The Sun.
London, England, 1840-06-16 00:00:00

,VENING EDITION

ANTISLAVERY CONVENTION.

The following is a more minute report of the open-
ing proceedings of this important Convention than we
`were enabled to give in our Saturday's paper :
The Members of the Convention (consisting of about
300 gentlemen from various parts of the world, a list of
whom we shall publish to-morrow) having assembled,
WILLIAM T. BLAIR, Esq. (of Bath), rose and said
—Our venerable friend, Thomas Clarkson, Esq., will
shortly enter the room. lam requested to suggest, in
consideration of the infirm state of his health, that there
would be no feeling of popular approbation on his en-
trance. Perhaps the most acceptable way in which he
can be received, will be by the company standing. This
intimation was immediately complied with.
THOMAS CLARKSON, Esq., then entered the room,
supported by J. Sturge, Esq., and William Dilworth
Crewdson, Esq., and accompanied by his daughter-in-

- -
law and grandson.
WILLIAM ALLEN, Esq.—l have been requested by
the Committee to propose to the numerous and respec-
table assembly that our venerable and venerated friend,
Thomas Clarkson, Esq., be Chairman of this Convention.
J. G. BIaNIE, Esq. (of New York) seconded the
motion.
Josing STuaGE, Esq., after a pause, rose and
said—l hope I shall be excused for making one
or two remarks before the business of the meet-

ing commences. Those who have known our dear
and venerable Chairman only through the unim-
paired intellectual vigour evinced in a work which has
recently appeared before the public, can little esti-
mate bow much he suffers from bodily weakness,
and what a sacrifice it has been to him to comply
with the enanimous wish of the Committee that he
would preside on this occasion ; or how much cause we
have for thankfulness that he is yet spared to be amongst
us, for however short a period, at the age of more than
80 years. On the last occasion that our dear friend ap-
peared in public, except the one when the freedom of
this city was presented to him at the Guildhall, he was
so overcome by the heat of the room, and the applause
of the audience, that he was unable to proceed with his
address ; but the kind and delicate manner in which this
assembly have now abstained from the usual expressions
of approbation will, I trust, spare him any of those
painful sensations on this present occasion. Anxious
as the Committee have been to afford all the sincere
friends to the cause who desired it an opportunity of be-
ing present at tbis Convention, they have found it need-
ful, if they would avoid giving offence, strictly to ad-
here to the rule laid down for granting tickets of
admission ; but I am sure they will not be charged
with partiality because they have made a few
exceptions, at the express request of the Chair-
man. I allude to one of these, for the purpose
of introducing the only living representative of Tho-
mas Clarkson, and who bears h;s name. It was the par-
ticular wish of the father of our cause, and whose
labours extend over a period of 50 years, that his grand-
son should be present ; and I hope I shall not in the
least degree wound the delicacy of his widowed parent,
by saying in her presence that it is the dearest wish of
her heart that her darling and only child should conse-
crate his future life to the great object which we are this
day met to promote. It is an interesting fact, which I
did not know till yesterday, that this is the birthday, nine
years, of the youthful Thomas Clarkson ; and if I ven-
ture to give expression to the earnest prayer of my
heart, that the blessing of God may rest upon him, and
that with the descending mantle of his venerable and ve-
nerated ancestor he may catch a double portion of his
spirit, I am sure it will find a response in the bosom
of very many in this assembly ; as well as the earnest
hope that when we may some of us be removed to that
bourne where the wicked cease from troubling, and the
weary are at rest, and where all distinctions of clime
and colour will be swept away for ever, he may live to
see the day when the Divine blessing shall have so emi-
nently arowned this great cause of justice and of mercy
that the sun shall cease to rise upon a tyrant or set
upon a slave.
The venerable Mr. CLARKSON then took the chair, and
with a distinctness and feeling which deeply affected the
numerous assemblage, said :—My dear friends, I stand
before you as a humble individual whose life has been
most intimately connected with the subject which you
are met this day to consider. I was formerly under
Providence the originator and am now unhappily the
only surviving member of the Committee which was first
instituted in this country, in the year 1787, for the
abolition of the slave-trade. My dear friend and fellow-
labourer, Mr. Wilberforce, who was one of them, is,
as you know, dead ; and here I may say of him, that
there never was a man either dead or living to whom
your cause was more indebted than to him. My dear
friend and fellow-labourer, William Smith, the late
Member for Norwich, who was another of them, is dead
also, by whose indefatigable exertions for nearly fifty
years, both in and out of Parliament, it was most vi-
gorously supported. As to the rest.of the Committee, S.
Hoare, Dilwyn, Geo. Harrison, Richard Phillips,
and the other dear friends, vaiiise names I am sorry that
I cannot at this moment recollect, these also are all dead,
and gone no doubt to their eternal rest. My dear friends,
I was invited many months ago to be at this meeting
but old age and infirmities, being lame and nearly blind
and besides being otherwise seriously affected at times,
gave me no hope of attending. At length I have been
permitted to come among you ; and I rejoice in it ; if
I were onla (Moused to say in this place, in reference
co your future labours—Take courage, be not dis-
mayed, go on, persevere to the last ; you will always have
pleasure from the thought of having done so. 1 myself
can say with truth, though my body is fast going to
decay, my heart beats as warmly in this sacred cause, now
in the 81st year of my age, as it did at the age of .)4,
when I fite.t took it up. And I can say further with
truth, that if I had another life given me to live, I would
devote it to the same object. So far for your encourage-
ment and perseverance. My dear friends, you have a
most diffieult task to perform ; it is neither more nor
less than the extirpation of slavery from the whole world.
Your opponents, who appear the most formidable, are
the cotton and other planters in the southern parts of
the United States, who, l am grieved to say, hold more
than two millions of their fellow-creatures in the most
cruel bondage. Now, we know of these men that they
are living in the daily habits of injustice, cruelty, and
oppression, sad may be therefore said to have no
true fear of God, nor any just sense of religion. You
cannot, therefore, expect to have the same hold upon
the consciences of these, as you have upon the con-
sciences of others. How then can you get at these
so ae to influetiee their conduct ? There is but one way
—you must endeavour to make them feel th it guilt in
its consequences. You must endeavour, by all justifi-
able means, to affect their temporal interests. You must
endeavour, among other things, to have the produce
of free tropical labour brought into the markets of
Europe, and undersell them there, and if you can do
this, your victory is sure. I have therefore only now
to say, may the Supreme Ruler of all human events, at
whose disposal are not only the hearts but the intellects
of men—may He in his abundant mercy, guide your
ouncils and give his blessing upon your labours.
Mr. ISAAC UREWDSON said—lt is of very great im-
portance to the comfort of our venerable President that
the solemn feeling which has been over the meeting should
be continued whilst we are favoured with his presence. I
trust, that by the exercise of this feeling he may be per-
mitted to remain with us longer than he now anticipates.
I should be sorry if he stayed to weary or oppress
himself, bat for a few minutes it may be interesting to
him to see what is the course which this meeting intends
to pursue in the prosecution of its important labours.
In the first place, I have to introduce to the meeting a
communication from Lord Brougham, on whom two
gentlemen with myself waited yesterday to inform
him as an old, a very active, and a powerful friend
of the cause in which we are now interested, of
what was going forward, and to request of him, if it
were possible, even for a few minutes only, to give his
attendance at this meeting. lam sorry to say that
the state of his health, and the depression of his spirits
consequent on domestic affliction, are such that he
thinks it necessary to decline—the' the sent a letter
last night, addressed to me, which I request
et our
friend the Rev. T. Scales toread to the meeting.
me
The Rev. T. Scauss then read thefollowing letterng. :
House of Lords, Thursday.
Gentlemen—l tun much honoured by the request
which you have made tome. throouaulgh your depu-
tation this morning, that I w
attendunde
assure
you
I meeting of delegates to-morrow ; and
that it is very painful for me to
b.
l
the
necessity of refusing. But the state of my r
health
has been such for some time past, that I am barely
able to discharge those duties in this place from
y
which I cannot withdraw, and I. have been con_
pelled to lay down a rule against going to any
public meeting whatever. Of all the instances in
which I have been obliged to follow this rule,
there is no one which has given me greater pain
for I Deed hardly say how deeply I feel interested in
whatever concerns the great cause which brings you
together. I earnestly hope that all your proceedings
may be guided by the same wisdom and animated by
the same zeal which have from the earliest period of
the controversy been displayed by the friends of
humanity and justice ; and I trust that under the bless-
sing of Providence continued to their exertions, our
earnest desires may finally be crowned with success. I
have the honour to be, Gentlemen, your faithful and
humble servant,

M. H OUGA
To the Committee of Management
of BR
Delegates.

SITTINGS OF MONDAY, JUNE 15.
The proceedings commenced under the presidency of
the Rev. R. K. Greville, L.L.D.
Minutes of the last meeting having been read, Me.
G. Thom?sox and others suggested that the portion of
them which referred to the motions upon Dr. Chan-
aing's letter, should be omitted, and that it should only
appear that such letter bad been received and read.
This was unanimously adopted. Minutes then con-
firmed.
Mr. F. Buxton called in to give a friendly visit ;
and it was stated that he would return as soon as he
had fulfilled a previous engagement.—(Hear, hear.)
and was well received
Sir E. Wilmot also appeared,