The Sun.
London, England, 1866-04-25 00:00:00

cumstances he considered there was a strong cal

upon the people of this country to assist the Wash
ington Commission to carry out their objects in a
period of difficulty. America needed and would
gratefully accept their aid as Great Britain accepted
her aid for Ireland and Lancashire to the amount of
£250,000 in their times of distress.
The Rev. Dr. HowsoN moved and Sir T. F.
BUXTON seconded the following resolution:—
"That this meeting regards the progress of events
during the past 12 months as affecting the American
freedmen with profound interest, and considers the
evident and intelligent fitness of an increasing num-
ber of the coloured people for the proper use of their
newly-acquired freedom, their thirsting after edu-
cation, together with their readiness to undertake
labour as so many new and powerful incentives to
enlarged philanthropic effort on their behalf," which
was unanimously agreed to.
Mr. BRIGHT, M.P., then moved:—
"That in view of the devoted labours of the Ame-
rican people through their various freedmen's aid
associations, combined with the co-operation of the
Government, to meet the physical and moral neces-
sities of the freedmen, this meeting regards the aid
afforded hitherto by the British public, which is
estimated at more than £BO,OOO, as a proper and
grateful expression of our sympathy, and would
earnestly recommend that it be largely augmented.
The undeniable interest which the British people
have in the freedmen's welfare, combined with other
considerations of justice and gratitude, requires that
such aid be supplied, until the great and. critical
work of emancipation may be truly said to be com-
plete."
The hon. gentleman said the mere fact that
4,000,000 of our fellow creatures were in the con-
dition in which the negroes of the United States
were would be sufficient of itself to call for help ;
but when, besides looking at their unhappy condi-
tion, they considered the terrific sacrifice by which
the great change in their social position had been
accomplished he conceived it to constitute altogether
the greatest claim upon them that had ever existed
on any nation of the globe. The freedmen were at
present living as it were in an enemy's country, as
it was quite certain the Southern planters who but
yesterday were their masters would not feel any
very Christian spirit towards them. What had taken
place in Jamaica afforded an illustration of what
might be expected to occur in the Southern States
of America. Notwithstanding that the abolition of
slavery in Jamaica was effected by an act of the
Legislature, and a heavy compensation was paid to
the owners of the slaves, it was quite clear that from
the period of the abolition of slavery up to this
hour the whites had never really, in an honest
and just spirit, acknowledged the changed coed tlO
of the negro, but that during the whole what
it
time their conduct towards the negro wd ft.sn.qitous
always had been—of a most unjusth United States
character. But the negroes of
dt
were not voluntarily emanciPatte,.s,
sation• was paid to the plan
°existed in
of the Southern
the
Jamaica on the part of
negro to exist in an inStates. The ill-feeling,
fthtehrieefore,
creased
planter ewandi
et
;war s
negro might be
States;E.uppo!
and, if it did not, it
of
lfreemen, an to the institutions of
was
degree
ine e ins the
op
aiUn
inpolontpe,
owingi
aon
exten-
the country,
newspapers, a p atform, schools—all
Bthiveesesuiffnr2thgee' South, while in the North the people,
who, have gone through this terrible war in con-
nection with the negro, and resolved to complete
n peace the work which they had begun in war.
Although he believed that the negro would have to
undergo great difficulties, still it was his conviction
that their former masters would gradually be recon-
ciled to that which was inevitable, and would find
that justice and fair dealing were really the only
means by which they could-gain any compensation