The Sun.
London, England, 1824-02-10 00:00:00

DI OR NI NG POST.]

Considerable interest has been excited by the
meeting about to take place of persons connected
with the West Indies. The differences which
have prevailed for some time in this country on
the subject of slavery, have become more serious
than heretofore, and though it is admitted to be
one which ought not often to be brought into
discussion, a necessity exists for taking it into
consideration now. We feel all the importance'
and delicacy of the question,. and could wish to
temper the zeal of the advocates on either
side. On the one hand, we deprecate that un-
reflecting benevolence which would at once pro-
Claim emancipation as a blessing which can-
not be purchased too dearly; on the other, we
condemn that exqUisite regard for the sacred chi,
ratter of property which designates all commise-
ration for SlaVei as a maudlin sentiment and hy-
pocritical 'cent. We desire to take that 'course
which humanity would dictate. But our huma-
nity is not like that' of Las Cases, who, to accom:
plish his benevolent purpose for one race of men,
had no objeCtinn to sacrifice another. We can
feel for the Africans, but at the same time we
have some regard for the interests of the Euro-
peans, and while anxious that every practicable
amelioration should be made in the condition of
the slaves,we are not disposed wholly to disregard ,
the claims of their proprietors. That the evils of
slavery are not small, no Englishman can be ex-
pected to deny ; but that they are not so great aslto
make it impossible for the descriptions of them
to be too highly coloured, every one at all ac:.
quainted with theoubject must allow. We' are
not disposed to contend for the abstract benefits
of slavery any more than for those of a national
debt under all imaginable circumst-Ances. • But
; end such being the fact, we scruple
not to assert, that at once to declare them at• an
end would prove a curse fraught withthe most
Appalling calamity. Could all the sieves in the
'West India Islands be at once made free, what
must follow ? Would they 'work as free la-
bourers for such prices as their late masters
could afford to pay ? Few will venture to answer
this in the affirmative. If they could not get
employment, what then must ensue ? We ap.
prehend as they would not have means of -sub-
sisting themselves in a state of perfect separation
from their former employers, that a struggle be-
tween the Whites and the Blacks for niastery
and for dominion must then take place, and the
result, let the struggle terminate as it might, flu-
inanity would bevel.° deplore.

[]►MORNING. HERALD.]
The observaoons which have been made at
various times on the non-publication of the ac-
counts of certnio charities, lead us to ask how
it is that we submit so readily to a similar con-
cealment of much more important accounts ?
We allude in particular to the very large sums
of money raised, in the shape of Rates, upon the
inhabitants of the metropolis. Even Parliament,

we believe, has never yet inquired into the total
amounts of them. At all events, it seems but
reasonable that those who pay them should
know a little -more than they do both of their
amount and application. The former would
astonish even the Chancellor of the Excite-.
quer. Of course large • sums must be necessary
for parochial and other local purposes ; but in
most parishes' (especially those governed' by pri-
vate Acts and select Vestries) very little is known
of the matter. On the disappearance and defal-.
cation of the late Treasurer of the County, an
Act.was passed to prevent the recurrence of a si-
milar.misfOrtune ;:and one of its provisions is; that
an account of the receipts and payments of his
successor.shall be:sent .to the acting Magistrates,
and to the Veitry. Clerks of all the parishes, at
the end. of every quarter. A similar provision has
likewise been. introduced in the late Turnpike
Act. ,NoWs•What we would inftgest is, that,a like
statement be made in all parishes of-the - sums
raised upon the inhabitants for all purposes. If,
the Trustees of any, one parish would set the ex-
ample,.others might, perhaps, be found to follow
it ; though we'rnuch doubt whether any general ,
disclosure would .be made without a ,P.arlia-
mentary,ettactmenL If any patriotic Member of,
Parliament mould take the matter in hand, we
are mueltrinistaken if the result.wculd not he al
speedy andimportant reduction in some of those
burdens'which.,Oress most heavily•upon the in-
dustrions• trading part of the community.

. • [ln E riatFs. • • • •
We- haVe looked over the proceedings of the
Subscribers- to the .Mendicity,SoCiety on Saturday
last ; and we presume' that we shall 'not be
chnii*od:With'giving a partial or imperfect report
of their': (We cannot say all we might up-on this
subject, beCause we must not dedicate too much
of our room to the proceedings of a few indivi-
dualS;upon a subject of not u4iversal interest.)7--
Mr. Sturges Bourne was Chairman; and we shall
begin with hiM fir'st, lie hopes, in his, closing
speech, that "the public press will receive a
'" lesson from the events of that day." So it will,
no doubt, but very different from that which Mr.
Sturges Bourne seems• to expect. We recollect
a case, wherein a JOdge having given a
.'Arimi-
natory charge to the jury, on a. person- accused of
.the O.P. riot, was simple enough to!" hope" in like
Manner that the public " would receive a lesSon:
" from: the, events of thatday ;". when lo ! to' as
Lordship's surprise and great discomfiture 3 the jury
pr4notinted a'Verdict of acquittal, quite contrary
to las.expectations ;, and In truth we see equal
reason .to doubt whether the Jury,- if we may so
-call the will -be of-the same
.opinion. with
the learned, -but _somewhat premature Judge in
this -instance, Mr. Sturges-Bourne. It is first oh-
Vious to rernark, that the subscribers to the Men,
dirity Society, Who met on Saturday, must have
approved a Report of which they could know
nothing. with Arta :accuracy
,WhiCh WaS noses-
sarv'either for the just approbation or re-
jection : for the 'Report contains a great vat
.riety of .figures,: „requiring minute attention;
t
and was, we presume, then . only first put
into the bands, or read: in the ears of
those who instantly applauded and approved.
Whether this may he a proper method. of passing
an account, in a great part arithmetical, we knew
not ; but at least it. is a tiew method, and there-
, fore, we should -suppose, best suited for the -oc-
casion. -Whether our correspondent's figures
were erroneous or not, it is not- now worth the
while to inquire, for• it seems to be allowed that
no important conclusions could be drawn from
errors so trifling : but we shall just exhibit one
instance of the manner in which one of those
supposed mistakes WAS treated—a Manner of
which we. are sure even the persons assembled
could have had no idea, or they must have' in-
stantly cried down the deFusiOn with hisses.

[BRITISH PR ass.]
A few days only.havepa:skd since we had to
bestow our reprobation on an arbitrary proclama-
tion of 'Sir Thomas Maitland's from Corfu ; and
we have now to record his decease. The career
of the High Commissioner, in all the plenitude of
authority, has been arrested by the " fell ser-
geant," Death ; an apopleCtic fit suddenly cut
him off, at Malta, or, . the 17th of January. No
proclamation of his could stay the approach of
this dread summoner. , • •

Pallida mors tequo jaulsat pecle,pauperum tabernas

Regumque turres.
Jam ilium premet nox fahuheque manes.
With all his power, and pomp, and authority,
to this favour he has come at last. He is now
no more ; and it is not our feeling, to war with
the silent dead. But Sir Thomas Maitland's
whole career, since he became the Represen-
tative of this country in . the lonian .1 sles,
was one of great unpopularity : few will regret
him, We should be anxious to know how
long his statues will now be s uffered to stand

in Corfu. Will that flattery, which fol-
lowed him while living, be, extended to his image
when power and influence no more attend his
name ?' • Will
Flattery sog,the the dull cold ear of death ?
We should be glad to see Lord Hastings appoint-
ed to this important situation : he was mentioned
for it before. His Indian administration had few
blemishes ; and such a man is now wanted, of
high character and feelings, in the neighbourhood
of Greece, to redeem the name of Britain. Sir
Thomas Maitland did little for its fame.

The £ssequebo, arrived at Greenock from De-
merara, brings no news. The colony was perfectly quiet. It
was reported thitt Mr. Smith, the missionary, was sent home
to Englatid..4Glavoi, Ehronide.)

BOW-STRE.ET.-(DAR,ING ROBBERY.)---Yester-
day John gen.dly was put to the gar, charged
with a most daring robbery in the shOp of a
watchmaker in Castle-street, Leicester-fields,
on Saturday night last. The prisoner had
bile impudence to go a second• time to the
shop, under pretence of looking at a watch,
chain, two seals, &c., whenp he, as alleged, threw
a quantity of snuff in the eyes of the prosecutor
and ran off. Ile was pursued, but the watch
and part of the chain only were recovered.—
Remanded.