ? Mr. Smith then adverted to the system of kidnapping pramiised in Africa, in order to supply our traders in human flesh, which he eondemned in very severe terms, and said, that as " er g as it was crountiseanced by that House, it would remain a stain upon the country. It had been argued, that they were equally under the pro tenion of the law as we were ; but he insisted that could not he the case ; there was no proteetion for t h e •hive against the master= where the evidence if the slave went for nothing, and that of the mas ter for ail and every thing. He insisted that the traffic way roost atrocious ; that it was founded in blood, and injustice, and generated innumerable crimes ; th a t it. was a disgrace to a great and enlightened eetion, calling themselves Christians, and whose greatest bent was, that they were themselves a free ,ple. For all these reasons the Motion had his hearty support. Mr. Fee - ea explained. General TARLETON said, he esteemed it a duty incumbent on him to offer a few observations on the ar,guniente used by the Hon. Gentleman who supported the presented motion. He, perhaps, :night be deemed one of those proscribed persons who had been so emphatically described by the lion. Gentleman who brought forward the motion. That Hon. Gentleman had said, that on his side were ranged all the talents—all the worthy—the honest and the good, which the House con tained. A proscription, he thought, equal to any that had ever fallen from the lips of Sylla, or any other despotic dietator. He begged leave to re mind :he House, that, in looking round the world, they saw a great maey evils, which, though acknow. hedged as such, and very great ones too, were still obliged to be endared for a certain rime. No one could deny that war was an evil of the greatest mag nitude; and yet we wee compelled frequently to enter into war; and could any one say we will theme fore abolish war ? The national debt was also a great evil mind yet would any man say, that we shall have, therefeve, no more leans? He thought the same was applicable to the Slave Trade. It might, in the opinions of some Hon. Members, appear to be a great evil ; but, even if it should he thought so by the House, he, for one, must objeet to an immediate abolition. He adverted to that part of the Hon. Gentleman's speech, in which he censured all the West India merchants, and others who vested their capitals in West India property, the drift of which he condenmed, as adding to an alarm which the circumstances of the islands, and the present state of Europe, had made great enough before. He would not take up the time of the House at present, there would be many opportunities of delivering his senti ments more at large on the subjeet. It was not his intention to divide the House upon it ; but he thought, that in his motion, as it now stood, the lion. Gentleman had gone too far. Mr. MANNING said, he had hoped, that when eo very considerable a part of the Session had passed, so truly important a question as the pre sent would not have been brought forward. He expressed his full conviCtion of the honourable mo tives which had aduated the Gentleman who brought it forward ; and allowed that the Hon. Gentleman had rendered essential service to his Country, and to the cause of humanity, in effraing the regulations relative to the middle passage. He assured the House that he had no objection to the eibnlition of the Slave Trade on such fair, just, and reasonable grounds as the House might in its wis -doen hereafter adopt. He thought, however, that 'persons in the West Indies were entitled to the proteetion of the House, on a case made out, in which they could, as inheritors of lands, as mon- Pagers, widows, &c. chew they had suffered in their property. The present motion, he thought, tattie hive been accompanied with a motion for mlehnileeht of Commis ioners to inquire into the losses of proprietors. He considered this, he said, as an English, and not a West India trade ; and •as such, after the encouragement given to it, if we have changed our opinions, let us meet the question manfully, and say why we have done so. lie had no inarmaions whatever as colonial agent ; but what he had delivered were the genuine senti ments of his own individual mind. He thought the moon, made by the Hon. Gentleman, went too far,:in aiming at an immediate abolition, and he would therefore move that the other orders of the dabe read. Mr.WILBERFORCE, in explanation, said, that, 3, cording.to the motion, all who thought the Slave ade ought to be abolished, even gradually, might %..te for the Bill; and, as to the time, if the Bill "as allowed to be brought in, that would be fixed al•ci filled up in the Committee. rt7LLER said a few words in explanation. M. DEVAYNES said, he had resided in Africa Isles years, and the laws were as well administered, a; si they weroas w 01 governed there, as we are here- W. SMITH, in answer to this, cited some : of th e evidence , which had been given by the "'n Gentleman, in which be said, that the King ad sent to inform him, if he did not take away cer "is prison e rs, eerie:mined to transportation, lie "*.eild put than tc death." He then asked, if the. ' 4 " a Pool of the leesses being as well administeted LONDON, THURSDAY, MAY Si. At a late hour last night we received the Mont- Veers of the 16th, 17th, and 18th instant. They con tain various addresses, all concluding with a wish that 46 NAPOLEON BONAPARTE may be proclaimed Emperor of the French, and that the Imperial dignity may be rendered heredi tary in his family." The following articles are from the Journal des Debate of the 18th and 19th of May:— PARIS, KAY 17. The Conservative Senate will assemble, to-mor row, to receive the Report of its Committee, on the plan of a Senetus Conn Pun!, presented yesterday in the name of the Government. This Smelt's Con sultuns will fix the de3ti.ny of the empire. MAY 18. The Conservative Senate assembled to-day under the Presidency of the Consul Cam ',scants. All the Ministers were present at the Sitting, as also the Counsellors of State, PORTMAN DITIRMONT, and Tacu.HA ID, the Orators of Government appointed on the Itith of May to carry to the Senate the plan of an organic Senates Censehum. The Senate, after having heard the Report of its Committee, made by the Senator LACLPEOZ, adopted the Senates Coo :Owe, and, after the Sitting, repaired in a body to St. Cloud, to present it to the Haag Cossus.. We shall give the text of this fundamental Aft, which constitutes the French empire, as soon as it shall be officially published. In the mean time, to gratify the just impatience of our readers, we think we may lay before them some of the principal re gulations, as they are circulated by public report. The Senates Consults*. contains, it is said, 14S ar ticles, divided into sixteen titles. The first title de clares NAIPOLZON 80.4 APART& Emperor of the French, and the Imperial dignity hereditary in the direfl, natural, and legitimate descent, from male to male, in the order of primogeniture, to the ex clusion of females and their descent. The Flair Cosset. may adopt the children or grand-children of his brothers, provided they have attained the age of eighteen years complete, and he himself have no children. Adoption is prohibited to his successors. In default of a natural and legitimate heir of the First . Comset, or of an adopted heir, the Empire will be transferred to insists Boma Parrs and his deseen.lasts; and in default of Josiah and his de scendants. to Louts BOW All•Pl C and his descend ents; in case of failute of the heirs of Jotyris and Louts 110VA10ARTL, ISMMilit Cesershuse, proposed to take the Senate by the titularies of the great digni taries of the Empire, and submitted to the accept ance of the people, shall appoint an Emperor. The members of the Imperial Family, in the or der of inheritance, shall bear the title of French Princes. The eldest son of the Est esaoft shall bear the title of Imperial Prince. A French Prince, alto shall marry without permission from the EMPEROR, shall be deprived of right to the inheritance, unless be shall have no children by this marriage, and the marriage shall be afterwards dissolved. The civil list shall remain regulated as it is by the Ist and 4th Articles of the Decree of the 26th of May 1791. l'he French Princes JOSEPH and Louis BONAPARTE, and the younger sons of the E m Eton, shall be treated conformably to the articles 1,10,11, le, and 13, of the decree of the 21st of December 1790. The EMPEROR may fix the dower of the EMPRESS, and assign it on the civil list. His successors shall not be permitted to make any change in his dispositions in this resped. The EMPEROR will visit the departments. In con sequence, imperial palaces shall be established at the four principal points of the empire. In case of a minority, the Essestos is a minor till the age of eighteen years complete. Females are excluded from the regency. The reigning EMPZROR may previously appoint a regent from among the French Princes. In default of such ap pointment, the regency shall be given to the Prince nearest in degree of consanguinity. No organic Senates Camila= can be issued during the regency, nor before the end of the third year, which shall fol low the majority. There shall be a Council of Regency, composed of the Titularies of the Great Dignitaries of the empire. The Regent shall not be empowered to declare war nor to make peace till after a deliberation in the Council of Regency, of which the members in that case only shall have deliberative voices. The guar dianship of the Ex►taot in his minority shall be confided to his mother, or,. in default of her, to the Prince appointed by the predecessor of the Esse uton who is a minor. The "titularies of the Great Dignitaries of the Em pire, are the Great Eleflor, the Arch-Chancellor of the Empire, the Arch-Chancellor of State, the Arch- Treasurer, the Constable, and the High Admiral. They shall be nominated by the Est Pesos ; they shall enjoy the same honours as the French Princes. and rank immediately after them ; they shall be Senators and Counseil. , :s of State ; they shall form the Great Council of the Est:triton ; they shall be Members of the Privy Council, they shall compose the Great Council of the Legion of Honour; they shall be irremovcable. Senatories shall be at tached to each of :he Great Dignitaries of the Em pire; they shall be established in the Departments of the Dyle, the Gironde, the Rhone, the Po, the Lower Loire, and the Mouths of the Rhone. There shall be Great Officers of the Empire, and Marshals of the Empire, chosen from among the most distinguished Generals; eight lnspedors and Colonels-General of Artillery, Cavalry, and the Marine ; three Great Civil Officers of the Crown, such as shall be constituted by the Statutes of the EKPILItOII. The Great Officers are rernoveable. The Essex atm, within the first two years after his accession to the throne, or attainment of majority. shall take an oath to the French People on the Gospel, and in presence of the Titularies of the Grand Dignitaries of the Empire, of the Minister, of the Great Of ficers of the Empire, of the Senate, of the Council of State, of the Legislative Body, of the Tribunal, of the Court of Cassation, of the Archbishops and 13:shops, of the GreattOfficers of the Legion of Honour, of the Presidents of the Cantons, of the Consistories, and Mayors of the Principal Cities of the Empire: he shall swear to maintain the inte grity of the territory of the French Repubiic, to respea, and cause to be respelled, liberty of con science, and the laws of the concordat, the equality of rights, political and civil liberty, the irrevocabi lity of the sales of national pro,,:rty, not to levy any tax but by virtue of a law, &c. The Senate shall be composed, Ist. of French Princes. 2d. Of the Titularies of the great Digni taries of the Empire. Sd. Of Eighty Members no minated on the presentation of Candidates chosen by the EMPittoa from lists formed by the EleEtoral Colleges of the department. 4th. Of Citizens whom the EMPIROR shall judge proper to eicvate to the dignity of Senator. There shall be f.. ruled in the Senate, and from its body, a committee of indivi dual liberty, consisting of seven members, who. if any person is arrested, and not brought to trial after ten days from his arrest, may, on application from such person, call on the minister who ordered his arrest, either to set him at liberty, or bring him be fore the tribunals, which if he refuses to do, the committee may demand an assembly of the Senate, to which the matter shall be referred. There shall likewise be in the senate a commit tee for the liberty of the press. which shall proceed is they are here, or th- iszllole as well governed as a'e are? Sir W. GEARY sai.l. that he should not argue the question, either as to it; policy, or on any other ground than the point of humanity. He believed, that if the present motion were to be agreed to, and we were to prevent the trade being carried on in our own bottoms, it would still be carried on by other intions, and the unfortunate Africaniwould again be liable to all those horrors and cruelties from which tlley have been relieved by the regulations relative to the Middle Passage. if, therefore, by a well regulated trade, we could diminish the miseries to which these wretched Africans are liable, he thought it would be more to their benefit than an Abolition of the Trade, and should therefore vote for the amendment. Mr. ADDINGTON said, he concurred in the motion, on the same grounds as the last speaker. He had always considered the question not as a measure of policy, but practicability, and he thought a motion for a Committee to consider by what means the Slave Trade could be abolished, would have been more proper than the present. He should, therefore, support the amendment. Sir it. BUXTON sjioke in favour of the motion. Mr. PITT said, that in his own individual opi nion, the first moment in which the trade could be abolished, would be the best ; but as to the motion, it is such as no one. who is a friend to gradual abo lition, could objeh to vote for. It is for a Bill to abclish the Slave Trace in a time to be limited, and that time is to be fixed according to the w sdom and judgment of the House in the Committee. With respell to the practicability of doing it by a British Aft of Parliament, if it was impossible to abolish it immediately, it was the same to do it gradually. Mr. LEE spoke in favour of the motion, and said he considered the trade as a disgrace to the country. Mr. FOX said, what he particularly objeaed to was, the mode of getti: ,z rld of the Motion—at the end of 16 years, its opposers desired to get rid of it by the Order of the Day ; and another Right Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Addington) would have a Committee to consider by what means the Slave Trade in be aboli lied. He thought, however, this was a crick in whir the House must come to a de termination ^n th^ subjea. The charaiter of the country was at cake. In every quarter, suspicious were entertained that we are not in earnest ; and if, in such a period as the present, we evade, put off, or protraft it, all Europe will be confirmed in the opinion, that we have only talked, without being willing to a& We shall be deemed mere triflers. The House must therefore make up their minds, ei ther to abolish it immediately, or frankly and fairly confess they dare not do it. on account of our trade. The question being loudly called for, a division took place, For the Amendment 49—Against it 124. Strange, s were not again admitted ; but we under stood the House went into a Committee, and leave was given to bring in the Bill. Adjourned at HALT PAST TIM. THE BRITISLI PRESS. in the game manner, in case of any infringement that liberty. The Smalls Con:id:um contains v irious other regu lations, relative to the Leg:slative Body, the 0;1m cil of State, the Tribunate, the Electoral Colleges, and the High Imperial Court, composed of the " Princes, Grand I)iitaries, Great Officers of the Empire, the Chief Judge, Go Senators, and other Members; is to take cognisance of personal cf. fences, committed by the Members of the Imperial Family, by the Grand Dignetarly, and the Sena -.sisters, tors, as also of offences of Mini tr.:del their of.. ficial responsibility. The laws shag ;sty tliul promulgated—se N. by the Grace of GuJ, and the Constitution of the Re public, Emperor of the French, &c." The French people shall vote. in the forms ap pointed by the arrete of the 20th of Floreal of the year 12, on the iitherkance cf the Imperial dignity, .' in the dirett, natural, and legitimate descent of NA• POLEON BANAPARTE, JOSEPH BONAPARTE, and Louis BONAPARTE. The adoption of the above Senatiu Cerruti:um has, been announced to the Parisians by several dis charges of cannon. By accounts from Constantinople, dated in last month, k appears the troops of the Poe retad been successful in Egypt, and completely dispersed the whole of the Beys and Mamclukes, with the excep— tion .f Etat BEY, and about 600 Marnelukes, whs., had retired into Upper Egypt. Mr. WILBERFORCE brought forward Isis motion 1 last night in the HutPhe of Commons, for the aboli tion of the Slave-trade at a limited time, to be settled hereafter in a Committee. The question was car ried, as will be seen in our Parliamentary Report, by a large majority. We yesterday anticipated this result, upon information that several of the West India merchants, hitherto its most strenuous op . posers, would now support the rue ts•ire. A meet ing of them was lately held for the purpose of tak ing the subject into consideration, at which those of the largest property, although the minority. in num. ber, had declared themselves for the Abotetion of the Trade. The Frerkriii Wilhelm, a Dutch schuyt from Rotterdam, arrived on Tuesday at Harwich, with a Russian General and his suite. =,. .....- ,_]• Tue:day morning, at ten o'clock ' s Privy Council met at the Cock-pit, and did not bleak up till four. Tuesday night, about nine n'clodc, IIdaJEsTY gay* owl ioodeac tux the Übe 1:11'11 •ree L a Gs sad Mr. PITT. Yesterday morning, about eleven o'clock, Mr..; PITT had an audience of His Montsri. Afterwards His MAJ Katy pure audiences to the Earls WINCIirLSIA, DART Nioutx, sotto, when the latter had the honour MAserrY's hand, on his being appointed His MAJZSTY'S household. About one 0 . C106. PHIS MAJZST' by the Duke of CAMBRIDGE, in followed by the Qum+ and Pa/ coaches and four, took an airing Yesterday, at one o'clock, a Cabinet held at Lord H A a aowsir's office,which by the Duke of Potortioiio, Earl C MCLVILLIG, the MAIITtIt of the Rot others. The RUSSIAN and Sweritsit attended the Council. 11le Council Earl FITzwtLI.IAM gave a _ which was attended by His Roy, Prince of WALES ; Dukes—Clarence, R;chmond, Deronshlna, and Marquis of Buckingham . Eorls—Cartsitt, Resberough, Darby, dab., Carinarmi, and Darnley. Lurdr—Mnita, Morpoth, Granril:e, Messrs.—Windham, Grey, Porarr,itiy, A Court of Direetors was y( East-India House, when the and manders took their final leave t. vious to departing for Madras dire captAin John Mar kintoeh, of the Air ---- James Tembnl, of the Lord , John Patterson, of the Duke, Captain JOHN MACINTOSH cotimand of the Ocean, stationed . Bengal—cad appointed to sail from 4 24th of next month. Captain STIIPREN HAWES, of the Monarch, fu Bengal direr % is expefted to take leave of the Cour next Wednesday. The Court adjourned at six o'clock, till Wednes day next. Mr. Tory so, the King's Counsel, we hear, is t , be the standing Counsel to the Admiralty, in th. room of Mr isitvis. Accounts were yesterday received, stating, tha two Dutch line of battle ships, a frigate. and sloop, sailed from the Cape of Good Hope, on th 17th of March, to cruise off St. Helena.. An expesiition is certainly preparing to sail again' the Cape of Good Hope, and it is confisiendy a sorted, that Commodore Sir Hosts l'orissit is command the naval part, and that Generals Fa am DyNciaii. BAIRD, and Avciutunr will commas, the tr o ops. It i, further stated, that Gen. Bair and Sir Sartult ALCNNUTT will proceed, aft. the reduainn of the Cope, against Batavia, with part of the forces. and the squadron under Sir I. PoPNAN. General Fftas it DUNDAS, Whit, will or wand the troops, is nephew to I.ord Mats , tr. and brother to the Secs ex •IVat WA It. He w carry with him the commission of Governor of t . Colony. and there is no doubt the Dutch inhab ants will be happy to have hi* nestored to the, after an absence of little more than a year and a he 'audiences to the 7tH, and A v es- honour to kiss His pointed Steward of STY, accompanied M his post-chariot, 'aiaerssas, m two to Kew. :abinet Council was ,which was attended rl CH Al HAN. Lord ROLLS, and several*, DISH A sseAsswooss well sat till four. Dinner yesterday,. .opal Highness the °I 'whim, and limner. 41' oy, ;Egr essoat, taallswo sod Donde'. by, Sher dan, kt. ,•esterdav held at thr; der-mentioned e of the Court, pre ' iireet to Airly C.atle. 4. Lord Hawkesbury. • e Duke of MOntr.ll4. was sworn into the rd for St. Helena an( from Gravesend, the ~- ;. •- 't