The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-03-17 00:00:00

freedom of either himself or his family, and he therefore expected
that that experiment would. ha ...totally inoperative, unless it in-
duced the other colonies; to imitate it. It wan certainly true that
see colonial assemblies had adopted very strong language ; but it
Rua tint so strong as had been adopted when first the abolition of
the slave trade was diflCUalled ; they then, one and all, talked of
gilline into their protection the assistance of other powers, and of .
removing themselves entirely from the sway of the British Go-
Ternment, and Ruch a feeling wan to be expected. The measure
was steadily persevered in, and the colonies at last acquiesced, and
'thin should teach us not to exchange railing the railing. but to take
our measures temperately and firmly, and not to be deterred from
following the line of our duty by contumacious warnings or ne-
mesia threats. Supposing that Mr. 'Sunda; or Mr. Burke were
bow ID existence, he very well knew the course they would pursue;
he remember d, on the great question of the abolition of alsiery,
' as expression of Mr. Burke's, which was strictly applicable to the
present subject ; speaking no that question, he observed, that " he
greatly usistrustel any general principle without positive rege-i
ladonn so enforce it." Mr. Ihmilas concurred is that sentiment,
aod if there was any thing peculiar in his character, it vas the
possession of a sound, solid, Scotch understanding (laughter),
and the sot being deterred from what he thought to be his duty.
Both he and Mr. Burke had said, that it was iii vain to leave that
question to the colonies, and that all that had been done by Ihe
colonial assemblies was arrant trifling, for want of an executory
principle.' Ile (Mr. Wilberforce) did not know whether he ahoukl
not have been more afraid if the colonies had passed laws for the
aifieliotation of the slavers, u it was well known that there had been
a content for yearn between the Patricians and Plebians of the
Boman Statist for the privileges of the latter, and when at last they
were conceded. it was many years before they enjoyed them; and
in the West Indies also, although laws might be passed, still it wan
likely that they would by connivance be rendered wholly inopera-
tive. The Colonial Assemblies had declared that they would suffer
no interference between master and "lave. Both by words and ac-
oons they had declared it, and had stated that by our in;•.-ferance a
violence would be done to their feelings, and perhaps their destruc-
non produces!. When these Colonists di-approved alike of our
means and our end., what could we expect from them mere they to'
gain a liCtOry ? If any thing was to be done, it must be done by
the Parliament, and not by the Colonial Assembly ; if the matter
scare to be left to them it would lead to even'', that we should all
del lore. He would not piss a law an .Ir. Burke and Mr. Pundits
:oopossed ; but there were war. olcunipellingthem to fall in with our
views, which 'mold be equally henehmal to the master and slave;
the master would be surrouneed br MI industrious, comfortable. and
happy peautory ; any other me,aure would make the mtivare sensi-
hle of their fallen condition. In all other countries individuals
might Ate from obscurity to affluence and honour ; they know that
no such road is open ;o them ; they feel that they are slaves, and
grieve at their degradation. His lion. Friend hail spoken of a pro-
situation. He WAS a stranger to it, and therefore did not know
what it was; hut there was one circumstance of which he must ex-
press his abhorrence, and that was, that the whip was still used as
an Incentive to labour ; it VMS the practice throughout the whole of
the West Indies, and this was a fact that no one could deny, and
as a proof of it. he would quote a passage or two from the work
of a icentleman who was no friend to the views he (Mr. W.) took
on this subject. (The lion. Member here read some extracts
from the work of 31r. Bryan Edwards, confintutiory of what he
had stated, as also to sinew that the practice of branding was
kept up both with regard to the African negro and the Creole).
The Hon. Gentleman having concluded,
Mr. nannies Mr. BEIIIPIAL. and Mr. XxtTtt DOUGLAS
rose. The Cali; were very loud for Mr. BARING, but
Mr. IN /COLAS having first caught the Speaker's
eye, proceeded by mating, that from information which he had re-
ceived from the agents of the %Vest India proprietor*, on their
account he most sincerely wished that many ot the topics touched
on by his Hon. Friend opposite (3lr. 11 ilk/force) had been
spared. One of the greatest inconveniences to which the Went
Indiana were exposed was, that their ease was not rightly understood.
No c un could be ignorsnt that, within the last year only, there was
not a single colony, with the exception of Jamaica, in which the
subject ot slaves was not under conseduation. The anxiety which
the Gentlemen of die West Indies felt was, that the lucation should
be rightly understood. They wished that the colonial government
migh: have an opportunity of fairly stating to the House the con-
dition of the population of the West holies. The greater par.
tioo of the speech oldie Honourable Member wan inaudible, from
thenorse in the !louse at the time of its delivery.

Mr. HAKIM& mid that he had listened with the greatest atten.
tion to the very beautiful speech of his Honourable Friend the
.Member tor Healthier (Mr. Wilktrforce) ; end it would be most
vain in him to suppose that, after sych a speech, he could suc-
ceed in detaining, even for the shom period that he meant to ad-
dress them, the attention, still leas did he aim at exciting the in-
terest. of the House; but he was very anxious to follow hie Hon.
Friend, in order to impress on the House, along with him, the very
imminent state of the present question—that it was utterly impos-
sible for this country any longer to hesitate between these two qua-
nom. It was impossible for the House either to sit down patiently,
or, on the other hand, suffer themselves to be driven about by every
veering of his Majesty's 31 inisters, and have new opinions to seek
with every fresh mail that arrived from the West Indies. (Hear.)
Fur it was not to be concealed, that according as it was popular—
as a revolt occurred or tranquillity presented itself, did lie polities
of his Majesty's Government vary upon this Wen India question.
His Honourable Friend—and he would not suppose that he (31r.
Baring) questioned the sincerity of his statement for a single mo.
inent—had told that House,that the discussions in that House had
produced no effect upon die people of the {bleat Indies. That was
his statement and how had he attested its a:curacy ? By assuring
the douse that they were then on the very brink of a precipice.
(Hear.) That upon our present legislation depended, if rot the
possession, at least the strong cbatre of losing these Colonies.
(blear, from Mr. Buxton.) '1 hen he would ask the Hun. Gent.
what was. it but the debates of that Haute which had induced the
Sanger. end made the West India population so changed within
se limited a per od ? It lay with the Hon. (Indianan to shew that
it had arisen—that this obvious change in the habits and feelings of
•people bad arisen from some other source, or he had a right to
assort that to this obvious and striking source was it attributable.
He believed that the state of feeling to which he had alluded—that
ef independence and acute sensibility to power on the part of the
people, and of irritation on the part if the masters, made it quite
Impossible that they could live as heretotore they hail lived in the
same relation toleach other; therefore he contended that it became
the duty of the House to press upon his Majesty's Government the
strict necessity of adopting some distinct, intelligible, and definite
course on this subject. (Hear, hear.) What was there of distinct.
MU, or--if the Hight Hon. Gendeman would excuse him—what
nes there intelligible in his proposition ? It was the proposition
oethetieweennienr, which was one of the most singular instances of
a breach of privilege ever practised against that House. It was
simply this, seldrened to the dissatisfied states—" I send you here-
with the speech of Mr. Canning, and you will please to regulate
your conduct by it." (Hear.) Now, as he said before, he would
defy the House or the Colonies to determine what was intended
by the statement. The people were excited by exaggerated state.
stems to revolt ; five or six thousand of them were to be shot, and
then a system of unintelligible policy was to be the result of false
statements andeerroneous policy. On the score, therefore, of hu-
Manity and policy, he called upon the Government to interfere,
and to define the condition of mamas and slaves once and for ever.
Individuals had long since, under various associations, guided by
new, in his opinion, unseen lights, had proceeded to alter the
medition or the people of the Wst Indies, to give a new charac-
ter and a new eh:ration to their thoughts and feelings, and in some
respect they had acted wisely; in all instances be made no doubt
they were governed be the bent and the purest motives. First of
ad they extinguished that odious traffic, that stain upon humanity
and disgrace of our nature—the trade in slaves. (Hear.) They
went further, and formed immunities for improving the con-
dition of slaves. These people, who had made this honourable
toil the business of their lives, suffered occasionally their feelings
to carry them beyond the bounds of ptudence ; and now was the
period, since they had excitedemt merely ea the colonies themselves,
but in this country, such ardent feelings in favour of a universal
enaneepation of the slaves, it became at this moment the imperative
duty et his Majesty's Ministers to cheek and nstrain—sye, and
by positive enactment circumscribe their earner, or to go slung with
them to the onsunimation of that work which they had commenced,
fed which it seas quite idle to imagine, if left to their own impulses,
they would speedily accomplish. (Loud sheers.) The society
ler ameliorating the condition of slaves, by whatever name it was
terrued--witether it took the broad name eel the Anti-Slavery Society
be knew not—prosecuted its work with uqcessing vigour, and sent
forth its messengers and agents to every town in the kingdom, to
agitate the people of this country by the thrice-told tales of the
Ilea. Member who spoke second in the debate. (Hear, hear.)
Ile spoke with perfect knowledge on that subject, for in the town
he had the honour of repronnting, in Taunton, on a market day, he
had heard one of the agitators edifying the people by the same
gross exaggnations which the Hon. Gaitleman had brought for-
ward on that night in support of his Society. (Hear.) %Vhen he
used the word exaggeration, he by no means meant to assert
that die facts as staled were faire (cheering): he meant that
t:it application of them was false. He was convinced that as re-
presentative* of the general conduct of the plantets, they were ut-
terly and wholly without fuundacion. (Cheers. I If any man were
In take the late occurrences st Hertford, and represent them as
elessacterisde of the general habits of the English people, though
the farts were perfectly true, the application would be false, and
more false than the inferences drawn from the cases with which they
Mel been favoured by the Hun. Gentleman. After all, the evi-
dence by wisieh these statements were supported, though open to
suspicion, had never been sifted by the lion. Gentlemen. lie had
not the least doubt but he had made up his mind never to believe
a word pmentling (rum the mouth of a planter. (Hear.) " I re-
member," said 111 r. Baring. " to have travelled in America with a
eery intelligent and able Frenchman, M. de Hochefouniuk. A
friend who travelled with us--and to whose merriment M. de
Rochefoucault's stories much contributed—ventured to inquire
feom him, on one occasion, how he became the possessor of
I'o many pleasant stories ? • M'lty the real tact is,' was the reply,
:that when I hear a good story I never like inquiring about it, lest
It should be spoiled"' (Hear, and laughter.) So it happens
with my Hon. Friend; he will not investigate, lest any inquiry
*null interfere with that sensibility which he anticipates must be
excited by his facts. Now what was the question at issue ?
If there was that state of abomination in the colonies that was re-
presented, it was not fit they should any longer exist ; but it was
no proof whatever to his mind of the existence of these atrocities.
These stories were all favourites with the lion. Gentleman (Mr.
Buxton); their names and the marks on their shouldm of the suf.
testa were rineeig in his ears ever since list year. Indeed
never had heard a eiegle speech on the snbject of slavery, in which
the name of Huggins was not introduced. But God forbid that he
should say this system of slavery was &desirable system; it was not.
Hut the treatment of the slave was not as had been remesented.
Tile whip was used, and sometimes improperly ; if the infliction
on a rash one it °eget to be checked, and so far lie certainly ap-
proved of the statement anti view of the Right Hon. Gentleman,
'bee an interval uf deley should take place between the punishma t