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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 suffering 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 not
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 in the Colony of the
.Mauritius, except
in a single instance which was stated in the Re
port laid before this
House last year. The Honourable Gentleman had declined to
refer to the papers he had applied fur. The whole drift of the
floeourable Gentleman'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 usual mode adopted by the lion
Getaleman and those acting with him, he wished to take the 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 is
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
Imitation 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 Colony to General
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 reference tote 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. ihithis 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 Mthauled" 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 of this Home, or to respect its
Idea:ewes. In answer to other charges made against him, 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 depopulation of the Seychelles, that had proceeded from the
circumstance of the woods having been cut down in those islands ;
they thus became more exposed to the hurricanes, and there was 5
continual emigration from them. Such a way of introducing !13•
very might, perhaps, be prevented by a more perfect wenn of re-
gistration, or even by a prohibition to tranefer slaves 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 inthe trade, which descriptions were grateforeign to the question. But although some vessels from the Fr-
ahm Gulf might occasionally be seen at the Sleuth:us, there were
none of that class of Arabs who deal in slaves. While, however,
the Honourable Gentleman (Mr. Buxton) dwelt on very mint"
points, andextended his, researches widely. he had never-
theless kept back the great point. Ho' (Sir Robert' Felder)
was willing to meet any and every charge. Hair, hear, hear./
'But besides he thought he had a claim to to small share of appro-
bation. His exertions had rontributed not a 'little to shut up the
islands against the slave trade. There was now Deport open in 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 in the eyes of foreig Hrs. and 01 what
was said of it by French writers in particular, on account 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 receenize the authority of tin Art of Parn meat. Ir I
consequence of their conduct woelel have been to legaler the .tv.l'tes
but he took care to (semis his disapprobstiou of thsir tiscuttow•