The Express.
London, England, 1850-01-25 00:00:00

ANTI-SLAVERY MEETING AT LEEDS.

On Wednesday evening, a publio meeting was held
in the Music Hall, Leeds, for the purpose of hearing state-
ments from John &Ale, Esq., Secretary of the B lush and
Foreign Anti-Slavery Society, in refer,nc• to slavery and
the slave trade, in various parts of the world, more espe-
cially in Brazil and Cuba.
The 3ILLTOR of LIMNS (Joseph Bataan, Esq., presided,
sad was surrounded on the platform by Robert Jowett, Esq
the Rev. T. Scales, J. srvey, Fag Alderrasu Csrbutt, and
other advocates of the came.

Mr. SCOBLE entered into a very long detail in reference
to slavery and the slave trade as it exists at present, pointine
oat that in spite of treaties entered into by Spain and Brazil,
the diabolical traffic was still carried on with all its attendant
horrors. All other continental powers had honourably fill.
filled the treaties into which they had entered to abolish
slavery, bat Spain and Brazil still continued the slave-trade.
The treaties of Great Britain with Spain dated as far back as
1817. By the treaty then entered into for the suppression of
the slave•trade, for which this country paid 400,0001., the
importation of slaves into Cuba and Porto Rico was to be
declared unlawful after the 30th October, 1820. The trea-
ties &Meting Brazil dated as far back as 1815, at which time
it was a dependency of Pirtugal, and which treaty had cost
this country 900,0001. Bruit afterwards became independ-
ent of Portugal, but agreed to take upon itself the responsi-
bilities of these treaties. Mr. Seoble neat showed that the
attempt to suppress the African elate trade by keeping ships
and steamers cruising on the coast of Africa had all but
entirely failed. The cost to this country of maintaining
these cruisers was not less than a million and • half per

annum, and yet they had not sueueded in suppressing icis
horrid traffic to a greater extent than 4 oer cent. of the whole
number of slaves captured. His remedy was to urge upon
Lord Palmerston, the Secretary of Suite for Foreign Affairs,
to demand from the Spanish and Brazilian governments the
faiiilmeot of the treaties into which they had entered, and
the liberation from slavery of all Africans, with their
descendants, who have been illicitly introduced into their
respective colonies.
Mr. Alderman CARBUTT only differed with Mr. Scoble
on one point. He did not think slavery was to be abolished
by fiscal or commercial restrictions, but by the exercise of
that moral power which this country possessed in favour of
the liberation of the slave. The result of prohibition would
only be to send the produce of slave labour into the British
colonies.
Mr. B. BAINES also supported Mr. Carbutt's view, and
showed that if Mr. Boob's's views as to the prohioitien of
sine-grown produce was carried out, a largo portion of the
population of Lancashire would be redacted to starvation ;
for he must not only exclude hem our markets Bracil.an
sugar, but the cotton, rice, and tobacco of America, also a
lance quantity of timber and tar, as well as the tallow, hides,
and other oommcdities, which, though not worked by slaves,
were produced by serfs who were nearly in the condition of
slaves. (Hear, hear.) The only true remedy was, the
exercise of that great moral power which this country pos-
sessed, and the full extension of the principles of lure trade,
and from what was going on in the United States and else-
where, he thought groat progress had been made towards
the entire abolition of slavery. Let this public opinion,
which was now forming everywhere, be extended, and soon
the abolition of slavery in the United States would be ac-
complished, which would be the prelude to the liberation of
the slays trade throughout the world. (Applause.)
All the resolutions were carried unanimously, and a peti-
tion to both houses of parliament agreed to ; that to the Lords
to be presented by the Earl of Carlisle, and that to the
House of Common. to Li presented by Win. Beckett, Esq.,

P. for the borough.
The resolutions end petitions agreed te only go the length
of askiag government iuterterestriet and do not uk fur the
prohibition of slave-grown paodatte trom the British
markets.
The other speakers were Robt. Jowitt, Eel., Rev. T.
Bodes, Rev. R. Brewer, and Mr Ald. Jno.
A vote of thanks to the chairman terminated the pro-
seeding,.