The Sun.
London, England, 1833-07-25 00:00:00

admitted a principle in which he could not acquiesce—
namely, that the planters had a right to compensation
from their slaves. He denied the right of the State to
demand any sacrifice whatever from the injured party. He
would now say a few words with respect to the restraints
imposed on slaves who were artisans, artificers, coopers,
&c., or who, in the words of his Right Hon. Friend,

were non-prsedial. Even many of those who denied that
ft* slaves engaged in agriculture were fit for freedom, ae.,
'flitted that the non-prxdial slaves were perfectly fit for
freedom ; and he was convinced that they might be instantly
set free from all restraints, without any danger whatever to
. .

society. If so, it was impssihle to justify the infliction
upon them of a seven year,' apprenticeship. With respect
to the other class of slaves, who, it might be said, stood

more in need of a transition state, he was apprehensive

that the twelve years' apprenticeship would be found a
bad and inefficient mode of training them for freedom.
There could not be said to have been any practical expe-
rience on this matter. Indeed, they might as well talk of
practical experience of a nation of Amazons. There had
been no example of such apprenticeships. He must say,
however, that he thought the argument on the subject of
his Hon. Friend the Member for Weymouth very con-
vincing; and that he did not think that his Right Hon.
Friend had met that argument in so direct a manner as
was usual with him. Agricultural labour in the West
Indies was a most painful din.lgery. The labourer, there-
fore, ought to have a strong motive for exertion. He was
at a loss, however, to understand what that motive was to
be. Even in this country agricultural apprentices were
not taken without a premium ; and he understood that
the great body of apprentices did not earn their own liv-
ing. But what was to be the motive of the West India
apprentice to exert himself?—The magistrate. It was he
who was to superintend all the operations of society
in the colonies. Every day in the week, and every hour
in the day, whenever the master became harsh or the
slave became indolent, there was to be no recourse bat to
the magistrate. It must be recollected that in the colo-
nies the negro and the master would always have opposite
interests, and that those interests could not be reconciled
by law. He did not entertain the apprehensions expressed
by his Hon. Friend the Member for Weymouth, th it
such a state of things would lead to gross cruelty. It
would, in his opinion, be merely a state of dead
slavery ; a state destitute of any vital principle.
His (Mr. Macaulay's) apprehension was, that the result
of continuing this state of society for twelve years would
be, that the whole negro population would become inac-
tive, would sink into weak and dawdling inefficiency, and
would be much less fit for liberty at the end of the period
than at its commencement. He had voted for the second
reading of the Bill, and he t'aould vote for the third read-
ing of it ; but while in the Committee, he would join
with other Hon. Members in doing all that was possible
to amend those points of the Bill to which he objected.
Lord SANDON contended, that unless the House were
disposed to inflict artificial sterility on the colonies, or un-
less they could devise some stronger stimulus of labour,
they must adopt the combined system of coercion and
stimulus which the Right Hon. Gentleman's Bill pre
sented. He was convinced that the stimulus in the Bill
would act powerfully, and that the hope of liberation at an
early period would induce the negro to exert himself for
that purpose. It was also of considerable importance to

remember that this Bill was the result of an understanding

if not of a solemn compact, which had been sent oat to
the colonies for their adoption. No danger, therefore,
could be greater than that of inducing the slightest sus-
picion of the good faith of Parliament, or of its disposition
to perform its engagements.
Lord HOWICK had no objection to the proposed plan
of apprenticeship, if this little qualification was attached
to it—that, should higher wages he offered to him by
another master, he might be at liberty to close with hint.
Let the slave have the best market he could possibly find
for his labour. He did not consider that his Right Hon.
Friend the Secretary for the Colonies bad answered the
arguments of his lion. Friend the Member for Weymouth.
He had not shown how the objections to the apprentice-
ship could be met.—(Question, question.)
Lord ALTHORP said the real question was, whether
there was anything in the present plan injurious to the
negro—whether it was not advantageous to him ? He
contended that it would prove most advantageous to him
in no one point more than in that which permitted him to
purchase his redemption. His own opinion was, that
the effect of the present measure would be to do away
with slavery long before the expiration of the twelve
years. —(Cheers.)
Mr. O'CONNELL condemned the plan.

Mr.BERNAL wished that the Government had confined
the measure t• declaring the principle of compensation, and
that they had the❑ left the rest to the local legislature.
He had never been an advocate for slavery, and it was too
late now to contend that it could last ten years longer,
and Its had said so in. the communications he had sent out
to Jamaica.—(Hear, hear.) He believed others had done
the same. He believed, however, that in the intervening
period the negro might betray great restlessness in his
situation. Letters had been received in town from the
Colony of St. Vincent, stating that a degree of restlessness
had been already exhibited there. They had had some inti-
mation there of what was passing here, and the negroes
already began to speculate on having white wives, and
keeping their gigs and horses.—(A laugh.) In Barba-
does the same degree of restlessness had been exhibited,
but from another cause—the negroes there were afraid
that their masters would desert them !—(Hear.) In that
feeling, many might prefer to remain under the old re-
gime, in that and other colonies; and he did not wonder
at it, for there had not been a case of cruelty in Jamaica
where the party committing it had not been held in
execration. To return to the difficulties attending the
execution of the Bill. Suppose the negroes refused to
work when in their state of apprenticeship, how were
they to be compelled to do so? Not by imprisonment,
surely, for that would put an end to the cultivation of the
estate. The Code Rural at Hayti, the existence of which
was at first thought impossible in this country, was :more
severe than the regulations by which the slaves were now
governed; and be found that they must have a code of a
most severe kind. That was a matter wort!:y of the
most serious attention ; for merely to sly that the wank
of emancipation was done on the passing of that Bill, as
if it were a Highway Bill or a Turnpike Trust, was to
him perfectly absurd. If the matter had been left to the
Colonial Legislatures to carry into effect, their knowledge
and their self-interest would have gone together in the
work. His negroes, he believed, would have but little
advantage in the change. They were now happy and
comfortable—nothing proper was refused them—and in
sickness they were taken care of.—(Cheers.) If their
number had at any time decreased, he could assure the
House that the produce of the estate en which that hap-
pened had decreased in the same proportion. A large
body of what he might call the peasantry of the colonies
now possessed the luxuries of life. Let the House take
care that they did not hazard the well-being, the com-
forts, and the essential happiness of that body of per-
sons.—(Hear.)
After a few words from Mr. STANLev and Mr. F.
BUXTON, the House divided, when there appeared—
For the original motion
For the amendment
Majority -7
The House then went into Committee, pro forma.
The House resume 3. The Chairman reported progress,
and obtained 1,..ve to sit again to-morrow (this day).
DRAMATIC PERFORMANCES BILL.

Mr. E. L. BULWER. moved the third -reading of this

Mr. ROTCH would move as an amendment, that the
Bill be read that day six months.
The House then divided, when there appeared—
For the third reading 33
Against it

Majority -31
The MI was accordingly read a third time On the
question that the Bill do pass,
Mr. E. L. BULWER proposed a clause, providing
that, within the limits of the city of London, the Lord
Mayor and Court of Aldermen should exercise the right of
licensing theatres, in the same manner as it was given by
the Bill to the Lord Chamberlain. It was adopted, and
added to the Bill.
Lord W. LENNOX proposed a clause, which, he said,
had been consented to by some of the promoters of the
measure, to provide that no new theatre (the English
Opera House excepted) should be constructed and opened
within a mile and a half of Drury-lane or Covent-garden.
It was opposed by Colonel EVANS and another HoN.
ME AtMER, and
Lord W. LENNOX agreed to withdraw it, in defe-
rence to the general sense of the House, observing, that it
might possibly be brought forward, with inure success, in
the House of Lords.
The Bill was then passed.
The other orders of the day were gone through, and
the House adjourned at three o'clock.

MR. BURKE'S HISTORY OF THE COM-
motans.—We are requested to state, that the 4th part
of this interesting and important work, completing the
volume, will be published on Saturday next, the 27th
July, embellished with a fine portrait of the SPEAKER Of
the House of Commons. Orders received by every book-
seller and newavender throughout the kingdom.