The Sun.
London, England, 1807-03-07 00:00:00

SLAVE TRADE.

The House then;on motion, resolved itself into a
Committee on the • Slave Trad6 Abolition Bill.
Sir CH4RLES POLE opposed the measure,
not, he observed, with a view to the consideration

of any indiVidual interests, but as an obje& of the
utmost national importance. About the time of the
year t 780 there were 15,000 persons destroyed by
a hurricane in 'Jamaica ; in case of such an event
taking place again, it would be found impossible to
uphold the state. of property in the Islands without
imPortation. On the other hand, if the Trade was
not permitted by Parliament to be continued, it
would be found almost impossible to: prevent
smuggling ; or, if we did completely aband.ori the
Trade, it would be immediately taken up by, the
Enemy, who would increase and strengthen his
navy by that means, and we might soon expel to
see the downfall of the British Empire. At least he
thought it might be expedient to give the Planters
time to add to their number of female slaves, as a
probable means of laying the foundation,for a better
supply-in future. He therefore moved, That in-
stead of May 1807, the words, May 1812, should be
inserted, as the time for the commencement of the
operation of the Bill.

. IPARD stated, in a very impressive maiden
• speech, that•he knew of an estate in Jamaica where
the population was kept• up without importation ;
and that there wak.nothing in nature, he was con-
'vinced, that prevented man from multiplying his
species there, but the malignant institutions of man

Sir' PHILIP FRANCIS assured the House that
he was. informed-by-an Officer of rank and ex-
perience in the British Navy, that the African Trade,
and that from' thence, to the West India Islands, was
extremely, pernicious to our seamen, and that the
Commander of a King's Ship,WOuld not wish to
take a single recruit from the Vessels in chat Trade.
The gallant Admiral observed, on the Que -hand,
that it would be impossible to prevent importation ;
arid on the supposition, if wepermitted theenetny to
have the full enjoyment of the trade to himself, it
would only be the mans of ruining his navy ; and,
on the other, it *ould 'be impossible by this mea-
sure to ruin our Colonies.

Mr. FULLER would- be extremely glad to hear
by what regulations the Honourable Member's fa-
ther (Mr. Ward) kept up the population on his
estate in Jamaica, and there could not be the smallest
-doubt of all the other planters being extremely
obliged to him,' and most cheerfully following his
example ; 'he had heard something of its local situa-
tion preventing ,the negroes from mixing with those
on the estates adjoining; their habits were different,
and that might in some measure account for the dif-
ference in the maintenance of the population on that
particular estate. He cautioned Gentlerrien, how-
ever, against being led away by false notions of po-
pularity and humanity. Those who were not Planters
themselves might easily raise a clamour againSt the
cruelty 'of the Planters, &c. but he wou;d have
Gentlemen to recoiled that. the West Indies had
been the support' of the country for many years,
both as to seamen and revenue. We might as well
say, " Oh, we will not have" our chimney swept,
because it is a little troublesome to the boy," as that
we should give up
,the benefit of the West India
Trade on account of the supposed hardships of. the
negro.

.General VYSE, in a very neat speech, .vindicated
the cliaraaer of the Phiuters for humanity ; but sup-
ported the Bill most strenuously, ob the ground
that there was a most sharneffil abuse of the autho-
rity delegated by them. •
Sir T. TußTox.observecl, that if the 'Measure of
French iniquity was not yet full, we.shourci surren-
der up to them this guilty trade, that we might
acquit ourselves from any further charge as to this
heinous offence, whilst it might complete the cata-
logUe of our enemy's crimes, whilst we, at the same
time, might hope to have taken one great step to-
wards averting the wrath of heaven from us.

Mr. H. ADDINGTON supported
.the . Amendment;
but at the same time . recommended that a Parlia-
mentary Commission should be sent out' to every
Island in cite \Vest Indies, and that Parliament
might afterwards lay very high duties oh the im-.
portation of slaves into every island where the traf-
fic was found to be still carried on.

Mr: WHITBREAD thought it would be a most
tedious and impotent measure to wait till we had the
Report of as many of the Commissioners as might
chance to reach home with the Report, and then
leave the measurein a great degree to the ‘isere-
tion of the Governors of the different islands. But
there was one point which he thought to be Frii-
cularly worthy of notice ; Mr. Plomer, Counsel for
the Planters, had acknowledged at the Bar 'of the
tionse of Gords, that it was intended to have seve-
ral new pieces Of land cultivate& for which a fresh
supply of Slaves was Wanted ; and there was ano-
ther point to which he thought it necessary to ad-
vert—Did (he gallant Admiral opposite suppose that
we; as Christians, could hope, when visited by. the
wratfrof Heaven, as he had Stated, with a hurri-
cane, could we then hope for a • blessin<4 froti)

Almighty by setting off to Africa to rob and murder
in order to recruit our stock ?'

Mr. Rosi entered into a most minute and elabo-
rate detail of the various proceedings
•Parliament;
and the opinions of the most eminent public men' for
a century past, as to this; trade. He concluded by
observing, that hiS late Right Honourahle Friend
was, in his heart, a most sincere Abolitionist; as
as himself, though there was some difference
of opinion between them as to the best •nneaus of
carrying that principle into execution.

• • .
Lord-H. PETTY, in
,a-very animated speech, op-
posed any fdrther delay j•jie contended that the au•
thorities cited by the Right. Honourable Gentleman
were not conclusive; on speculative truths the•most
'clear and incontrovertible, there have been in all
ages men of probity and wisdom who have had their
own peculiar and exclusive sentiments. .In the -Par-
liaments of France how-long was. it a subject of dis-
cussion whether torture should be sanioned or
not ? and yet could there be at this day found,a man
in civilized gurope who would profess • himself an
:advocate for torture ? So would it be with the Stave.
Trade. As to the necessity of delaying its abolition,
what had been said ? They set out, said the. Noble
Lord, with the proposition that the Slave Trade is
inhuman and'unjuSt, and then they propose to pro-
long that system ofinjustice, and continue for five
years more the practice of that inhumanity.
General GASCOYNE ' followed at considerable
length, and contended strongly against anirnmediate
abolition.

Mr. CANNING took a viel.v of the subje& in three
different.relations--'=viith respell to Africa, the slave
mer9hants, and the. slaves, themselves ; the argu-
ments advanced by the Honourable-Baronet (.Sir C.
Pole) appeared to him to have been. completely over-
turned by the statement of faLts advanced by. the gal-
lant General in support of them ; he was decidedly
for the most speedy Abolition of so disgraceful a
traffic. •

Mr. S. STANIiOPg was for the immediate Aboli-
tion.

Mr. B. BATHURST thoughtthe irnrinediate..Aboli,
tion of the Trade impossible.
Mr. BARHAM was of a contrary ,opinion, and
thought that' the measure, to be effeaual, must be
speedy.

- MI; PERCIVAL warmly contended for the neces-:
sily of immediate Abolition. When, -after. a few
words from Messrs. WILEERFORCE and FULLER,
the Qdestion.being loudly called for, the Committee
divided,

For the Original Motion and immediate Abolition i7s'
Against it • Iy

Majority for the Immediate Abolition IsB
Strangers being excluded on the divisiOn,.tir Gal-
lery was not again thrown open before-adjournment.
—Adjourned at half-past. twelve.

MAILS. •
ARRIVED—I Waterford. Duz--t Gottenburgh,
Dublin, r W.aterford.

'PRICE OF STOCKS
Tnis DAY AT TWELVE, O'CLOCK.
Consols, - -62 i On4nium -, - -•-

THE S N.

SOLENt QUIZ DICERZ, FALSUAt AUDiaI.T?

L 0 AV D 0 Iv,
SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 1807.

Ir was reported yesterday afternoon that a Mes-
senger had
.arrived with Dispatches, from Lord
HUTCHINSON, containing a very favourable account
of the late Battles in Poland. We are sorry we are
not able to confirm this statement. No Messenger
had arrived from the Continent when this Paper was
put to Press. The report, we believe, tobk its rise
from the arrival of a Vessel from Memel, at Har-
wich the Captain, of which stated, that before he
sailed accounts had reached 11:lemel, that BONA-
PARTE had invested MAsssNA with the Chief Com-
mand of the Army, and had himself set out for ,Pa-
ris- A Gentleman who came over in this Vessel,
and who, had lately travelled over a mnsiderable
part of Prussia, states, that the result of the late
Battles was decidedly in favour •of the. Russian's,
though they had sustained very severe losses, It is
singular that BoNAPARTE should quit the Army under
such circUrnstances; but it, is possible that he may
consider his presence necessary in France, in order to
enforce the levy of the Conscripts, and to hasten
their march into Poland. The French Army ha's
been very much redUced by disease, as well as
by the losses. sustained in the numerous and
obstinate aaiotis which have been fought.-HThe
Russian Army -is continually .receiving reinforce-
-
ments, and as they have been able to defeat the
French wfth inferior numbers, every thing is to be
hoped from' their exertions, when, by the junction
of the numerous reinforcements which are marching
into Poland from different parts of the Russian Em-
pire, they shall have become more numerous than
their adversarieS: .
•

The Trial of Sir HOME PoFq.zor commenced yes-
terday on board the Gladiator, at Portsmouth. The
Evidence in support of the Prosecution did not oc-
cupy more than two hours. The Court have al-
lowed Sir HOME till Monday to prepare his De-
fence.

The Duke of CLARENCS arrived at Windsor on
Thursday, on a visit to their MAJESTIES.

,
The Duke of Stissr_ix is confined at the QUEEN'S
Lodge, Windsor, through indisposition. ' •
Yesterday Lord Sr. HELEN'S arrived at Windsor
on a visit to their MAJESTIES. * •

GOlCral GROSVEI.,IOR was presented to His MA-
JESTY' on Wednesday last, upon his being appointed
to the command of the 97th regiment and General
W}IIILOCKE was presented, upon his befilg appoint-
Commander in Chief of the Troops in South
A.ru et ie