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

the first principles of a free gacertnneut,
from what had transpired during this delmte, he
couttuded the [louse was called in by its vote
to restore to these islands the bevt port of the host).
tntion of the constitutional government of Great
Britons).
Mr. BROWN And Sir J. MACKINTOSH expl
Mr. MARRYVIT stated sonar instances of legal
procecilstigs against slaves for conthitoution stool other
offence.. whereon they hail had all the solvoistoges
of availing themselves of either flaw. iu iswhesinelits
or exceptions to evidence. in the 'same way as if
slim, bail been tried iu England. The rises on
which the a 1111 l haul been funosoled, lie
feared, though they might contain Ilse truth, did
nut the whole truth; and it was therefore
unnavigable to found any motion thereupon. There
was a case he recollected very •li in point, of a
person named Strannock, who hail been indicted
for the murder of his own slave, though Subse-
quently acquitted, whom be had wounded by firing
at her whilst she was attemptitg to muke her escape
with some of his provivione. Dior was this a solitary
instance of such conduct on the part of Juries.
Before the 'louse came to any dec:sinsi oil this
question, he hoped they would give the pieties
most interested in the question an opportunity of
protecting their properties and exculpating their
COOduet.
Mr. Witsseroacs•-•-lf there ever hail existril

Case of aggravated cruelty, he assured the House
it was the present. Not 1644 had the punishment
been so severe that the poor )oust mess retained
the narks for six or sight days afterwards, but the
agent hail had the cruelty to make the father of the
youisg men flogged officiate as the slave tlriver. A
female also had been treated with so much barbarity,
that, although in a pregnant state, which would
have 'wrings* dimmed the ferocity of less savage
ittOnsterss they had broken her arm. Whatever le-
gislative provisions had been enacted to ameliorate
the condition of the slaves, he must say. wi hi M
Burke. that the laws so passed mounded in them nu
remain., principle. Whatever might have been
/lune in Jemmies foe the improvement of their cowls-
buss, by adtuittiog them as evidence in Courts of
Law, in no place could their condition be worse
14111, in Bat Woes, although usually denominated
little England, in which island, under the Govern-
ment of Lord Seaforth. in 1904, a law hod been
passed, making the murder of a man's own slave
a capital offence, but which, owing to its being
provided that the killing should be without pro-
rocatiou. ended in lathing, as the slightest
provocation rendered its provision* ineffectual.
'rite Mu. Member then commeisted upon the
general cruelty exercised towards the slaves Ity the
lase of the cert-whip, and the putiislionent inflicted
upon them iu the work-houses. lie noticed the
little ettention paid to the decencies of life in the
absence of marriage, and stated that, ill some M.
stances. vtlwre clergymen lad endeavoured to in-
troduce it, they had been prevented. It was another
cause of complaint that slaves were liable to be
sold fur the debts of their owners. notwithstanding
that by their industry they may have acquired the
nits's+ of comparative happiness on the estate where
they bad been molly years established. Upon this
point the testimony of Mr. Bryan Edwards was
decisive, who, in very feeling terms, pictured the
misery that resulted by the separation of families
from this inhume,' practice. An Act to correct
this hail been passed by Parliament, but none of
the islands had as yet adopted measures in
eun-
fnnuity wills it. His object was, Out the gang*
should nut be separated, sad that insuumission
should be suffered. How could this, however,
take place, when in Barbadoes 300/. were to be
paid uu the uniumnission of a slave, amid in the
Island of Si. Christopher SON.? A distinction
honourable to the Island of Jamaica was to be oh.
served with respect to the practice on float Islatill,
and there au industrious CUM might be ?trebled to
acquire his owl, freedom and that of low children.—
Ile enlarged UISOU these points at some length'. and
concluded. by expressing his conviction that in
moral principles and sutellectuel powers the poor
Minim was usti inferior to auy other uncivilised
people.
Mr. W. burnt could not avoid remarking the
plogremite elsiusge of opinions upon this subject,Yor
tie remembered when all the Gentlemen counts:fed
svit4 the Island of Jamaica took up the cause fur
the smaller islands with all the at t i ttt idiots soil bit-
generw of controversy, but now they expressed
themselves perfectly swilling, should any abuses
have occurred in the smaller islands, to allow of
their being corrected. The slaver also hail nit that
night, for the first time. been recogilised as sub-
jects of his Majesty. Ile rejoiced at this, for the
niferesices to be deduced from it were such as,
twenty years ago, would have prevented any Geis-
themes, who had opposed themselves to the aboli-
tion from acceding to the propriety of such a drew-
lIMIIMIOU. If such, then, were the case, how could
9.300 subjects of his Majesty in the Island of
I'ievis cOutinue under the control of 501 whites,
of whom the avowed principal was Mr. Iluggius,
whom. notwithstaodiug all that bad been pruved
against him in May last, the Governor still
condescended to visit ?—( Hear,
in the island of St. Kitt's, could '20,000 of bus
Majesty's subjects continue under the control of
i,ti to whites, or, its Dominica, 22.000 under 1,300 ?
Where the ruling society was so small, en esprit de
corps was crested. which would support every iiitb-
videtal by the milted power of the whole. Ile
• feared in such a case, at 110 disbud period, the unit
of the Legislature would be required strongly to
interfere, to secure justice to the oppressed.
Sir S. Bouit.te, in reply, read an extract from
copy of the trial of those persons for cruelty,
from which it appeared that 100 lashes each Itail
been inflicted upon two slaves who had bought the
stolen stocking, and that 35 lashes were iuficied
upon the actual thief. 'f wo women also hail been
win/rely lashed, all with a cart-whip. The suf.
lei ers coutinued fur several days to experience the
ill effects of this cruelty.
After a few words from Mr. Gout RIMS and Mr.
filsaavarr, in explanation, the Address was voted
without a division.

Sir SAMUIdf. ROMILLY then nioved, that an
linnible Address be presented to hia Royal High-
urns the Prince Regent. for all papers, &c. con-
nected with the trial of Edward Huggins, at. Nevis,
in May last, for cruelty towards slaves.—Ordered.
BRITISH MUSEUM.

ticucral Tuo"Jaw, moved fur au am:runt, sheA iu: the