The Sun.
London, England, 1840-01-17 00:00:00

Jamaica--he was surprised that the Government had
not congratulated itself on the effects of its legislation.
It did appear that by pursuing the course which he had recom-
mended they had been enabled to preserve the ancient and free
constitution of Jamaica, and that his predictions on that point
I had been fully realized. By giving time for their feelings to
cool, by pursuing a conciliating instead of an irritating course,
they had, without making any compromise whatever, induced
the Assembly of Jamaica to adopt those measures which were
required by the exigencies of the colony. Of course, he had
no information on this subject, but such as he derived from the
public newspapers, but he could not help thinking that even
her Majesty's Ministers themselves were of opinion that they
had cause to congratulate themselves that the Opposition had
succeeded in overruling the measures which they had
originally proposed. One word with respect to the ope-
rations in India. It was impossible for any one to
withhold his tribute of approbation and admiration from those
who had been engaged in conducting the military operations in
that country. 'they had fully supported the ancient glory of
the armies of this country, and there could not be one dissent-
ing voice in acknowledging the obligation which the country
was under to those gallant men. He trusted a early opportu-
nity would be taken to present to these gallant men a manifes-
tation of the gratitude which the country felt for their services ;
indeed he was; surprised that a notice to that effect had not
been already given. But while he expressed his perfect appro.
bation of the manner in which the military operations had been
conducted, he was not to be considered as intending to imply
the same expressions of perfect approbation in regard to the
political measures of which those operations were the result,
but should reserve to himself the right of expressing
his opinion of those measures at some other opportunity.
The Honourable Gentleman who moved the Address
seemed to imagine that the Duke of Wellington
had predicted the military failure of the operations in India.
He apprehended that in this respect the Hon. Gentleman was
in error. He apprehended that the Duke of Wellington had
predicted that the military operations would probably succeed,
from the knowledge which he :possessed of the skill of their
commanders, and of the value of the troops engaged in those
operations. But if he apprehended rightly the Duke of Wel-
lington had expressed an apprehension that their difficulties
would commence after the military operations were ended.
Thus it would appear that that the Duke of Wellington had
not anticipated any failure in the military operations ; but he
must confess that his apprehensions as to the consequences of
those operations had not been lessened by what had since oc-
curs d. He would only refer to one other circumstance, and
that less with a view of provoking discussion than for
the purpose of asking for explanation. He alluded
to the question of the Slave Trade, as carried on by
Portugal.—( Cheers.) He felt it was absolutely necessary to
ask the Noble Lord opposite for some explanation. The House
would recollect that in the course of last Session measures of
an extraordinary character were proposed to the House by the
Noble Lord, with a view of making propositions to the Portu-
guese Government for the suppression of that slave trade, or,
if they refused, to compel them to adhere to the terms of the
Treaties already enter entered into with them on the subject.
After some discussion a Bill had been passed for the purpose of
giving effect to the propositions of her Majesty's Alinisters
Copies of correspondence on this subject had been laid on the
table of the House by the Noble Lord during the last Session,
explanatory of the relations between this country and Portugal.
It was stated as one of the grounds of this proceeding, that the
Portuguese Government had positively refused to make the
act of trading in slaves an act of piracy, and in the correspond-
ence laid on the table of the House, he found a document ad-
dressed by her Majesty's representative in Portugal, Lord
Howard de Walden, to the Portuguese Government, requiring
that Government to declare the act of trading in slaves an act
of piracy. This paper was an official document signed by Lord
Howard de Walden, and dated Lisbon, May 28, 1838,
and stated that he, the undersigned, had taken this, the ear-
liest, opportunity of applying to the Viscount Sada Bandeira,
to whom the glory was due, of haysng been the first to declare
the slave-stradc illegal in Portugal, to urge on him the necessity
of taking into his consideration the propriety of acceding to
the wishes of Great Britain, and declaring the act of trauiug
in slaves an act of piracy, which must be regarded as a sine
qua non in any treaty to be entered into between Portugal
and Great Britain. This public dispatch, therefore, stated
that it was a sine qua non that the act of trading in slaves
should be declared an act of piracy, on that declaration Great.
Britain tsok her stand. But the Portuguese Government had
recently published a correspondence with the Noble Lord or.
this subject, and in that correspondence appeared a copy of a
letter signed Howard de Walden, addressee to the Viscount
Sada Bandeira, and marked " most confidential. " It began,
" My dear Viscount," and then proceeded to state that thei e
was a note on which he might make his declaration with regard
to declaring the slave-trade an act of piracy. First, he might
state the difficulty of proving such an enactment. Next he
might state that no European nation except the English had
as yet declared the act of trading in slaves an act of piracy.
Then he might state the willingness of Portugal to accede, in
conjunction with the other Powers of Europe, to any measures
for the better suppression of the slave trade ; and he might
conclude with a general expression of the detestation in which
the slave trade was held by his Government. Now he wished
to have it explained if this letter was genuine or not, and if it
were, how the private note could be reconciled with the public
was
Lord complying
em matter
r odispatch ?—(Cheers)—because it the public dispatch stated that
tca
the making the slave trade an act of piracy was a sine qua non,
and the private note suggested grounds for not a with
for
re
explanation,
dthheepuwbilsihceddisthpae Nobletch,it
dis-
avow the genuineness of the private note, or to reconcile it with
the public dispatch.—( Hear.) He had gathered from the
general silence that it was the wish of the House to bring
this debate to an early close, and in obedience to what he be-
lieved to be the general feeling of the House, he had abstained
from entering on any topics that were likely to give rise to
discussion, but, at the same time, he reserved to himself the
right, in respect of those measures which occasioned so much
anxiety, and also as to the state of the country, fully to question
the conduct of her Majesty's Government on some future oc-
caslon.—(Cheers.)
Lord PALM ERSTON stated that in fespect to the corres-
pondence alluded to by the Right Hon. Baronet, it was neces•
sary he should explain to the House that the negociations with
Portugal, for the purpose of obtaining a suppression of the
slave trade, extended over a period of four years, and had been di-
vided into several stages. The note alluded to had been written
in an earlier stage of the negociations than that upon the failure
of which he had felt it his duty to apply to the House during
the last Session. It was about a year and a half ago that the
publicdispatch had been written, and it was probably about the
same time that the private note had been written He would state
the circumstances of the case. About that time he hai sent out
the draft of a treaty to be proposed to the Government of Portu-
gal, by which they were required to declare the slave tradepiracy.
The Portuguese Ministry stated that it was impossible for them
to make the slave trade piracy. That Ministry alleged the dif-
ficulties connected with public feeling in Portugal, and the ne-
cessity of obtaining Legislative enactments for such proceedings.
The result was, the British Government felt that they could
not obtain that compensation which they required. The Eng-
lish Minister in Portugal had previously received leave of t
e Ministry
that if Lord Howard de Walden would enter into a negotiation
ab-
sence, and the Portuguese Ministry stated that they could not
outline
ehis f ttlehme
demand. ll
transaction. The
was now giving
Portuguesehm mere
they would try to come to some agreement with him. Lord
Walden, however, was not authorized to accede to this proposal.
The principal condition which the Portuguese Minister insisted
on was, that Great Britain should guarantee the possession of
the Portuguese Colonies. Lord Walden said he would not un-
dertake to do this. He said he would fairly tell the Portuguese
Ministry that he:was not authorized to accede to that proposition;
but if they agreed on other points, he would commence a treaty
which would contain the condition they mentioned; and as he
was going home he would submit the entire to his Government.
One of the points which the Portuguese Ministry would not
agree to was, with regard to making the slave-trade piracy,
and the note which had been read by the Right Hon. Bart.,
was a note written by Lord Howard de Walden. suggesting the
least objectionable mode of signifying, or arranging the differ-
ences of this country with the Minister of Portugal. Lord de
Walden in that note did what any body engaged in negociations
might do--he selected for his Court the least objectionable
means of stating the refusal of the Portuguese Government ;
and he suggested the arrangements which, in his opinion, came
the nearest to the point to which he expected to bring the
matter. He said" If you will not now declare the slave-trade piracy,
state that you will attach to it the severest secondary punish-
ment, and state also that you will declare it to be piracy when
any other power in Europe will have done so." So far, therefore,
from their being in that note anytla..ng inconsistent with the
professions of Government, he (Lord P. ) contended that it was
written entirely in the spirit of those instructions which Lord
Walden had received. 'The English Ambassador merely said,
I will agree with you, provided you agree with me; but you
must agree to my conditions before a given day. Lord
Walden was then on the point of leaving Portugal. That
day, however, he arrived; but before it came, the Portuguese
Government made objections to other points—Lord Walden
returned home without bringing anything to a conclusion.
That, however, was not the transaction on which he (Lord P. )
called on the House to come to certain resolutions. Ha sent,
also, another draft of a treaty, calculated, as he thought, to
meet the objections of the Portuguese Ministry, but securing
sufficiently, in his opinion, the powers which he wanted on the
occasion. If the Right Hon. Baronet looked farther into the
papers, he would find another draft of a treaty, which
he (Lord P.) sent after that period, in which, without in-
sisting on making the trade piracy, he wished to get a moral
sanction, denouncing and stigmatizing-the crime, though he
knew he could not, at the time, obtain a legislative enact-
ment on the subject, which the Cortes only could give.
The Right Hon. Baronet might see that, not only had Ike
Portuguese Government refused to make the slave trade
piracy, but that they even objected to declare it piratical.
The grounds on which he (Lord Palmerston) claimed the Act
of Parliament, asking for those powers which were afterwards
granted, were net that part of the negociations to which the
papers just read referred, but subsequent stages of these ne-
gociations, when the Portuguese Government deliberately re-
fused to agree to that modified draft which he sent out after
Lord Walden returned, and in which draft it was not re-
quired to make the slave trade piracy, but merely to denounce
it as a piratical offence. He recollected that, in the draft,
a stipulation was made, that vessels should be broken up
before they were sold, after they had been condemned,
and that he distinctly refused to Insert that guarantee on
which the Portuguese Government laid so much stress ;
viz. that he would foe a time insure to them that por-
tion of Africa which they chose to denominate their Co-
lonies. These were a vast region on the coast of Africa,
of which they had merely a nominal possession. That
treaty was to have been permanent. These were the demands of the
British Government which claimed the right of extending its
power to all parts of the world, instead of being centined to any
particular quarter. The Right Hon. Baronet is mistaken in
thinking that when he ( Lord P.) came before Parliament last
year to ask a Bill, he made the refusal of the Portuguese Go-
vernment the foundation of his request. He acquiesced eight
months before in their refusal to make the slave-trade piracy,
but he wished it to be attended, at least with a moral stigma.
Lord J. RUSSELL was very indistincty heard, in conse-
quence of the low tone in which he spoke, and of the noise
which prevaiied in the llcuse. There were very few topics,
he said, which he felt himself called on to notice, as most of the
questions to which he might wish to allude, had already been
very ably discussed by the Mover and Seconder of the Address.
There were some subjects however, to which he wonld advert.
Notwithstanding what had been stated by the Right Hon.
Baronet he was far from satisfied with the administration of
justice in Jamaica. He would not allude to particular cases,
as they had already appeared in the papers. There was
another of our Colonies with respect to which allusion had been
made in her Majesty's Speech, viz., Canada. Be thought it
was due to the American Government to say that having
formerly had a good deal of reason to complain of the outrages
on the frontier, the measures taken by the Government of the
United States had been of a far more energetic character than
they had formerly been. The officers had acted with
great good faith, and in the Courts of Law in the
United States convictions had taken place of the most
notorious robbers and brigands.—( Hear. ) He thought
this much was due to the Government of the United States.
With respect to another part of the subject, the internal state
of Canada, he might say that up to the present moment there
had not been received any account of the breaking out of any
fresh disturbanoes, and it was the opinion of all persons in that
country now, and of Lord Seaton, who had just returned from
that country, that the winter would pass away without disturb-
ance. With respect to the future measures being proposed to
Parliament, there was likewise a prospect of a better agree-
ment with Canada than might have been expected. The Go-
vernor-General, after lie arrived, convened a special
Council, and they passed a resolution approving of
the union of the two provinces. Information had latel' '