The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1805-03-01 00:00:00

• sea to remain under his present misapprehension. By the rules of their proceedings, he could mash* regularly authorised to reply to any arguments ad . 4• vanced against a Bill, in any stage of its progress, as that was merely an indulgence usually given only to those who originated any new measure. The question was then called for, and strangers ordered to withdraw, preparatory to a division— when General GASCOIGNE rose-14e could not, he said, expea, that any thing he might offer, could threw any material new light upon this subjea—or that he had the power to detain the tention of the House, by any novelty of illustration ; hut he at very inconsistently with his avowed senti ments, if he did not oppose the Bill in every stage of its progress. Ile was very well aware o. what indeed every one knew, that a bill to the same area had passed that House, in the course of the last Seisions--but he was far from thinking that policy, humanity, or justice, at this time, bound them to that measure—especially when they considered the present circumstances of the country, and how im portant th.. West-India Trade was to the public re venue. litre were two go. ants of view in v liich the measure may be considered-Ist, in regard to its wisdom and policy; and, 2dly, with respea to its expediency at the present moment. The sup• porters of the Bill had not now, after so many reme dies had been already applied, anything to addon the score of the inhumanity of the trade; the cruelty of the middle-passage; or the hard usage said to be experienced by the negroes in the plantations. All these, and even the possibility of their recurrence, were totally removed, by the regulations already adopted. There were no temporary existing cir cumstances, which could now call upon them to rote for it. On the contrary, he could say, from his own knowledge, that there were several Ame rican Houses now lying by, and ready to take up the trade on a larger scale, as soon as we should re linquish it. Much more was meant by this plan than had yet been avowed, and he was convinced that the framers of the abolition meant it ulti mately to terminate in the total emancipation of the toc •negroes.At this time at least, it was the interest of the planters to keep their slaves as healthy and in asgocd condition as they could, because without them there was not by any means a sufficient poi:A.l6°n in the colonies to keep up the plantations. After experi *ming the benefits derived from this trade, for more than a century, the House should not now yield to vague and speculative ideas; aad particalarl7 when the nation was involved in an extensive war, which would be sufficient to employ the whole of its resources. and when, in consequence of it, the co lonies already felt themselves under considerable embarrassment. These spaulative opinions had al ready beet ammoded with very mischievous effeds, and the frequent discussion of them excited such a spirit of insurmaion in the islands, that, only for a providential discovery, the plot lately projeded Ivy the slaves, might have involved the colonists in the same miserable fate which befel the white inhabi tants of a neighbouringeolony (St. Domingo ),whose proximity to our settlements rendered the danger more imminent than it might otherwise be. If Gentlemen represented the trade to be inhuman, he would ask, was it not equally, or even more cruel, to sutojed the white inhabitants to a general massacre ? The Government had lately adopted the measure of pur etviaase from the philters 5,000 able bodied negroes, of 21 to 25 years of age, for a military force. In that, he believed, they did right ; but was the mo ment they were buying slaves themselves the pro s: for prohibiting the planters from purchasing ? Those even who admired the principle of the Bill must rejet it in praaiee, when they under stood that, independently of the loss to the revenue, by the abolition of the Slave Trade. they would throw 760,0,00 persons out of employment. It a Committee was now appointed for investigating the state of this trade, and the condition of the colonies, he made no doubt bat the result would be very dif ferent from what it was before; for, unfortunately, the negroes of our islands had, at this time, a great er facility than before, of communicating both with France and the Black Empire of Hayti. There were also a greatnumber of black sailors in our navy, whom these discussions might Annulate to revolt and mutiny. Upon these grounds he moved that the Bill be read a second time this day six moaths. Sir CHARLES BROOKE thought, that if the abolition was generally agreed to amongst other nations, the English colonies might not suffer from it very materially ; hut that was not to he expeaed either on the part of France or Spain ; particularly the former, as, by the former precipitate measure of abolition, she had lost the most valuable of her colonies and her army. After the peace, or rather the truce. of Amiens, France gave a bounty of two pounds, &kith money, on the importation of slaves irom Attica; and British subjects, by selling the rights of citizenship in that country, might there be enabled to carry on a traffic whicl) would, by this Bill, be bete prohibited. The Spanish colony of Cuba, by leaving the importation of slaves open to the ships of every native. was now nourishing ; and, upon the ss hole, he should oppose the Bill, from a conviaion that, if we relinquished. the trade, it would be taken up by France, Spain, and many other nations. 4 4 Sir W. YOUNG thought that some respell ought to be paid to the opinions of the Colonial Assem blies of the West India 'show, who deprecated this measure, and who must be allowed, from their experience and local knowledge, to be better judges of their own interests, than we could be. Though the Hon. Gentleman ( Mr. Wilberforce) thought proper to be silent, he might have expelled, on the present night, a formidable opposition—for, on former occasions, there were never 250 Members percent, when similar measures were adopted ; and there yet remained 400 mote, who, no doubt, would consider, that, though this country may herself re linquish the trade, it was not in its power to abolish it. The Hon. Gentleman then quoted several pas. sages from the works of Mr. Mungo Park, to spew that there was an ambitious Mahometan Power spread along the coasts of Africa, which, by its wars and conquests, kept the interior of that country, as far as it was known, in a constant state of warfare ; that the custom was to massacre the prisoners, when they could not sell them ; that there was scarcely any man free amongst the natives of that Contineht ; as An instance of which, he stated, that out of 900 prisoners takes there atter a battle wuo by ow of A •• . • *it Kings, there were se won than 75, who waft in. class of freedom ; and that the slaves were I obliged to work in the minca s ,,rith irons About their necks. Principles, he said, of jnitiee and human- ' ity, should mit be taken in a partial way; for, what Might be thought 311411UWA AI to the Negroes, would be sura:ma i !ham to the Planets and Proprietors.— He could, if permitted, call evidesee to the bar, in proof that the Negroes always connected this measure with total emancipation. He conjured the H -use not to let declamations upon justice and hu manity lead them into measures which must be pro ductive of the greatest calamities, for they may as well take from the Planters life itself, as deprive them of the means by which alone they could support it. Ile concluder with representing the great resources which the public revenue derived from a trade, the imports of which were no less than 17,000,4001 from the beginning of the year 11303, to that of the year I 80.1--by which, in Ireland, 13,300 tons were annually exported, and the imports were nu more than 51.0001. Mr. BA R lIAM said, that though he had, on a former occasion, voted against this measure, yet, upon further refleftion, he was now reminded both of its expediency and of the present time being the most propitious for carrying it into execution.• At the present period, when we had the trade of the world in our hands, he could not consent to have principles sacrificed to a single branch of it. There was, he thought, good reason to infer that, by set• tiog them the example, foreign stations might then be induced to co-operate in the abolition. It had al ready been consented to by some of the states of America, and the House could not be blind to the danger arising from the growing disproportion be tween the black and white inhabitants. It there should be danger in abolishing the trade, we should aft like careful physicians, woo would not abstain from administering medicines in very dangerous cases, because there might be some danger in them. He approved of the plan for a black armed force. be cause it could easily be fora 11- , from the abundant population of the neg..ics, and he paid the less at tention to the fe irs of the merchants, or agents, as they seldom looked further than immediate gain; for the agents were desirous of making rapid for tunes, and it was well known that the merchants would rathei have the trade doubled for the next ten years to come, than have the certainty of one half of it only continuing even for the term of fifty years. Those were quite distinct from the proprie tors, who had a permanent interest iu the prosperity of the colonies. General T A RLETON considered the West India trade as one of the great bulwarks of the navy, and exemplified the g rod effefts of it, from the ameliora tion of the state of Liverpool for the last century. A hundred years ago, Liverpool possessed only a population of 2..500 people, 100 sailing harks, and a capital of 200. ; wheieas, now it bad a popula tion of from 80 to 90,000 people ; .5,000 shins, and the capital-of 2,0001. was doubled by so many mil iitins. This measure, he insisted, aro-e out of the " Rights of Man," which, pushed to extremes, had done so much mischief in the world. • He would assert, that the n Ri b oata of Man" was at the bottom of this measure. He did not wish to say, that the Hon. Gentleman who proposed it was nitnseif a Jacobin, though there was a circumstance which convinced him that he was looked upon as such. He had not been in France since the late usurp ation, nor did he ever pay court to its present Ruler ; but, being in Paris in the year 1:91, he was naturally curious to ,ee some of the transactions of theJacobinClub, and, on mentioning his curiosity in that respefl to die Marquis de la Fry ette, the latter said to him, " No, no, my dear friend, you must by no !nuns go there, fn• your life would he in danger, As you voted against the Slave Trade ; but, if you could get alr. - iNilberforee to go with you, there could be no doubt of your being in petted safety." He repeated, however, that he did not think the Hon. Member entertained jacobinical principles in their full extent ; hut he knew that his reputation for it was so high in Para-, that the Jacobin Society aatially sent him his ,/-p?ortsa to this country as a member of it. For these, and other reasons he al leged, he expressed his determination to vote against the Bill. Mr. FULLER said, that many arguments had been advanced against the Slave Trade, and in fa vor!. of this Bill, which he, for one, could not allow. The Hon. Gentleman who brought it forward had fixed on this as the very best time in which to abolish the Slave Trade. He, on the contrary, thought it was the very worst, and, in this opinion he was sup ported by the report of the arambly of Jamaica, which, he thought, was very ably drawn up, and founded on the knowledge and experience of the ablest men in the Island, who must be supposed to know the true state and nature of the question much better than the Honorable Gentleman could be sup posed to do. He thought the Hon. Gentleman • held the language of despondency, which he seas sorry to see. \%e had for some years been as sailed by the whole mighty power of Frace, and, if we had given way to despondency, this coun try would before now hay* been at doe foot of Bonaparte. He saw much mischief to the West India Colonies if this Bill should be adopted, for it would ruin the smaller settlers; and it you lost them, sou would not be able to manage the best plantations. He then adverted to the injustice of the measure, as going direcily to dispose of and destroy the property of such a large body of peo ple, without, nay, against their consent—an injus- tice which the lion. Gentleman dared not to at• tempt in this country, in the case of a petty tonal, or a turnpike road. In either of these cases, he would say to those whose land he wanted, even for public uses—a We will call a jury, who shall AMU you damages by way of com pensation for your land which we take from you.' Such would be the language used to persons here, whose property was to be injured or taken from them ; but very different is the treatment of •the people who will be injured by this Bill—they are to lose their property without compensation, because they inhabit an island, at three thousand miles dis tance, which you dare oppress. He denied the force of the argument of inhumanity to the slaves, and said, it was fraught with fallacy and deceit ; there was equal inhumanity in dragging the sailor from the merchant service, forcing him abroad, and, on his return, after years of absence, seiz ing and sending him abroad again ; but it was ar gued this wrs necessary; he did not deny it; these - : . . ' . , . . *ere the common conditions of civilised nature, and must be submitted to ; but humanity was a catch iug word, and, for his part, he had seen it sa much abused, that. he was inclined to think those who pretended to be the most humane and the most religious, were the greatest cheats. Mr. H. ADDING lON said it had been allowed on all hands this subjea had been so thoroughly de bated, that nothing now remained to be said upon it. He would therefore trouble the House with only a few words, as a reason for the vote he should give that night. He had maturely considered the sub jea, and weighed it. well in all its bearings, because the opinion be had formed nn it was different from those who possessed the most eminent talents, and for whom he had the highest respea. He thought, however, f: tern the manner in which the measure was brought forward, it could not be of advantage to the Colonies, and it might he attended with great mischief anti much danger. He should therefore give his vote against the Bill. He was altogether unconneaed with the West India Islands, or with any persons in the least concerned in them, and, in the vote he should give to-night, was solely aatiated by a sense of duty. Mr. TRENCH said a few words, but, in so low a tone of voice, we could not distinguish whether he was for or ag iinst the Bill. Sir W. PULTENF.Y said, he would not trouble the House at any length, but be : wished to make a few observations. There was certainly a consider able difference of opinion, as to this Bill. Some say, it may he highly dangerous in its consequences; others, that it cannot fail to be very advantageous. It was however ascertained, that the Slave Trade had been very advantageous to the West India Islands. This Bill was built on theory, and he was not fond of then, ies ; they had been produaive of ton much mischief. It was agreed on all hands, that the cultivation of the West India Islands cannot be carried on by Europeans; but then it was said, that negroes might in time be made labourers for hire. This might be true; but some countries were so situated, and subsistence so easy to be obtained, that people would not work unless they were forced to it; that he understood was much the case in the West In dia islands, and was the case in this country also with respea to sailors, who were alway 2 forced into the service in time of war. It bad beUirged, that thehe was rest danger accruing to theishile people of th ands, from ;he great superiollEy in numbers who the blacks bore to the whites. He owned he felt considerable alarm for the islands, when he re fleaeti on that vast disproportion ; but still he thought ihe danger would be as great from the el feas of a convulsion, which an immediate abolition would create, as from a continuance of the trade some time longer. The present Rill, he thought, was founded in theory, and he had seen and heard many specimens of splendid theories introduced into that House, and supported by the first talents and eloquence, which, alter all, had gone off as mere vapour. Few grave and considerate men suffered themselves to be hurried away by the mere influence of eloquence ; but he feared it had been alters led with but ton much effea on the minds both of the Memberslif that House, and of the people at large, when this measure was first introduced. The subjea had since been more thoroughly investigated, anti he believed much of that influence, which elo quence had created, was now done away. He con sidered this as a question of the highest importance, both to this country and the West India colonies, and he cautioned the House to pause before they adopted such a measure. He thought a gradual abolition would be more likely to prove successful than an immediate one. Mr. SULLIVAN said, he rose merely to say a few words as to a contra& which had been men tioned for raising .4 Black corps of 5,000 men, for the service of the West India Islands. An Hon. Gen tleman over the way had said, no such contrail was or had been made by the present Administration. He would, also, assure the House, that no such con tra& was ever made by the late Administration. Mr. FOX said, he should not have spoken at all this evening, but for something which had dropped From the Hon. Baronet on the subjea of eloquence employed in support of theories tn that House, to which he begged leave to say a very few words. The Honourable Baronet had thought it neces sary to caution the House not to be led away by eloquence, with the dread of which he had been so suddenly seized ; and he wares them to take care of eloquence. *This reminded him of the argument used in France at the commence ment of the revolution, when it was said in all their public clubs and meetings, " that the aristocracy of eloquence was the most dangerous aristocracy in the world." The Hon. Baronet had said, that he had seen many splendid theories introduced into that House, and heard them supported by the first ta lents and eloquence, and yet they had gone off. He could not tell to what particular theories the Hon. Baronet might mean to allude ; but he supposed it was generally to such measures as might have been . brought forward, and, t:.ough supported by do quence, had nut Leen adopted, But what theory, said he, is there in this case ? We say she African trade is not a good one—and, therefore, we wish it abolished. We say it is fraught with danger to the West India islands.—Can the Honourable Baronet deny it? What is the state of the We-t India islands ? Is not the Honourable Baronet alarmed for them ? --Yes. Why ?—Because he has allowed there are thirty blacks to one white.— Here then they were agreed in the danger; and it was only for the House to say, which was the best way of securing the islands against it. He con demned the idea of gradual abolition, which had been proposed thirteen or fourteen years ago, and not one step was as yet taken towards it. He hoptd, therefore, the House would agree to adopt immediately a measure which had so repeatedly re ceived their san&ion, as he was convinced it was the only one that could ever prove efficacious. Mr. HUDDI.F.STONE spoke in favour of the Bill. He asked whether it was just to exercise a trade which was founded in cruelty and bloodshed ? or whether it was honourable to a government, whose principal basis is freedom ? He went over the same ground which has been so often trod on most of the points urged against the Bill I and hoped he might congratulate the House on a sp edy release from the foul stigma under which the country had so long laboured, in consequence of the continuant of this scandalous traffic. ..s• , . The CHANCELLOR of the El said, hr did not rise 4) speak on t!‘e nnly to %Ay a few !wird' iinfiev which had been contideptlrmer as to a 111.ick c, rps. It lad be contraft for 3aoo-African Government, with certain • • 17E1 i; ntdde of being employed as a black eorps its the W cc , India Islands. He aspired the fintfseliit sea. an my stranger to any such contra& he did b 4rr was certain it could not be. That a body of 54)0 negroes, who are not slaves. are contracted for, w , true, but that any negnoes who are staers are to b employed in it. was the craft reverse. I le could tell from what source such terms could ,pri0; 7 ,1,., he though: it n:cessary to put an end to them or assurance lie had given. Mr. WI allitliFOltCh replied. Earl TEMPLE said his Right Hon. F. itl•rid (;;:, Chancellor of the Exchequer) had suited it wa.s nut the intention of Government to bring a number of Slaves from Airica for the purpo e of having them trained up as soldiers. He bad since math. . quire; about it, and found, that Clough not in no sent direAly to Africa fur them, y. had contracted with merchants to procure t, e ; and he understood there were now at Livtrpo u l veral ships ready fitted out for that purpose. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER explained, and said, he really was unacquaiiiter with the circumstance the NoWe Lord alluded to, The question being loudly called for, the Howe divided : For the Amendment. 77—Against it, 70. Of course the Bill is lost —A !Owned. .0 I:OItitESPoNDEN fS. Thu Editor would he glad to coo Mr. DAVID Scstsstr. l'he Linn upon the Budget, and Esther (BMWS, shall be in. serted with all possible dispatch. Teti DA.TST. DAY ID—Holiday at the Pubtx THE BRITISH PitESS. I.ON DO N, • FRIDAY. MARCH I. 11 11111 —.............-- Gottenburgh Mails arrived yesterd.!y, Ani have brought Hamburgh Papers to the fish. A letter from Venice, of Jan. 12, stares. that Franc: sloes not persist in her demand, that the Sicilian ports should be shut against the English. A new cause is assigned for the angmentation of the Austrian cordon upon the Italian frontiers. A letter of the 27th says, it is not only for the purpose of security against infe&ious distemper, but to relieve the Provinces of Bohemia and Moravia. where a great scarcity of provisions prevails. • —......-- We have also received Dutch Papers to the 19th, which state, that M. SC*IMstELPLNSINCK had takes leave of the Court of the Thailleries on the 12th, preparatory to his return to Holland. These Papers also captain a long Note of the Executive area tory of the Batavian Republic, complaining of , the publication of two speeches, alleges' to have been made by M. VAN HASSELL HOdWIENGAAIDLN. in a close Assembly of the Legislative Body upon the subjea of the present oppressed and me. lancholy state of Holland. " It is given in the lad . page. The Bill for the Abolition of the Slave Trade was lost last night in the House of Commons. The Channel Fleet remained still' at Torbay oa Tuesday last. Yesterday, about two o'clock, His Marsrr held a private Levee, at the Queues House, which w-is attended by the Prince Casr ELnICALA ; their Excellencies the WI SITES( acto„ Port uousse, 5%.• nisii, and Istrtatat. Awaags*oons; MalltikeS CiaGELLO and HERTTORD; Baron NOLCREN ; CIS LORD CH A IicELEoR, Earl POULCT, Lord in waiti.o Lord Mt:to:tam Admiral C•str, Sits S. Snits, and S. COTTZRPI.I.. The following Presentations to His MAJESTY took place: Sir SIDNEY SMITH, who appeared is Military uniform, in consequence of his late prom'' Lion to be Colonel of Marines, was pretested to Hli MAJCsTY by Earl POUI.ET, on which occasion, he had the honour to kiss His MAJESTY ' S hand. Ad. mural CAMP from Pot tit3al, by the PORTUOUSIR Au easssook. After the Levee, His MAJESTY gave a private audience to Lord MULSRATE and Mr. Pitt. The General Augeresr, French privateer, of :I; Rung, and 87 men, was captured, on the 13th ult. in lat. 45, long. 5, by the Topa:chigoe t she bad been out 17 we As, and had captured nothing. Captain Goes is shortly going out Gcvernor ct Bermuda. Yesterday was settling day in Consols. It pro duced only one defaulter. A Court of Dittetors was yesterday held at the India House, when the undermentioned Con molders took leave of the Court: viz. Capt. H. WILSON, Worley, Capt. J • w SI PINDERGRAss, tleilEt Cape. T. J. H ARINGTON, Ganges, for China; and Capt. JAMES Mutest, Deronsh,re, for Ceylon and Madras. The Court adjourned at an early hour al this day. The Court Martial for the trial of LieutamiS• Colonel COEN* ARE JOHNSTONR, late Goversur of Dominica, will commence this day at Chelsea. President, the Earl of HARRINGTON. It is said that all the Light Infantry Companies, to the amount of 2,000, in the Eastern Dion& will, in a few days, embask at the Tower. under Commodore Lucas, who will land them at Wool wich, where they will have a grand field day, Pl' paratory to their being put upon permanent duty. The Commissioners of the Navy have, wi thin these few days, contra/led with the several ship builders in the river Thames fit the immediate building of MI ships of '4 guns cacti.