The Sun.
London, England, 1833-06-12 00:00:00

b the Right Hon. Gentleman. At a time when the
country was so anxious and pressing for a reduction of
tiles, what would be their feelings when they learned that
a considerable addition must he made to their burdens, if
the plan proposed was adopted ; for, in addition to the
grant to the planters of the enormous sum of twenty
millions, the next resolution contemplated the establish.
went of stipendiary magistrate., and a police force also, for
the moral and religious education of the negroes, when
free. These establishments would require a considerable
sum, in addition to the interest of the twenty millions,
and would entail, he felt convinced, an annual expendi.

ture of considerably upwards of one million. .If the
original plan proposed, of granting a loan of fifteen
millions, and proper security could be obtained, let the
planters have the money; if net, he should prefer the
abolition of slavery to be effected by an Act, declaring the
children of the nrgroes, born after a period to be fixed by
Parliament, free.

Mr. CLAY quite agreed with the Right Hon. Gentle

man, that no one who justly considered the subject had
ever contemplated the possibility of emancipation without
compensation to the planters. There wis one considera•
tion of paramount importance, to which he begged to call
the attention of the House. He was willing to give the
West India planter a liberal compensation, but at the
same time he demanded on the put of the people of Eng-
land, that the shackles of West India monopoly should be
removed from them.--(Hear, hear, hear.) He had
presented to the House numerous petitions from the
sugar refiners, complaining of utter ruin, in copse.
quence of that monopoly. Four-fifths of them were
entirely out of work. Being compelled to buy sugar at a
higher rate than their continental neighbour,, they were
almost entirely driven out of the markets of Europe. But
there was a stiil greater evil. The effect of the monopoly

was to impose a tax of a million and a half on the people
of England. He felt the highest admiration for the plan
of his Majesty's Ministers ; but, he repeated, while
he was quite ready to relieve the planter by granting him
the proposed compensation, he claimed for the people of
England a relief from the monopoly under which they at
present laboured.
Mr. BUXTON said the Right Hon. Gentleman had
lsst night stated that no sum should he paid to the planters,
until t'.e whole of the propcse•l regulations were carried
into effect. He (Mr. Buxton) presumed that that meant
until the apprenticeships had expired.—(No, no, no.)
His object was, if possible, to reduce the term of those
apprenticeships. There was one point upon which they
must all agree, namely, that the sooner the negro mind
could be brought under the action of healthy motives, the
better. He was about to propose a mode, in addition to
the compensation, which would induce the planters to
exert themselves in order to produce that favourable ims
pressiou on the negro mind. He proposed to move, as an
amendment to the Right Hon. Gentleman's motion, that
half the amount of the compensation should not be paid
until the period of the apprenticeship of the negroes had
expired, and until the negroes were put in full possession
of all the rights and privileges enjoyed by all other classes of
his Majesty's subjects in the colonies. He cheerfully
voted for the compensation to the planters; he knew
that it would be greatly to the advantage of the negroes ;
but he should pay it still more cheerfully if he could ac-
celerate the period when the negroes would be free la-
bourers, and would enjoy free wages. The planter had it
greatly in his power to advance or to retard the civiliza-
tion of the negro. If he confined the negro to free labour,
there would be but little hope that more advance would
take place than had occurred during the last two centu-
rie3 ; but if the planter chose to pursue another course,
there was no doubt that he might speedily improve the
negro mind. Feeling that he amendment to which he
ha:l adverted would act as a powerful stimulus on the
planter, he now begged leave to propose it.
Mr. GODSON expressed his conviction, that if the
proposed plan were adopted, instead of twelve years, one,
two, or at most three years, would he the duration of the
apprenticeships. Next On istnaas twelvemonth would, he
thought, he their general extent.
Mr. EWART expressed his entire concurrence in the
opinions of the Hon. Member for the Tower Hamlets.
He was quite willing to grant compensation to the planter
on condition that that measure should be accompanied
with a stipulation for the unrestricted liberty of
commerce.

Mr. R. WASON was not disposed to give the planter a
shilling in the form of compensation, until it was proved
that a loss had been sustained. He utterly denied the
validity of the arguments urged on the subject upon a
former night by the .Noble Lord and the Right Hon. Gen-
tleman ; and he would endeavour to prove to the Com-
mittee that those arguments were entirely unfounded.—
(Cries of "Oh ! oh !oh !") He had a right to attention ;
he insisted on attention, and unless he received it, he
would adjourn the House. (The coughing and conver-
sation which followed prevented us from bearing the
whole of any subsequent sentence.) The Hon. Gentleman
concluded by moving an amendment to the effect, " That
to enable the House to carry into execution the proposed
transition from a state of slavery to one of apprenticeship,
such sums of money should be annually paid by his Ma-
j.-sty as would pay the wages intended to be given ; and
that to induce the planters and those interested to coin-
cide in the propositions cheerfully, the duty on sugar
should be reduced from 245. to 12s. per cwt., on the
produce of those islands so coinciding ; and further, that
the property of the country should be taxed to insure these
ends."—( Question, question !)
Lord ALTHORP had no doubt the opinion of the
House was decidedly, that it was desirable that there
should be a probationary period, and that the progress in
emancipation should be made by the slaves' own exertions.
It was admittd d that the slaves, and not the land, consti•
tuted the more valuable portion of the planters' property;
and this, in his opinion, added greatly to the obligation
they were under to grant compensation.—(Hear, hear.)
He certainly did not expect, upon such an occasion, to
hear the Beer Bill introduced : he saw no analogy between
the two questions, and should not, therefore, trouble the
Hous,., with any observations on such a point. As to the
restrictions, then, on the sugar market—(Hear, bear)—it
certainly was his honest opinion, that the home consump-
tion ought to be continued to the West India interest, but
that the refiners in this country should not be prevented
from refining for exportation.—(Hear, hear.) Some
gentlemen seemed to view with alarm the proposed amount
of compensation, and he could not deny that twenty mil-
lions were a very large amount; but he felt that one of
the most important considerations in the settlement of such
a question was, to obtain the co-operation of the West
India planters—( Hear)—not so much their co operation in
the work of emancipation itself, as in those after-measures
—the enactment of such laws and regulations as would
be necessary. There would be immense difficulty, in this
country, in going into the questions of detail ; and he was
sure the wisest course they could pursue would he, as they
were now doing, to induce the Colonial Legislatures to
enter zealously and honestly on the consideration of them.
—(Hear, hear.) Ile could conceive nothing that would be
more rash than that House running any hazard by which
blood might be shed ; and therefore it was that Govern.
went felt satisfied that the addition they proposed would
not be grudged by the country.—(Hear, hear.) The
refusal of the House to agree to the proposition, he should
eertainly look upon as of a most fatal character. Sure he
Was, that their constituents would cheerfully approve of
their voting in favour of the compensation, when it was
to attain an object which they had so long and anxiously
desired.

Lord HOWICK rose, amidst the loudest expressions of
impatience, mixed with cries of " Oh, oh." His Lord-
ship was understood to say, that, although deeply sensible
of the present state of the finances of the country, and
although he believed with better management the demands
of the planters would he greatly reduced, he w.s not pre-
pared to vote against the motion. On so large a sum,
however, more pains should have been taken to secure
greater advantages.—(Question, question )
Sir R. INGLIS cordially supported the Ministerial pro-
position, and would most willingly bear his share of the
necessary burden. •
Mr. W. WHITMORE would vote for the motion, on
the distinct understanding that the two questions, as to
the duties on sugar, and the refining of sugar, should be
considered open questions.—(Hear; Divide, divide !)
Colonel EVANS, amidst great noise and confusion,
said, that the country would view the proposition about
the twenty millions with much more satisfaction, if pre-
parat iry measures had been adopted in the way of exten •
sive reduction in the national expenditure. Such a sum
as twenty millions, under present circumstances, was p r-
fectly preposterous. The Hon. and Gallant Member was
about to conclude with moving an amendment, when the
Chairman, in an under tone, suggested some informality,
which induced him to postpone for the moment, urging it
upon the adoption of the Committee.
Mr. PEASE said in his judgment the House could not,
with any propriety, agree to any plan of compensa ion
until the peat measure of abolition was carri,d into effect.
If they thin agreed to compensation in the first instance,
all the money would go into the band• of the mortgagees,
and those who were the owners of slaves would derive no
advantage from the arrangement.
Mr. BARING then rose to address the House amidst
loud crits of " Question," with every mani'estatiqn of
impatience. For some time after he get up, it was iin-
possl 'tile to catch a single word, though the Hon. Member
'iteemed to speak with emphasis, and used much g stiettla-
tivil all the time, turning his back upon the Cri '