The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-06-22 00:00:00

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HOUSE OF LORDS, Mousse, loam 20.
ROYAL COMMISSION.
The lineal Meat was given hy Commission to the Elvin and
Customs Duda, the gast India Posiiesenns, Ecclesiastical Bene-
fices, New South Wain, the Medway Canal, Irish Grand Jury
Presentments, Fleet Market Itempedi Iliaryda.bonne Newestreet ,
and several Private Bins.
The Commissioners were the Loki Chancellor, and the Earls of
Shafteebery and Ilarrowby. '
COLONIAL SLAVERY.
A variety of Petitions were pc:serest, the raecra et which were
fie thegraduel Abolition of Macey is the Colonies; which went
severally 'Alden the table.
SCOTCH DISTILLERIES.
The Earl of ROSEBERKY preowned a Petition from the Dis-
tillers of the County of Linlithgow, praying for a Reecal of the
Distillery Duties—Laid en the table., s.
EARL MARSHAL OF ENCLA.eVD,
Lord HOLLAND moved the third reading of the Bill, to enahle
the Earl Marshet to execute the duties of his °lnce, without takirg
the oaths that at nresent were obligatory apart him. The Noble
Lord observed, that he was sstiseed of the feelings of the meiotic*
of their Lordships in favour of the measure, and. therefore. It
would be unpardonable in him to takeinp the time of the House in
pressing the question by any further argemente, and would row
only move the third reading of the Bill, which wax then read ~
third time &ad mioW, ...
Earl GROSYE.NOR observed, that he would she that °poor•
lenity of ratios, that hi bey el nista% were nor elweere in the:.
Irish to abolish slavery In the Colonies. On that meat impost
.01
bject he believed then not to be internee ; and should he fin,'
them lukewarm in it doing the recess, he would bring the queetee.
• before the House the next Seeshm.
SLAVE. TRADE CONSOLIDATION eI.CTS' BILL.
On the third reading if the SI3Ve Trade Consilidation -fits'' BT.
being moved,
The Earl of WESTMORLAND observed, that both he ar.d
•his Colleagues hod done 'all in their poser to pt.: don slavery t.
but of this Bill, which professed to be an Act to cusolidate the
laws relating to the slave population in the Colonies, he could not
approve. The Big atitairt 97 folio pages, and it was full of in.
coosestencies. By It not ally every man exercising the trade to
slaves was liable to be tried fur felony, bat taay triteoliant lending
money to a person, who might apply it to that purpose, was by tbie
measure emeidered a felon. Ile would ask their Loolahim if they
thought it right for every merchant, who might lead money to a
. person who would thus misapply it, to be subjected to the puuish•
'mem awarded agalost felony, and be liable to hare his property
confiscated ? He would remind their Lordehins that & Bill of a
similar tendency, which went into a Committee three times, and
,which had the OIFFinIiNTO of the Learned I.ord on the Woolsack
,and another Learned Lord, then Chief Jamie( of the Court of
King's Bosh, was rejected by their Lordships; and be Clough!.
,some new grounds ought to be stated before the subject wee
renewed in that House. Since the Abolition Act had been
' passed, scarcely an Englishman had been found guilty of the
traffic in slaves ' • and why were their Lordships to add to
the penal statutes by this measure ? How, he would ask, were the
persona acused of crimes against the chums of this Bill to be
tried ? They were not to be tried before a British tribunal, and
British juries ; but they woe to be tried under the 127th statute
of Henrys 111., the 11th and 12th of King William, and the atitit
of his late Majesty; by which Acta British subjects might be ac-
cused before any Court of Admiralty. By this Bill no slave was
to be ermined from one Colony to another ; but he contended Oct
the Abolition Act had codling to do with their internal regulation.
The property that was held in the Cblunies was as sacred as any
that was enjoyed in this country, and if ever the abolition of 'h..
very should take place, persons possessing that property were en.
titled to a full reimbursement. No one that had read with any at-
tention the clause which prohibited the transfer of sleeve, could sae
that it was not very detrimental to Colonial ittoperty. The meths
that was prop.l to enable proprietors of slaves to treader them
from one possession to another, amounted to a prakibitioe.
and must be meant to prevent the sale of slaves ; foe pismire
would be obliged to send to England to procure the couret
of the King in Council to trazeder slaves In any way, an.l
he would ark their Lordships if they thought it possible for pro-
prietors to loot so much time as would be spent before authority
could be received from England, in making ter arrangements as
to the isle and transfer of slaves? And this power in the King
was only to last till the year 1827, after which period no authority
' would exist for the transfer of elites. Did not their lordships
think that thin measure should be known in the Colonies helmet it
passed into a law ? but at present they were totally ignorant of its
enactments. He thought it 'vapid be it cruel case on the slaves
themselves out to allow a starving population to no to an Wend
'here they might And untilled land to exercise thew lab ipso,
and where they would ultimately ea joy plenty, which they might
have van deprival of iu the Island they originally belonged to. lie
begged their Lordships to believe, that he had no disposition in
any way to prevent a discreet and gradual abolition of eleven' ; but
he bad a desire that that pbject should be attained reedieg co
British law and ,inetice. The Noble Earl then moved Mae the
Bill be recommitted.
Earl DATIWILST could not agree with his Noble Friend with
regard to this measure. Many Euglielinaos had beeo concerned in
the traffic since the abolition of it. The principle of not transfer.
ring 4aves was recognised at the time the trade was put an end to
by legislative interference; and the present measure was only tie/.
lowing up that principle. Ile could net allow that slaves plight to
be retuoved—that children might be torn from their partnts, and
huibands from their wives, without a referents to those relrtionr,
Which were cherished so strongly in this country, and which formed
one great source of internal comfort and tranquillity. He hoped
their Lordships would then suffer the Bill to be read a third time.
The Earl of ROSSLYN thought it important that 'new subjects
should not be introduced with reference to this question, under the
pretence or conselidating the laws regarding the slave trade. lie
could by no means admit that the Act of 11106 recognised the prin.
ciple that a transfer of elms, was unjust, as the Noble Ere' t
(ltathurst) had stated. That principle affected moat deeply West
India property, and greatly diminished the security cie those who
bad advanced money upon it; but he objected to the clause as de.
aim:teal to the slaves themselves, because an over-crowded and
starving population, under the operation of this clause, could not
he removed to a possession where they might procure employment
and food. lie should greatly prefer to leave the power of the King
in council, with regard to this part of the Bill, untouched. He
should not wish the time for such power to be limited, but by tee
present clause it would cease on the 31st Jaly, ItL47. 'I lie law of
the islands prevented emancipation; and if the owner of slaves
found the supply of food defective and bad, he would, if he were
not a man of substance, be greatly embarrassed. and the sl r. es
might endure excessive suffering and privation. It was not wise to
prevent emigration amongst a labouring population, so that at least
they might procure their own food; on that account he should with
the power in the King in council to continue, and should propose
with that view, that on the third reading ie words " 3let July,
1327," be left out of the Bill.
The Marquir of LANSDOWN oh:served, that the great antcate
he felt respecting the success of the Bill, was founded on the
clause FO 110FIlledly noticed by the Noble Karl (Weatmorlamii, be-
cause, although he was on the one hand aware that it would t's. a
rash and inneeitic measure to bring about a sudden emancinafitm
of the slave population ; still, on the other Mani, he was ciao:iced
of the propriety and necessity of ameliorating the tevatition of tee
negroa, by 'Minding them the contfm-ts of religion; the blets'ree
of education, and familiarising them with all the weed' relkions of
life, and assuring them that they would to contented to them.
This course of proceeding would not only tend, in his opinion, to
the benefit of the slaves themselves, but to the prosperity of the
Colonies. As long as the power of transfer existed, there existed
an insuperable bar to offering any stimulus to the sieve population,
and shat inueteprevent an itnprovement in their mural existence.
The great object seemed to be, and a most wise one he thought 3
was, to stimulate the negroes to work out their own ernencipation.
If it were an object to instil into the minds of tbe.epersons a wish
fur en acquisition of property, their hardships mast be aware
that it 147114 at the same time, necessary to instil into their minds
that they could not be removed from the place where they had
formed their early associations, and where all their wad:moue
centered. This erould be a esioeilus for than to act; and it ought
to be an object with their Lordships, and an object with the pro-
prietors themselves, if properly advised, to pursue every course
that would increase this stimulus. He had heard no solid otijatiou
stated to this clause, and he slid 1:ot think that any could be. It
would lead masters, if they wanted labourers in distant pane/Skint.
FO select those slaves who were best suited foe emancipation, and
then there would be collected a class of free labourers, who could
carry their free labour where it want 1110 A wanted; and that was the
surest step that could be taken for laying the foundation of general
free labour 18 the Colonieseforthe slaves would then feel that they
were not subject to the sport end caprice of individnids, but might
enjoy' all the social relations of We, of which dear natures were
susceptible. By passing this Bill, the Colonies would be ad-
rancid one step towards emancipation, and he thought
way. lie was free to declare that i.e comidered the
to his warmest rapport ; foe it was desirable that pl:
chants, arid staves, should have but one law to loch
would be the else by a digest of thew taws.
bad HOLLAND would have liked the clause bete
bad been some modifications and exceptions, but on to
that: fin it a wholesome one.
Lord CALTHORYK remarks:, that be could see .
tency in the objections otter Noble Earl (Westmorland!
long course of opposition that he had always given to .
tion. The Bill should have his ernmeet euppott.
The amendment was then negatived without a division,
Bill was read a third Lime and passed. .
Lord G nosv ENOR assured the House that the French
on the traffic in slaves to a great extent ; and although
was not poetically carrying it on, the money of Ene,
employed in it. If that which was now enly a mielea
made a felony, it would 'thew that this country was in
putting it down.
I EQUITABLE LOAN BILL.
Lord HOLLAND presented %petition from the pal
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