The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1818-04-23 00:00:00

WEST INDIA PAPERS.

Mr. WILBEItFoItCE ruse to hruig forward his
motion for the production of papers respecting the
condition of slaves in the West Indies. Long since
lie had been of opinion, that Aulliciesit attention
had not been paid to the keeping up the stock of
the slaves in the place lie had nienittpaell. He hail
conceived that all reforms regarding the fort-
and morals of that tuiforitinate class of mei' would
be promoted. would grow as ro many branches
from one rout, when it was made the direct inte-
rest of the master to keep up a slimily from the
islands themselves. %Vitii such impressions, he had
extended his views to the islatids. %%Till, the as.
sistance of au float. Vitriol, be had brought iii a
Bill to prohibit the impanel. of staves; and he
had felt the necessity out only cif a law in general to
that effect, but of a law so clear, explicit. and di-
rect, as not by any possibility to be capable of era-
sion—aud establishiiig the prowildr, that eilet
island must depend Olt twit* aud its owa exrt-
lions for a succession of *laves. He alluded to
his Bill for the registration' of Olives, which,
lie thought, must nose be carried effectually into
operation ; end hr was to be the less guppoecti to
have a fatherly affectioli for his own offspring, be-
cause, in point of filet, she origtial idea Of tt wee out
his own. llowever, he now called mum die Morse:
to consider whether any other 'Measure. "liming
the same views, could so will attain those views ,is
that Bill. Experience had sliewm: that :toy measure
which allowed of evasions in tiny Shape, would tall of
the end pinioned.' Originally it had hero the uni-
versal r opinion of the 414111411*Mb Mt the oilier side of
the water, an opinion hold by their legislators and
historians, that to prohibit .the illicit importation of
slaves into the islands by any other meal's than
an exact registry, was utterly impracticable. Awl
whets they considered the sudden votive change to
that opinion, the circumstance Cow Id not but excite
ti little prejudice, something liken suspicion that
the islanders were not themselves the best judges
of the propriety of tiny measure tending to the
abolition of the slave trade. However, at that
lime many gentlemen in high situations thought
it should rather be referred to the Colonial Le-
gislators themselves, to determine whether nit
exact registration was the hest Blouse pf pre.
vetoing the importation of Slaves. lie did ,wt
think so, but he had judged it proper to give use
to the general opinion. cud before insistiiig oil tile
adoption of the legislation to its fullest extent, to
await the result of the efforts made by the
Legislators themselves. Oae of the col jects Of Ins
'peseta motion was to discover what had since Biel
done be them iii furtherance of su desirable iiii end.
He must beg the • House tie recollect that the
rarest way to ameliorate the condition of the slate,,
was to render it the great paramount duty of
the inhabitants to depend fur sit supply of mini
ou their OWII ttllrrnYl rtfUrta. Ile !stormed that
in the discussions excited on the mthi, ci, us
the other side of the water, Ilse affluent and
liberal hail made common cause with oth.o.
It was true, lie had always made a great do-
titiction between the liberal and the opoleot—
wealth alone was not enough to produce liberality.
There were various classes of those posst lord of the
former, whom lie had never expq-ctisl to apply
seriously' to the improvement of ifie condition of
that wretched class of men who most .loner! MI tie
null of others for whatever ciiiiircitc imy air to
enjoy—pert:inn going alnua4 to raise I...lto:its to lie
Sprat at home, or under a load of deln—or
tees, who left the conduct of their othairs to lig.1.111.•
Such ilidiViduali us lite above bud slum), made the
greatest oppositimi to. the measure* recounneoded
to the whim's. 16 !bought that the gesttleuteu of
real libeisility had alwavaaeporalttl Ilwarearlava, sad
hail in sincerity exerted themselves to testsblislithe
tcguinti"" desired. If lecommetidatioiss from this
country could have had any effect. they bad be."
given its the et rotigest form,
regolutions mita were adopted aud the toes'.