The Sun.
London, England, 1846-07-28 00:00:00

the audadity of those by whom it was exhibited. It bad ,
been stated that free labour would sttpla,nt slave labour.
He agreed with the proposition that it would do so if in
equal circumstances, because persons would work with
greater zeal when working under a system of fro:: labour
than when under the terrors of the lash in slavers.. The
A B C of the abolition society was that f eekbovr would
supersede slave labour, but only when upon equal gir-
curnstath.eF That principle had been recognised by Mr.
Pitt and ifr. Wilberforce. It was Molt profitable to
work out the negroes. It was frightful to talk cn human
beings in that manner but they were not responsible
for that, the fault rested with the owlietc, of slaves, then.
to take care of then'. They had access to the coast of
Africa, and could always übtnin a fresh supply of t,laves.
—(Cheers.) I have now nearly done. I have cc-
complished a task which I felt it my ,'uty
to undertake. I have reminded your Lordships of the
get-lent features of the case. end I have run over the
ground t im,re length than I wished to have done. If
I had had ru•bre time to prepare my speech, I should

have r,,(l,aced it to tinrrovver bounds. I may perhaps
have a t'uture time to spook, in the meantime all I have
to say is this, I do most earnestly and fervently hope
that rut!. I,orrlships will not treat the quPstion as one
merely of comtnercial policy, but as one which involves
all the hest interests of this c )untry, and of mankind,
religion, justice, and humanity, and policy, and alyive all
the nations! cluraeter sad credit and reputation of our
country; and, using the language which had been
Aopted by an elovent advocate upon a former occasion,
" that national honour is in our mind inferior to the
course of justice. humanity, and virtue." National
honour and national erralit is, lam sure, saceirf your
Lordships' hands, and the prayer of the petition, whose
society I miresont, and their venerable president, will
sot before your Lordships bat a been urged in vain. The
Noble Lord sit down amid I.aul eh,ers. .

The Marquis of LANSDOWNE then. said, that in
rising he vas preplred only to offer a very few words.
for he entertained to ot,inion in common, not only with
the majority of their 14,,rdsh=ps present, but he believed
with the Noble and Learned Lord himself, that this
was not the best time or the fit occasion for discussing
a measure which was at that m,,ment introduced into
the other House of .Parliament, and which was yet to
receive that full consideration that it must before it
came before their Lordships.—((rear. hear.) His
Noble and Lerrnexl Friend must have been himself of
opinion that this was the least convenient period for a
debate on this great question, when he himself had
placed on the order b,,ok ,-}f their Lordships' House a
notice for discussion on this question, and had after-
wards, in the course of a few days, postponed it, on the
ground that it was not yet brought before the other
House of Parliament. He, therefore. thotnzht that al-

though his Lordship was unquestionably entitled to take
any opportunity, by giving forty. eight hours' notice b
Te his resolution should be received by the House ; yet
he certainly thought that although the Noble and
Learned Lord had, with his usual eloquence and ability,
introduced this question, still it was the wrong period
to do so on t'.at occasion, when every argument
brought forward in the other House would
require to be met by anticipation.--(hear, hear.)
But his Noble and Learned Friend, in the petition which
he had presented, had bestowed a great part of his
speech, not in supporting the petition, but in answering
the arguments of petitioners. The prayer of the peti-
tion and the speech of the Noble Lord were in direct
contrast, The petitioners called upon their Lordships to
adopt the policy of 1-Straining from all commodities which
were slave produce, hut the whole tenor of the speech of
the Noble Lord was to avoid the grotiA of the peti-
tioner; to adopt the most untenable ground en which
any motion ever attempted to rest its policy, and to limit
the consumption of slave produce only to certain articles.
He wished to tell his- Noble and Learned Friend that
her Majesty's Government and himself, who, as his
Noble Friend knew, had been at every period of his life
zealous for the suppression of the slave-trade, were
still anxious f x the extinction of it by every legitimate
reeans by which it might be effectO by cruisers on the
high seas, where it could be done according to the prin-
ciples of morality as well as the principlei of policy.
But. at the same time, he must say, on the part of the
people of this country, who had a right to intercourse
with those of other nations, from whom were bought
those luxuries now almost become ne:.sessaries of life,
that the Government had no right to withhold them
from the people, and thereby virtually vs extinzeish
the3e pt inciples which but lately had been adopted by
Parliament. They would certainly use all proper means

for putting down that trade, hut they were avers:? to in-
terfering with the interests of other States, or with the
principles of their policy; which, however unfit
their Lordships might deem them—however er-
roneous—these nations alone had a right to
consider; and he was sure that by holding out threats
wi'h a view to leading them to adopt those principles
which this country cherished, and has cherished-for the
laa twenty years, but in reference to which this country,
fifty years ago, was as much in error as they, so tar
from accomplishing the desired effect, they would
only tend to perpetuate the system which they sought
to destroy. There were mr-ro horrors committed in
Lousiana in one day than in Africa in a whele year.
When this question came to be discussed he trusted that
they should hear ;from his Noble and Learned Friend
what was that morality which looked to any particular
country, consistently with the principle upon which it
was based.—(Hear, hear.) On the subject of tune, after
the discussion upon discussion which had already taken
place,it would appear almost unnecessary to add a word.
Notwithstanding what his Noble and Learned Friend
had said in such contemptuous terms about the
sugar famine that subject had occupied the
attention of every Government for the last twenty
years. Her Majesty's Government did not think it
right, under these circumstances, to allow this subject
to float on the surface of legislation, but to fix it on a
firm and permanent basis. If, however, the matter had
been brought forward on a motion, instead of a peti-
tion, there would have been an ample discussion given
to the matter, and when the time arrived for that dis-
cussion it would be entered into.—(Hear.)
Lord BROUGHAM said he rose merely to explain,
that though he was in intimate connexion with the
Anti-Slavery Society, he was not aware of the fact to
which his Noble Friend the Marquis of Lansdowne had
alluded. With respect to cotton, that was a question
on which he was at issue with his Noble Friend.

Several Bills were then forwarded a stage, and the
House adjourned at Twenty minues after Seven o'clock.

HOUSE OF COMMONS, July 27.

The SPEAKER took the Chair at ten minutes before
Four o'clock.
Mr. T. MAITLAND, the Solicitor-General for
Scotland, was introduced by Mr. Fox Maule and the
Lord-Advocate, and took the oaths and his seat upon
his re-election for the county of Kircudbright.
The following Bills were read a third time, and
passed :
Australian Agricultural Company.
Barr's Estate Bill.

Edinburgh Paving (No. 2).
Fleeming's Estate Bill.

Londonderry and Enniskillen Extnsion Railway.
Park's Or Yates's) Estate Bill,
Philps' Charity Estate Bill.

Sheffie'd and Lincolnshire Railway.
Stamford and Spalding Railway.
ROYAL ASSENT.

Sir. Augustus Clifford, the Usher of the Black Rod,
appeared at the table, and summoned the House to the
House of Peers to hear the Royal assent given to several
pnblic and private Bills.
The SPEAKER, attended by several Members, then left
the House, and upon his return, after an absence of forty
minutes, the Right lion. Gentleman read the titles of the
Bills to which the royal assent had been given (for which
see Loris' report).
Lord John Russell entered the House, attired in deep
mournine., at a quarter before five o'clock.
SHEFFIELD AND LINCOLNSHIRE JUNCTION
RAILWAY.
The Lords' amendments to this Bill were considered
and agreed to.
LANCASTER AND PRESTON JUNCTION