The Sun.
London, England, 1838-05-29 00:00:00

SLAVE TRADE.

Lord BROUGHAM wished to knoW if it were true that a memorial
had been received by the Government from British Guiana, for a sus-
pension of the regulations regarding corporeal punishment; and if so,
what answer had been made.

Lord MELBOURNE was understood to say he had heard of no such
raemmial.

Lord BROUGHAM—I am most happy to hear that, for it is
a proof that no such memorial could have been received ; he.
cause, of course; if such a memorial had reached the Colonial Office, it
is not of so little importance as not to be communicated to the rest
Of the Government. The Noble and Learned Lord then said, as
his Noble Friend at the head of the Colonial Office was not in his plact,
he would merely state that he intended to ask what had been done as
to a dispatch which had been sent out to the Mauritius in August,
1835, directing the liberation of upwards of 2,000 negroes who had been
illegally detained in slavery—what had been done since to carry that di-
rection into effect ?

TII3 Marquis of ANGLESEY presented petitions for the abolition of
negro slavery.

THE CORONATION.
The Marquis of LONDONDERRY presented a petition agreed to at
a public meeting, held at the Freemasons' Tavern, on the 14th instant,
praying that the Coronation be postponed till August, and be then con-
ducted on a scale of grandeur suited to tt,e dignity of the occasion: The
Noble Iciarquis supported the prayer of the petition at weat length, but
in a very indistinct and nearly inaudible tone.

Earl FITZWILLIAM said that anything that fell from the Noble
Marquis was entitled to great weight, and any cause must derive im-
mense advantage from his advocacy._(A laugh.) But he (Earl F.) had
the misfortune greatly to ditTer from the Noble Marquis on the subject.
The question was whether the tradesthen of London should keep their
Lordships in town till the Ist of June or the Ist of August.L.(A laugh.)
He believed Coronations to be little better than idle and useless pageants.
—(lronical cries of" Hear," from the Opposition.) Was the loyalty of
Noble Lords who said " Hear"—was their loyalty incomplete ? Would
it be added to by the idle ceremony of placing coronets on their beads
and walking in a ridiculous procession ?—(Hear.) He repeated corona-
-tions were suited only for barbarous or semi barbarous times,—for
periods when crowns were won and lost by unruly violence, and
ferocious contests. Ho was persuaded that her Majesty had been too
well educated, and possessed too much natural good sense, to attach
such: mighty importance to this useless ceretnony. And he doubted much
whether the exhibition of a youthful Princess as a spectacle, to be
gazed at for hours by a mob, was calculated to impress the sound think-
ing portion of her subjects with very strong notions of propriety.
The Marquis of SALISBURY was astonished to hear the solemn
public compact between the Sovereign and the nation designated
as en " idle and useless pageant."—(Earl Fitzwilliam—No, not the
" compact.") He (the Marquis of Salisbury) considered it hu.
radiating that this great country should be held up to the
world as unable to afford a dinner to its Sovereign on so important an
occasion.—(Hear, hear, from the Marquis of Londonderry, and a laugh.)
Earl CIONCURRY, who remarked that their Lordships would have
soon to consider a Bill establishing a provision for millions of his fellow
countrymen in Ireland, said, he thought the Ministers had done quite
right to keep eonomy in view, in respect to the Coronation.—(llearo
The Marquis of LONDONDERRY—Did I understand the. Noble
Earl (Fitzwilliam) to be of opinion that there should be no Coronation ?
Earl Frrz WILLIAM—Yes.

The Marquis LONDONDEIIRY—Then I think the Noble Earl must
follow up that by saying that there ought to be no Lord Fitzwilliam.—
(Loud laughter.)