The Sun.
London, England, 1864-02-27 00:00:00

CHAIN CABLES.

Mr. LAIRD asked the Secretary to the Admiralty
whether the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty
have given notice, by public advertisement, that they
will accept the private proof certificates of Messrs, Brown,
Lennox, and Co. for chain cables used on board ships hired
by the transport department of the Admiralty, for the con-
veyance of troops, in lien of those required from Lloyd's
Committee; and, if any such order had been made, if he
had any objection to lay the same upon the table of the
house.

Lord C. PAGET replied in the affirmative.
LOAN TO NE W ZEALAND,
Mr. A. MILLS asked the Under Secretary of State for
the Colonies whether the New Zealand Legislature had
passed an act authorising a loan of three millions sterling
for colonial purposes ; and whether there was any foundation
for the rumour that this loan is to be guaranteed by the
Imperial Government ; and whether any recent correspon-
dence respecting the war in New Zealand will shortly be
laid before Parliament?

Mr. C. FORTESCUE said that a loan of £500,000, on
the condition that £200,000 should be applied to the liqui-
dation of the debt due by the Colonial Government. The
papers on the subject would be laid on the table in a few
days.

BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE.
Mr. BENTINCK appealed to the First Lord of the
Treasury not to press on committee of supply that evening,
as al
bill t Duty Bill stood next on the list. The discus-
son n last Wednesday was postponed in conse-
quence of an appeal made by the Chancellor of the Exche-
quer, who was obliged to leave the house. Several hon.
discus-
sion 3I
the
members were anxious to participate in the discussion, and
the greatest anxiety prevailed in the country respecting the
uncertainty in which the question was at present placed.
Lord PALMERSTON said that in deference to the
wishes of hon. members, he would postpone proceeding with
the navy estimates that evening, 30 as not to interfere with
the discussion of the bill in question. (Hear, hear.)
BASES OF THE PRO POSED CONFERENCE,
In reply to Mr. S. FITZGERALD,
Lord PALMERSTON said the basis of the conference,

after the statement made by the Austrian and Prussian Go-
vernments, would be the treaty of 1852 and the integrity
of the Danish monarchy. The Government had not yet
received the consent of all the Powers interested,
but a letter had been received from Copenhagen, in which

it was stated that the Government, from local circumstances,
wished to postpone their answer. It was not for the
Government to suggest the details, but the bases of the
negotiations were what he stated.

In reply to Lord J. MANNERS,
Lord PALMERSTON said that no answer had yet
been received from the German Diet as to sending a
representative to the conference,. There were difficulties in
the matter, as one portion of the Diet were-in favour of the
maintenance of the integrity of the Danish monarchy, and
the other went the whole hog in the other direction,

THE SLAVE TRADE.
On the motion for going into committee of supply,
Mr. CAVE asked the First Lord of the Treasury
whether her Majesty's Government intend to carry into exe-
cution the provisions of the treaty with the United States
for the suppression of the slave trade, by stationing vessels
off the coast of Cuba.

Lord PALMERSTON—I can assure the hon. gentleman
that the Government feel as deeply as he can upon the sub-
ject to which he has drawn attention. And if I may be
allowed to speak of individuals, there are no two men in the
country who have felt more warmly, or who, within the
limits of their sphere of action, have exerted themselves
more for the suppression of the slave-trade than the noble
lord at the head of the Foreiga Office and myself. (Cheers.)
At the same time, when we recollect the great difficulty
which was felt in this country to gain a victory over the
interested parties who maintained the slave-trade, we must
make some allowance for the reluctance which other
Governments manifest in adopting the course which we so
honourably followed. Bat great progress kas been made;
and although it is natural for men to look rather upon that
which remains to be done than upon that which has
been accomplished, yet, in surveying the whole matter, it
is right we should look both ways, And when we con-
sider that the Brazilian slave trade amounted to an expor-
tation of between 60,000 and 70,000 slaves a year, which
implied wretchedness and misery for three times that
number, including those who were borne from their
homes, those who died on the journey inland, and those
who died in crossing the Atlantic, we may say that a very
great benefit has been conferred upon the human race by
the extinction of the trade to Brasil. (Hear, hear.) There
remains the trade to Cuba. Well, that used to be an im-
portation of 20,000 or more per year—but, according to the
last account received from these who report to us, we have
reason to think that the actual importation into the island
in the year '63 has not exceeded 6,900 or 7,000, which is a
greal diminution. That has been owing, in a great degree,
to the treaty with the United States. The protection
afforded for a great number of years by the American flag
led to a great extent of crime. But the President in the
handsomest manner agreed—indeed, almost proposed to us
—to make a treaty for the mutual right of search, and that
has been most valuable for the accomplishment of our ob-
ject. lam sorry, however, to say that the Government of
France has not thought fit to follow the example of the
Government of the United States—and that is the more to
be regretted, because France was leagued with us in the
abolition of slavery, and for a certain time subscribed to a
treaty with us for the mutual right of search. But jealousies
arose with regard to the national flag, and the treaty was
put an end to, Still, France does send cruizers to the coast
of Africa—and I hope that the action of the French Govern-
ment will be directed sincerely to put an end to the slave trade.
We know that for a certain time a pretended immigration of
free labourers took place into the French colonies, and ob•
tamed, I must hope by false recommendations, the sanction
of the French Government. That, however, was really the
slave trade in its purest form, as far as it relates to Africa.
Of course,when the wretched Africans arrived at their desti-
nation, they were not called slaves, they were made appren-
tices for a certain time ; but the French Government, feeling
the system to be a reproach, put an end to it, on the condition
that we should permit them to export coolies from our Indian
possessions, under regulations. I am bound to say, with
regard to the present governor and commander-in-chief in
Cuba, that he has behaved in the most honourable manner ;
that he has exercised the power whioh he possesses in every
case for the suppression of the slave trade. Still, the power
of the governor is not great; and there are laws in Spain
which cramp his action in many cases. We have made
earnest recommendation to the Government of Spain; and
I hope the Government will feel it due to themselves, and
to the honour and good faith of the Spanish Crown, to re•
move the obstacles which stand in the way of the accom•
plishment of the treaty. But we have furnished to all our
cruisers on the station warrants authorising them to exercise
the right of search over all the flags which we are entitled to
do by treaty. At the same time, it is very natural for those
who loos to one part of a question to consider that part all-
important; and sometimes, if by the eloquence with which
they urge their opinions they succeed, they may be doing as
much harm as good. Now the late Sir Fowell Buxton, one
of the most sincere and active advocates for the abolition of
the slave trade that ever lived, and who, to his honour be it
spoken, laboured with great success, at one time took up
the notion that trading up the river was the great remedy
for slavery, and in a book which he published, in his
earnestness for his own purpose, he descried the employ-
ment of other means absolutely necessary, and which he re-
presented as having totally failed. The hon. member who
had just spoken attaches great value, and deservedly, to
the action of cruisers upon the coast of Cuba. No doubt
it is very important that cruisers should act upon the coast
of Cuba, and the warrants which have been given to them
to examine vessels under the American flag will very
much assist them in the performance of their duty. But
I take leave to say that the value of captures in different
places may be stated in these proportions. The most im-
portant capture that can be made is a slave ship,
equipped and prepared, on the coast of Africa, without
any negroes on board. That is most important, because
it prevents that misery which is entailed by the ember-
cation of negroes, and throws back upon the chief a
commodity for which he has not been paid, and which he
has to keep at considerable expense. The next most
valuable capture is that of a ship with negroes on the coast
of Africa; because they escape the horrors the hon. gentle-
man has represented. The third valuable capure is that of
a slaver with negroes on board on the coast of Cuba; be•
cause they are rescued from the doom to which they were
consigned, and are sent back to the coast of Africa, and at
all events they escape the horrors of slavery. I can assure
the hon. member that we are not at all blind to the import-
ance of the point upon which he has dwelt, and Sir James
Hope, a most active and energetic officer, who has the
abolition of slavery entirely at heart, and who possesses a
local knowledge of all these circumstances, will, under the
instructions of the Admiralty, be quite sure to do everything
which a man can do. Upon another point to which the
hon. member alluded, if he did not actually mention it, we
have applied to the Spanish Government to give to our
cruisers acting on the coast of Cuba leave to anchor within

,he territorial Hurts of that island, but I sin sorry to say

they have not yet agreed to that. It may be that there is
some feeling of national jealousy in the matter; there may
also be other motives, less honourable to them, actuating
those who influence the Government. We shall endeavour
to prevail upon them to do this, because that will be a great
assistance to our cruisers, inasmuch as the channels through
which these slave ships pass are kuown, and are limited in
number; and if we should be able to station our ships on
the coast, so as to command those channels, we should have
great advantage in the capturing of those slavers. The
Spanish Government, as is well known, has been urged over
and over again, from every motive of national good faith and
honour, to do all they could to abolish the slave trade; they
have always told us they had sent orders of the most
stringent character to Cuba, but it was a very difficult thing
to put those orders into execution, and those difficulties
had foiled the intentions of the Government. The Marquis
Miranores was most honourably anxious to do all that lay
in his power to carry out the treaty. With regard to the
papers, they include the reports and correspondence from
foreign and distant stations, and some time must always
elapse before they can be put in shape to lay before Parlia-
ment. Those for the year 1863 are in preparation, and I
hope will very shortly be laid before Parliament, and I trust
they will show a considerable diminution in the slave trade
of Cuba.