The Sun.
London, England, 1847-07-10 00:00:00

BRITISH MUSEUM.

28,5181. was next proposed for the British Museum.
Mr. lIUME said, as the Government had appointed
a commission to inquire into the management of the
Museum, he should not offer any opposition to the vote,
in fact, he considered that it was not too large a sum,
when the nature of the institution was taken into con-
sideration, and that 750,000 persons visited it last year.
Mr. WYNN said some years ago a vote was agreed
to, for the purpose of collecting the works of the an-
cient historians of England ; but owing to the illness of
the person appointed to perform the task, little pro-
gress has been made ; but as there were many parties
competent to discharge the office, he hoped it would
not be lost sight of, and that the works of the whole
of the historians would be completed as originally in-

tended.
After a short discussion the vote was agreed to.
STIPENDIARY JUSTICES IN THE COLONIES,
41,6001. was next proposed, to defray the expences of
stipendiary justices of the peace in the West India co

lonies.
Mr. WILLIAMS said he understood that this charge
would not be continued this year, as the object for which
it was originally granted had been done away with. He
thought it ought not to be continued, and that the ex-
pense should be paid by the colonies.
Mr. HAWES said if the Hon. Gentleman would com-
pare the vote of last year with the one now proposed he
would find a diminution of 3,6001., and the sum was in
the gradual course of reduction. The vote, however,
was part and parcel of that great measure, namely, the
vote for the abolition of slavery. He agreed with the
Hon. Gentleman that expenses of this kind should be
defrayed by the colonies themselves, and they might look
forward to such a result.
Mr. HUME inquired the principle on which the
grant was to be reduced? He did not see why this
country should be taxed to defray the expenses of an
establishment which the colonies were perfectly compe-
tent to uphold.
After a short discussion, the vote was agreed to.
CAPTURED NEGROES.
10,0001. was next proposed for the purpose of support-
ing captured negroes.
Mr. BORTHWICK then rose to call the attention of
the House to the great evils and cruelties resulting from
the system adopted under treaties with foreign powers
for suppressing the traffic in slaves, and in pursuance of
various Acts of the Legislature for carrying those
treaties into effect. He said, when slaves were
captured in accordance with these treaties, they
were subjected to far greater cruelties than whilst on
board slave-ships, as the men and women, and the boys
and girls, were kept in separate apartments, as appeared
from a statement which the Hon. Gentleman read, and
which had reference to a slave•ship in 1788. The
vigilance of the Government cruizers had caused the
mortality on board these slave-ships to increase from
3 to 10 per cent. to 600 and 700 per cent., and a slave-
owner considered himself very fortunate if out of 600
he had brought from the coast of Africa he was enabled
bo land from 100 to 200 at their destination. This was
the result of the mistaken benevolence of the people of
this country, who were taxed to the extent of a million
a year for effecting no practical good, as this statement
would show. In fact, wherever civilisation came
into contact with barbarism, the worst results
ensued, as was shown in the demoralised
condition of Africa, and before interference took place,
the King of Timbuctoo was a distinguished patron of
literature—(Laughter)—but since that interference a
change bad taken place. The Hon. Gentleman referred
to a number of authorities, to show that his conclusions
were correct, and that the humane interference of the
people of this country had led to the perpetration of
cruelties, which were not inflicted under the former
system. He wished to put an end to the slave trade,
but it appeared to him, that the best way to do so,
was to commence by putting down its cruelties.
He had now briefly stated the points which he wished to
bring under the Noble Lord's attention, namely, the cost
of suppressing the slave trade, which was one million per
annum. This, however, would be a small expenditure
in the eyes of the people of England, if the end aimed at
was accomplished ; but he had proved that this was not
the case. The second point was the health of their offi-
cers, which was sacrificed ; and the third point was the
great increase of the number of slave., which was six
times greater than ever it —as. He trusted, therefore,
the Noble Lord ~ouid proceed as the circumstances of
the case required, and relieve humanity from the odium
which was at present attached to it, in consequence of
the practices which he had brought under the attention
of the House.
Lord PALMERSTON said that the Hon. Gentleman
had dwelt upon the sufferings of the middle passage, and
stated that formerly the mortality of the slaves was ten
per cent., while at present it was sixteen per cent. The
Hon. Member contended that the exertions they had
hitherto made were ineffectual, and that the only course
for them to adopt was to allow a free trade in slaves.
He (Lord Palmerston) would not accept the Honour-
able Member's oonversion to the doctrines of
free-trade on those principles, for it was his
opinion that this would be the most effective plan they
could adopt to increase the slave trade. If, as was the
case at present, the safety of one cargo of slaves made
up for the loss of six cargoes, surely this proved that the
demand for them was remarkably great. Why, he
would ask, was this the case ? He contended it was
owing to the treaties and the cruises which they had
made while they were off the coast of Africa that the
scarcity was produecd which caused so great a demand.
In proportion as' the restrictions were increased, in the
same ratio was the slave trade diminished,
and vice versa. The Noble Lord then read
several extracts from the evidence of naval officers, who
had been employed on the African coast, and who were
examined before the commission, to show that this was
the case, and that the trade was greatly checked. He
should hope by their steadily pursuing in the course they
had hitherto pursued, the best results would follow. He
understood that the importation into Cuba had greatly
decreased latterly, and if the authorities in that island,
and the Government in Spain, would co-operate with
her Majesty's Government, the trade would, in a short
time, be at an end. In Brazil, he was sorry to say, that
the trade had greatly increased of late. He shouldhope,
however, that when affairs would be brought to a
termination on the river Plate, the combined powers
would be better able to prevail upon the
Brazilian Authorities to discourage the slave trade, to
Brazil. In the first place, then, he denied that the
expense was so great as the Hon. Gentleman had stated,
but even if it were greater, if it was the means of res-
cuing 100,000 persons annually from the horrors of
slavery, and of introducing civilization and legitimate
commerce into Africa the expense would not be in vain.
—(Hear, hear.) He trusted that the House would think
this vote well worthy their favour, and that they would
not come to the resolution of changing the course which
had been hitherto pursued.
Mr. HUME gave the Noble Lord the greatest credit
for the course that had been pursued, but he maintained
that the result of those efforts had not compensated for
the cost or the loss of life that had been incurred. The
Noble Lord said those measures had kept the trade in
check, and had quoted the evidence of several naval offi-
reeawdasto c
offi-
cers to show this. If he (Mr. Hume) had known the
as
to -
show night,
thate w
the traffic
havewa beens not ablepu
totevidenceonie onnaolso
to
c
down, but increased.—(Hear, hear.) Now the question
was, did those measures discourage slavery? He denied
that this was the case, and he believed that the relaxa-
tion of the duties in sugar last session, had contributed more
than any other cause to increase the horrors of that ac-
cursed trade, by creating anincreased demand for slavery.
The blockade system was recommended by the Noble
Lord, and at the time it was first pursued he denounced
it as being calculated to produce nothing but mischief.
The Anti-Slavery Association had since admitted that
it had proved a failure, and petitioned the Government
to do away with it. If it were calculated to accom-
plish the object they had in view, he would not object
to it. Some Hon. Gentleman might ask, then, how
were they to put down slavery ? Well, he would tell
them how it could be down. Smuggling could
only be
put down by making the article smuggled so
cheap that it should not be worth the smuggler's while
to smuggle it. Adopt the same course to put down
the slave trade. Make free labour so cheap that it will
not be worth while for the planter to go to the trouble
of procuring slaves. Let the West Indian colonists be
at liberty to go with the Spaniard to the coast to buy
slaves, but, at the same time, compel them to free the
slaves on their arrival in the colonies. Adopt that sys-
tem, and there would be a prospect of putting down the
slave trade, and the sooner it were put an end to the
better. It would serve the sed of humanity, and lead
n
to the adoption of
some more efficient measures. He
agreed
with the Hon. Gentleman brought for-
ward who had
this motion, and
was looked into the more apparent would become the
necessity for altering the p
Lord PALMERSTON:ea7ant system.
he had no doubt the in-
troduction of free labour intoi
our
productive of much good, but he
cou lcolonies would be
d not for a moment
entertain a proposal to legalise the purchase of slaves
on the coast. It was
on the coast that the horrors
the trade were most glaring, and to legalise of
the exten-
tion of the slave market, would only add to them instead
of diminishing them.
Mr. HU-TT agreed with the Hon. Gentleman the
Member for Montrose, that the time had arrived
when the present system for suppressing the slave
trade ought to be put an end to, and some
more rational and effective measure resorted to. He
therefore regretted to hear the Noble Lord the Secretary
f'or Foreign Affairs expressing a decided opinion in
favour of a system which took so much money out of
the pockets of the people of this country, and still was
productive of evil. He trusted, however, that in another
session of another Parliament, this subject would occupy
the most serious attention of the House, with the view
of endeavouring to ascertain if some more effective mew.