The Sun.
London, England, 1857-12-12 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSB OF LORDS—(YRsTxr,DIT.)
Th :3 Lo an C NANCRLLOR took his seat on the woolsack
at five o'clock.
.1.:;1::../IIGRATION" OF FREE NEGROES.
The Earl of SHAFTESBURY, seeing the noble earl
the Secretary for Foreign Affairs, called his attention to
the scheme for the immigration of free Negroes in the
French ceionies. It had come to his (Earl Shafteie
bury's) knowledge that a decree had been issued by the
French Government for the purpose of carrying the
scheme into effect. The question he begged to ask was,
whether it was true that any such decree had been
leaned
The Earl of CLABIENDON said he was gratified in
being able to inform their lordships that the decree to
which the noble earl referred had no existence, but he
believed that certain contracts bad been entered into
with several firms, and which agreements had received
the assent of the French Government on the
understanding that it should be a bena fide immigration
of tree nogroee. Now, it PM impossible for such a con -
dition to be fulfilled, as there was no each thing as free
immigration from Western Africa. We ourselves had tried
the scheme 11 veers ago, ithe negro had been treated
with every comfort, and had had his return to his native
country guaranteed to him, but the plan utterly and
signally failed. It was felt that the further trying the
plan would lead to the revival of the slave trade, and the
project was finally abandoned. The plan adopted by the
French Government was, that a number of African chiefs
were to supply a certain number of negroes on board
ship, and a form was gone through of asking those ne-
groom whether they were willing, for a certain
amount of money, to work in a French colony
for a limited period. Now, it was perfectly clear that,
under such circumstances, there could be no free choice,
and the contractors to the French Government were
brought into contact with the regular Spanish slave dealers.
The British Government had entered into communication
with the French Government on the point, and the
subject had been considered by the French Government,
in order to bring the grievance to an end. The French
government had informed her Majesty's Ministers
that although there was in fact no treaty on the subject,
yet they intended to act as if it was in existence, and
they further solemnly declared there was no intention
of reviving the slave trade, but that they were as anxious
at the present moment to put a stop .to the infamous
traffic- as they were when they signed the declaration in
1315, for the suppression of the slave trade.
The Ear! of DERBY did not for an instant doubt the
sincerity of the French Government, but he felt that
the echeme of free immigration was a perfect delusion,
and Wa3 in fact but the revival of the slave trade in
another form. _ _

The Earl of CLARENDON said he believed there
was no intention on the part of the Trench Government
t.) forcibly put an end to the project.
Earl GREY was also of opinion that the scheme could
lead to nothing else but a revival of the slave trade. When
he lipid the seals of the colonial department he was con-
stantly urged to permit a trial of the scheme, but he had
invariably refused. He hoped her Majesty's Ministers
would keep the subject in ♦iew an,l not allow it to

The i,ubject then dropped.
EARL GRANVILLE AND THE EARL OF

DERRY.

The Earl of DERBY—As this, my lords, is the last
day—if Ibe correctly informed—upon which we are
Likely to meet before the recess, I may be allowed to
seize the present opportunity of making a few observa-
tions in reference to the extraordinary controversy which
has arisen out of a statement which I made on the open-
ing night of the session. I may, perhaps, before pro-
ceeding-to the particular statement to which I refer,
remark that I was lad into an inaccuracy—although it
was one of no importance so far as my argument was
concerned—in stating that one of the first offers made to
the Government upon the part of the company to trans-
port troops across the Isthmus of Suez was made by the
directors of the company, that offer hissing, as I am now
informed, been made by another company. The offer
was made in the month of July, and was rejected ; and
I cannot help remarking that it is somewhat singular
that in the papers which have been laid within the last
few days upon the table of the house a letter of the
Governor-General of India, dated August 7, appears,
in which he states that if the Government at home were
not in communication with the Peninsular and Oriental
Steam-packet Company the Government of India were.
Another mistake into which I was led was that of stating
that the last offer of the Peninsular and Oriental Com-
pany to convey troops to India across the Isthmus of
Suez was made in the latter end of August, whereas I
find from the letter of Mr. Wilcox that it was made on
the Gth of September. Now, my lords, with reference
to the main points involved in the controversy which
has taken place between my noble friend opposite (Earl
Granville) and myself as to a certain letter alleged to
have been written to the Peninsular and Oriental Com
parry by the right hon. gentleman the President of the
Board of Control, I can only say that even up to the
present moment I am at a loss to account for the discre-
pancy which exists between my noble friend's denial
of the justice of my statement, and the infor-
mation upon which that statement was based.
As my noble friend Lord Hardwicke men-
tioned to your lordships on a former evening, I
t 'pressed my disbelief in the possibility that the story
in reference to the President of the Board of Control
couln be true, when it was mentioned to me by my
noble friend in the country. When I came up to town,
however, I heard the same statement made in another
quarter, and I then began to think it necessary to make
tome inquiry into the matter, and I now hold in my
hand a letter which I received from the gentleman who
was my informant, in answer to one which I addressed
to him on the sulieot. I should rather not mention
the name of the writer of the letter, and perhaps it will
be sufficient to assure your lordships that he is a man
of station and position. The first part of the letter refers
to the refusal upon the part of the Government to accept
the offer of the company, and it then proceeds to state
the circumstance which is the subject of the controversy
—namely, that the right hon. gentleman the President
of the Board of Control actually wrote a letter to one of
the directors of the company—Mr. Anderson—to know
whether it was possible to organize a scheme for carry-
ing troops by means of their steamers ; to which the
reply was, it was not only possible, but that the thing
hail been already done. I still, however, thought, my
lords, that there must be same mistake, and I requested
my informant to go back to Mr. Anderson and ascertain
still more clearly whether or not the statement was cor-
rect. He informed me that Mr. Anderson had left
England on his any to the East, but he came to me
about 11 o'clock on the night before Parliament minim-
bled and mentioned to me that he had seen Mr. Allen,
another of the directors of the company, who had con- '
firmed what he had said iu reference to Mr. Anderson's
having made the statement in question. I, my lord:,
being under the impression—not only upon the authority
of the gentleman to whom I allude, but because the neat-
ter was talked of in more than one quarter —that he had
done so, thought myself justified in referring to the sub-
ject in this house ou the first night of the session. The
accuracy of my statement upon that occasion having
been impugned by the noble earl opposite, however, I
requested my informant to write to Mr. Anderson, whom
I believed to be still in Paris, pointing out the cir-
cumstance that a contradiction had been given to an as-
sertion made epon_itis authority, and asking him to state
how the facts of the ease really stood. The contradiction
of my noble friend opposite was given on the Monday,
and on Lumley a letter, a copy of which I hold in my
hand, was addressed to Mr. Anderson in accordance
with my desire. I am, however, afraid that Mr. Alder-
son has left Paris, inasmuch as no answer to this letter
has been received, and I may observe in passing that it
seems to me to be not a little remarkable that, although
teat gentleman was, I believe, in Paris on the Jay when
the newspapers containing the reports of the debat-e
which took place on the first night of the session, must
have reached that city, inasmuch as 'ne has written
thence to England since that time, yet he never repn-
eiated, even in the slightest degree, the troth of the
allegation a Well has led to this controversy. (than)
No my lords, I hold in my hands a letter from Mn
Ailen, which I received yesterday, and which, after re-
fer, ieg to the circumstance of Me. Anderson's absence
trim England, goes on to state that from the impression
which exists in his own mind, collided with the subse-
quent declarations of the right hon. gentleman the Pr -
,ident of the Board of Control, " he has no hesitation in
saying there must be some misapprehension upon the
point on the part of his colleague." Your lordship,
then, will at once perceive that while Mr. Allen is di a
posed to give full credit to the denial of the President of
the Board of Control, he recognises in his note the exis-
tence of an impression in the mind of Mr. Anderson that
a communication such as I stated passed between him
and the right hon. gentleman. Now, how a matter of
t'sat nature can be the subject of mere impression I cat.-
not understand. Whether such a communication dil or
did net take place ought to be known to Mr. Andeison
OHO way or the other. Tnis, however, my lords, is the
position in which the matter stands at present. It may
become the soij-ct of future inquiry ? bat, be that as it
limy, I feel housed to give the right hon. gentleman the
President of the Board of Control the full benefit of the
•'planation which has been made by my noble friend oppo-
ser,' in his behalf, and at the same time to express my
regret for having made against him a charge which, if
Ijitin,,,,arc,ou:ldeanro)t but be injurious to him al a public man.
lordships will b After what I have said I trust you:-
charge, I will riot say opinion that I did not make that
—far there would without believing it to be correct
e but little merit in
that—but with.
out acting on such infers anion as justified me in think-
ire.; tat the charge
w
think-
Hoar, bear.) s not capable of contradiction.
quit
esoattisfied, my lords,
E iri GR,AN VILLE telt
n roverstht my
from the very commeuceceent of thise
to which h
eohle, friend did not make the staternera,
refers without firmly believing it to be mall _
my. noble tounded.
IMesing that he
And after what has fallen from
friend this
evening, I can quite understand his su
had sufficiently good grounds for making tuse'.
a Ste
which must have been to him a very tempting one to
usy.
to the course of debate. (A laugh.) At the same time
I entirely deny that there was any ;roundhen the noble earlhatever for
the statement respecting this letter. When
opposite made the charge before your lordships I sent
word to the President of the Board of Control and asked
him whether it was true or not. The answer I received
was, that it was untrue. Of course, therefore, I contra-
dicted it, but in consequence of the extreme positiveness
of the noble earl's manner and the positive face he put
upon it (a laugh), knowing, too, how often and how easily
mistakes and misunderstandings arise, I did not con-
trediet him so decidedly as emieht have done, but
cont,:nted myself with a simple denial of the charge,
and refrained from making any vehement assertions, ;