The Sun.
London, England, 1850-10-01 00:00:00

I treaties which have been entered into with Spain and
Brazil being carried into immediate effect."
H. DUNLOP, Esq., seconded the resolution. Passed
unanimously. •
JOHN MACGREGOR, Esq, M.P., was then intro-
duced, and was 'very warmly received. He said there
had been entrusted to him a resolution, which he was
now to move for their approval. Hating slavery as
he did, earnestly desiring the suppression of the slave
traffic, and believing that the present juncture was
one peculiarly favourable for attaining that object, he
could not but feel proud that this great city bad
moved in the matter", and promulgated a plan of ac-
tion, such as would, if well carried out, go far to ren-
der certain the success of what was so desirable. The
feeling of the people of this country had long been
strongly inimical to slavery—since the period of the
last war—he meant that which terminated in 1815.
So strong was the feeling then, that one of the first
instructions of Lord Liverpool to the British repre-
sentative of the Congress of Vienna was to secure the
consent of all the powers to issue a declaration against
the slave trade. Accordingly, in a little time a so-
lemn declaration was issued and agreed to by Austria,
England, Russia, Prussia, Sweden, and France, as
well as Spain and Portugal, in which it was deter-
mined that the slave traffic should cease for ever; and
ever since that period England had been carrying on
negotiations to completely attain that object.
As far as the United States were concerned, they
had most implicitly observed their stipulations as
regards the trade. So had France in respect to hers,
and conjointly with Britain she had maintained the
squadron for the blockade of the African coast, in
order thereby to extinguish it. Now, with regard to
the treaty with Spain, he must say that if they had a
right to look for the observance of faith with them by
any country, that country was Spain. She was under
the greatest obligations to England. But for the
liberal sums they had expended, and the aid they had
given her in the Peninsular war, her monarchy
would not now have been in existence: But not to
speak of that, or the assistance they had given her in
securing her independence against Don Carlos, he
might refer to the vast sums' she was indebted for to
British commerce and industry. He did not speak of
the 400,0001. mentioned, which was given to indem-
nify parties who might lose by the suppression of the
trade, but to the one hundred and seventy- two mil-
lions of British capital which she owed, and which, he
thought, must be held to give them an extraordinary
claim upon her. If they were to join earnestly and
sincerely in the attempt to put down the traffic, he
certainly was of opinion that it could be much
more efficiently done by stationing a portion of
the squadron off the coast of Cuba, to pre-
vent the approach of the slavers, than by
keeping the whole on the coast of Africa,
with the view of thwarting their getting off. He
believed that the present Government, or at all events
the Noble Lord at the head of Foreign Affairs, was
anxious to adopt such a course. It unfortunately
happened, however, that if Lord Palmerston was to
make any move in this direction, there was a party
ready to cry out that he was desirous to involve us
in war. Now, be knew that there was no man more
anxious to preserve peace between the United King-
dom and other countries than Lord Palmerston. He
had had the honour to be employed under him for
several years upon foreign missions, and he was per-
suaded that no man could have been more anxious to
do all in his power to avoid war than he was after the
revolution of 1830. But somehow it did happen that
there was always a faction ready on every occasion to
alarm the public, by declaring that he was going to in.
volve the country in war. He (Mr. Macgregor) believed
he never would do so—(Cheers)—while he was sure,
at the same time, that he would take care to claim
the rights of British subjects in every country. He
now came to the question of Brazil, and he must con•
fess that hero was a greater difficulty presented than
in the other instance. They enight certainly send
the half of the African squadron to blockade the
coast of Brea;
1, and they thereby would do much to
prevent the importation of slaves, but such a course
would be objected to by traders, and by the mere
utilitarians. He hailed their present meeting with
great delight and hope. The resolution which he
had to propose contained a reference to their West In-
dian islands, and the prejudicial effects on them
of competition. Adhering as .strongly as he had ever
done to the principles of free trade, he must say, as
regards West India distres., that to slavery, in great
part, it must be ascribed. That was the main draw-
back to the prosperity of their West India colonies.
Suppose slavery abolished, and he had no doubt be-
sides, that from the increased value of labour in Cuba
and Porto Rico, a great encouragement to the free
colonial labour would take place ; it would be more
in demand, and commercial activity and success
would advance in a proportionate ratio. This remark
he thought was completely applicable as respects alike
Jamaica, Guiana, and Trinidad. It was an observa-
tion with regard to the commercial opinions he held
as respected the policy which had been carried out
by the late Sir Robert Peel, and adhered to by the
Ministry which had succeeded that great statesman—
that virtuous and good man. Of that system of fiscal
policy, alike as it respects the West India colonies
and the country at large, of that policy he approved,
and begged to state, that while on moral and com-
mercial grounds he desired the abolition of slavery,
and regarded it as an obstacle to West Indian pros-
perity, he could never consent, because of the distress
that might prevail there, to return to the principle of
monopoly. Mr. Macgregor concluded, amid applause,
by moving the following resolution :—" That this
meeting is of opinion that the depression and distress
of our West India colonies have been greatly aggra-
vated by the non-observance of the slave-trade treaties
on the part of Spain and Brazil, and that some of the
best results anticipated from colonial emancipation
have been frustrated by the continuance of the slave
traffic."

The resolution was seconded by the Rev. G.
BIATH, and carried.
Mr. HASTIE, M.P., in moving the third resolution,
ssee ofion coo fmea Parliament said that he also felt satisfaction in meeting them this
lsiafmorent a motion
evening, on account of a subject in some respects per-
sonal to himself. It might be in the recollection of
many whom he had now the honour of addressing,
that
tabledduri in
ng the last session
the
House
of abolishing the maintenance of the squadron on the
coast of Africa. It was intimated to her Majesty's
Ministers that many of the usual supporters of the
the
purpose
was
Government were not likely to vote with them on that
occasion. The First Lord of the Treasury called a
meeting of the friends of the Government, and inti-
mated to them that if the House of Commons resolved
that this squadron should be abolished they could not
carry that resolution into effect. That resolution
was lost, consequently it was not necessary that her
Majesty's Ministers should resign. As be, how.
ever, had voted in the minority, be felt that
there was some reason for him explaining his con-
due'. He fully believed that, independent altogether
of that squadron, there were other means within the
power of her Majesty's Government for abolishing
the slave trade, and one of the most efficient means
in his mind was the existence of those slave-trade
treaties which they entered into with Brazil and
Spain. He also considered that the ships employed
on the coast of Africa were totally unfitted and ill-
equipped for the purpose. On the other hand, it was
maintained that the trade would break out with in-
creased vigour if the squadron were withdrawn, that
the coast would swarm with pirates, and altogether
destroy the legitimate trade, and that all attempts
would be defeated for the civilization and Christian-
ization of Africa. Since that period the evidence re-
ferred to by Dr. King and Mr. Myth had appeared,
from which he found that the slave trade was alto-
gether abolished, north of the equator, to a distance
of 2,500 miles, with the exception of the Bight of
Benin, a space of lees than 300 miles. In considera-
tion of that evidence, he would be disposed to sanction
the expenditure necessary for the support of this
squadron. lie was bound to say that, according to
the best of his belief all the Ministers were working
out the abolition of the slave trade by the measures of
the Noble Lord at the head of Foreign Affairs—that
Noble Lord whose genius had already piloted him
through all the wiles of foreign diplomacy—and
whose heart was in the right place, as regarded
the abolition of the slave trade. One great
want in our treaties which had forcibly struck
him was having no power to punish the cap-
tain, supercargo, &c., of the slave-trader. After
having been taken, they were immediately released,
and found their way back to Rio and Cuba ; and it
had been given in evidence, that some of these indivi-
duals had been captured by our cruizers as often as
six times in a very short space of time. A consider-
able anti-slavery feeling now prevailed both at Rio
and Havannah, and he could not doubt that the sympa-
thies of the great maritime states of Europe, and of
the United States of America, were strong in the
same direction. The lion. Gentleman sat down by
moving the following resolution :
" That this meeting regard the present as a fitting
time for bringing prominently before the British
public the continued existence of the slave trade; as
well as for enlisting the sympathies and energies of
the Governments of Great Britain, of the United
States of America, of France, of Denmark, and of
other countries which have already condemned the in-
famous traffic, in a vigorous combined effort for the
effectual suppression of a system so abhorrent to every
sentiment of religion and humanity."
Mr. R. BAIRD seconded the resolution. It was
carried.
On the motion of the Rev. Dr. SMrru, the follow-
ing resolution was next adopted, with which the pro-
ceedings terminated :
" That this meeting adopt petitions to the Legisla-
ture, that his Lordship, the chairman, be authorised
to sign them in its behalf, and that a committee assist
his Lordship in this business, and adopt any measure
that may be necessary to attain the object of the meet-
ing."— Glasgow Mail.