The Sun.
London, England, 1840-06-25 00:00:00

what
In conclusion, it is not for the Committee fo sae
amount of good they may have been enabled to neeea tticsh
during the past year. They rejoice to think, however, e'oat
they have not laboured in vain. At all events, they have ea •
deavoured to lay the foundation for the future operation. of tie
Society, both broad and deep; and now, humble depend,-
ence upon Him whose blessing alone can gi..a their best eertse,
success, and without which, whatever be their character, C:ey.-
must fail, they commend the great cause in which they are en-
gaged to the Christian sympathies, the and tat israyeis, act tele
generous support of this great assembly.
Mr. GEORGE W. ALExampE)e read the fieeeeial stare-
ment of the Committee from the Ist April, 1639, to the
31st May, 1810,
Mr. JosartL. STURGE, in announcing that his renereble
friend, Thorffi Clarkson, would now address the meeting,
entreated that he should be-received and beard with per-
fect stillness.
The meeting having, with no small difficulty, " Ituriesi"
itself into silence, . .
Mr. CLARK!ON said—May it please your Roysi Higk-
ness, and Ladies and Gentlemen, I ceme to You iv. re; v-
advanced years, and in a feeble state of in altleLf.or okick
you must make an allowance. But it cheer-s my heart
--it does me good—to see such a respectable !acsembare
of individuals', on such are occasion I ceneretultee eta
on having his Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex ie-the
Chair. To him I have been long attached for his Liberal
sentiments, but particularly for the readiness which he hat
shown to come forward on all philanthrepie occaeiees It
gives me great pleasure to think that another ittustiioas
member of the Royal Family has distinguished Is mrslf is
same way on another occasion, when lam sorry J was not
able to attend. Ladies and Gentlemen, 1.4 heee a,„
greatly gratified during the meetings of the
.0-titi-Slavery
Convention, to see so many good men met together from
various parts of the world—men selected for their moral
worth. To the moral man such a s.ght is a he'autiful
picture of itself. But when I consider that those good nitn
met together for the heavenly purpose of brsaking the
chains of the oppressed, and of generously assisting those
whom they have known only by their sufferings, and who,
moreover, have no means whatever of assisting themselves,
the gratification which I have felt has been turned- into
adm.ration and delight. Surely these meetings must hove
been acceptable to God. Has be not said in the Old
Testament " I will have mercy and not sacrifice ?" That -
is, I prefer the warm and tender affetions of the heart,
when they break forth into practical benevolence to
the mere observance of the most important ceremony
of the Jewish religion. Has he not said again in the
same book, with reference to another religicus towel.
of those times, " The fast that I have chosee ie to sad.
the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go tree, and to
break every yoke?" Is not the New Testamv.et also fell
of the same delightful sentiments ? Such meetings as
these, therefore, cannot but be acceptable to God, Wid aer
they must be acceptable to him, so I hope we may look
upon them as happy omens of our totimete recces's.
Ladies and gentlen en, permit me to take this opportunity
before I return.home,for I shall have no other, of thaokir,r
those individuals, many, very moray if e hors -are new.
sitting with you, the kind attention and re.specr
they have shown me during the last fortnight. I rause,
hcwaver, in point of fairness pat down all this leeeittesse
not to myself alone, but to try connexion with tie great
and good cause in which l have been engaged. it must
be borne in mind that I could have done but little in it ea
an individual. What could I have done witl.est: tits
powerful assistancee of my dear and revered friend. Mr.
Wilberforce ? and what could he and I have done together
without the assistance of thousands of others 7 I teke no
particular credit to myself for having taken a part in it,
more than others, who di,l the same. Each woe actuated
by his own view of the subject, and the feciinge which
this view of it occasioned. As to myself, I was I?terally
forced into it. I will relate in a it w words how this
happened. I was thinking one day in a rreore serious sad
solemn manner than I had ever done before of the mul-
tiplied injt ries which the unhai-py people rho are
now the objects of your sympathy, were made to undergo in
Mica, on their pes;ege, and in the colonies. All the Ira-
gical scenes which occurred in these their diff2reet eitoe-
ticns passed in horrible roviety before me, and my cerepae-
sion for their sufferings was at that moment so great, so
intense, so overwhelming, as to have overpowered nice end
compelled me to form the resolution, which I dared not
resist—it was at my peril to resiet—of attempting their
&deference. Tou. I was forced into the great work I
did, therefore, only what it was my duty to have done under
such circuresoinces-1 had only the merit of obeying the
extraordinary impulse on my mind. I have often indulged
the belief that this feeling might have come from ; to
him, therefore, and not to such a creature as myself, e.ou
are to attribute all the honour and all the glory,
As the venerable gentleman resumed biz se it, the Duke
of Sussex shook him cordially by the, band. and a enamor
of applause, with difficulty rspress d, spread thrones the
meeting.

Mr. J. STURGE came forward, and explained that bin
venerable friend (Mr. Clarkson) had risen to move, but hat
forgotten to make the motion—" That the Report now
read, together with the Treasurer's accounts, be approved
and adopted by the meeting, and be printed under the
direction of the Committee." He (Mr. Sturge) had alga
to explain, that as Mr. Clarkson had concluded his address
there was no longer any objection to the meeting express-
ing its feelings as it pleased.
The meeting being thus loosed from restraint, received
with a most vehement and enthusiastic burst of chetrittig
and applause,
M. ISAMBSIIT, who was introduced by Mr. Scobla as a
Member of the French Chamber of D,pu'ties. Judge of
the Court of Caseation ( Paris), and Secretary to the Atrti-
Slavery Societe of France. The Hon. Gentleman, whose
address (in French) was translated by Dr. Boa rieg, spoke
to the following effect —I deem it a great honour to be called
on, as one of the French deputation, to second rho mo-
tion which has been proposed for your adoption, and espe-
cially to follow in the footsteps of the illustrious and inte-
resting man—(Great cheering)—ancient (antique) and
honourable for his virtues.—( Very great applause for see
era 1 minu t es .to)ecde
eadtVoehdet thetnheats
aie antpebpraaltabui
hes
ee
manhB uobp24 dweht dhi
i:phrwei privilege
e:gi nee;
tGvoeunitdlebneiagnraprrr
accorded to Wilberfurce—that of seeing the eatablishmeat
of the work which he had undertaken.—(Applause.) He
felt great gratification in being linseed to partar"pate in
this great meeting, and he could not doubt th it rho know_
ledge of the labours and proceedings of this Sue:, tv would
have most important results in bringing about he CJOl-
plete overthrow of slavery.—( Cheers) He Kei lit would
surprise his fellow-couetrymen to learn that in this great
capital twelve whole days had been devoted to the discus-
sion of this great and important question—Chat more than
forty deputies arrived from the United Strees of America
—( Very great cheering and applause, waving of hats and
handkerchiefs,)—who, pith the deputies from the three
kingdoms, and various parts of the world, made up the
nunib:r of 400 individuals, who met together, horn iv
to day, to discuss, by chat means and in what mar ner,
slnvery and the slave trade could be over Orman and abo-
lished for ever.—( Applause.) He hid bad the pleasure
of hearing in the Convention the must elevated sec:tin:tuts
expressed in the most eloquent language, and those exalted
sentiments were fuily responded to by the !lumen us audi-
erces. He was happy to see sitting in that chair a Priuee
of the Royal House of E eglar.d—(Cbeers)— chose name
was associated with everything that was Rood, and great.,
and noble in this country—( Cheers)—and ch.) had come to
sanction and crown, while he honoured, their proceedings
with 11;s presence.—( Pere lad (livers.) Ile had also te
congratulate himself that the representative of the Prince,
whose subject he was, had also come qe-ong them--
(Cheers)—and sanctioned their labours by lAs appearance,
while his diplomatic position would nut allow Lim mere
actively to co-operate in the exertions they mere making,
and in advancing the cause which they were met to sue-
port.—( Cheers.) He hoped that in the presence of that
gentleman they would reergnise the intentions and the
prosperity of the French natirn as rcgard'.d the anti-slavery
cause.—:( Hear, hear.) He congratulated them, too, that
the time had come when the friends of tlan negro cause
could no longer be contemned, and in which no d, grada-
tion could attach itself to the word Neophyte, or the eraan.-
cipation of the blacks.--(Hear, hear.) It would nuts be
acknowledged that their exertions were truly philanthropic,
and that they were only endeavouring to carry our these
great and generous principles which he wished to see ap-
plied to every individual of the human race.—(Hear. )
He wished to excuse hie self for not cetering into details
at so much length as he should desire, as he was but a
stranger among them—(No, no)---Fpeakine a foroagn lan-
guage. But he rejoiced to find himself in the presence of
so many eloquent and illustrious advocates of the cause, and
he had already felt great delight in listening to the oratory
of one who represented a country not wholly free herself,
but whose perfect emancipation he hoped he might soon be
enabled to hail.---( Hear.) He wished they should not re-
ceive an erroneous impression from rep-Tts in the public
newspapers as to what had passed in the Commission whieh
had been lately nominated in France in order to de'strmine
what steps should be taken for the abolition of slavery. It
was true that every m e msbwl
aearyseorhfyetehpeerdi
nCteeoi
pmslamey st shai
aontndnweianesetnheueft
abolitionist,at
Members
a d
vbeuetastteidl still t
hhee
vat
rions discussions on the subject its injustice had been ace
knowAedged by all.—( Hear, hear.) In many of the dis-
cussions which had taken place be merely recognised a
desire on the part of the Members to ascertain the state ef
public opinion, and he did not aeticipate any evils from tho
labours of the Commission. He thought he rrgeht an-
nounce to them that whatever else might happen—whatC"`
project might be adopted, the system of apprenticeship
would be repudiated—(Cheers)—and that the time at
which slavery would be abolished might be retarded for taw
or tvpnty years, but that its complete abolition wee in fa.
one.
eFITta France turity, and that the only question of embarrassment ana
difficulty would be the question of indemnity. The last
project presented to the Commission was one which had
been submitted by an illustrious friend of hie—and he (Dr.
- to call their attention to the fact, that in
Bui.e)wmaisghhetuatclidd, of hi. also—M. Tocqueville to that hotly.
the;Commission were to be found some of the most distin-
guished advocates of
the illustrious othe abolition;Broglie—one
e 0
naen de.; t s
those Presideh t
ir wwentae
farthest towards effecting a complete emancipation, and
who was particularly distinguished by h's great and con-
they should know
to rim a source of great
ht
erg emancipation) fe alsowqi vial
quell_
lion was not
stant exertioria
spianr ttythheoa tnceai
consolation to find the subject removed from the region of
dissensions.—( Ilear, hear.) Alen of all opinions had
party ,
concurred in the necessity of effacing the great national
stain of slavery ; and on that question M. Berryer,
Odillon Barrot, M. Lamartine, M. Dufaure, NI. Pa sy,
M. Sauzette, M. Delaborde, M. Tocqueville, and Beau-
mont sere all agreed, while even those who looked on the
question in a merely financial point of view, were coming
forward with their co-operation and concurrence.--( Hear,
hear.) He found that he had trespassed upon then too
long.—(No, no.)But he could not avoid calling their at-
tention to the fact that the Princes of France had asso-
ciated themselves with that great question—( Hear, hear)
—while a Prince of the House of England, the Duke of
Gloucester, had testified to himself 16 years ago the in-
terest which he felt in the unfortunate men who had been
expatriated from Martinique. When he looked bark t•
that period, he was hound r say, that a happy charge bad
since tala n place in the legielation of France, tied that
be prcent MonarCa of that , tr.intry,
Prince of the royal 'olood, had lent his most cordial ---'

.al assist.
ante, and his intervention in obtaiwing some pecuniary