The Sun.
London, England, 1848-06-07 00:00:00

CRIMINAL LAW.

Lord BROIJIIi.II laid on the table a Bill on the sub-
ject of the amendment of the criminal law, the precise
nature of which did not reach the gallery. He would
move the second reading on Thursday fortnight, with
the view of having it referred to a Select Committee.

The Bill was then read a first time.
TOBAGO RELIEF AND IMMIGRATION AND
BRITISH GUIANA AND TRINIDAD BILL.

Earl GREY, in moving that the House should go into
Committee on this Bill, said its object was to raise a loan
of 170,000 L, for the purpose of relieving the proprietors
of Tobago, in consequence of the loss they had sustained
by a hurricane, and to assist the colonies generally in
obtaining free labour from Africa.

Lord BROUGHAM did not object to any:Bill that
would tend to relieve our West India colonies, because
from the first day of their being planted by us they had
been made the victims of the poicy of the mother coun-
try; but he believed, as Captain Denham had asserted in
his able pamphlet, that free trade would make sugar
dearer rather than cheaper, and we deserved it for bar-
ing departed from the principles of the abolition of the
African slave trade. As to the immigration of free ne-
groes either into the Mauritius or the West Indies, all
his experience and knowledge led him to believe that
such a measure could not fail to do otherwise than dege-
nerate into an African slave trade. By no system of
check or care could this be prevented. Whatever ar-
rangements might be made, human avarice and fraud
would frustrate them, and people would be stolen and
forced away from Africa as before. All the controls, or
checks, or arrangements of the Board of Trade would
prove entirely nugatory. Even if the immigrants were
to be conveyed in a Queen's ship how could we tell what
practices would be resorted to in the interior to
force those people to leave their country ? He also
complained of the fact that there was still the middle
passage to be endured. He would mention an instance.
Her Majesty's steamer Growler took on board 445
negroes, and in a passage of eighteen days 46 died.
And of the whole number, in the course of a month,
154 died, consequent on the mortality of the passage.
A Rev. Gentleman had mentioned that a band of these
immigrants in Jamaica worked nine hours a day, and
did not observe Wednesday and Friday, as the other
negroes did ; and they also got up at five o'clock in the
morning to work their own grounds. These persons,
however, all came from one village, and they had been
taught by the missionaries. This instance, therefore,
could not be a proof that a large immigration from
Africa to the West Indies would be beneficial. It was
most cruel to taunt the abolitionists with having, after
sixty years' exertions, failed. They did not promise to
abolish slavery all over the world. They bad only said,
" We will remove the aceursed thing from our camp."
The Noble and Learned Lord (who had spoken for an
hour) concluded by apologising for having so long de-
tained the House, and stated that he had no objection to
the Bill.
In answer to a question from Lord WHARN-
CLIFFE,
Earl GREY said that the money was intended to be
distributed among those proprietors who had lost their
property by the hurricane in Tobago, and the greatest
care would be taken to see that it was carefully and
impartially divided. The Noble Earl went on to say,
that as to the policy of the free immigration of negroes
into the West Indies, he denied that it would be anything
like a revival of the slave trade. Under the old system,
the negro was bought on the shores of Africa, and
when he arrived in the colony he was sold as a slave;
but, by the present arrangements, great care would be
taken that not a shilling should be expended, under
the pretext of premiums, upon negroes to be taken
to the colonies; and the immigration would take
place exclusively from British or other terri-
tories where slavery did not exist. Besides this,
the best possible security was, that on their
arrival in the colonies, whatever they were before, every
negro became free. They enjoyed the most perfect
freedom, and, in fact, had almost the power of dictating
their own terms. A great disposition to immigrate had
lately revived; but the immigration was so completely
voluntary, that it had been found difficult at times to
obtain negroes at all. Tho competition of these free
negroes was, moreover, very desirable, to bring down
the wages of the emancipated slaves, which had been
very exorbitant. He believed, also, if we could succeed
in inducing the Africans to visit our colonies for a few
years, and then return to Africa, we might do much
both for the colonies and for Africa.

The Earl of WALDEGRAVE made some observa-
tions which were quite inaudible in the gallery.
The Bill then went through Committee.
Their Lordships adjourned at Five minutes to Seven
o'clock.