The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1826-05-10 00:00:00

,• Courts, that to journal should be published unless the pro. Obtained a lierese. One of the Judges , however (Sir F. Mac erten), ger! it a. h.. opinion that no property already invested )0uT . 41 , u , leaded by sher.regulations. He (Lord J. I ) wo w s ) t o r point out all the steps taken to injure this h u e s o:en.h - Ler. , an order was given to suspend the pub- A u," of th. c,,i f wee Journal. lie had come to Eogland, and eweerred grest expee-e in sending out the communications and ma terials nets s.asy for il.e amnion of hie property ; and this suspen sion. which continued for some time. was therefore the infliction of rest pecuniary injury. During this period, one of his Indian car. empondrnes emits hiui weed, that the procrastination which ensued so ',riot/sir injured f. . :operty as to threaten almost the annillila ton of I t, ! • rut au end to she minima delay, it wit reposed dirt some one - 3 se should conduct the journal ; and the only peTs ... win .y would grant a license was Dr. Musgrave, a soia.in-law A the members of the Council. They first jars-ea the p. +per , then, and afterwards transferred the copy-right to one employed op them selves. If ever an individual had a right to complain of grievances. surely the petitioner bad of the coarse pursued by the Indian Government. In consequence of these Meessuree, be not only lust the twenty thousand pounds he Originally embarked in the journal, but the subsequent proceed ing,' had lnrolvtd him in debt to the amount of ten thousand pooled., He (lewd John Rnssell)should wily offer one or two re. Meek* mote. -lime, it had been said the peteioner was warned by Loyd Hostings that, if he persisted in offering opposition to the measurer of the floiremmens, he would he sent out of the country. . Plow. he had seen letters of his Lordship's, in which he stated that, cheer, he so titreatered, be did rot intend carrying hi. threats into touttution, eoraideting such a Murree would be ore of undue seve rity. Secondly, the hardship of the 'petitioner's cane involved the liberty of the press in ledla, and the right also of the Govern. mint to send people out of the country. The paint to which he must per ieularly refer was the hatdship of the petitioner's cane. He had embarked his property In the journal, when Lard Heating% thought proper to abolish the law of censorship over the press; and, when this was footed not to succeed, it was most unfit that the petitioner should suffer by the change. He did rot mean to complain that the Alamnia of Hastings acted with want of foresight, when he abolished the censorship of the mesa in India. because be did out see that it might not be beneficial for all time to corner but it was a different thing when those who immediately succeeded him In. troduced a change, and such a one as it was impossible for the p•titiorter to conform his opinions to. Here were two opposite par ties—one a Oirvernouflenerat with absolute power, and the other AA Editor, who established his journal when the eeosnn4ip sea abolished. If the Governor had the power of banishirg the Editor, ft might naturally be inferred that the time would come when that • power would be used. Ceder die peculiarity of the circumstances, instead or moving that the petition do lie on the table, be should move that it he referred to a Select Committee. Sir W.W.W YNN said. when this question was last brought be * fore the Hour, by the Hon. Member for Durham ( Mr. banibton), -thew declined interfering, because it was understood that the pad. eteletlef was bringing an action against Air. Adams, the Governor. Goners!. This cause had gone off in consequence, unfortunately, of the death of that Individual, which was one of the greatest lasses the country could have susteined. He bad, however, an impren. soon; almost amounting to &certainty, that, if the cause had been tried, the issue would have been most triumphantly in favour of Mr. Adams. 'The course adopted on the present occasion was most unusual, it bring the practice of the House to receive notice of widen,. In his opinion, the question simply resolved itself into this—was the press in India to be as unshackled and free as ewe It this wan die proposition, he would meet it by stating that, in his opinion, it was impossible. (hear, hear.) The Noble Lord had said the objectionable articles published would only be offensive to an absolute Government, such as Madrid ; and so far be (Sir W. Wynn) was ready to go along with him. Those arti cles in a free Government would probably Tint hare produced the slightest mischief; but the Government of India was not fire; it was not a representative Government ; in its essence it was the very reverse of this; it was r3ponsible for its acts to this country alone. It was his derided opinion, then, that a fret press could toot co exist with an absolute authority. He would not enter at large into the nature of the Government of India; but he would remark., that the law is administered by foreigners, the natives being of necessity excluded from any State err plovers et. He had :1:; t 1 e understood it to be the peculiar merit of a 'free press that It 0 rot rose:let with • iteepotic power. He had said the natives were excluded from all share in the Governmeat. Now, if they w-rs to he told that this was not according to the law of England, it might light up • tiro-brand,' productive of mischief from one end of the country to the other. He must say, unless they were prepared to alter the system of Government fundamentally, there meat saint an authority that could not exist in a repreeentattre Go vernment. In Hollend or France there were public Assemblies which cauld dere id themselves; but that was not the case here. Then who were the public ? For the most part they were officers of the Government. It was said that Lord Hastings had tried an experiment which had failed ; but if the regulations which he tete. Wished were referred to, it would be found that the petitioner bad lafringed diem. It was also said, that his Lordship did not wean to carry his threats into execution ; but could It be supposed that a public officer would lead Ilia colleagues to believe one thing, while he intended another. In 1820 the petitioner was warned WI to Wl`fti Wottht be the consetquence of a certain course. TO 1821 he was a•lviaed by Lord H wings, that if he continued to observe on the conduct of the Govetnment his license would be cancelled, and he would be ordered to depart the country forthwith; The opinion of the people was not, as here, the proper check on the Govern. reent of India; its conduct was subject to the control of this country share. The proper course for the House to adopt, if it cons'. tiered any part of the law of India objectionable, would be, to bring In a Bill to amend or abrogate it; but the Governor-General was bound to enforce the law as it at present stood. As regarded the sacrifice of property, it wan only required that it should get into new hands. The tepee and o,her materials might have Dern purchased, there not being any objection to a new paper being established with the same materials. lie did net concur with the Noble Lord that any great hardship was suffered by the petitioner ; for when the censorship was em ployed. sir. Buckingham was fairly and fully informed that the regulations which had been prescribed for its tractice would he car. tied Into effect. He had duly received 'our successive intimation, on the subject, end could net justly complain of enduring a griev. ance, because he had neglected to act according to their tenor. If the license had been renewed to the former proprietor. it would have rendered the regulations nugatory, and it would not have been rodent to let them be considered as a dead letter. Mr. SCARLETT contended, as no action could be brought against the India Government, when any wring was committed by them, that the proper and only mote of Ickes' which the aggrieved ledividual possessed was that which the Noble L+-rd had pro. nounced to be correct—an appeal to the justice of that House. Weald It be correct or equitable that the House of Commons, which claimed the high distinction of guardians of the nightie of the people, should allow the most veuable part of the petitioner's property to be taken from him, and be presented as a tree tree gift to the son-in-law of one of the members of the Govetn. menu, without soy compensation to the individual who was so haishly deprived of what belonged to him ? Such a case as that stated by the petitioner was certainly one of great grievance, and if the statement were true, it loudly called for the interference of the House. The grant of the property in the manner alleged, without any equivalent to the rightful owner, appeared an act of roes in jJatice. Mr. W. WYNN explained, that when the petitioner soggested that the license should be granted to Dr. Bustard, it vs. mph 01 that it would defeat the intention of the regu miens, if Mr. Busk. Ingham were allowed to possess any control over the concern. ale. JOHN SMITH thought the treatment of the petitioner was of a very aggravated character ; for he had nut only been de rived of the property which he actually possessed, but he was also eft greatly encumbered with debt. It was true that the Marquis of Hastings did net wish to crush the petitioner, and in that kindly spirit had given warnings of which Mr. Buckingliatn did not avail himself. That neglect was neither prudent nor proper; but still it did not justify conduct which took away Item him not only hip property in possession, but also that to which he was entitled in reversion. The punishment was excessive, and bore no analogy to the premier of this couture. Ile should therefore concur in every measure calculated to bring time matters connected with the case into& train of inquiry. Mr. ASTELL addressed the House ins low tone of voice, which prevented us from hearing his observation a. He was of opinion that whatever pinishment the petitioner suffered was recasioned by his owe obstinacy. It was not unjust that he should suffer the punishment of his own misconduct. Instead of the alleged hard. ship, the petitioner bad experienced greet favour and lenity. He had repeatedly transgressed and was pardoned, until It was at last impossible to endure any longer the insolence which he manifested. The case was, therefore. considered to be one which should not excite sympathy. and the conduct of the Proprietors of East India Stock mily accorded with the popular feeling; for of the 2,000 individuals who conatimted the proprietary, only 120 could be found who were in out 0t.%1r. Buckingham. He could not see any ground for the petition, and should therefore oppose it. The petition having been ordered to be brought up and read, Lord JOHN RUSSELL moved that the petition be referred to a Select Committee, mermen on it to the House. Dr. PHILLIMORE said, if a case like that stated in the petition lastly existed, there might be reason for at, epplication to the Home ; but every person who had listened to the speech of the Noble lard who introduced the petition, anti to the argiunems of its other advocates, must immediately perceive that there never was a ease more unsubstantiated, The taw of the land in question provided that no person should be permitted to teeide in India without a special license, which it was, however, in the power tit the Goverror-Generel to remind. The newspaper of which the peti i .ner was the proprietor was distinguished at its outset by the most yin I •nt attacks on the transactions in which the Goyim., me, t was toncerned. It could oot be contended that it woe consistent slth prudence, in a country of so numerous and diver. sifted a population, which was held by the influence of opinion more than by physical force, to suffer newspapers, or any mode of conveyance, to diaperage the motives and conduct Of ti,,vertimerd among the nations over which it so presided. It had bee" stated by the Noble lard, that the Alarnets of Ilittb.g, gat e a free press to India; hut on that point he ditt're,t. f o r e to ! Noble filarmste only allowed acme matters to be submitted to a moo-ship. and wts es mach disinclined as his predecessor, the Marquis %Wellesley, to allow the emanation or any ?edifice non which *twill destroy the influence of that opinion which it was so desirable to preserve 1011821 Lord 'halloos, in a COMA to tics:ton to 31r. ltuekingham, stated that he shoed teal it very disagremli e to exercise the discretionary power which he posessuid g • bi t however reluctantly, he should, if Mn. Buckingham peak sit d in the course ndopted, be compelled to act aceortlinti laths tat wet Al A which he was invested. In August, 1822, Lowd fl.e.;:igs tent :mother communication to the same ludividual, in which he adverted to the long-tried forbearance of the Ooverr.nr °metal, who even then was reluctant to proceed to extrernifim and willing to give him the benefit of one more and final warning. Should Mr. Buckingham, however, continue the practice of dip- pitting the validity of the statute, the consequence of that addi tional /reponse itjtainat the regulations must be, that he would be deprived of his lice.ise and sent out of the country: In the next year, however, the provocation was renewal t in fact, there was a scrim of provocations, and the petitioner was punished in strict conformity with the regulations. Before he aat down, he wished that the House would recollect the fragile and delicate nature of the tenure of India, which ass retained by a handful of Europeans bearing sway over millions of the natives. .The allow ance 01 free discussion et Calcutta and in this country was a totally different matter. . Mr. TRA NT spoke from under the gallery, end was in a great measure inaudible. We understood the Honourable Member to say that he thought Mr. Buckingham properly removed from In. die, though he did not approve of all the proceedings connected with that removal. He was never in his life more perplexed than to decide whether strict justice wee done in the case. At the time when the principal part of the nanvictinns occurred he was re siding in Imlia, anti had better opportunities of judging. anti per haps in that account differed from many Honourable Gentlemen with whom he timely agreed. A case might occur where the stretch of authority might be tiro severe, and he believed that the present instance foimed a proof that such a case did occur. (Hear.) In that permission he approved of the motion of the Noble Lord. Ile thought Government should not interfere, unless when para graphs appeared in newspapers affecting the repose of the state. The Honourable Member addressed the House for some time longer, but was inaudible from the loud cries of " Question." The question was then out, when the numbers appeared— Fur the 'oration 4i L Against it 40—Majority 3. SLAVE TR ADINO On our reurn to the gallery we found Mr. F. BUXTON requesting the attention of the House to the state of the Slave Trade, and of the condition of the slaves m the Mauritius. In 1807 slavery was, the lion. Member said, abolished in England, and the example was soon after fol. lowed by the Colonies. In 1811 the practice was (brewed piracy, and subsequently treaties had been formed with foreign powers fur is total suppreseien. Ile believed that there was no point on which the people of this courtly were so unanimous as In reference to the slave trade. They . were moat anxious on that subject that all the acts and treaties w ith foreign powers relative to its abolition should be inviolate. Yet tie regretted to say that the slave trade had been carried on for several years past. lie did not mean the occurrence of a few solitary instances involving some hundreds of individuals, but he wished to state that a regular and systematic process of slave trading was followed up. At the same time it was his duty to mention, that there were places where intervals of its cessation were experienced. For such beneficial effects buena oho was indebted to the exertions of some meritorious individuals. The conduct of Governor Hall did him the highest credit, though the consequence of It was, that he was severely persecuted whilst he remained in the Mauritius, and was not much better treated by persons here, having been immediately recalled. In 1822, for a sheet time, the Slave Trade was abolished, in consequence of the low price of Colonial produce. But, with this exception, and that before referred to, during the government of General Hall, there had been no cessation of the traffic in Slaves in this Colony. This was the . proiesition which he meant to impress upon the House, and his lineation was to produce a great number of military, naval, and civil officers, to depose to the poiot. He would net go through all the evidence which he possessed en this subject; but would in. vita the invention of the House to some of the depositions which he held. Hie object in moving for a Co:nmittee was to examine those officers before it. The lust deposition to which he should draw the attention of the House, was that Ma military officer, who Was in the Mauritius from 1810 to 1817. He was a Colonel in the army. [lt was here suggested to the Hon. Gentleman that he should name the individual alluded to.) Ile was not at liberty to name the Gentleman ; but he should call upon him at the proper time. This Gentleman declared that the Slave Trade was not only tolerated. but encouraged in the Mauritius. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER asked across the table, whether the Hon. Gent. meant to say that the Slave Trade was encouraged b Government ? Alr. F. BUX'T'ON wished to state this case with the utmost fairness; but if he was Balled upon, he would hare no hesitation in stating, that the Slave Trade was tolerated by the highest &nth.). city in the Mauritius. The next evidence to which he should refer wee, that of a General who had been in the Mauritius seven years. He stated that the !sliding of Africans in that colony was frequent and not clandestine. Another military officer, whose letter was dated in June 1819, stated that 700 slaves had been landed in the colony in one month, anti that not less than 30.000 had been landed in the Mauritius. In February 1812, Captain Lyne, whose name was already known to the House, spoke of the shameful use made of the indulgence of Government by the inita. bitants of the 31auritiue. The proportion of 400 shaves belonging to the French were ordered to be admitted into the colony, and upon that pretence not less than 1700 eleven were disembarked. Another naval officer stated that slave ships might be seen in the open day entering the port of St. Louis. Another naval officer wrote in 1824, that the Si eve Trade was going on under hie nose, and in spite of his teeth. But besides the eviderce of the military and naval officers, he had also the evidence of several civil officers in support of his proposition. The Chief Commissioners, who re- sided in the Mauritius from 1812 to 1823, united in descnbing the open manner in which the Slave Trade was carried on, as well as the extent of the traffic. They also stated that their efforts to abolish it were not only discountenanced, but that a perseve. ranee in such efforts only led to the ruin of the indivi duals who persevered. Besides all these various authorities, there was the evidence derived from the Governors themselves. There were three Governors from 1810 to 1818. General Hall. in a de spatch dated 1818, said that the traffic had attained a degree of effrontery which was disgraceful to the Government. All the evi dences tended to the same point—that the local authorities, instead of supporting the laws, encouraged the traffic. It was stated, that in 1819, 40,000 slaves were in the Mauritius, who were not regis tered. Gen. Darling commenced a new system when he assumed the government; but, in a few months, he wrote that the Slave trade was termed with peculiar activity, and that when Gen. Hall departed it was re-commenced with renewed vigour. It appeared, that if the registration of the slaves was insisted upon, It would in. 'Ave the principal inhabitants in heavy penalties. Such was the state of the Slave Trade in the Mauritius. It was well known to foreigners ; and in the communications made between the Govern. meta of this country and that of foreign countries with a view to the abolition of the traffic, particularly that between the Duke de I Richelieu and Sir C. Stuart, this knowledge was testified and in. sister] on by the representatives of the foreign Governments. He (Mr. F. Buxton), however, did not mean to found any charge upon loose assertions of that kind; he depended solely upon facts and the met imony of eye-witnesses, and only asked the House to con. alder the unanimous statements made by the civil and military officers and by the Governors of the Colony. Ile now came to at other branch of the subject—the number of vessels actually em ployed in the Slave Trade. Of these it appeared that only two . Is were captured in the West Indies, and that no lees than 44 vessels engaged in the traffic were captured in the j Mauritius. He was entitled to suppose that the capture was not made on the first voyage. lo sonic cases, those ships had made • several successful voyages. At all events, 44 had been actually capered in the Mauritius, and, as he before stated, only two were captured in the West Indies. The next information which he had to lay before the House was derived from military officers and itoldien who had witnessed successful disembarkations. One soldier deposed that he was placed on the estate of the Secretary of the Colony, :.h. Telphair, who was now the Registrar of the Colony, and had seen a vessel belonging to Mr. Telphair land slaves. Ile knew the vessel and the Captain, whose name was Lewis. There were many other evidences to the same e ff ect, which should be brought before the Committee. From the evidence of several of the soldiers, it appeared that those stationed up the country were not allowed to attend to the Slave Trade. One soldier deposed that he had seen a disembarkation, and said to his officer, Captain Rossi, that he could prove a disembarkation had taken place. and Captain Rossi's reply was, " don't you mind what is going on amongst the slaves, or I shall have you punished." Another soldier deposed that ins wee aemaiiy *egged for inter t lerinsto mime the hilave trade. He (Mr. Burton) did not roach or this assertion ; butlhe &idler had so stated. But this discouragement was not confinedlO the soldiers: a Captain who interfered was fined, and a Colonel in the army said he did every thing in his power to put a stop to the Slave Trade, until he brought down persecution on himself, and Mt that he must connive at it. The coast shountled with creeks and bays, In which slaves could be disembarked with scarcely the itossibility of detection; but he could prove thst many disembarkations had taken place in the presence of living witnesses. It was not easy to find perrone who had witnessed disembarkations, because many of the witnesses were dead, and many remaineel in the colony and were inaccessible. lie could produce 20 wit. nesse*, however, to this point, consisting of officers and soldiers, and item 20 persoas would psove no less titan 99 afloat dl em. I barkations. He pledged himself to prove this. lie next note to the inspected disembarkations. Captain Lyne, of his 3lajesty's ship Eclipse, spoke of a brig having brought 200 slaves to the colony from 31adagascar. In 1012, a General stated that there were so many slave ships hovering about that he became alarmed, and ordered out the military, fearing a French invasion. Another officer, describing a storm, said tiled in the late storm seven slave ships were lost ; and it was stated on good authority, that in one year seventeen vessels wens equipped for tire 'Live trade. The mass of evidence on what he termed suspicious cases was very large, but he wished the House to dismiss it altogether from their month. Many circumstances tended to render disembarkations difficult of detection. The Chief Judge of the island, who was unfriendly to the cause which lie (31r. Buxton) advocated, in ac counting fur so few persons having been brought to jueuce, ob served, thatthe whole body of the population of die Colony was in It of the traffic, and curt:delete! those who pursued it as engaged hi a meritorious service. (Hear.) No evidence could be stronger then this observation, to prove the difficulty of detection ; but yet, calling upon the Route to dismiss front consideration all cases in which disembarkation took place before the capture of the vessel, and all cases io which disembarkation took place without airy capture at all. he was prepared to prove that there had been 99 distinct disembarkations, besides the 41 vessels captured, makiitg i . ail 143 instances of slave-dealing. But there were much strong r proofs to support the proposition with which lie had commenced Tie re were certain observable circumstances affordin; the strongest internal proof. There were pcculiareircumstances watch marked all Colonies in which the slave trade was abolished, and diatitiguished them from those in which the slave trade was still pursued. The proportion of the sexes was one of those circumstances. Where no slave trade existed the sexes were found to be equal, or nearly sot but in Colonies where the slave trade prevailed, the proport ion of males greatly metaled that of (malts, as the traffic naa ait • THE BRITISH PRESS. Knot reetueively. In males. Of the sixteen West India Colon ie a in twelve the females exceeded the males, and in lPtlf the ma le exceeded the females. But in the whole of the sixteen West India Colonies the females exceeded the males ; there were 32000 feniales and only 325,000 males; so it was in the Went Indies ; but in the 31suriiiits ' it appeared there were 41,000 niales and only 22 . 040 females.. In the Seychelles, which were dependencies of the )Mauritius, there was a proportion of live males to one female. If this statement proved anything, it proved that the slave trade was carried on to a very great extent—that it was not, as an lion. Member had stated. an occasional deviation from the laws; but a cum stent system, revised to a vast extent, as it must haveheen to have stance was evidence as to the abolition of the slave trade, or its con created so great a disproportion bet ween the sexes. Another eircutn tinuance—that was, the proportion between foreign slaves and natives. Where the slave trade was abolished a vast majority of the slates were natives of the soil ; where the *lave trade prevailed, the foreign slaves were numerous, in proportion to the extent of the tridlic carried on. He (Mr. B.) had procured an accurate account of the proportion of foreign and native slates in the two ‘Vest India Islands; but this was not easily procured in the Mauritius. The registers of that colony were In a state of fraudulent and wilful confusion, which rendered it impossible to derive any ac wrate Information from them. He was thrown to seek for informa tion on this point therefore from other sources; and he conceived the evidence of the proportion of foreign and native slaves in the Mau ritius was to be known by reference to the a :vertisements. A na tive slave, being Inured to the climate, was more valuable than a foreign slave, and therefore it was the interest of those who wanted to dispaee of their slaves, to represent them as natives; when they represented them as foreign slaves,it might be fairly presumed, that the statement was not deceptions. Judging from the evidence supplied by the advertisements in the Mauritius. there were three foreign slaves to one creole ; whilst In the two West India Islands to which he before alluded. there were three melee to one foreign slave; for In the Vest India Islands there were 95,000 sieves ; 85,000 were natives, and the remaining 10,000 foreigners. In the Seychelles, which contained a population of 6,500 slaves, IGOO only were natives, and 5,590 were foreign slaves. This was a pro portion infinitely too great to have arisen in try other way but from an extended system of slava dealing. It h:d been admitted the decrease or Inceease of the gedwth of sugar in any colony was connected with the Slave Trade carried on by that colony. Ytew. ing the produce of the Mauritius in this point of view, it formed an important evidence. In 1810 there was eery little sugar produced in the Mauritius. In 1819 the produce was about half a million pounds, and in 1822 the produce had increased to 30 millions of pounds. Now, this increase had taken place, not because the price of sugar lied risen ; on the winery, it had greatly decreased at the very time that the produce was augmenting. Sugar was Ws. a cwt. In the Colonies in 1819, and in 11122 it had fallen to the ruinous price of 17s. a cwt. 50,000 cwt. was pro duced in 1819, and V.O 000 cwt. In 1022, so that the increase in the produce was four-fold, whilst the reduction in the price was nearly one-half. Now, as to the number of slaves captured, in Dominica there were 24, in Jamaica 40, In Trinidad 8, in the other thirteen West India Colonies none, and in the Mauritius 2.492. Thus it appeared that there were ten times as many slaves cap tured in one single Colony as in all the others. As he had before observed, there were only two ships car wed in the West Indies, and 41 in the Mauritius. Taking al tine circumstances together, the disproportion of the sexes of the slaves, the proportkm of foreign slaves, the increased prodoction of sugar, the number cap tured and the number of disembarkations, he thought there could be no doubt that the slave trade was carried on to an im mense extent in that Colony. It was tbought that the registry adopted would have effectually prevented the continuance of the Slave Trade. It was suggested by Lard Bathurst with this view, and deemed by him a complete barrier against the slave traffic; but, anxious as he was to make this statement In the fairest manner, he felt it his duty to state that not one of the important regulations recommended by the Colonial Office had been carried into effect In the Mauritius. (Hear.) Not to tire the House with details, it was usual to invert in the Registers many important particulars relative to the slaves, and, amongst others, from whom the possessor acquired the slave, and front what estate he was got. In the Mauritius those important particulars were not Inserted in the Register, and there was no knowing whe ther the slave came from the estate of a proprietor or the hold of • slave ship. If the Committee rested for proofs, said the Honour. able Member, upon the registers of Mauritius, they must he din. appointed—they would find it used only as a cover to the slave trade. In 1816 the number registered was 07.361, in 1819 20,000, and in, 1822 only 7,000, so that there wete 80,000 omitted, and by this oiniesion penalties were Incurred to the amount of 40 millions of money. The slaves, ton, who were omitted to be registered were clearly forfeited. This was a serious consideration for the Govern. mem. Ile (Mr. Buxton) did not pretend to dictate in what manner the Government should act in such a case, but it was a matter for serloas consideration. It could not be denied that the negroes im ported since 1810 were free by the laws of England, and from the information possessed by him on that point, he believed that the number of slaves of that description in the Mauritius amountel to 0,000 or 50,000. Mr. 'f elphair, whose name was before mentioned, returned an account of 260 slaves in 1816, but there were witnesses who would depose that they had seen groups,of new slaves on Mr. Telfair's estate, and that they had reckoned from WOO to 1200 slaves on the estate at different periods. There wes another subject he should call the attention of the/louse to more fully hereafter; he meant the dreadful. treatment bf the slaves In the Mauritius. lie regretted to be called upon to make such an assertion, but he could not conceal it from his mind, that wherever there was slavery there was oppreesion, but wherever the slave trade prevailed slavery was clothed with tenfold ferocity. Such dreadful horrors as had been related to hint, of the sufferings of the slaves in this Colony, he believed had never been brought before an assembly. These state ments did not rest upon the etidence of one person nor of ten, but of all who had resided in the Mauritius. The common soldiers, who were not a class, one sltould think, likely to sympathise very warmly with the wretched negroes, were unanimous in their opinions on what they had witnessed. They seemed to be haunted with the horrors they had seen in the Mauritius. Could it be won dered at that in such a state of things the mortality amongst the slaves was so great ? In 1815 the slave population of the district of Port Louis was estimated at 11,000. An officer was then ap. pointed to return an account of the number of buriale, and front his returns it appeared, that out of 11.000, 6,558 died in the six years following 1815, making a mortality of more than one.half in six years. But the most extraordinary circumstance was, that not withstanding the mortality the population increased. (blear.) Population flourished under this destruction of human life. He was moat anxious not to overstate the case, but he thought he had already said enough. to prove the proewitiorr with which he had commenced. The population of therSeycliel les, as he before remarked, was In the proportion of five males to one female, and of five foreign staves to one native. If any Gentleman eneertained the least dotibt of the accuracy of his statement, lie would request their attention to the documents which he had it in his power to refer to in confirmation of what be had represented. According to the Tax Rolls Return of the Slave Population of the Maurinue in 1810, the number of slaves amounted to sixty thousand. It might be said that these official returns were erroneous : but he thought their accuracy was to lerably ascertained by this circumsemee, filet, by the Fr.'nch re. tunic, the slave population at a previous period for the Mauetius was sixty thousand ; and .the official return made by the English authorities soon after was fifty-nine thousand. The Honourable Gentleman (Mr. Borten) hid said, that :here was a reductiontince 1812, in the slave porulation of that coliny of tire p.r c nt. per annum. Now if this reduction eon. tnued up to 1817, the slaves would have been reduced twenty-five per cent. in the course of those five years ; that was to say, they ought to amount, in 1817. to forty-five thousand. Now It appeared, by the return trade in that year by the authorities themselves, that the number cf slaves was eighty-seven thousand ; so that, by official uloeuments,it was shown that there were, in 17117, forty-too thousand slaves in the island of Mauritius more than there ought to have been. In addition to this, it was stated by General Hall, three years afterwards, that he could prove there te have been forty thousand slaves in the island not registered at all. This, he conceived, was a mathematical de. monstration that the slave population in the Mauritius was consi. densbly higher titan what the law allowed. There was another proof, also equally conclusive of this fact. The Honourable Gen. tleman had said, that in 11112 there were in the Seychelles, three thoutered nerreemse Now, 40-11115, when the.census of those Wends was taken, these .Were five 'thousand five hundred ; so that there' were two thousand five liondred more slaves than there ought to have been. The House might feel It wearisome for him to go through these various accounts, and some Gentlemen might be in. dined to any to him—why did you not bring these celculations be fore the House sooner ? His reason was, that be would not rely upon his own private information, as lie thought it wan quite in. credible that things of this kind. in our own day, and in our own colony, could have been upheld by the English authorities th ere . The Ilonoureble !krona (Sir it. Farquhar) had, previously to his connexion with the 31autittue, said that he was a friend of the free. doin of mankind, and an inveterate enemy to the slave trade. What must have been the iefittence on that Honourable Baronet's mind, and how strengely. must his better judgment have been abused, before he could have been induced, unfortunately for himself and for Ids country, to put his hand to such a despatch as the one to which he (Mr. Buxton) wan about to call the attention of the lieuee. The despatch was dated February 15, 1811. The lion. Baronet first contended that the Act of Parliament which prohi bited the slave trade did not extend to the 31auritius ; and ae condly, he argued, that even if it did, yet this country had, by their capitulation, graqted to the proprietors in the islund their cus toms and religion, which included the slave trade. Then he went on to say (but in which matt-went the Honourable Baronet was en tirely mistaken), that this country haul, after the Act of Parliament was passed, permitted the slave trade to be carried on at the island of Trinidad (but which was never the rase); and, therefore, he sr- Vied, a finliori, that it ought to be allowed at the Mauritius, the very existence of which as a colony depended on the odious traffic, so that, wehout a constant frcah impoetation of slaves, the 'el Ind d w o o n n i d " of li m ow an k a i n n y d , P d ic i nd an to opi t n h i e on f ; re or e. would become a d esert . N ow h e (M r . B uxton) cou ld only a l t , t a d n esp b e e c e i n ally of a Ru h how he could have prevailed whit himself to ask the Earl of Liverpoul to guarantee thee practice which by the law of England was felony, and which, ill point of moral ft cling, far ex cteded any other felony that could be committed. It was in the eyes of every man who knew whet the Slave Trade meant—lt was in the eyes of men who hart seen the reality, a crime of the very deepest anal most enormous kind. Ile bad now gone through the contents of his case. Ile had succeeded, he thought, in proving that the Slave Trade did exist, by showing vessel, to have been taken actually laden with slave., and by disembarkations having been made in the island ; and !resides these specific facts, he had the concurring testimony of officers of the highest credit, who were I stationed to prevent the carrying on of the trade. Ile haul proved it upon a calculation of the slave population. He had proved it by 1' \ , the lacressed growth of sugar, and by the bounties paid on cap tures. He find proved it by the state of the registry, and lie had gone tar to prove it by the cruel treatment of the negroes. lie had proved it by the increaeed population of the Seychelles; and finally, he had proved it by what he might call three strictly mathematical demonstrations. Ile thought he might fairly say, he had argued the question strictly tied logically. He had said " There is the law, and there is proof of the violation of it." But however painful it might be to the Howie to hear the melancholy details lie had it in his power to make, yet, as his object was to put an end to this odious traffic instanter, he thought he should hardly do his duty if he did not proceed to state part of those cruel proceeding+. The Honourable Gentlemen then entered into a description of the cruelties used in obtaining the negroes from the coast of Africa, and transported to the :Mauritius. Sometimes bodice of men went through the country and seized every unpro. tected man, woman, and even children that they met. On one occasion the sister of the King of Nova was seized, and transported to the Mauritius. There was one case which he would describe to the House, upon the authority of a Captain in his MajemyanNavy. On one occasion a crew landed at night, at a place on the coast of Guinea, surromitted a village, and seized upon the unprotected in habitants, put a considerable number on . board their vessel, and transported them to Mauritius, and there sold them as slaves. But the general mode of capturing the poor wretches was described to hint by Capt. Morrisby. When application wait brat made to that Gentlemen, lie declined giving any information:as he thought ' it would give ()fiance to Government ; but with regnrd to the mode ! of capturing of Slaver, he hail no objection to state the result or I his observations, because that did not fall under his cognizance offi ! eially, and therefore he was lint bound to secrecy. This Gentleman stated that the Arab Slave traders provided themselves with trinkets lof various kinds, and proceeded up the country. They went to that part of the coast of Africa where the inhabitants were in a etre of barbarism. They then exhibited their baubles to the de luded inhabitants, under the pretext of bartering with them, and I thueinduced the poor 'reaches to canoe in rumbers around them. 'lmam; reconnoitred the villages they took their choice of their victims. In the course of the night they proceeded to cur_ i round the village selected by them, and a general murder ! ensued. Several they burnt, some they wounded, and the rest they collected together and brought the next morning for twee.- tioe, and then having selected the atlutte, they destroyed the old and unhealthy. This was the first stage of the work of cruelty. The next was the journey. On the following morning they pro ceeded towards the coast, for the purpose or embarkation; which was sometimes a destance of 600 miles. This would generally oc cupy a period of six months, but on various occasions they would perform the journey in a period much less ; of Sometimes within 80 days. He had the authority of another gentleman, who had been employed by Government to 4avel in Africa. fuse another stage of this cruel drama. On the 10in of February 1821, a crew had gone on a plundering excursion, and having found a number of the inhabitants unguarded, they returned, having made one bun tired and seventy prisoners, chiefly women. This gentleman said, that during his travels he had had the opportunity of witneesing the sufhrings to which those poor wretches.were subjected, for days and days in the march towards the coact. They were tied together, and hurried, and goaded along, to enable them to keep up with the horses of their captors, like as the Smithfield driver did his bul locks. He hid seen anicng them an old woman 60 years of age, nearly doubled together, driven in this manner. There was also among them one young woman, who had for the first time become a mother only a few days before site was taken. Her child was thought too young to be worth saving, and it was taken from her. arms and thrown into the burning hut, from which its parent had just been dragged. This Gentleman concluded by observing, that he never had witnessed, nor did he think human nature could en. duce such torture as was inflicted on this poor creature, because she refusal ; weak as she was, to go forward. The next period of the journey of these victims to a most inhuman system, was, he (Mr. Buxton) confessial, still more horrid than any he had yet described. The vessels used by the slave traders were large unwieldy things, in which temporary platforms were erected. The negroes were then absolutely at ()red in bulk (es the Captain described it) in the first place along the floor of the vessel, until the tier was cola. pletal. Over them was the firat platform laid, supported by stakes two or three inches above their heads, while the negroes were com pelled to crouch down upon their hands and knees. Thos was the second and the third tier raised. Instance (said Captain Morrieby were known to hint where from 200 to 400 negroes have heen st in this way, and that at the end of their voyage not edam were alive. Then came the het stage of human misery in the Isansportation of these wretched beings, which Was the middle partage, the I horrors of which it was really beyond his power to describe. If he were to relate the particulars of the four voyages of which Capt. alorrisby had informed him, every one of them wouhll I prove to be an instance of almost incredible enormity. No anise. nation, however delighting ih the most dreadful and appalling creations, could picture the horrors or conjure up any thing , like the scenes of su ff ering endured on the middle passage. The ' description of the packing of these poor creatures had been described to hint thus ;—The hold of the vessel was from between two and lour feet higher, into which the captited negroes were stored is bulk, till they were wedged together in one mass of living coe. ruption. What with their filth and with the stench, the place was so horrible that it would be fatal fur any European to go iota the hold of the vessel for some days after the negroes had bees taken out. In this horrid den of huntan misery these poor oust tures were (lying daily, some fur want of air, many starving foe want of food, and most of them fainting for want of water. Is this state they had to sail a voyage of 1,500 miles, from the coast of Africa to the /Mauritius. But he would desist from any further attempt at describing the sufferings of the slaves, fur it was out of his power to portray all the horrors they endured. lie would de clare, however, a fact which he thought was of itself sufficient to appal the stoutest heart in contemplating the sad reality of human wretchedness, as exemplified by the traffic in human flesh. lie would venture to state that for every one man or woman tbat was brought into the Mauritius there were no less than two others murdered. Wearied as the House must be with the re. cital of these horrible things, he would now desist from dwelling any more upon them ; not would he trespass upon the emit. -lion of the House, save only by reminding them, more portico lurly the Right honourable Gentleman opposite (11r. Canning) that there was one reflection to be made on these things, namely, that our code against slavery at the Maaritlus had been abolished. The effect of this was to throw suspicion on our sincerity with re spect to the aboliticn of the slave trade. Whenever this country upbraided France for continuing that treffie, what was her answer ? She turned to us. and said, " Look at home; look at your prac tices at the Mauritius." This was the reply that had been given to Englainl at different times in official despatches ; and not only so, for he had known that when remonstraneee were privately made to persons of influence in that country, against the continuance of the 'lstria the answer always was, " You do a great deal worse at the alatiiitius."' It was most provoking end distressing oleo to think, that when this very question wad brought into a course of debate in France, where the facto' were so clear that a good result could hardly fail to ensue, the conduct of this country should frestrate and disappoint the hopes and expectations of e'er, friend of mankind. The vessel' traded at Nentz, the traders on board the vessels were brought tit. from several principal towns, and there was, for the first time, 'a prospect that the Slave Trade would be practically abandoned by the French, when a Deputy, connected too with the family of the Bourbons, rose in his place and said," True, we do carry on the Slave Trade, we do n o t deny it, but we only do it in imitation of the English ; we know what they do in the Mauritius." This charge could not be gain sayed, either in that country or in this, and the motion was conse quently lost. This country was bound by every pledge, and by every principle ; by treaties, by our honour, one interest, and our duty ; by die very loud professions we had made; by the rebukes such censures we had past on others to put and end to this odious and repugnant and unnatural traffic, ani yet here we stood our selves. quoted as a precedent by other nations for perpetuating the practice. (Hair, hear.) Make the best of it, the reputation of this country was and must be seriously injured by this. It was only recently that he had made these surprising discoveries, and this was the first time lie had brought them before the House. Now was the time for the House to set about proving that it did not sanction the Slave Trade, nor connive at its continuance. Now was the time to scrutinize the facts lie brought forward, and to see it they were true or false. If false, -then let the House con. denim hirn as the grossest and baptist of hbellers; it' true, let yen anefice felreitrtlltt nests of those wretches who hare dared to violate the laws, but more especially on the heads of those more honoured, more ernspetous, but more guilty wretches, who have been aware of this violatien and who had connived at it. (Cheers ) If we did this we should retrieve our lust characters, and should teach France how to imitate tie in liberal aria humane actions, as well as in inliuman ones. But if we evaded this opportunity to regain our lost statioe in the eyes of Europe ; if we were to say we will in quire into it, but let it be next year; if this evasion should be re. sorted to after these facts had been alleged (hear, hear, hear); if we refused to do so instantly, then let us have no more to say about the Slave Trade. Our influence in suppressing that odious trade would be gone ; we never could make another rebuke to France for the sanction that nation ended to it. No niore should we be able to preach to Europe 'upon the rights of humanity ; in our own dominions we should Aland convicted slave traders, and-in reputation convicted hypodites. (Loud cheers.) The lion. Gentleman concluded by moving that a Committee be appointed to inquire whether the slave trade existed in the alkuritius, and to what extent, and to report the same to the House. The Hon, Gentleman sat down amidst loud cheers. Sir It; FA lIQUIIAR, in risino, to meet the charges of the Hon. Gentleman, begged to observe, that up to the present moment hue !mid been kept in total ignorance of the scope, object, facts, and tendency of the lion. Gentleman's motion. lie believed it was the usual ptactice of this House, and only consistent with fairness, that Honour -hie Gentlemen who attended to allude in so strong a manner to the personal conduct of any individual, should give no. Lice of the facts he purpose tto brit g forward. The Honourable Gentleitian, in bringing forward his motion, had extended hie ob servetions over a period of 11l years, taking very good care to direct the attention of the House specially to the early periods of that space of time, and keepaig with equal care nut of sight the last six years, during which time lie knew he could not substantiate one single act of slave-trading i n t h e C o l ony of the .Mauritius, except in a single instance which w as sta t e d i n t h e Re port laid before this House last year. The Honourable Gentleman had declined to refer to the papers he h a d app li e d f ur. The whole drift of the floeourable Gentlem a n's arguments would, he (Sir R. Farquhar) would assert, have fallen to the ground, if those papers had been printed and in the hands of the alembere of this Howie. Eta, in pursuance of the us ua l mo d e a d opted by the lion Getaleman and those acting with him , he wished t o ta k e th e House by surprise, in addressing thetn in a strain of exangeretion, in order to warm up their feelings, and then to bring charges moon all persons connected with ths Colony, without giving tile ilume i In opportunity, by the production of documents, to judge for them. pelves in what manner they ought to have decided. If those Paper, ahead, alluded to had been produced (if they were as thick i s Clianitiere Dictionary), there would not have appeared in then' one circiimstance by which any blame could he attached to any offleer who had acted under his (Sir It. Farquhar'') authority while Gorernor.General of the Mauritius.last yeer the question was brought forward in that House, and a decision had been come to, in which it was detenstieed, as the opinien of the House, that the stare trade hid altogether caved in the Maiiritiue. He had do cuments which would show that up to yesterday not a vestige of the slave trade was remaining •„n that island. If the Hon. Gentle. man had brought forward the whole of the papers, or had allowed them to he printed, the House would have seen the most sans. factory evidence to that effect. Fenno the meltiplicity of docu. ments the lion. Gentleman had allotted to, he trusted the in. dulgence of the House would be allowed to him (hear, hear) while he should answer five particular instances, which the Hon. Gentle. man had, with great unfairness', and contrary to all usage, stated to the House as evidence of the existence of the Slave Trade at the Mauritius. If, however. in the absence of documents (many ! of which he had not read). his memory should fail him, he should hope for the indulgence of the House. (Hear, hear.) The Hoe. Gentleman having failed lot year in his endeavour to rove his 1 ease against the Mauritius, supported as he was by the 14 est India int , (which he now most artfully endeavoured to obtain though he (Sir R. Farquhar) 1432 sure those lion. Cientlesmi were too high-minded to grant, merely an account of the sego. Rant that had been addressed to them,) be now expected the House to join with hint is a voyage of discovery ex. tending over a period of sixteen yeast. This was much in Imit a ti on of the practices of that profession to which many of the Honourable Gentleman's friends belonged ; it was like a fishing bill in Chancery. Unprepared as he was by any previous notice of the attack which might be made against him, he mild only repel the insinuations which the Honourable Gentleman had thrown out. Telans viii, sideline Jarvis repel'n. With regard to the charge as respected the traweactron at the Seychelles, he could only say, that he was neither rceponeible nor accountable for what had happened 4900 leagues off. But as to the charge itself, he believed It to be totally false, and this he did from the knowledge he had of the Gentleman who was alluded to (.Ir. Telehair), and of whale services he (Sir R. F.) heel always had occasion highly to approve. The greatest enemies of that Gentleman were armed wiih the power to search for every slave on his plantations, but they declined to do so, winch admitted of the only inference that could be drawn, namely, that they had no grounds for doing it. The Hon. Baronet then adverted to the charge of slaves being imported into the Mauritius, and met the allegation by reading some letters written by the Chief Justice of the C o l o ny to G enera l Hall; but owing to the rapid and indistinct manner in which the Honourable Baronet read them, we could tint catch many passages, We collected that the Chief Judge, in re f erence tot e Wanes made of the Mosquito and Josef, mid that the report relating to those cases showed that the men taken on board those two vessels could not have been brought to trial at the Mauritius, because they never were brought by the captors within the jurisdiction of that island. He should now proceed to take a view of the other facts brought forward by the lion. Gent., so far as his memory would serve biro. Al.hough the Hon. Gentleman had said he did not refer to Men, yet it appeared that he had made very extensive use of them. It might be a question how far this conduct would excite the emir. tesy of his Majesty's Government in granting papers in menu/wept. for it would be remembered that the lion. Gentleman had had that courtesy extended to him, and upon which he had founded his pre. sent charges. This, to say the least of it, was not altogether show. ing veff decent respect to the House. The lion. Gentleman's ob. nervations, it would be recollected, referred only to the period of about 1819 ; he said nothing about the later periods. As for the information from the Admiral, it was a well.aacertained fact that the slaves alluded to by him were past of the property of the inhabi. ants of Demacar, and it was certainly only fair and just that on. der the capitulation those slaves should go with their proprietors to the Mauritius. The Hen. Gentleman seemed to think there was a great fraud prettified. ih i this ease. All that he (Sir R. Farquhar) could say was, .440. was not the least ground to home fraud. Such was the cavil 'which the Hon. Gentleman hail been pleased to gay (ha( 'Admiral had declared that he (Sir It. F.) was disposed to entsiumee the slave trade firm. Auenvear, bat that he (the Admiral ,)lprss determined to prevent it. But it was a fact that all these velahla- were examined bj the Ailmfraity, and Inspected and settled. - Before he proceeded further, he must pm. test against the Hon. Gentleman's confounding the Seychelles with the Mauritius. He had, while at 51suritius, done every thing that could be adopted to prevent the slave trade till he hid entirely destroyed it In that island 4 but he eould not be responsible for what occurred at the Seyelks, which were an Archipelago, at least 1,000 miles from the M th auled" and trate as distant from hie govetninetit as Gibraltar was from Downlikcitrect. It was there fore quite impossible for him to be responsible for what was going on at the Seychelles. The next observation of the Honourable Oen. tleman was, as to the fact of there being 40,000 more shies in the Island than were stated in the official returns. That these 40,000 were introduced into the Slauritius contrary to law was the Honour. able Gentleman's inference; but he (Sir Robert Farquhar) did not credit such a statement, nor did he believe that there was the slightest foundation for its being made. He only re gretted that he had not brought with him to the House a French memorandum which was in his posses:don, and which he received front the French General Many, a most able. "ereible, and intelli. gent man, in which he said that although the returns of the ' , laves stated there to be 59,000, yet to his certain knowle.ige there were 80,000 slaves in that colony while under the French government. In 1819 the amount of slaves in tne Mauritius was only from seven at ten thousand, and, abetracting from the effect of cholera mar. bus, which had carried off' a considerable portion of them, their number would be found to remain tolerably steady. The Hoe. Gentleman had also accused him of calling out the military on an alarm of hostile invasion. when there was in reality a slave vessel on the coast, arid of abusing his military power by searching vio. lentiy the houses of the inhabitants; but all that e ergo was utterly 'groundless and unproved. A statement had also been made in the Morning , Clirmsiek, and professedly on good &mho. rity, whieh affirmed that there were MO slaves in the Mauritius, who had been thrown on the coast in the most open way ; and it went on to say that it wax usual to let the slaves remain in the Say. chelles islands for six months, until they learned to speak French, and then to bring them to the Mauritius. But that statement con. tradicted itself; it could not be true in both parts. If it was usual to throw slaves on the coast of the Mauritius in the most open way, why were they left during six months in the Seychelles 1 The lion. Gentleman had also complained of the disproportion of the sear but he ( Sir Robert Farquhar) had recentl; received intelligence that the disproportion was continually decreasing. That was an evil which would work its own cure, and he was sure that without any importation the colony would go on flourishing. But the lion. Gentleman had argued in a manner which it would be hard to as. tiaty. He argue t, that if the population of the colony increased, the slaves must also have increased ; and if, on the other hand. the slaves hid decreased, he then concluded that they must have been ill.•reated. With respect to the orders which had been gives to the soldiers, not to make seizures, that order had proceeded from the Horse Guards, and from the highest authority ; they were declared to be incompetent to seize, and even repeatedly en. joined not to do so. The comparison which had been drawn be. tween the West India Colonies and the Mauritius was ill-founded; the cases of those Colonies were very different. The leovernment of the Mauritius had passed suddenly from the hands of the Frerch, without any preparation for the atolition of slavery; the color.) , was oat this account the leas improvable. The Mauritius had been a colony of the French—the enemies of England. The tone of moral feeling was different, therefore, front that which was to be found in our West ledian Colonies ; nor were the inhabitants so likely to yield to the declarations o f this Home, or to respect its I dea:ewes. In answer to other charges mad e aga i ns t hi m , the floe. r Baronet said. that he was bat lately come from the West Indies; and be thought the desire of the inhabitants to increase the number of the female slaves was natural and reasonable. Ile also referred to the doubts which had arisen in the Courts of Admiralty respect. ing the effects of the Slave Acts on the French population. As to the cultivation of sugar, it had increased in consemience of the 'reparation of the Isle el' Bourbon, which was before the great source of sugar and agricultural produce ; but ty sugar being more secure from the hurricanes which devastated the Mauritius, the cultivation of it his gradually increased. The Honourable Baronet entered here into some explanstioo of the sithject of registration, the purport of which we could not perfectly collect. 'Fite population of the Mauritius in 11109 was only 20,000; but that census was very imperfect, the greatest possible expedition having been used in collecting the returns. With respect to the depop u l a ti on o f t h e S eyc h e ll es , t h at h a d procee d e d from the circumstance of the woods h av in g b een cu t d o wn in those islands ; they thus became m ore ex p ose d to t h e hurricanes, and there was 5 continual emigration from them. Such a way of introducing ! 13 • very might, perhaps, b e prevented by a more perfect wenn of re gistration, or even by a prohibiti on t o t rane f er s l a ves at all. 111 the. , present law the trensfer of slaves from the Seychelles was as free as I from the West Indies; it was, therefore, impossible to prevent th' evils that might result from it without some alteration in the law. The Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Buxton) had given a long deseriMiun of the mode of treating slaves practised by the Arabs and other Africau nations engaged in the trade, which descriptions were grateforeign to the question. But although some vessels from the Fr ahm Gulf might occasi ona lly b e seen at t h e Sl eut h: us , there were none of that class of Arabs who d ea l i n slaves. While, however , the Honourable Gentleman (Mr. Buxton) dwelt on very mint" points, andextended his, research es w id e ly. he had never theless kept back the gr eat p o i nt . Ho' (Sir Robert' Felder) was willing to me e t an y an d every charge. Hair, hear, hear./ 'But besides he thought h e h a d a claim to to small share of appro bation. His exertions had rontribut e d no t a 'little to shut up th e islands against the slave t ra d e . There was now Deport open i n the slave trade except aleeenthique, which wee frequented by it ., French slave dealers. ItVitit respect to what had hem said ef the degradation or this country i n t h e eyes of foreig Hrs. and 0 1 wha t was said of it by French wr i ters i n p art i cu l ar , on accou nt of the existence of the slave trade, lie would say, frost his own know. ledge, that it was a principle adopted by the French Gorernmeei• in ender to time., their own most notorious slave trade. ( hear), v. , cast a slur on the conduct of this errantry ; they were thenisile!e the great supporteis of the trade, and, to cover thcirri lees, eitst tea obloquy on this country: but the principal (MOWS of Jim" exoetlitions (said the Vonmerable Gentleman) were reneresdeo and privateer., not at all connected with the- Colonial meth The 11110311110U4 state of the laws in the Mauritius deserved alto to be noticed. By these laws there was no power given to parish these detec.ed in slave dealing. Ile never considered himself at liberty to punish the culprit ; lit the ?lame time he would tell the Holm, that he had veil:need to aneeend thajudges who hodhe; fused to receeniz e the authority of tin Art of Parn meat. Ir I consequence of their con d uct woelel have been to legaler the .t v . l ' te s but he took care to (semis his disapprobstiou of thsir tiscuttow• I ate. M to ho ha