The Sun.
London, England, 1848-06-20 00:00:00

during the 19 months previous to the alteration of the
sugar duties in 1846,
vms 5,988,554/. Whertas 19
months after th.. sugar duties were altered the value of

exports was 4,856,2861., showing a decrease in the ex-
ports to the same c‘donies within the period of 19 months
after the Act of 1846 cuts passed amounting to no less
than 1,123,268/. The same statistical return reports
that the export of cotton manufactures to the slave colo-
nies during the nineteen months previous to 1845 were
valued at 2,490,777/, whilst during nineteen months sub-
sequent to 1846 they had risen to 2,946,151/., showing
in increase in that branch of export of 455,3511. But
comparing the value of the exports to the slave colonies
with those to the British colonies, there was a balance
against the manufacturer of no less than 676,8411., re-
sulting from the diminished consumption of British
manufactures in the West Indies in consequence of the
present state of affairs. The questicin then came to be
considered whether the consumer was benefited by the
change; and he had no hesitation in asserting that
when the cultivation of sugar in the British colonies
was extinguished the Brazilian and other slave colonies
would obtain the monopoly, and the price would be-
come very materially increased. He must now turn,
tnd he did so with great pain and humiliation, to the
great feature of the subject, which related to the
.lavery question.—(Hear, hear.) He had stated on
Friday night that it was with feelings of astonishment
tlmost amounting to indignation, that he had heard the
Prime Minister make his statement without one .word
,f allusion to the subject of slavery. But, on rcconsi-
leration, his surprise ceased, for believing the Noble
Lord opposite to be a sincere advocate for negro free-
dom, he must have felt great difficulty in touching upon
the subject, more especially when he was aware that the
prophecies uttered in 1846 respecting the increase of
slavery, which was certain to follow on the Sugar
Duties Bill of that year, had all been fulfilled. The
irst witness he should call to prove his statement that
daverphad increased was the Noble Lord the Foreign
secretary, who stated before the Committee, that the
number of slaves imported into the slave colonies, in
the year 1846, was 55,000, and as many in 1847, making
total of 110,000 slaves in those two years; whilst in
die years 1844 and 1845, the average number of slaves
imported into Cuba and Brazils was only 32,000
I year. There were other returns, which gave the
number of 75,000 slaves as having been imported
rite the slave colonies since the year 1846. From this
evidence he thought he was justified in assuming
that the effect of the Act of 1846 had been to double the

'inportation of slaves in Cuba and Brazil.—(Bear, hear.)
But, if any confirmation were wanted, it might
be had in the returns of the exports of machi-
nery to those countries (luring the last few years. In
1844 the value of the exports to Cuba was 6,5721., and
to Brazil, 17,5051. From that time a gradual increase
had been going on. until in 1847 it amounted to—Cuba,
17,6641.; Brazil, 35,1531.—(Hear, hear.) He must now
refer to what he considered the most important evidence
that had been given before the Committee. Captain
Alatson, of the royal navy, on being examined, a man of
great experience in these matters, had stated, that in his
opinion,the admission of slave-grown sugar had increased
the importation of slaves into Cuba and Brazil very
much. Captain Matson stated that he was at Havannah
when the remission was announced, and that the news
created a feeling of universal joy ; the price of slaves
and of land increased at once, and a general jubilee
seemed to prevail throughout the island. In describing
the mode in which the slaves were transported from the
coast of Africa, Captain Matson stated that they were
packed close, doubled up, and generally in irons. The
general calculation was, that if a captain expected
to land 300 slaves, ho must ship .500, the difference
being generally cleared off by ` weeding" during the
aassage. The explanation of this was, that the most
aractised eye could not always distinguish the healthy
i'rom the diseased previous to shipment, but the first
tarty-eight hours at sea decided the matter by carrying
)ff the latter.—(Hear, hear.) As a general rule those
who stood out the first forty-eight hours were landed
alive.—(Hear, hear.) One'great cause of this dreadful
mortality was the diminutive size of the vessels employed
in the trade, a remarkable instance of which was men-
tioned by Captain Matson—that of a shipment of 427
duxes in a vessel of only forty-nine tons burden.—
(Hear, hear.) lie (Sir J. Pakington) might perhaps be
told that these horrors were no novelties. He was sorry
to say that there was a feature of novelty in these details,
and that was, that the whole of the circumstances de-
tailed by Captain Matson, were now going on under the
sanction of the Government of this country.—(Protec-
tionist cheers.) He did not impute the crime of intention
to the Government; but he implored the Noble Lord at
the head of that Government to pause and consider whe-
ther any other conclusion could be drawn from the state-
ments he (Sir J. Packington) had made,-than that the le-
4islation of 1846 had given new life to the abominable
slave trade,with all its attendan t horrors. Why, previous to
that year the slave trade to Cuba had almost ceased.—
(Rear, hear.) The greater length of the voyage and
difficulty of transport rendered a more expensive class of
vessels necessary, and it was in consequence declining;
but the legislation of 1846 gave it a fillip, and it was at
the present 'moment going on with as great vigour as
ever. The treatment of the slaves after their arrival at
Cuba was also a point which must not be overlooked in
considering the question. Captain Matson stated that
they were usually kept at work for 18 hours out of the
24, being goaded during the latter hours with the lash,
and hunted by dogs to keep them together in the fields.
—(Hear, hear.) He would next proceed to call the at-
tention of the House to the reports which had been sent
home by British Consuls in slave colonies. Mr. Morgan
wrote from Rio Grande that the vessels were coming in
there every day with slaves, under the sanction of the
authorities, who received a bonus of from 10 to 15
dollars on each one landed. From Bahia, Mr.
Porter wrote that the importation hal nearly
doubled during the last year ; and the Go-
vernor of Sierra Leone stated that, notwithstanding
the vigilance of our cruisers, the traffic between
that place and the Havana was enormously on the in-
crease.—(Hear, hear.) He thought he had now said
and quoted enough to prove that the prophecies of 1846
had been fulfilled, and that the results of the measure
of that year, however little such results might have been
desired by government, had been to give a great impulse
to slavery and the slave-trade. He regretted to have to
observe that the Noble Lord at the bead of the govern-
ment had not thought fit even to allude to those subjects
in his opening speech, but in consequence of the indig-
nation expressed by, several Honourable Members who
followed him had subsequently found it necessary to say
something which was not at all satisfactory, being
merely the expression of his hope and belief that the
measures of government would tend to place the planter
in such a position as would enable him to enter into a
t'air competition with slave labour, and to prevent the
continuance of the detestable traffic in slaves. He (Sir
J. Pakington) trusted that the result of their delibe-
rations would be consistent with the principles which
this country had adopted with reference to the slave
trade, and such as, while they preserved our colonies,
would redound to the honour of the sovereign and people
of this country.—(Cheers.)
Sir E. N. BUXTON, in rising to second the amend-
ment of the Hon. Baronet, must at the same time take
leave to deny that the abolition of the apprenticeship
system gave the colonists any additional claim on the
mother country. In his opinion the policy which was
most consistent with justice and humanity, was that
contained in the Act of 1844, which wholly excluded
sugar the produce of slave labour. Against that policy
it had been urged that we were only driving the slave-
:grown sugar to the continental markets. He acknow-
edged that there, was some force in that argument, but
he believed that if we had persisted in 'the exclusion,
recent events on the continent would have given us great
opportunities of making it influential there as well as in
this country. Under present circumstances he believed
that the only course would be to adopt the amendment
of his Hon. Friend. His Hon. Friend had so com-
eletely exhausted the subject, that it would be un-
necessary for him to trouble the House at any length;
out there was one dispatch of Lord Harris to which
he could not help alluding. Lord Harris said it
was .painful to see men waiting the ruin which was
sure to overtake them, and labouring without hope, be-
cause their labour was sure to go unrequited. The re-
medy proposed for this state of things by Government
:vas immigration; but had immigration now been heard
if for the first time? Why, since the project had first
been conceived, upwards of 80,000 free labourers had
peen imported jute our colonies; and the result proved
now inadectuate was the remedy. Lord Hurls was op-
posed to immigration as hitherto carried on, but recom-
mended its continuance at the expense of the individual
parties requiring the slaves instead of making it a charge
on the colonial revenue. Having read some further quo-
tations to the same effect, the Hon. Baronet proceeded
to say that it seemed to him, looking simply at the con-
lition of the West Indies, that the policy of this country
had been too changeable, and that the principles of
tree trade should have been applied to them with
greater caution. The great question was, whether,
after all the efforts and all the sacrifices of the last forty
years to abolish slavery and the slave trade, we were
for the future to depend for our supply of
sugar on colonies were both were carried on in the
most brutal manner the world had ever witnessed.
During the last year we had imported 48,000 tons of
sugar from Cuba ; and, looking at the orders which had
recently gone-out to our own colonies to stop cultiva-
don, it was not to much too expect that the importation
would reach 100,000 tons next year, and so on until that
island and Brazil would monopolise our whole supply.
That would be a serious calamity, and one for which, in
his opinion, no excuse could be found in the necessities
of this country.—(Hear, hear.) The produce of our co-
lonies had always been equal to the demand, and during
last year was 40,000 tons more than it had been during
any previous year.
Lord J. RUSSELL—That was under the Act of
1846.—(11ear, hear.)
Sir E. N. BUX TON'—Yes, but the free-trade mea-
sures could hardly have acted so soon.' He had taken
his present course with some regret. He admitted the
necessity of supplying the labouring classes in this coun-
try with all their necessaries at the lowest possible
price, but he believed that if the people had the ques-
tion fairly put to them—if they were told that their
cheap sugar was purchased with the life-blood of their
fellow-creatures, they would reject the, boon with dis-
dain. Having quoted Mr. Calhoun andj the late Dr.
Chinning's opinions on the subject of slavery and the
slave-trade the Hon. Baronet said, in conclusion, that
the House of Commons had, in 1846, passed an Act
under the impression that it would not aggravate the
horrors of the slave-trade. They had been disappointed
in their expectations ; it was acknowledged on all hands
that under the operation of that Act the trade was on
the increase, and therefore heltrusted that, on the pre-
sent occasion, they would not hesitate to retrace their
steps, and, as far as in them lay, prevent the evil conse-
quences of their error.---(Cheers.)
The amendment having been put,
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER cm-
oiained that neither the mover nor seconder of the
mendment had explained what means of relief they