The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-08-09 00:00:00

3•1111..11,RE OF THE ABOLITION OF

SLAVERY.

On Friday last week the Guildhall of the City of
London pres.mted a remarkable scene in the gather-
ing, under tfrze presidency of the Priaco of Wales, of
persons of ll ranks, of different creeds, and of .both
political parties, to celebrate the jubilee of the aboli-
tion of slavery in tho British Colonies, to pass in
review the work of the British and Foreign Anti-
Sim-v:7 Society during the last half-century, and to
conder the subject of existing slavery in some parts
of the world. Lord Shaftesbury, wholiad promised to
attend, had dictated from a sick-bed a letter declaring
his satisfaction with the -changes which he had lived to
see. There were present Earl Granville, the Earl of
Derby, the Archbishop of. 'Canterbury, Mr. W. E.
Foster, M.P., Sir Stafford Northcote, M.P., Sir Harry
Verney, M.P., Sir J. W. Pease, M.P., Sir George
Campbell, M.P., SirW. M4Arthur, M.P., Mr.'Causton,
M.P., Sir Wilfrid Lawson, M.P., &c. &c.
On the dais, behind the Prince Of Wales and the
distinguished company, were two busts of Granville
Sharp and Clarkson. These 'busts were decorated with
flowers, and in front of the dais were placed the chains
of slavery brought home from Zanzibar by the late Sir
Bartle Frere. There were also prominently displayed
wooden poles toNshich the necks of Slaves are fastened
in the march of slave caravans across the desert.

The great hall was densely crowded from end to
end, and the audience was most enthusiastic from the
beginning to the close.
The Prince of Wales, who rose amid loud and
long-continued cheers, said: My Lords, Ladies, and
Gentlemen, .at the express wish of the Lord Mayor I
have been asked to preside on this auspicious occa-
sion. I need hardly tell you that it gives me more
than ordinary pleasure to occupy the chair at so
great and influential meeting as this. I confess I had
some reluctance in consenting to preside to-day,
feeling that others would accomplish the task to be
discharged far better than I should. But also felt that
possibly I might have some slight claim 'to occupy the
chair on such an occasion as that of to-day, as so many
members.of my family have presided on former like
occasions in connexion with anti-slavery movements.
Let me say that my excuse for standing before you
to-day may be given in the words used by my
lamented father on a similar occasion, 44 years ago.
They were these - I have been induced to preside
at the meeting of this society from the conviction of
its paramount importance tothe greatest interests of
humanity and justice." This is a .great and im-
pertent anniversary. To-day we celebrate the jubilee
of the emancipation of slavery -throughout our
'colonies ; and it is also a day which has been looked
forward to with pleasure and satisfaction by this
excelleet society, which has worked so hard in this
great cause of humanity. As I said before, I feel,
perhaps, I may have some slight claim to stand before
you, as members of my family have occupied a similar
position. In the years 1825 and "1828, my uncle the
late Duke of Gloucester (cheers) presided at meetings
•of the society, which were numerously attended.
The Duke of Sussex did -so in 1840; and you are
well aware of the interest they taok in promoting the
objects of the society by 'bringing forward questions
concerning it in Parliament. In the same year that
the Duke of -Sussex presided at meetings, 1840, my
lamented father occupied the chair at a very
large and crowded meeting at Exeter-hall; and I
believe that occasion was the very first on which be
occupied the chair at any public meeting in this
country. We may be all proud, ladies and gentle-
men, that England was the first country that abolished
negro slavery. (Cheers.) Parliament voted, and the
nation paid, £20,000,000 to facilitate this object.
Our example was followed by many other countries,
though 1 regret to say that still in Brazil and in
Mahomedan and heathen countries it still exists. It
is a very natural temptation that, in newly-peopled
countries, and especially where the climate prevents
Europeans from working, forced labour should be in-
troduced. The Duke of Gloucester very properly
said that "The slave trade can only be abolished by
the abolition of slavery; that while there is a demand
there will be a supply." That has been the keynote
,of the society during its existence. Prin-
cipally owing to the indefatigable exertions
of the undaunted Thomas Clarkson and his great
Parliamentary coadjutor William Wilberforce, the
slave trade and the untold horrors of the Middle
Passage were, as far as Great Britain was concerned,
put an end to in the year 1807. The majority, there-
fore, of the slaves in the West Indian Islands who re-
ceived the benefit of the Emancipation Act were
descendants of those Africans who had been originally
torn from the forests of Africa Speaking of the pro-
clamation of the emancipation of the slaves in the
colonies, Mr. Buxton has said: "Throughout the
colonies the churches and chapels had been thrown
open, and the slaves had crowded into them on the
evening of the 31st of July, 18.34. As the hour of mid-
night approached they fell upon their knees, and
awaited the solemn moment, all hushed, silent, and pre-
pared. When twelve o'clock sounded from the chapel
bells they sprang upon their feet, and through every
island rang glad sounds of thanksgiving to the Father
of all, for the chains 'ere broken and the slaves were
free "I may mention that I have within a short time ago
received a telegram from the President of the Wesle-
yan Methodist Conference of Burslem, congratulating
me and you on the meeting of to-day, and stating that
it was during the session of the Conference in 1834
that the abolition of slavery in the West Indian
Colonies became an accomplished fact—a consumma-
tion for which, as Wesleyan Methodists, they had
universally prayed and laboured. They cannot, there-
fore, but profoundly rejoice at the jubilee of the great
event, with its incalculable benefits, not only to the
West Indies, but to all other peoples throughout the
world. It may not, perhaps, be generally known to
you that slavery was abolished in India in 1845, by
the simple passing of an Act destroying those local
statutes, and putting the free man and slave on the
same footing before the law. The natural result took
place, and millions of slaves gratuitously procured
their freedom without any sudden dislocation of the
rights claimed by their masters. A plan similar
to this would be found a most effectual
one in Egypt and other countries. This ex-
ample was followed by Lord Carnarvon in
1874 in the case of Western Africa, where he was
able to abolish slavery without any serious interference
Iwith the habits and customs of the people. (Hear,
hear.) Under the influence of England, the Bey of
Tunis issued a decree in 1846, abolishing slavery and
the slave trade throughout his dominions, in the
following simple and forcible terms: "Know that all
slaves that shall touch our territory by sea or by land
shall become free." In connection with that part of
the world there are two names which I cannot do
otherwise than allude to to-day—that of Sir Samuel
Baker, and one which is on everybody's lips, that of
General Gordon. You are well aware that during the
terul of five or six years that they were Governors of
the Soudan, they were to a very great extent successful
in putting down the slave trade; but I fear they had
great difficulties to contend with, and that when their
backs were turned much of the evil came out again
which they had found on their arrival. I will
now tarn to European countries and see what has
been done in them with regard to slavery.
In 1848 the great Republic of France, led by
the veteran abolitionist M. -Victor Schcelcher, and his
colleagues, passed a short Act abolishing slavery
throughout the French dominions: ".La Republique
Francaise n'admet plus d'esclaves -our le territoire
Francais." (Cheers.) Then Russia, in 1861, under
the late Czar Alexander, caused the .4mancipation of
20,000,000 of serfs, for though serfdom is different in
form from African slavery, yet this fact cannot go
unchronieled to-day in a review of actions on slavery.
Then, passing to the United States, I may remind
you that in 1865 the fetters of 6,000,000 of -slayes in
the Southern States were meltei in the hot fires of the
most ruthless civil war of modern times. Then as
to Brazil, you are probably aware that while all the
small Republics of South America put an end to
. slavery when they ceased connection with Spain,
Brazil alone retains the curse she inherited from her
•Portugese rulers. At the present moment Brazil pos-
sesses nearly a million and a half of slaves on her vast
plantations, many of whom lead a life worse than that of
beasts of burden. Now, having taken this glance at
'the condition of slavery to-day, I will add, in the
swords of the society, that the chief object of this
jubilee meeting is to rekindle the enthusiasm of
England, and to assist her to carry on this ".civilising
torch of freedom" until its beneficent light shall be
shed over all the earth. The place in which this
meeting is held, the character of this great meeting,
and the reception these words have received, assures
me that I have not done wrong in stating freely
these objects. Ono of the objects of the society is to
circulate at home and abroad accurate information
on the enormities of the slave trade and of slavery, to
give evidence—if evidence, indeed, be wantitig—to
the inhabitants of slave-holding countries .of
the pecuniary advantages of free labour, and
to diffuse authentic information respecting the
beneficial result to the countries of emancipation. The
late Duko of Gloucester, in a- speech which he made
in 1825, said his family had been brought to this
country for the protection of the rights and liberties
of its subjects, and he should not be doing his duty
by the nation as a member of the reigning family if
he did not recommend the great principles of free-
dom by every means in his power. Most heartily
and most cordially do I endorse those words. I
rejoice that we have on the platform the eminent
sons of two eminent fathers in the work of abolishing
the slave trade and slavery. We have here Lord
Derby, whose father (then Mr. Stanley) became
Colonial Secretary at a time when the Act had to
be carried out. Then we have Mr. Forster, whose
father, after having taken his full share in the
work of passing the Act, went to Tennessee on an
anti-slavery errand, and died in that task. In
Mr. Trevelyan's "Life of Macaulay" we ,obtain an
insight into the work of Zachary Macaulay, the
father of Lord Macaulay. Zachary Macaulay felt those
evils to be so great, that he was carried away for
many years to war with this gigantic evil in the West
India Islands. The "apprentice system," whieb
followed slavery, Zachary Macaulay described as
worse than slavery itself. Ile travelled for four
years in those islands, and the effect of his war
was that the Act of which we celebrate the jubilee
to day had to be completed in 18,38, when the transi-
tion stage was abolished, and universal and complete
emancipation was proclaimed. This Act of 1838,
as I have said, completed the work of 1834, in the
battle for which so many noble spirits had been
engaged—a battle practically won when the name)
slavery was abolished. I have ventured to touch