The Sun.
London, England, 1857-07-18 00:00:00

lIAPERIA

HOUSE OF LORDS.—(YESTERDAY.)
The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the Woolsack
at five o'clock.

SECOND READINGS.
On the motion of Lord REDESDALE the following bile
were read a secord time :—Lancaster and Carlisle and
lugleton Railway ; Dorset Central Railway ; Metro.
politan Railway; New Brunswick and Canada Railway;
Newpor`, Abergavenny, and Hertford Railway ; West
of Fife Mineral Railway ; West London and Crystal
Palace Railway ; Islington Parish Acts.
THIRD REA DINGS.
On the motion of Lord REDESDALE, the following bills
were fieal!y read a third time and passed :—Cork and
Youghal Railway, Shre vsbury Gas, Blackwater Bridge
and Roads bill.
FRAUDULENT TRUSTEES BILL.
This bill was read a first time on the motion of Lord
REDESDALE.
NATIONAL SURVEY.
The Duke of SOMERSET begged to ask a question
of the noble lird the Secretary at War, with respect
to what bad transpired last night. It appeared
that the Government were about to issue a
commission to consider the subject of the
survey of Scotland and other parts of the
kingdom. He tir,ught that the subject bad been
decided in the other house a few evenings ago, but
they were now told that that decision was to he set
aside and the whole sulject was to be reconsidered.
He wished to know the precise instructions that were
to be given to the Commissioners.
Lord PANMURE said he thought he had stated
last night that the Commission would have to report
what was the proper scale for the proposed survey to
be made, and not on what scale a large map
should be produced. The precise instructions
were simply what description of survey would be the
best for all practical purposes.
GUISTINIANI'S NATURALISATION BILL.
On the order. of the day for the second reading of this
bill,
Tne LORD CHANCELLOR moved as an amend-
ment that no bill for the naturalisation of a foreigner
should be read a second time in their lordships' house
until the consent of the Crown bad been obtained.

The amendment was agreed to, and it was ordered to
become a standing order of the house.
PICTURE OF THE CORONATION.
Viscount DUNGANNON called the attention of
their lordships to the propriety and desirability of a
painting of het Majesty's coronation being placed in the
House of Lords. The noble lord asked the noble earl
the President of the Council whether it was in contem-
plation to purchase for that object the original painting
of that event by Sir G. Hayter.
Earl GRANVILLE said the Government had
nothing to do with the decoration of the Houses of
Parliament. The Commission appointed for the
purpose was composed of members of their
lordships house and persons versed in the fine arts,
and as he was not a member of that commission he
could not give the noble lord any information.
Lord REDESDALE said he was averse to the expen-
diture of large sums of money in the purchase of
pictures, merely for the decoration of corona, tee-rooms.
After a few words from the Marquis of CLANRI-
CARDE and Lord DUFFERIN, the subject dropped.
THE AFRICAN SLAVE TRADE.
Lord BROUGHAM then rose to propose an address
on the subject of the African slave trade, in connection
with the measures adopted by the French Government
with respect to the immigration of free negroes into
their colonies. His lordship said it was with great pain
and no little astonishment that he first learned the cir-
curn,tances to which it was his duty to call the attention
of the house. He felt thoroughly convinced that the
present Emperor of the French was opposed to any mea-
sure which' would be likely to cause a revival of the
slave trade. In this opinion he was confirmed by con-
sideration of the family of the present Emperor, for it
was reserved for his great ancestor, the first Napoleon,
to abolish the execrable slave trade in France. It was
impossiLle, therefore, to.suppose that he, who plumed
himself so much on his descent from the Emperor, could
attempt any retrograde movement in respect to the slave
trade. Neither could be believe that those ministers of
religion, in whom his Imperial Majesty reposed so
much confidence, would fail to inform his Majesty of
the heinous and most sinful character of the offences
of the slave trade. When, therefore, his Ma-
jesty found that her Majesty's Government, the
House of Lords, and the general public at large,
leoked upon this attempt with great doubt, the
Emperor would no doubt feel induced to resist the im-
portunities of some of his colonial subjects. The license
which was now afforded to certain French merchants at
Marseilles to import free Africans would most undoubt-
edly lead to a revival of the slave trade. It was pro-
posed that the Africans being slaves in their own coun-
try, should be induced to emigrate to the West Indies,
that care should be taken that the contract made with
them was observed, that they should have the security of
Government officers as to the contract made with them,
and their care on the voyage, as well as in the West
Indies ; that kindness should be observed to them by
their masters, and in the event of their wishing to re-
turn to Africa, the expense was to be defrayed by the
parties who took these slaves from Africa. This
was not the first time he had heard of Africans being
slaves in their own country, and the blessings which
would be conferred upon them by transmigration to
other lands of liberty. On the contrary, if he
looked back for sixty years, he could not recol-
lect a time when these very arguments were not
used, and these same arguments put forward, by the ad-
vocates of the slave trade. The identity of these argil,
ments was a most important item in the consideration of
this attempted revival of the odious trade. The noble
and learned lord proceeded to quote several extracts
from speeches made by Mr. Walton, Sir William Young,
and Mr. Thornton, during the debates on the slave trade
in both Houses of Parliament, showing that arguments
and opinions were then put forward to show that the
removal of the negro from Africa, where be was a slave,
to other countries, would be a blessing and great ad-
vantage to them. This unnatural connection of short-
sighted ignorance with clear-sighted interest produced
the execrable and abominable slave trade. Earl Grey
had made an attempt somewhat similar to that which
was now under consideration, but he found that to carry
out such an attempt would be simply to suspend the
Abolition Act. Now, he had ascertained that there
was no lack of labour in the colonies if the employ.
ers would only pay for it—if they would pay the
negroes fifteen or eighteen pence per day, and there
would be an ample supply of labour. As to the scheme
of ransoming captives in Africa to carry them to the colo-
nies, why there could not be a stronger incentive to the
slave trade. Only let it be known to the chiefs in Africa
that every captive taken in war would be ransomed at
the coast, and there would be an endless supply of such
captives. The abolition of the infamous slave traffic in
Africa had had a most beneficial effect upon the innooent
and legitimate traffic with that part of the world, and
that was the state of things they were called upon to in-
terrupt, by sending men to purchase slaves under pre-
tence of freeing them, and of ransoming captives taken
in war. The noble lord read memorials of Mr. Fitzpatrick
and Mr. Foster, who both concurred that they might as
well revive the slave trade in its (.1d form as in the form
now proposed by ransoming captives. He concluded by
moving " That to encourage the purchase by ransom of
captives in war on the coast of Africa has a tendency
to revive the slave trade, and tbat an address be pre-
sented to her Majesty praying that she will use her in-
fluence to prevent such a course."
The Lail of CLARENDON said he cordially con-
curred in all the noble and learned lord bad stated. Hi
had done but jtitice to the Emperor of the French and
the French Government, who were as incapable of any
attempt io revive the slave trade as we were ourselves ;
any opinion of the noble and learned lord would have as
great weight abroad upon the subject as in this country,
and that opinion so eloquently expressed would do much
to strengthen the efforts of the Government in this coun-
try. The subject had been one of earnest consideration
by the Governor nt, and of anxious and earnest commu-
nication with the French Government, who had been
perfect'y frank in all their communications. As long ago
as 185$ the French Government intimated their inten
tion to purchase slaves on the west coast of Africa, and-
to make them free labourers. The English Government
at once represented to the French Government that
before slaves could be purchased they must be
made. The French Government then represented
that it was impossible to import slave labour into their
colonies, because slavery had been abolished there. The
answer of the British Government to that was that other
countries where slavery had not been abolished might
adopt the same plan of obtaining slaves, and if the
French Government sanctioned these schemes with the
concurrence of the British Government, all power would
betaken out of the hands of the latter of interfering
with the slave traffic on the coast of Africa. He could
only say that the proposed system would require the
greatest caution of the French Government, and the
greatest vigilance on the part of this country, andhihohe
could only add that if anything should occur w
should have the least appearance of tending to a resto-
ration of the slave trade, the Government of this
coun-
try wouldnot hesitate to interfere with the utmost vigour
in the matter.
The Earl of MALMESBURY saidotphinaitonthaes atoutthhoe-
rities on the coast of Africa differed in, French
Gc...
practicability of the proposed pleaenn3eolyne
Sir H. Hunt-
with regard to thehCatr
the Croomen would be
ley had represented to him t
greatly benefited by being, brougohtinttoheicommunication
with more civilised nations, an , by
of acres of laud now uneultivated, might be brought into
useful cultivation.
The Croomen, he said, were ready to
emigrate if the means were puroavridd,ed forcroemen should
them. Sir H.
that
Huntley proposed, as a safe g
be shipped at Sierra Leone only, and that they should
not be allowed to be shipped on speculation.
After some remarks from the Earl of HARROWBY
and also from Lord BROUGHAM in reply,
The motion was agreed to.
STATUTE LAW REFORM.

The Larceny, ko., Bill, the Offences against the Per-
son Bill, Malicious Injury to Property Bill, Forgery
Bill, Libel Bill, Coinage Offences Bill, Deer, Game, and
Rabbit Bill, and the Acce,aoriets and Abettors Bill pass-
ed through committee.
REPRESENTATIVE PEERS (IRELAND) BILL.
This bill was read a third time and passed.
CROWDED DWELLINGS PREVENTION BILL.
The amendments to this bill were considered and
agreed to.
JOINT-STOCK COMPANIES BILL.
This bill, alter a brief discussion on new clauses, was
read a third time and passed.
1
REGISTRATION OF LONG LEASES (SCOT-
LAND) BILL.
The amendments to this bill were considered and
agreed to.