The Sun.
London, England, 1838-03-27 00:00:00

NEGRO EMANCIPATION.

MEETING OF DELEGATES.-(THIS DAY.)

A very numerous meeting of the Delegates from different
parts of the country was held this morning at Exeter Hall ;
THOMAS WILLIA NI BLAIR, Esq., of Bath, in the Chair.

The CHAIRMAN briefly opened the proceedings, remarking
that it was with heartfelt satisfactipn that he saw such a num-
ber of gentlemen assembled from every part of the empire at
this important crisis ; and it would be criminal not to acknow-
ledge the Divine hand in the confidence which had been given
to the public mind within the last few weeks.--( Hear, hear.)
Although appearances were very promising, it was obviously
undesirable to relax their exertions, which ought to be re-
doubled as the decisive day approached.—( Cheers.)
Mr. STCRGE said that a great number of Members of Par-
liament of all parties had promised to support the measure.—
( Hear, hear.) ft would be invidious to mention names, but
he stated the fact, in order that no person might be discou.
raged from going to solicit Members to support them in their
exertions.—( Hear, hear.)

Mr. WiLsoN, of Nottingham, read a letter which had this
morning been received from the Aldermanbury Anti-Slavery
Society, enclosing resolutions, agreed to at a meeting, held on
Monday last, the 26th instant. They were to the following
effeet—That it is the imperative duty of the Committee to de-
clare, that considering the interests of all parties justice and
sound policy require that the 5) stem of negro apprenticeship
should terminate on the Ist of Auguit, 1838 —( Cheers)—,nd
that by the authority of Parliament all laws should be re-
pealed which have a tendency to restrain the negro in the free
use of his liberty, or the due disposal of the fruits thereof, and
to prevent the enactment of laws diminishing the rights of the
negro as a free British subject.—( Cheers.)
The Rev. Mr. BURNETT thought the communication ought
to receive some notice. This Society did not unite with the
delegates at the last meeting—they united in principle err.
tainly, but did not fully concur in the means which the
delegates thought ought to be adopted. These reso-
lutions showed that this Committee were with the dele-

gates now, not only in principle. but in the means which
ought to be adopted to carry out the principles of liberty
which they advanced.—( Cheers.) This would take away
from many an instrument which they were disposed to employ,
namely, that the Anti- Slavery party were divided.—( Cries
of " Hear, hear.") They were not now divided.—( Cheers.)
He hailed this circumstance with pleasure, and cared not how
the conclusion had been brought about. He moved that the
Aldermanbury Committee should be forthwith invited to at-
tend the meeting of Delegates, for the specific purpose of
liberating the negroes on the Ist of August next.
The Rev. J. N. PRICE, of Swansea, most cheerfully se-
conded the resolution, which was unanimously adopted ; and,
upon the suggestion of the Rev. Dr. Cox, delegate from Hack-
ney, was agreed to be entered on the minutes.

On the motion of the Rev. Mr. SCALES, delegate from
Leeds, seconded by the Rev. Mr. HOME, a clergyman of the
Established Church and delegate from Liverpool, it was re-
solved, after a desultory conversation, in which several dele-
gates took part, that the Chairman should write to Lords
Melbourne and Glenelg this day to request that the delegates
may be allowed an interview with them to-morrow.
The Rev. J. CARLISLE suggested the propriety of appoint-
ing a deputation to wait on Lord Melbourne to know when it
would be his Lordship's convenience to see the delegates.
Mr. WILSON approved of the suggestion, and would there-
fore move that Mr. Crewdson, the Rev. F. Ould, and Mr.
Close, of Nottingham, be named as the deputation.
Mr. EDWARDS seconded the motion, which was put from the
chair, and carried unanimously.
The Rev. J. BURNETT hoped that the deputation would
give his Lordship distinctly to understand that the interview was
required for the whole of the delegates, for on a fot mer occasion
great inzonvenience had beets caused, by a misconception of
this sort, his Lordship being prepared only for half a dozen of
the delegates, whereas he bad to receive nearly three hundred.
Mr. STIRGE said that the resolution which had just been
passed, rendered another necessary. He should move
the appointment of a Sub-Committee to prepare the memo-
rial, and begged to name the Rev. Messrs. Wardlaw, Scales,
and Carlisle.

Mr. BARFORD seconded the motion, which was unanimously
carried.

Mr. SAMUEL BOWLEY hoped that as there was very little
time to prepare the memorial the Committee would not at-
tempt to enlarge upon the subject. The document, in his
opinion, should be very respectful, very strong, and very
short.—( Hear.)
___

The Committee then retired to prepare the memorial.
Mr. BARFORD suggested that this would be a proper time
for Mr. Wilson to put the meeting in possession of the names
of such Members of Parliament as were understood to be
favourable to the cause, but who had not yet been called on.
Mr. WILSON said that before he proceeded to read the list,
he begged the meeting distinctly to understand that no pledge
had been received from these gentlemen, or no authority given
by them to affix their names to it. He hoped that, as this
question was fixed for the 29th, and as it was probable the de-
bate, which was to take place in the House of Commons to-
night, would be adjourned over till to-morrow night, and pro-
bably the night after, giving thereby an opportunity to such
Members as were desirous of skulking from this question a
pretext for so doing, the Delegates who might be appointed
to wait on the different Members, would impress upon them
the necessity of opposing any adjournment of the debate to
Friday.—( Hear, hear.)
Dr. LUSIIINGTON here entered the room, and was loudly
cheered.

Mr. WILSON then proceeded to read the list, which occupied
a considerable time. As soon as it was concluded,
The CITAIRNIAN said that before any other business was
proceeded with, he hoped an Hon. Member who was present
(Dr. Lushington) would favour the meeting by addressing to
them a few words in reference to the object for which they
were assembled.

Dr. LUSIIINGTON then came forward, and was received with
loud cheers. The Hon. and Learned Gentleman commenced by
saying he bad attended the meeting on the understanding that
Members of Parliament were to be permitted to be present,
merely in the character of spectators, and without the slightest
intention of intruding himself on their attention. As he had
been called on, however, by the Chairman, he was happy to
have this opportunity of declaring to them his entire concur-
rence and sympathy, both in judgment and feeling with the
object of this meeting.—( Hear, hear.) He had never for an
instant doubted the injustice and the impolicy of establishing
the present system of negro apprenticeship, or of the ne.
cessity of altogether abolishing it. Ho objected t• it
at the time it was proposed, because ho thought it a
foolish attempt to interfere with the natural relations
which the Almighty had established between man and
man, and to set up an intermediate system which, while it
continued all the most oppressive features of slavery, yet told
the negro in mockery that he was a free man.—( Hear, hear.)
This, however, was neither the time nor place to enlarge upon
that part of the subject.—( Hear, hear, hear.) It was ob-
jected to the abolition of the apprenticeship system that there
was a contract with the planters. Yes, but they had them-
selves violated that contract, the only part of it which had
been honestly fulfilled being the payment of the 20,000,0001.
—( Hear, hear, and laughter.) But there was another consi-
deration which was paramount to all contracts, and that was the
happiness, the wall-being, and the improvement of the social
condition of such a large class of her Majesty's subjects.—
(Cheers.) If some parties were, however, to be the sufferers,
it was right and fitting that the punishment should fall upon
those who had traded in that which was forbidden both by
the laws of God and man, and who had violated the compact
which had been entered into with them. Having witnessed
for many years the fruitless attempts that had been ma le to
obtain even a mitigation of the horrors of slavery, he had now,
when the question had assumed a more difficult aspect,
to congratulate them on the unanimous feeling that now pervaded all
classes, as to the necessity of its total abolition. He had not
the same degree of energy left which he once possessed, but
they might depend upon it that his heart was true to their
cause, and that he would not relax in his efforts, in con-
junction with them, until they had extinguished all trace of a sys-
tem which had so long proved the curse and bane of Great Britain.
The Rev. Mr. LUNY, of Plymouth. moved the first resolution, and
said that he should merely content himself by expressing to the
Committee, the gratitude which he felt towards them for having placed
in his hands a document breathing sentiments so congenial to
his feelings as a minister of the Established Church.—(Loud cheers.)
He believed that the good and benevolent men who had stirred
themselves in this matter had not worked in vain, and that
the blessing of God would attend them, and cheer them on.
Mr. EDWARD CROPPER, of Liverpool, seconded the resolution.
Mr. ALEXANDER read the report of the central Negro Emancipation
Committee, detailing the progress that had been made since the last re-
port had been presented.
The Rev. Mr. JAMES, of Birmingham, who was received
with much applause, rose to move the reception of the Report, and
thanks to the Committee. The cause in which they were engaged was
one in which they must not only think and speak but act.—(Loud
cries of " Hear, hear.") They must recollect they were striking uron
the manacles of eight hundred thousand of their brethren, and that they
must strike home, and strike with the power of the Omnipotent hint-
self.—(Hear, hear.) They were united for the purpose of action, not
words ; and they would find united action as powerful perhaps
even as the thunders of Lord Brougham's eloquence, which had
smitten the hearts and feelings and consciences of her Majesty's
sOciiii'aitseters; The name of apprenticeship was desecrated by being as.
d with the system of half-slavery, which was attended with such
cruelty, that if one case out of the hundreds that constantly oc-
curred in the gaols of the West Indies occurred in an English gaol, it
woulA raise a cry of horror all over the country which would not be
silenced until the wrong was redressed,—(Hear, hear.) They (the
Delegates) were assembled to tell the Queen, and the Ministers, and
the Legislature, that they could not, dared not, would not be satisfied
with, any thing less than immediate, total, unfettered, and perpetual free
dom for their negro brethren.--(Cheer,.) aVlien they broke up from
that assembly they would go to tell the men whose duty it was to obtain
for them that satisfaction that they could not trifle nor be trifled with—
! that they Calmed compensation for the twenty millions on their own
part, and on the part of the negroes, they claimed redress for
their cruel wrongs, which it was far beyond the power of
arithmetic to calculate.—(Cheers.) When he anticipated the shout of
joy which would be re-echoed, when the tidings creased the Atlantic,
that slavery was in truth no more, he could not forget all that they
owed to that modest and single-naieded roan, Joseph Sturge.—(Cheers.)
He invoked God's blessing upon that gentleman, and upon those who
had shared with him his labours and his perils.—(Hear, hear, hear.)
He prayed God to give them the success which they had earned with so
much loss to themselves.--(Hear, hear.) He concluded by moving the
resolution, and praying that God would inspire the hearts of the Queen
and her Ministers, as well as of the Legislature with the love of justice
and mercy, which would incline them to terrninute the sufferings and
wrongs of their negro fellowmen.—( Much applause.)
Mr. HAWILINI seconded the resolution, which passed unanimously.
The lice. Mr. Beastier, on the part of the Committee, thanked the
Delegates for their approbation. He called on them to adhere to the
course which the Committee had pursued—to admit of no co.epromtse
—(Hear)—to prove their sincerity by carrying out their measure—and
not to use the hammer, which had been put into their hands to break up
and destroy the system, in mending and tinkering it.—(Cheers and a
laugh.)

The Rev. J. A. Jaws (of Birmingham) asked If the term delegates
was constitutional, as addressed to a Minister of the Crown.