The Sun.
London, England, 1857-05-23 00:00:00

THE SLAVE TRADE.

Sir G. B. PECHELL rose to call attention to the in-
creased importation of slaves into the island of Cuba, and
to the insufficient number and clees of her Majesty's ves-
sels now employed on those coasts for the suppression of
the slave trade. The gallant admiral contended that our
squadron was insufficient, and that it was removed to other
stations instead of being kept in those pacts where it would
be able to act against the slave trade, and to suppress that
accursed traffic. Our vessels also were too large for the pur-
pose. The consequence was that the slave trade was carried
on to an exteut of which the noble lord at the head of the
Government could have no conception. The feeling of
Jamaica on this subject was shown by a late meeting which
had been held in that island, presided over by the bishop
of the diocese. They adopted resolutions stating the con-
stant violation of the treaties which prohibited the traffic
on the coast of Cuba, and calling upon the noble lord at
the head of the Government to insist upon their obser-
vance. He hoped that the Government would take
measures both to increase the number and improve the
quality of the vessels stationed on the coast of Cuba.
Ho had proposed last session that gunboats should be
stationed there, and had had a promise from the First
Lord of the Admiralty that this suggestion should be
carried out ; but only the other day he had been told that
the climate was too hot for these vessels to be employed.
Admiral WALCOTT trusted that the First Lord of the
Admiralty would not assent to the suggestion of the gallant
officer, to station gnuboats on the Cuban coast. The only
result of employing vessels with insufficient accommodation
in that climate was to gsnerate malignant fever amongst
their crews. He had served himself on that coast and knew
the difficulties and the risk which service there entailed.
He was ordered by his commander-in•chief to take measures
for discovering the haunts of pirates and slavers. Finding
his ship unsuited for the purpose he had employed his boats
and searched about 500 miles of the north coast of Cuba.
He was successful as to pirates but not as to slavers, because
the north side of that island was full of creeks more beauti-
ful and more adopted to the concealment of small vessels
than could be found on any other coast with which he was
acquainted. When he returned from the expedition he was
obliged to invalid for some weeks, as were also many of the
men who went with him in boats : and a fever broke out
in the frigate which he commanded, and also in the sloop
that accompanied them ; and this led to the loss of many
valuable lives. Now, no doubt humanity called upon us
to make every possible exertion for the suppression of the
slave trade, but still he thought that some consideration
should be given to the lives of our officers and men, which
should not be wasted in an etThrt, probably unsuccessful, to
suppress the slave trade. The only way was to use endea-
vours with the Government of Spain similar to those which
had been successful with that of Brazil. If those govern-
ments were induced to come forward to pat down this ob-
noxious traffic they would be more successful than we, be-
cause the men employed by them would be inured to the
climate, and they would be able to obtain information
which we could not.
Sir C. WOOD said that his hon. and gallant friend had
been more successful in pointing out the difficulties of
suppressing the slave trade than in showing the means of
overcoming them. It was true that great difficulties
were interposed in the way of supprsesing that trade by
vessels being sant out under the flag of the United States,
which we could not touch. He believed the most effectual
measure it was at present in our power to adopt for the sup-
pression of the slave tam Is, was to keep a strong force of
cruisers on the coast of Africa.
Sir J. TRELAWNY did not think the sending out of a
large number of cruisers to the coast of Africa would be
the proper step to take for checking that traffic:
Mr. KINNAIRD wished to know whether her Majesty's
Ministers had of late addressed any representations to the
Spanish Government for the purpose of putting a stop to
the traffic of slaves in Cuba? It would appear that the
slave trade was at present more extensively carried on than
ever in that quarter. Perhaps the noble lord at the head of
the Government would afford them some explanation with
respect to the present state of the negotiations between the
Ministers of this country. and of Spain in reference to the
subject.
Lord PALMERSTON said that his noble friend the
Secretary for Foreign Affairs had addressed- repeated re-
presentations to the Government of Spain with respect to
the state of the slave trade along the coast of Cuba ; and
the Spanish Government had invariably given the most sa-
tisfactory answers to those representations, and had issued
orders for the exercise of increased vigilance for the pre-
vention of that traffic, but had at the same time invariably
expressed doubts of the truth of the accounts which haTI
reached this country. The fact was thatit was very difficult
to act through a government at Mad: id on a government at
Cuba, which Government, he was afraid, was swayed by
arguments that were powerful with those colonial authori-
ties. He could, however, assure his hon, friend that as far
as diplomatic representations could go, no efforts were
wanting on the part of her Majesty's Ministers to induce
the Spanish Government to take real and effectual steps
for the suppression of the slave tra le in Cubs.
THE GERMAN LEGION AT THE CAPE.

Mr. ADDERLEY said ho hoped the house would allow
him to take that opportunity of directing its attention to
the excessive expenditure which had been incurred in the
location of the German Legion on the Cape frontier, and to
the impolicy of thereby continuing and extending a charge
on the revenues of this country in relief of the colonists
from the defence of their own frontier against Kaffir in-
vasion. He thought it was the duty of the house to in-
quire whether the heads of departments in this country
were justified in taking measures, involving a vast outlay,
without having in any way consulted parliament upon the
matter. It was very well to talk of the necessity of dis-
banding the German Legion, but the great question for
consideration was whether it had been disbanded on the
most advantageous terms. Now, ho believed he could
show by the clearest evidence that that object might have
been accomplished at one-fifth of the expense which hid
actually been incurred. The men of the German Legion
might have been disbanded by paying each of them Is. a-
clay, or 181. a year ; and the actual charge for sending each
of those men to the Cape amounted to 1001. There were
8,000 of those men, and at the rate of 1001. for each, their
removal to the Cape would have cost 800.0001. ; and all
that large sum might have been expended without the
sanction and control of parliament. But fortunately for
us only 2,500 out of the 8,000 had accepted the offer to get
themselves removed to the Cape. It was true that the sum
set down in the estimate for that removal amounted to
only 91,000/. ; but in that estimate there was no allowance
made for the cost of the passage of those men and of the
passage of their wives and children; or for the rations to
be furnished to them for a year, or for the outlay to be
incurred in constructing roads, bridges, and other works
in the country in which they were to settle, or for a
variety of other charges; and he repeated that he
believed the total expenditure for each man could not
amount to less than 1001. But it was said that by that
measure we should got rid for the future of the enormous
expenditure entailed by Kaffir wars. He believed,
however, that it would be productive of no such result.
When the actual estimate came before them, he should, it'
no other member did it, take the sense of the house upon
it, with a view to check the progress of such a system.
Mr. LABOUCHERE acknowledged the importance of
the question, stating at the same time that it was one
most difficult to deal with and embarrassing to any Go-
vernment. No one. he thought, could doubt that it was
the duty of a country to do all in its power to protect its
colonists, and he implored the house to pause lest by one
false step in the application of a principle, however Bowel
and just in itself, it might inflict ruin and misery, or death,
upon settlers who had left this country in the full expecta-
tion that as far as the presence of ee military force was con-
cerned they would be protected from danger upon the part
of the natives of the settlement. It was true that they had
in their own recollection a Kaffir war, which, besides in
volving the unhappy colonists in misery, threw upon this
country the duty of defraying an enormous expenditure of
money. But in his belief that war was mainly to be attri-
buted to the fact that the Government of the day, acting on
the best motives, bad denuded the colony of troops to such
an extent as emboldened the natives to attack the colo-
nietP. With respect to the engagement of the German
Legion, the house would reflect that it was embodied at a
period when the Government and the country were en-
gaged in an arduous struggle with Russia ; and although
that struggle fortunately terminated before the legion was
sent to Sebastopol, yet, had it continued, every one of the
soldiers composing it were as 'ready as our own gallant
countrymen to lay down their lives in the trenches before
the beleae'ured fortress---(hear)—and he was convinced that
had such an opportunity been afforded them, they would
have reflected no dishonour either upon the country which
they served or that of their birth. (Cheers.) Considering
the circumstances under which they were enrolled,it
was

of the utmost consequence that they should be treated
not only with justice but with liberality. We had
necessarily entered into very onerous engagements 00
raising the Garman Legion. He was not quite certain
what the sum of money which would be saved by sending
the German Legion to the Cape and disbanding the regi'
ment there would be. He believed that the sum necessa-
rily expended on ;the disbanding of the legion would be
64,0001., which must, therefore, ho taken from the expensl
of sending them to the Cape. The expense incurred for
the three years contemplated was 205,0001., from which
must be deducted, in addition to the 64,1101., the suali
voted by the colonists-40,0001. immediate payment, and
40,0001. prospectively, so that the hon. gentleman would
see that, with all these deductions, the real expense would
be little more than 60,0001., and it was fair to calculate
that in return for that there would be some increased value
of the land.

Sir DE LACY EVANS said that this seemed to hint
rather a military question than one to be discussed FA.
going into committee upon the navy estimates ; and, 1°
deed, it might be a very fit subject for discussion when tbe
vote for the German Legion came before them. The whole
question, indeed, was wider and more extensive than it!
treatment implied. They ought to consider whether it 015
right to have employed Germans at all in our army; '
secondly, whether those Germans, who had never seen tbe
face of an enemy, had not been far more liberally treae
than that part of the British army which had been die'
banded, he feared with little bounty and little courtes9,
after fighting for months in the trenches. The German_
Legion had been treated with a generosity beyond tbs.
limits of prudence. Not only had the division been en..
listed for three years after the war but they had been
placed in a position which would give them a further cll
upon this country. There was no doubt that the frontiel
of the Cape colony at the present moment were very inn`,
like the condition of the border counties in this counts
some hundred years ago. There would always be catt.l(
stealing there ; but if they thought to defend the 11'
of frontier by the settlement of a German Legion
2,500 men, they would be very much mistaken. (fle°'`‘,.,
If the colonists were not able to defend themseivid
without their assistance, he was sure that they W°l3,
not he able to do so with their help, and some addition,
measures would have to be resorted to. He thought tl
whole system fallacious, and utterly inconsistent with 01
true colonial policy.
Major WORTLE Y said that he was sorry to hear tl
hon. and gallant member describe the Kafirs as a set
worthless tree hArians. From the experience which he!),
for several years of the Kafirs, he was convinced that to,
were a most formidable set of people. There were at Pr°
•
sent 12,000 of those tribes in the colony, every one of the
armed with a rifle, and the whole forming a body of th'
best light infantry in the world, and he himself had lir
the mortification of seeing two of the finest regiments
her Majesty's service retire before those whom the
and gallant member had styled " worthless barbarian,'
He entreated the house not to be niggardly in the aai
which itm
voted for keeping up a strongilitary force at t!
Cape ; as if this were not done, he felt confident that in
short time the country would be involved in another 1(
and expensive war with tho Kafir tribes. (Hear.)
Col. .-.YKES suggested that a similar course might
adopted with respect to the Kafirs as had been so sues'
fully pursued in India, viz., that of enlisting among
British troops some portion of the native population,
thus greeting among them a feeling of loyalty and at/
ment towards this country. _