The Sun.
London, England, 1831-01-17 00:00:00

BRITISH WEST INDIA COLONIES.

At a meeting of manufacturers, traders, ship-owners,
and others, especially connected with the trade to the
West India Colonies, held at the Jamaica Coffee-house,
Cornhill, on Tuesday, the 10th of January, 1831, for the
purpose of considering the propriety of petitioning Par-
liament for a fair and just protection of the various British
interests involved in the trade with those colonies in the
progress of any legislative measures for the emancipation
of the slave population, the following petition to the Ho-
nourable House of Commons was unanimously adopted
" TO THE HONOURABLE THE HOUSE OF COMMONS
OF THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN
AND IRELAND IN PARLIAMENT ASSEMBLED.
" THE PETITION OF THE UNDERSIGNED MA-
hIUFACTU RERS, TRA DERS, SHIP-OWNERS, AND
OTHERS CONCERNED IN THE PRODUCTION
AND EXPORT FROM THE PORT OF LONDON
OF THE VARIOUS SUPPLIES REQUIRED FOR
THE USE OF THE- BRITISH WEST INDIA CO-
LONIES,

"Shewetb,—That your petitioners are deeply interested
in the preservation and prosperity of the West India Co-
lonies, many of them having large capitals embarked in
their respective occupations, whereby employment is af-
forded to thousands of industrious artizaus, seamen, la-
bourers, and others.

" That it has therefore been with surprise and alarm
that your petitioners have witnessed the attacks made
throughout the country on all the interests connected with
those colonies, by the persevering efforts employed to ob-
tain petitions to your Honourablv House, praying for the
immediate and unqualified emancipation of all the slaves
in his Majesty's dominions.
" That your petitioners are thoroughly convinced that
the adoption of such a measure, instead of improving the
condition of the slave population, would reduce them to
misery and destitution, involve them in anarchy, and even-
tually terminate in their relapse into barbarian], or their
total annihilation ; that it would cause the entire destruc-
tion of all property in the West India Colonies ; would
entail utter ruin upon many, and inflict deep injury upon
all your petitioners, while it would aggravate the distresses
of the labouring classes in this country, by depriving thou-
sands of industrious individuals of their accustomed em-
ployments in the production and manufacture of articles
of export to the British West Indies.

" That especially warned by the awful example of St.
Domingo, of the dangers attendant on the sudden re-
moval of the restraints of slavery from a population Ur,
prepared for the reception of the blessings of freedom, as
evinced in the destruction of life and property, and the
enormous decrease of cultivation in that island, your peti-
tioners solemnly implore your Honourable House only to
adopt measures for the final emancipation of the negro
population in the spirit of the wise, temperate, and bene-
volent resolutions of your Honourable House on this sub-
ject of the 15th of May, 1823, in the propriety of which
resolutions your petitioners fully concur.
" Your petitioners therefore pray, that in accordance
with the said resolutions your Honourable House will re-
fuse your assent to every proposition for hasty and unqua-
lified emancipation, and that in any enactment for pro-
moting the final abolition of slavery, the well-being of the
slaves may be secured by effectual measures for ameliorating
their condition, the rights of the colonists to property
acquired under the sanction of the laws of the land may
he protected by just and equitable compensation, and the
interests of your petitioners be preserved from utter de-
struction by the adoption of such a cautious and prudent
course in respect to the general interests of the colonies,
as may at least afford time fur the gradual transfer of
tLc capital and industry of your petitioners into other
channels."

At the same time a similar petition was agreed on to
the House of Lords.
The petitions will lie for signatures at the Jamaica
Coff,:e-house until Saturday, the 29th instant, inclusive.

TRIAL OF MR. SAVILLE, THE SUFFOLK

SWING.

SUFFOLK SESSIONS.—BURY, Jlv. 15.
The defendant wag indicted for distributing two letters
in the parish of Stradishall, in the county of Suffolk, of
which the following are copies

cc Will you, Farmers and Parsons, pay us better for
our labour? If you won't, we will put you in bodily fear.

SWING."

rt 0, ye Church of England Parsons, who Stl-ain—at a
gnat and swallow a camel. Woe, woe, woe, be to you,
ye shall have your reward."
Mr. EAGLE stated the case on the part of the prosecu-
tion. After detailing the facts as proved by the evidence,
he contended that the defendant was indictable at common
law, the. offence having a tendency to disturb the public
peace.
Elizabeth Hay examined--I live at Stradishall. On
the 16th of December I ,aw the defendant, who was riding
in a gig. I perceived he had a paper in his hand. I can
not say whether he saw me, but he might have done so,
as I was in the garden, close by him. It was about ten
o'clock in the morning. I saw him throw a piece of paper
on the road; I picked it up, and found it in two pieces.
_.-(The witness identified the papers produced in Court.)
gave them to my husband.
Mr. Ray (husband of last witness) proved the; receipt
of the papers from her.
Mr. Brown, of Stradishall, proved that he pursued the
defendant many miles, and apprehended him, and found
pieces Of torn paper upon him.
Mr. GUNNING, for tke defendant, contended the case
ought not to go to a Jury, as it was not within the sta-
tutes for sending thretuening letters, inasmuch as the
letters were directed to no one, and contained no threat to
born or injure, or to extort money.
Mr. AusTF:: followed on the same side, and contended
was no actual offence, and no attempt to commit
°
cognizable at common law ; no exhortation to riot,
atir.l7e
.e'
irno excitement to crime ; nor was there that vicious
intention necessary to render an act criminal. He con-
tended also that the indictment was bad oo the statement
of the inducement and its inuendoes, and cited several
authorities in support of his argument.
Mr. EAGLE and Mr. PENDECRAYT were heard in an-
swer to the objections; but the Court overruled them,
leaving the defendant at liberty to raise them in the Court
of King's Bench.

2lr• GUNNING then addressed the Jury fur the defendant
on the facts of the case.

The Rev. Ricl;ardlNhittingliam, Vicar of Potton, near
Gamlingay, where the defendant resided, said he had
known the defendant forty years., and considered him a
most humane, charitable, peaceable, and highly moral
man, very benevolent to the poor, and his political senti-
ments loyal and constituional.
Nine other gentlemen from the neighbourhood of Potton,
amongst whom was the Rev. Enoch Mi.nnine, Dissenting
Minister, gave similar testimony, and spoke to having
known the defendant from 20 to 40 ye;:ri..
The CIIAIRMAN summed up the evidence, and the Jury,
after a quarter of an hour's deliberation, returned a verdict
of Guilty, but recommended him to mercy on account of'
the high respectability of his character.
The COURT sentenced the defendant to twelve months'
imprisonment, and a tine of 50/.

We received last night, per Britannia, frotu
the North and South American Coffee-house, American
Papers to the 17th December. The part of the Piti:st-
DENT'S Message respecting Banks has caused much dis-
cussion in these papers. A violent gale has done vll6
damage to the shipping in the Chesapeak. Dr. CHANNING,
well known in this carnal'', has taken a passage for St.
Croix, on account of illness. The census of New York
is nearly completed. The Wards already numbered con-
tain 178,826 inhabitants ; when completed, the popula-
tion, it is said, will be found 213,7.50.

On Thursday week the wife of LABAN Cox,
near Chalford, Glonre,tershire, was delivered of three
female children.