The Sun.
London, England, 1839-09-04 00:00:00

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PORTUGUESE SLAVE TRADE.

(Extracts from Portuguese Papers.)
(From the Diario do Governo.)
When the first Bill presented by Lord Palmerston,
containing dispositions highly unjust, for the end or
rather for the pretext for carrying into effect the aboli-
tion of the slave trade, was rejected by the House of
Lords, little could we have thought that another Bill of
the same vicious and frantic tendency would be carried.
Notwithstanding this fact has destroyed our hopes, which
were founded on the conviction that we had, that a
nation so enlightened as England would have first con-
sulted her own dignity. The new 13‘11 passed the second
reading with a few simple and accidental amendments,
which do not modify the flagrant violation of that
sacred principle, which does not permit one nation
to oblige another, which is free and independent, to
succumb to her laws. The Bill has yet to pass a
third reading. It is possible, but not probable, that
an enlightened Opposition, animated by noble senti-
ments, may yet cause it to be rejected ; but might, it
would appear, becomes right. The Members who sup-
port the Bill with arguments so often repeated, and ex-
aggerated and gratuitous assertions, have added also
expressions highly offensive to Portugal ; but amongst
all is principally to be distinguished Lord Brougham,
who, in the excess of passion with which he seems to be
governed, has compromised without doubt the reputa-
tion of his talents and his name as a statesman, for upon
almost all occasions he loses himself between the absurd
and the insolent. He went so far as to say that England
might give laws te. Porgugal, in the same manner as to
Jamaica, St. Dominic, and Barbadoes, and that the
waters of the Tagus ought not to flow without
her permission. Never did preponderance rave
so much. It is, perhaps, because Portugal has
not, nor will, consent to be treated as Jamaica and Barba-
does that so many injuries have bee❑ aimed at her. There
has been a time when the waters of the Tagus flowed
notwithstanding the opposition of England, and even
now we hope they will continue to do so without her
permission. Portugal has been accused of ingratitude
towards Great Britain—Portugal, who has always been
her most useful and faithful ally, who has made every
sacrifice for the interest of England, and who, after up-
wards of a hundred years alliance with her, instead of
prospering, has successively seen disappear those im-
mense resources of which England never failed to take
her share. We regret to be forced to use this lan-
guage, hut the provocation is such as to justify it.
The English Ministerial journals, especially the Globe,
which, agreeably to the opinion in England, is supposed
to be under the immediate influence of Lord Palmer-
ston, treat Portugal with the same bitterness and in-
justice, all which proves that the intentions of the Bri-
tish Government are decidedly hostile to this nation,
which certainly had a right to be treated in another
manner.

We will not enter into the reasons which may he ad-
duced for this change in the English Cabinet, we yet
flatter ourselves with the hope that the motives for this
extraordinary proceedure will soon vanish ; but while
this shall last the British Government ought not to be
surprised if the Government of her Most Faithful Ma-
jesty takes every prevention to slimy the injustice of the
aggression that she makes, and to employ all and every
measure which may be in its power to oppose the same,
and, at least, save its national decorum. The Govern-
ment of her Majesty protested solemnly against the
first bill at the Court of London ; she protested against
the second ; and before those powers who signed the
treaty at the Congress of Vienna, which sanctions the
preservative principles in which reposes the equilibrium
of peace in Europe, protested against the violation
of her rights, which the English Government would
wish to trample upon when it pretends to legislate for
Portugal.
We well know that the result cannot be doubtful
when a positive collision shall take place (which is not
to be hoped) between the two countries, but we also
know that Portugal will not abandon the post her dig-
nay assigns her, and will not barter her cross fortunes
by an easy victory to England.
(From the Alkletts of Oporto.)
" If the intimation of the English cruisers spoken of
:innt.ottonhe measures proposed by Lord Brougham be carried
,etrcheee
Portugueseagreeably
Governmentto e spirit
oughtof the Bill P. alme
r-
to take a de-
cided position, and availing of the means. at disposal,
England will accedeGto,reason when we oblige her so to
do. But let the
turn like this of the byloa'rnment be assured that. great
gentletorad
trade,
mvyehtehs
t;haenEd
English
las
hq uGe?s: '
evils are not cured
Go-
vernment has united withe our national honour, those in
power have iwnhothehiarvf.eavpot,ierst e valorous bosoms of the
rhveeh through
protest the h
have
en n
oo
tf
Portuguese,
ages a renown unequalled in
The much boasted of manifestoetnations of the world."
nswirllecten4Bt.ransmitted to the
it is said,. until the
yreestublteeonf published, i sihnesdt
r, u
entoi
or
Portuguese envoy in London, she-
orotan da 'Torre de
Moncorvo, be known. A voluminous
correspondence and documents relative tos a soinrhdourmt the
traffic is at the National Printing-office, in order,
stated, to supply those that were so ingeniously forgotten's

to be laid before the British Parliament. A circular,
however, has appeared in the Diario do Govern() of this
day, (which is presumed to be an apologetic document
for the vaunted manifesto), from the Secretary of State
for Foreign Affairs, dated on the 4th instant to the Po-
tentates that signed the Congress of Vienna, and to all
other Governments of Europe and America, relative to
the Slave Trade Bill. This diplomatic note calls their
benevolent attention to the unheard of and offensive pro-
cedure of Great Britain towards Portugal and the con-
sequences that might result therefrom to the whole of
Europe—a new and extraordinary example of the
greater abuse of power towards an independent or
friendly nation, and goes on to state that England has
not observed the conditions of the additional Convention
of London, signed on the 28th July, 18:7 (article 4),
and of the separate article, signed on the 11th of Sep-
tember of the same year. In this said note is cited the
decree of the 10th of December, 1836, by which the
Portuguese Government abolished in the most positive
manner the traffic in slaves, in consequence of which a
capture has been made, which is r,ow is this port ; and
concludes by throwing the blame upon Lord Howard
de Walden for having gone to London on the 26th of
May, 1838, without waiting to sign the treaty in ques-
tion. It is well known, however, that Lord Howard
de Walden, after being ready for his departure, waited
several days, in the hope that he might be the bearer
of the said treaty signed ; but, finding any further delay
useless, he availed himself of his leave of absence.

RAIL-ROADS AND TURNPIKE

TRUSTS REPORT.

The Select Committee appointed for the purpose of
ascertaining how far the formation of Railroads may
affect the interests of Turnpike Trusts, and the cre-
ditors of such trusts ; and to whom several petitions
a ere referred, and who were empowered to raport
their observations, together with the minutes of evi-
dence taken before them ; have considered the mat-
ters to them referred, and have agreed to the follow-
ing Report :
Your Committee deem it advisable to separate the
subject under their consideration into,
1. A statement of the existing debts, and of the
present condition of turnpike trusts.
2. The best means of improving the state of the
finances, and of amending the laws and enactments as
at present constituted in relation to such trusts.
On these two heads your Committee have founded
their opinion on the returns they obtained, on the evi-
dence of the witnesses examined, and on the able re-
ports on the subject of turnpike trusts and tolls made
by the Lords' Committee in 1833, and of the Com-
mittee of this House in August, 1836.

With reference to the first point mentioned, it ap-
pears that the present amount of debt of the turnpike
trusts in England and Wales exceeds 9,000,0004, and
that it is annually increasing, in consequence of the
practice prevailing in several of the trusts of converting
the unpaid interest into principal, the trustees giving
bonds bearing interest for the amount of interest due.
By this practice the bonded debt is annually aug-
mented, while the sum of interest due is also increased.
The difficulties of the turnpike trusts have also been
augmented by the abolition of statute labour, and of the
composition in its place, the loss of which has been esti-
mated by a most intelligent witness at about 200,000/.
per annum.

This condition of the turnpike trusts is not likely
to be improved by the railroads already formed.
There is every reason to believe that an extension of
railroads will take place in the course of each suc-
ceeding year, which must seriously diminish the revenue
of the turnpike trusts in many parts of the king-
dom. The gradual decline in the transit on turn-
pike roads in some parts of the country arises not
only from the railways formed, but from steam-vessels
plying in rivers, and as coasting traders. Whenever me-
chanical power has been substituted for animal power,
the result has hitherto been, that the labour is performed
at a cheaper rate ; it must, therefore, appear very doubt-
ful whether any circumstance will restore the transit
trade to its former channel, the course of science, and
its concomitant improved mechanical power, being found
seldom to retrograde, but generalli, to advance. Your
Committee must observe here, that although the lines of
turnpike-road, running parralel to steam communication,
are less frequented, it appears that nearly all roads or
highways leading to stations, or termini, of steam com-
munication have increased in their traffic, although the
aggregate of this increase may not probably be found
equal to the amount of the decrease on the lines of road
first mentioned.

Another result, also, is likely to take place, prejudicial
to those turnpike trusts that are unable to liquidate the
debts they have incurred. In several instances the credit-
ors have (it. appears)exercised the powergiven them under
the General Turnpike Act, of taking possession of the tolls
to secure the payment of their mortgage or bonded securi-
ties, and the interest due on them ; the result of which
must be, to throw the burden of repairs, and of the
m iintrnance of such roads, on the several parishes
through which they pass. Should such measures now
taken by some creditors become general throughout, the
kingdom, the proprietors and holders of land will not
only have to pay the tolls as usual, but must also he
called on to defray the expense of keeping the road in a
proper state for the public use, by an additional highway-
rate to be levied on the parishes where the tolls, paid by
the public, are seized by the creditor.
Considerable difficulty arises in suggesting a remedy
for this state of the turnpike trusts, and your committee
cannot but regret that no amendment in the existing
laws has yet taken place, alt lough a consolidation of
trusts was strongly recommended in the report of the
Lords' Committee, August 21, 1833, and in the report
of the Committee of the House of Commons, August 9,
1836, as likely to effect a great saving in the yearly
expenditure, and to secure an improved system of ma-
nagement. It is impossible for your Committee to ar-
rive at any other conclusion than this, that no time
ought to be lost in framing some legislative enactment
with a view to remedy the present state of the law re-
garding turnpike trusts.
Your Committee suggest, that to save the expense
and useless machinery now arising from the management
of small trusts, unions of trusts should be formed, in-
cluding all roads within a district, the radius of which it
has been suggested shall not exceed 15 miles.
The plan most likely to be satisfactory to the con-
flicting interests concerned may be to place the power of
control and superintendence in a certain number of local
trustees, to be elected by the present trustees of each
road out of their own number, in proportion to the mag-
nitude of each trust, and that the whole number so
elected from the separate trusts shall be the trustees of
each united trust., possessing the same powers and au-
thority in such office as were before vested in the trus-
tees by the several local Acts.

It has been suggested to your Committee that such
a measure could not be satisfactorily arranged unless the
practice of renewing the separate local Turnpike Acts
be discontinued.

This object has been kept in view by an annual Ses-
sional Bin for continuing Turnpike Trust Local Acts
that would otherwise have expired, and by which general
Bill the powers of several trusts are thus continued from
year to year, in anticipation of some further legislative
enactments as regards turnpike trusts.
Your Committee are of opinion that persons should be
appointed for the purpose of arranging the turnpike
trusts of the kingdom into unions, and to direct their
formation with as little delay as possible ; and also on
the expiration of each Local Turnpike Act to direct that
such trust should merge into and become a portion of one
of the unions, havingelected some ofthe acting trustees to
form part of the hoard of the united trust, the funds of
each trust being kept separate. By these means a just
and eqiutable arrangement of the real and fair value of
the bonded debts could be made, the legal claim of the
creditors being fully satisfied from the period of the
local act under which they advanced their money having
expired. It being also understood that such provision
will be made by legislative enactments as may enable
the trustees of the newly-formed unions to establish
tolls on the various roads in their district, by which the
debts of the several creditors may be secured in a satis-
factory manner.

•~vlt appears to your Committee that the statute labour,
or a compoition in its place, ought to be restored.
Your Committee cannot but he of opinion that the
proportion between the scale of duty imposed on these
modes of conveyance on land should be brought nearer
to an equality. As far as an approximation can be
made by comparing the scale of duty on the average
number of passengers conveyed by railroads, or by pub-
lic carriages and posting on common roads. it appears
the duty is as follows :

For every passenger by the railway, one-eighth of a
penny per mile.

For every passenger by a stage-coach, one-fourth of
a penny per mile.

For every person travelling by post, three-fourths of
a penny per mile.

While the conveyance of passengers by water is
entirely free from duty.*

It appears that the use of steam-carriages on turn-
pike-roads might be encouraged by lessening the tolls
payable on such carriages, which (as appears from the
evidence of one of the witnesses examined) in some
trusts are equal to a prohibition, although such carriages
are considered to cause less injury to the roads than
those of less weight drawn by horses.
Forming their opinion from the evidence, the returns
laid before them sent from various counties, and from
the general state of the roads throughout the kingdom,
your Committee do not feel justified in pointing out
any other remedy for replacinc, the turnpike trusts and
funds in a satisfactory state than the system of legis-
lation they have here recommended.

* Report of Committee, House of Commons, on Inter..
nal Communication Taxation, 1837.

THE EXTRAORDINARY OCCURRENCE IN
GhEENINICH PARK.—On Monday a Jury was impanelled.
Afterwards Hodges, the summoning officer, under the di.
rection of the Coroner, went and took a minute account
of the deceased's dress and person, which it is intended
to advertise in the metropolitan newspapers, and the Jury
adjourned for a week.