The Sun.
London, England, 1822-07-26 00:00:00

cessity, and therefore to continue it in any country where its I
present extent should be extremely small, and where the local
circumstances should he such as to admit of its safe and con-
venient abrogation.. would scarcely be less reproachful than the
original establishment of that state in a place where it had been
previously imknoWn.
" That, in firming neWnktlements on the African Continent,
such conduct would bepre-eminently indefensible and mischiev-
ous, because the distinctions between.the European and colour-,
ed nice:: of men must tend .o extinguish'. sympathy, while the
existence of the abject and ignominious' state of eslavery would
powerfully generate or maintain in the minds, both of the white
Colonists and the colciared natives of neighbouring districts,
feelings towards eachother- the reverse of those which we are
bound, no less by sound policy than by every religious and mo-
ral consideration, to promote. Thus the growth of mutual good
will and civilizetiOn must be materially obstructed, to the pre,
vention of that secure and harmonious intertourse Isynchir nn ah a.
portant commercial benefits might be obtained on theexare-side,
and the inestimable advantages of civil, moral, and religious,
improvements, on the other. Instead of such happy 'effects!of
African colonization, dangerous animosities, mutual inintiese
and inveterate border wars, might be expected as, the natural
conseqeenceS of an instiuttion, which would degrade the native
race and render them despicableein the eyes of the new settlers,
while it would afford to the needy and worthless means and
temptations to inflict upon them the most cruel wrongs.
" That the House also sees much reason to apprehend, that
the time may come when the acts for abolishing the Slave-Trade
may be widely and fatally contravened in the new settlements
now forming in Africa, if slavery shall be permitted there as a
state recognised by law.
' " That under such circumstances, no et:banal means can be
devised for preventing abuses injurious to the best Interests of
the settlers themselves, pernicious to the natives of Africa, and
derogatory. to the honour of this country, but the extending, as
far as possible, by a fundamental law, to the new African settle-
ments, the same just and liberal principles of colonization,
with such exceptions only as the slaves actually in the colony
may render necessary, which have been so honourably and :be-
neficially established at Sierra Leone.
" That we cannot but feel that meny of the above considera-
tions derive peculiar force from the eflorts which this country
has for some time been using to intiuo other nations to join
with us in enforcing the abolition of tile', Slave Trade. That
we should expese ourselves to iust and merited reproach,
if. it could be truly alleged, that while we had been using those
endeavours, we had been . violating one own principles by per.
mitting the state of slavery to establish itself in regions where
it lied -previously little or no existence: and more especially
where a Slave Trade would almost inevitably.follow.
" That we cannot but contemplate with pleasure the honour-
able and successful efforts which, under the paternal influence
of his Majesty';l Government, aided by the liberal spirit of the
• Masters, have been made in vations Brandt settlements for me-
liorating the condition of the slaves, and for ultimately putting
an end to the state of: slavery. And that we cannot but hope
that his Majesty's Government will seudiomsly avail itself of
any.opportunittes it may possess of acting 'ht the spirit of these
benignant precedents.
• That we a'so beg leave humbly, but 'earnestly, to recorn-
mend the state of "the Ifottentots to his Majesty's benevolent
care,—a race of men long misrepreeented and vilified, who,
•. however, have since abundantly proved that any aloes used
for their moral improvement would nat be employed in vain.
" That we consider that the communication of Christian ine
struction to the Slaves and Hottentots is a paramount act of
duty, and the' more necessary, because efforts have been made,
not without success, to
.propagate among them the tenets anj
• practices of nlahometamem. That no doubt can be entertain-
ed of-the happy result of those Christian endeavourS. Nor can
we forbear to indulge the gratifying hopee that by the gradual
diffusion of the blessings of civilization, end of moral and reli-
gious !cnowledge, throughout the coloured population, those.
• degraded classes of our fellow-creatures may by degrees be
raised from their present depressed condition, and be rendered
not only useful members of the colonial community, but valun
able subjects of the British Empire."'
Mr. WIL3IOT stated, that the Address received his tine
qualified assent. He did not think it necessary to occupy the
attention of the House for any long time. He felt it his duty,
however, to assure the Hon. Member, that any danger which
he anticipated of the Cape becoming a great slave colony, was,
altogether without foundation. It might be requisite to show
how small the number, of slaves-was at present, there being no
more than 564' males and 461 females. The House ought also
to recollect that the districts in the viehiity.of the Cape were hot
to he considered in the light of new colonies, but were attached
to the old colony, and it was not easy to depart of once from all
the tisanes and laws of that colony. He was ready at the
same time to encourage the manumission of slaves, by allow-
inn an equivalent, but he could nano readily assent to a coin-'
pulsory manumission. However deeply he lamented the.evils
of slavery,. he could not approve of a sudden and general
manumission, as it would be productive of no benefit to the
parties so manumitted. The habits of the slaves were such,
that they had-no means, when suddenly made free, of applying
their natural energies to their own advantage. The evil was
not of our creation, nor were we responsible for it, but its
.safest remedy must be progresSive. The apprehension of a con-
traband introduction of slaves from the interior, he could as-'
Sure the Honourable Member, was totally without any real
ground. Ile had not lintrli of a single instance of the kind ; and
as to smuggling than in by sea, it was indeed possible, but then
there were so many natural impediments in the way asamouni-
edno a rational security against the attempt. He concurred
in the opinion as to the necessity of giving moral and religious
inatruction to the Hottentots, and the suggestion of the Hon.
Manlier would be attended to by his Majesty's Government.—
And as to the contraband introduction of slaves, it would he an
instruction to the Commissioners to make inquiries respecting it.
Mr. W. SMITH gave his cordial concurrence to the Address,
but he could not assent to a principle which had been advanced
more than once, stating the right of property in slaves. die ac-
knowledged indeed a right property in the labour of a man, but
notin his person ; and the selling. such right oughts to be no
bar to manumissions.

Mr. MONEY gave his most earnest support to the motion.
From personal knowledge he knew, that unless the Legislature
interfered the extension of slavery would be the effect through-
out those regions comprehended within our territorial limits at
the Cape of Good Elope. He trusted also that a reformation of
the Courts of Justice at the Cape of Good Hope would speedily
be effected, and instanced a case of dreadful barbarity, where a
Negress with a large family of children, threatened with being
sold to the Dutch boors, drowned her infants, and attempted to
destroy herself, through the fear of such a sale, but-being:pre-
•vented was immediately tried 'before the Dutch Court, and
Strangled the next day !—(llear, hear !)
Dr. PHILLIMOKE sudporied the Address. With every
disposition to respect the rights of the Dutch colonies, as Actu-
red o them by the capitulation, he still was of opinion, that in
every other part of these extensive districts, liberty should be
the law of the soil, and slavery the exception.--411ear, hear !)
• Mr. BUXTON contended, that tinleso. immediate steps were
taken in the extensive regions within the COlony to draw the.
line, and prevent the extension of slavery, by declaring liberty
the law of soil, this country, which had made such high pre.
tensions, and reprehended other nations on account of the Slave
Trade, would forfeit her justly-acquired character. ilo was
convinced that this country 'would make any pecuniary sacri-
Ike tn compensate the proprietors by the abolition of the Slave
Trade.

WILBERFORCE shortly replied. IL animadverted
strongly on the horrors of domestic slavery, and felt it a positive
duty in Great Britain to provide in those new Colonies against
the extension of the evil. He adverted to the conduct of the
American Government, in the annexation of the Missouri ter-
ritory to the Union—a tract of 16,000 miles, in which the exist-
ence of slavery was prohibited.. England was,botind to respect
her own character in governing those extensive Colonies she.had
ataptirztl, or was about to settle. What, he could fancy, must
be the feelings of the future inhablitants of those regions, when.
from a spare population they shall have founded cities, and
towns, and villages, when they shall beconie the scats of justice
because the seat of liberty--Lthe seats of science because the seat
of liberty—the seat of a true and pure religion because the seat
of liberty—when those effects shall have been accomplished,
with what feelings would posterity revert to the debates of that
House when discussing' their earlier settlement.—(Hear, hear!)
The Address was then carried unanimously..
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