The Sun.
London, England, 1850-07-20 00:00:00

tent (glop p" rrsent?il on Fri,hv, the ',%h o Juno).
Th.L.t this House is of op;ilion ;hat acquit y tau `ht
,to be made into the g-otrals upon which the appoint.
!a*-mt of chief clerk oe that department has been b•ith-
Lrekl t•otia the officer who, as it is alleged by the p-ti,-
,1,73.1 c", would in official order -have succeeded tJ it. '
Postmaster- General had denit-ci p,titioners -
„dress, and the
a'y now came to the House to look into the
s'egod grievance). They did not come to the House to
t k
ask them to increase their miserable stipends; they only
td the Hoes, to see that the rule of promotion--
tbat t,f office, as it had been termed—which
they Were entitled to, as well as their salary, might not
ipu taken from them by the arbitrary conduct cf the
stmaster-General, or rather of the secretary of the
Poi
t-('ffice Mr. Rowland It hall fund th4t,
wthae„b.e:st Way of. 1 re-
utn.g econonaisin ;he public money an,
public service was to eitablish the prit.ci,,la af
iteniority as the proper claim to any of toe hieher posts
~.a_the public offices as they fell vacant. The Post-office
was suppcsed to act on that principle, at least th.,
I)'inCPle WAS adopted and acted upon (until last
);..ear)
General the money-order office. The present Postmaster-
tieneral had broken through that rule in the case of
thQ h•
that o clok of tilt. money-order office, and it was
mrcurnstance which had lel to the present app•=al
Parliament. The Hon. and Learned Member ',ere
ti," into a minute history of the grievance of the peti-
jf:ll", from which it appeared that the complaint took
by rise in 1549, in consequence of an alteration made
• "Ir. Rowland Hill in what was called the sick-fund or
atieklurlough. (The Hon. and Learned Member's state-
ment was made solely to Hon. Members on the Govern•
e meat benehes, there not bein a single Member on the
lititire.rvative e,from which he a
side
thee individual who had been passed over, and who,_ on
claim of seniority, was entitlei to be presented to
ji,a vacant post of chief clerk to the money-order Unite,
it- pad his claim disregarded because he refused to cc-
fj"'edge having signed a memorial which contained a
‘ehood. The person put in office, who had previously
eedea declared unqualified, was taken from the money:
tlf:br "floe of the post-office at Edinburgh. He had
1/O—arged a public duty in calling the attention of the
use to this matter, and now left it to the House to
nay
..at ought to be done.
th r • WILLIAMS seconded the motion, and contended
"et an inquiry ought to take place into the Sys em
Ta°P" to the Post-office, and more eAprcially of the
Were
office, the books of which it had been asserted
te, kept in a most slovenly and objectionable manner.
better had been submitted to Mr. Rowland Hill for the
s„er management of this department, and a better
:steal of .
done Keeping the accounts, but nothing had been

thereT k,IIANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said
ie -
th w,...as great inconvenience in not having any officer
'louse to represent the Post-office departmentt
pas
such matters as the present came before them. I
s act true that seniority alone was the ground of pro-
nioth,
ea n' According to seniority a person might rise to a
Int-rt!shi position, and receive a certain increase of salary,
lioneniority were to be made the sole ground of pro-
yiee . enould be impossible to conduct the public ser-
reaekuetly.—(Hear, 'hear.) In private establish-
kr-s when trusty persons were wanted. those best fitted
eitiathpe situations were
.selected ; and the same principle
sea, 1•Y applied to public establishments. In the pre-
-1,,e-e cue the individual alluded to was selected by
r`eLl Lerisdale to regulate the
in which
Dublin ; and
1114 ,delisteyquozasof the manner in which he,discharged
promoted to the office of chief clerk
ile„tithlnurgh, and was now considered fully qualified
ilttne situation to which he had been promoted.
or tae
"NIG WATT understoodalthough every one
to e thirteen entlemen who had been passed over in a
qelll,l';‘,v, hat unusual manner had been reported as duly
ft4,l'"e.d, the gentleman who had been selected out of his
charge4(l, in the year 1844, been reported unfit to
.dis-
. the duties of his office. Such a charge required
lithsonite
explanation. Although it might not be an estab-
kaed reguletion in the public departments that every
tip should rise by seuiurity, he believed it was acted
Z 1 with very few exceptions.—(Hear, hear.)
ittp;r- I'ER protested against the House interfer-
f4l,4 matters of this kind, inasmuch as it was not eer-
-1- oy
, t jude pudiche qualifications of persons hold-
eittenitions in offices.
de AGLIONBY protested against the doctrine laid
chef tee the Hon. Member, and expressed his conviction
is bs House was quite justified in instituting inquiries
erell'lY eases. Such power, however, ought to be ex.
;;IQ'" with great caution. At the present time he did
110 think there was sufficient evidence to warrant the
in assenting to the notion,
'tfr a few words from Mr. IlumE and Mr. ANSTEY,
explanation, the motion was withdrawn.
The ye SUPPLY.
eiek -.oUse then went into Committee of Supply, Mr.
5.144 L in the chair.
heeeir•INGLIS said that as the Museum estimates had
sot fro 40 frequently explained to the Committee, he would
ser,ttie:ahle them on the present occasion with any oh-
Rr.°"°ll2, but at once propose that a sum of 45,3221.. h
be
lease towards defraying the expenses of the Brie
eseute.
beel!r•_, HUME wished to know whether anything had
teetl" oone in consequence of the report of the Corntni-
the state of that important establishment, in
tee," 40
alteration in the administration of affairs was
eltaeneed. He trusted that some effectual measures
tt°loavidi,
e taken for expediting the publication of the ca-
Plai^"e. resPecting the great delay in which many core-
st.'t4 had been made.
1)7 Gr„. GREY said, that no steps had yet been taken
trust kiovernment with respect to that report, but the
sad e's of the Museum had taken it into consideration,
Ist,t4opted several plans founded upon it.
1,11." vote was agreed to.
eharr_ next vote proposed. was 24,0801, tondstenfrrnaynntahset
of Zise et the civil establishment on the V?
titrb.r. C„OI3DEN trusted some explanation would be
tekert el the grounds on which the Commit'c© were
to " to vote this sum. He observed that 10,0001. was
oft PI Paid to the Danish Government for the purchase
,eqoltf Coast,
and stores at the Danish settlement at the
The qu-°4,t, on their transfer to British authorities.
tit l' e3tie° was, whether we ought to extend our ter
tuartes od the coast of Africa. His opinion was that
that re?Pleal possessions were already too extensive, and
ssete"te ought not to extend our sovereignty. What
Oar ter 6 grounds on which it was proposed to increase
be
toc,xrittory in Africa? The first object appeared to
,lava t end our operations f ,r the suppression of
.th.e
lizstiorae, and the next an endeavour to diffuse me-
Crew e eu the continent of Africa. Now, was it de-
of the 4', !Luke an increased outlay for the suppression
bee,- BtaVe trade on that coast? Many doubts had
sea fo"Pressed as to whether we ought to continue our
hark irnees for that purpose, but here was a project to ern-
endemehow operations on shore—to build forts, and
hadpe ?ur to put down single-handed on land that which
/\•,11 failed to do on the sea in conjunction with
ihferee's", (Hear, hear.) The case had been fairly put
said tine House of Lords by Lieutenant Winniett, who
81 84 in his opinion slavery would never be done
Ilettin with
except by blockading the Bight of
mast howed building forts along the coast—that it
iitythrtl sUch a blockade by seaward as not to allow
tases4tteen g•P Pass. and the erection of forts every ten or
,e'.s,es like the marten() towers on the coast o
ereeet,--(A. latigh.) Some fresh plan was continually
taet" 1C ward to extinguish the slave trade. At one
ties qf• was to be effected in two or three years by the
Was attstewhiers—then came the Niger expedition, which
the et,ehtied with such a horrible loss of life—and now
!tele I;Jeet was to be accomplished in two years and a
ad hY Martell° towers and forts.—(clear, hear.) He
this 4 the opportunity of examining Earl Grey on
IN a sJe?t, and the evidence given by the Noble Earl
~natheent reason fur delaying the vote. Earl
epplfo tic
the opinion of Lieutenant Winniett, and
1410°,,T1,0f the la f extending forts along the coast.
set eecael'ilro expPresnseod barlGrey was very alarming,
ueing a Cabin ty Minister, he was doubtless
douhwith the concurrence e
f his colleagues, and un-
ut, 6 o
tee:'terteproject fextending
sanctioned this Jr
th nht „efteolisli the slave trade. He (sir. Cobden)
let ptirne
_nad edready made too many sacrifices fer
her
_su• If we could not prevent the transport of
t‘t,ritie:_:,%, it was absurd to suppose we could d o so
it tietenT ar, hear.) The next object professed was
eltwas °4 of trade on the coast of Africa. Now
the business of that House to pur-
-1 eaza
Not, •
'lad tlot Africa, in order to promote trade, and
we, the
t,aree with the petitions on this subject which
of e sented from Manchester and Liverpool. It
willlearticei2 of Parliament to consider, not the interest
e• I thee the merchants, but the ge,teral interests; and
It el, rose were about to vote money on sound prin-
a said I,t,h the consent of the taxpayers at large.
1;41'1'1 iv„ • 'flat the purchase of these Danish ferts
it
it why hatiocrebased facilities to the growth of cotton.
fiu 4:0 p,rti that article not been produced before, when
qhecee?--(tPti ef the Gold Coast was under our in-
ti,44ua Neet„.'ears hear.) The soil and climate of British
het well adapted for the cultivation of cotton,
the thet Obstacle thrown in the way by the Colo-
a: whet,' tn4t cowry would grow cotton enough for
teeie, world, When we have in British Cruia.na,
;%111.,°117411:111)5f4sneodtttohne East Indies, sufficient territories for the
he did not see why the public money
,o,Qpntri invested in a new territory.—(flear.) If the
tissieetes eht wished to assist trade, let them remove the
°ll, and *lnch now existed—let them diminish taxa-
ee. ist Put down the Custom house officers and exc.
Zt:he 007 t, Pith respect to the extension of civilization
d 44 rhS Africa, Sir C. Trevelyan, in a letter
ere e re
4ed s •44orY Chambers, Dec. 12, 1842," and ad-
Yoy • m -
b„. erlvale, Esq., said, "I era to request thatn
tyttaion „,;',"ialu.nst Earl Grey that my Lards concur i
It'll he heulelliaali Lordship and Viscount Palmerston ns
results that mabo expected from
traraugeteent
ee as respects the suppression of the slave
Vtith ' a, thsuch
Proe AM's Part of 0 probable extension of our trade
Africa, in consequence of the im-
ttd4"ttediteciveniltizeantiort of the inhabitants of the coast and
,e,isur.i.,,untries, which may be anticipated from
s Travel In a letter from Mr. Merivale to Sir
i)4" Written in th© name of Earl Grey, he
to tnealnulable eic"sarY to point out to their Lordships
di Tnr p9rtance of these results with a view
abet.° gradual
the great continent of Africa, and to
.by„e,xt,h:
tt.equailionriotifah commerce; but I am to observe
the Danish forts would not only,
woletiding the 6
todeer stirface thP h
d, bere of British influence, spread over
benefits with which it has been at-
rtaapoliey %,,,,liiicid.further give increased efficiency to
howY Subject to bag been pursued in the territory al-
of asked to our jurisdiction." The House was
vasettabalking ici°t: as sum of 1.0,000/. for the purpose
horn continent
of Ystem to civilize and examine the
etabataeca. But they ought to look at
a atoen before
re • 8 throw the
(Nit tog in such a scheme, for within
tut teg their e,nare Was dense mass of the population
t ere
Was
another
attention and care.—(llear, hear.)
_er question deserving of consider!),
Was What were
e going to buy from tho Danes?
to aetended w
to
17 Within eiPrurchftse merely the forts with the
range, or extensive dependencies?

This was not very el- er. I, epp'tired that hitherto we
had never claimed the eight of sovereigety over any
put of the Gssli Coast. Ile feurei from the report oe
a tour made by Lieutenant Wintsiett, who had gone beak
es Governor of the Gold Caat, to tske possession let
these Danish settlements, that he was not cerifinit g his
perearinatery tour to the Dutch farts. He talked of
the natives deelarieg fealty to the British Government;
anti went among tribes, tie chief of ono of which he
says. " teleitig a sword by its point and elevating the
handle towards me, holding the sword almost at arm's
length, voeed. recording to the fashion of the country,
fealty to her 'alhjssty the Qieen." Ile then says:—" I
have endeavnat e.i to place before you a narrative of un-
adorned facts relative to the transfer of these settlements,
and connected with my tour; but it still re mains f ir me to
make a few remarks on some parts cf these dependencies
through which I have not had an opportunity of travelling.
The most d•stant and important of these is Akim, bor-
dering on Ashantee, from 80 to 100 miles into the in-
terinr. A country of considerable extent end great fer-
tility of soil, occupied by one of the largest tribes of
these regions. I can give no definite account of the ex-
tent of the Akitn country ; its passitien your Lordship
will fled on the accompanying map, furnished me by
Governor Care'eneen. Farther to the eastward, bor-
dering on the Volta and its tributary streams, are the
Aquambus and Crepees, and othsr smell tribes, all of
which, together with those before-veer:Coned, have tes-
se.ssed Danish flees, and recognised the authority of the
Danish Crown." That did not seem as if we meant to con-
fine our territory within range of the guns of the forts.
Allusion was made to a country a hundred miles its the
interior, bordering on the Ashantres, a formidable tribe,
with whom we bad formerly been at war. What gua-
rantee was there that we should not some day hear of
another war-with the Ashantets, if we took occupation
of the territory in question? He wished toknow whether
we were about to buy the forts only, or the territories
also; and what regulations we proposed to extend to the
populous tribes: of these territories. Esrl Grey spoke of
raising a revenue from the natives; but it that were
done, protection mast be afforded them by this country.
The Right Hon. Gentleman the Under-Secretary for the
Colonies might say that there was a scheme attsched to
the purchase of these forts by which a large revenue
would be raised. He never knew of any purchase ot
territory which was not to bring in money some way or
other; yet, strange to say, the result was to take money
out.—(Hear, hear.) The present project was to raise a
revenue by establishing custom-houses on the coast of
Africa at these forts. But how was a revenue to be
raised if they had no territory, and what could prevent
the natives receiving goods entered at other points of
the coast? It was proposed to levy 3d. per lb. on to-
bacco, and also a duty on ruin. Now, if we were only
to possess certain houses, and no territory, the landing
of rum and tobacco would be certain to lead to a contra-
band trade. He advised the House not to trust to the
promised revenue until they were made aware
of a mode of raising it. 1,1501. was the esti-
mate of the increased charge of the five Mulish
forts. It was a most fallacious estimate. The three
years which he had sat on the Committee of the
army, navy, and ordnance estimates, had convinced
him that nothing could be more fallacious than the
estimates of the expenses of our establishments in
the colonies. The civil establishment gave no idea of
the total expense. In the army estimates of each year
there was a vote of 6.0001. for a black corps on the coast
of Africa. The Right Hon. Under-Secretary might say
that the West India corps was to be withdrawn, but
still there would be an absolute increase of 6,000/.
year. He exhorted the Committee to pause before they
sanctioned any extension of our possessions in tropical
countries. There was a great difference between our
possessing a territory within the temperate zone, and one
within the tropics. In the former we might make our
race indigenous, and afterwards derive benefit from
them as a self-governing community; but in tropical
countries our race could not become indigenous—and
the native inhabitants must be governed by force. So
far from extending our tropical possessions, there were
many of them we ought never to have ecquired at all.
The notion formerly was that exclusive trade and taxa-
tion would meet the expenses of their government.
Mr. Burke, in his speech on the American colonies,
noticed both these points; but stated that taxation of
the colonies must be abandoned, and that a re-
compense must be found in exclusive trade and
the maintenance of the Navigation Act. At the present
day, however, we stood on a different footing, for we had
thrown open trade and given up the Navigation Act.
'the Committee ought therefore to pause before adding,
even to the extent of a square yard, to our possessions
in tropical regions. No doubt he should hear of the
great benefits to humanity from the abolition of the slave
trade. He appealed to the House whether some consi-
deration was not due to those whites who were sent to
the coast of Africa, more especially to that part of it
known as the Gold Coast, or " white man's grave." In
his eviderce before the Lords' Committee, Mr. Lander
stated the mortality among the whites to be 25 per cent.
annually; and another witnets, speaking as to the health
of the white officers, said they were generally attacked
with fever, and that those who survived and became
seasoned were often attacked with fever and ague.
Was it consistent with humanity to persevere in a
system which involved a sacrifice cf 25 per cent, of
the white men sent to the coast of Africa, more espe-
cially as all attempts to prevent the slave trade had
failed ? It was no excuse to say that the men volun-
teered to go out. He would regard himself as almost
guilty of homicide if he hal been a party to the Niger
expedition. When it was first proposed he denounced
it, at a public meeting in Manchester, as little short of
murder. Bel eying there was not the slightest ground
to justify them—either as economists, pailantbopists,
or politicians—in extending their territory on the coast
of An ica, he opposed the proposal, and begged to move
that the vote be reduced to 10,0001.
The question having been put,
Mr. EORSTER said be had ene advantage over the
Hon. Member for the %Vest Riding nn this occasion—he
knew something of the subject. —(flcar, hear.) The
lion. Member, in his opinion, never departed from the
the discussion of the corn-law and such questions
without injuring his reputation. The Honourable
Member had statsd this question to be one of
extehding our territory on she coast of Africa. It
was no such thing. Neither was it a question of build-
ing forts. As to the assertion, that it would increase the
mortality on the coast of Africa, he had only to remind
the Committee that one great object of the plan was to
lessen the mortality by substituting a black corps in
place of troops commanded by white officers. He be-
lieved that the present proposal had been entertained
partly in consequence of the outcry raised by the finan-
cial reformers—the Hou. Member fir the West Riding
and his friends—against the expense of our colonial es-
tablishments. Earl Grey, anxious to reduce colonial ex-
penses, had ne doubt considered that the expenses of
our establishment: on the Gold Coast might be met by a
revenue raised on the spot. Our settlements on that
coast lay between the Dutch settlements on the one side
and the Danish on the other; and it was impossible to
raise a revenue without coming to an arrangement with
them. For 40 years Denmark had maintained its forts
on that coast at an expense of 3,000/. a year, without
deriving the slightest benefit from them.—(Loud cries
of " Hear," and laughter.) lie did not mean to say that
no trade had been carried on; but it had been carried
on, not by Denmark, but by England.—(Hear, hear.)
France had been anxious to obtain the Danish settle-
ments, but Denmark had wisely preferred transferring
them to England, as she had been more zealous than
others in attempting to put down the slave-trade. It
was not till the proposal of raising a revenue on the
Gold Coast was made that England agreed to purchase
these settlements. Holland, on the other hand, had
agreed to be a party to the arrangement of raising a re-
venue. In fact the measure was a measure of economy,
and ho was prepared to defend it on that ground. If it
did not turn out to be a measure of economy it would be
the fault of the Colonial-office. He held in his hand a
petition from the merchants of Liverpool, in which they
expressed their satisfaction at the purchase of the Danish
settlements on the Gold Coast. He had also a petition
t rem the Commercial Association of Manchester in which
a belief was expressed that the acquisition of these
poseessions would increase trade and extend civilisation.
But to show that a due sense of the value of the acquisi-
tion ens entertained by the people of Manchester, he
might refer to a copy of the Manchester Guardian—a
paper which represented the feelings of the manufac-
turers—in which much surprise was expressed that the
lion. Member for the West' Riding should oppose the
vote of 10,000/. for the purchase of those forts, and that
the two lion. alsmbers for Manchester should support
him, part :easily as not long ago one of those Hon.
alesneheis had brought forward a motion relative to the
growth of cotton in India, which, if carried out, would
have involved an expenditure of at least 100,0001. In
his forty years' experience of affairs connected with the
coast of Africa, he must say that this was the first vote
he ever knew likely to be attended with beneficial re-
sults to the trade and civilisation of 'Africa. He could
show that, from first to last, 1,000,000/. had been
comparatively thrown away.—(Elear, hear.) He had
tried to dissuade the Noble Lord, in 1841, from
countenancing the expedition to the Niger, for he
knew how it would end. lie recollected speaking
to the Noble Lord, in the library, on the subject,
but the Noble Lord received his su4gestions a little
coldly, and though he could not say he was snubbed, he
felt his advice was disregarded. Unfortunately his pre-
dictions had been realised. The whole affairs of western
Africa had, fur the last forty ye are, been completely mis-
llaaadnabeen thrown away,ged, and it was too bad, aft r all the money that
that this, the first useful vote
fur Africa, should be objected to.
Mr. JACKSON was surprised that the Government
had not explained the reason for proposing this vote.
to llont.his lelecmoabsetr; saidbut
lettb the Liverpool b
e, rpeo
lo
01
,m 0
oeor
le.hi
year nts d idn
spento t
there, along with ether sums, and they might depend
trade The
upon it the Liverpool merchants would be found trading
there as well as the Hon. Member himself—(Laughter.)
When they themselves had got possession of the West
India islands, they assisted the Africans in committing a
great crime. Thanks to a Clarkson and a Buxton, they had
put an end to that crime; but how did they put an end to
it? By paying themselves—that was, it was like taking
the money out of one pocket and putting it into another.
If they had paid the African chiefs half as much for
putting an end to the slave trade as they wasted on their
fleet on the coast, they would have put an end to the
slave trade long since.
Mr. HAWES said his reason for not rising earlier was
that he desired the opinions of those trading with the
west coast should be first known, in order that the House
might hear the commersial value 0f the proposition now
made to the House. It was conceived that one of the
best means of putting an end to the slave trade was by
promoting legitimate trade on that coast. Wherever
British possessions had extended there the slave trade
had ceased. As they encroached on the slave coast they
diminished the amount of slavery.—(Cheers.) The
Danish forts extended over 200 miles, and along the most
fertile territory on the coast, but they did not profess to
assert a jurisdiction over the natives and territory. The
commercial world viewed_ this proposition with favour,