The Sun.
London, England, 1826-04-21 00:00:00

SLAVERY.

Mr. J. Scarf presented a petition from the borough of Brid-
port and two other !Awes, praying for the Abolition of Slavery.-.-
Ordered to be printed.
Similar Petitions were presented from Tring and two other
places by Sir J. Sebright ; from Guildford by Mr. Sergeant On.:
slow ; from Baldock, by Sir J. Sebright ; from Bridgewater, by
Mr. Tynte ; from. Truro, by Mr. IL Vivian ; from Keswick, by
•Sir J. Lowther ; from the county of York, by Mr. S. Wortley ;
from Hollyborne, by Sir J. Loyd ; from a parish in the county
of Tipperary, by Colonel Bagwell ; from Ashfield, and two other
places; by Lord Altharpe; froze Monteith, by Mr. ii. Drum-
mond ; from• the county of Tyrone, iu Ireland, by Mr. Knox ;
from Guisborough and Loftus, by 'Air. Dundas ; from Moffat, by
Mr. K. Douglas ; front Thorntrm7,-. by Sir W. Gilts° • from'
three places in the county of Aberdeen ; from the Pirst!United
Congregation of Associated Ministers of Belfend in 'Northumber-
land, of the burgh of Linlitlivw,-of-.Wirt.C.`aider, of Delmote,... of.
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, of North Berwick, of Morton liampsted,
of Duroblane, of Temple SoWerhy, ijf', the Royal burgh of Ala.
wick, of Kinross ; also a similar'Pctition from the Second Con-
gregation of Associated Ministers of Diunblane, by Mr. Brougham;
from Reading, in Berkshire, by Mr. F. Palmer ; and from Kel-
, vedon, in Essex, by Mr. Western.'
The Petitions were laid on the table, and ordered to be printed.

Mr. Byng presented a Petition from the parish of St. Ann,
Limehonse, for an alteration of the Corn Laws ; and atiother from
the same place, for the repeal of the Window Tax.

WEST INDIA PROPERTY.

Mr. BARING, in rising to present a petition numerously
signed by persons interested in West India property, would very
briefly state the objects which the petitioners had in view.. When
they perceived the temper and prejudices which prevailed through-
out the country, to diffuse which he might be permitted to say no
pains were spared, and no arts left unemployed, it was natural
and right that they should appeal to that House, claiming its pro-
tection for property which bad grown up under the'sanction of
the Legislature. What they justly insisted on was, that nt, inva-
sion of their property should take place without full remuneration
and indemnity being secured to them. They complained, end he
thought not without reason, that their property was hung up, in
consequence of the uncertainty in which it was placed by many of
the exaggerations which had seen diffteied, and the excited state of
the public mind. The excitement was indeed such, that the ques-
tion was in some measure taken out of the hands of Ministers, and
even out of the hands of Parliament,' He was as much as any Man
the-friend of every practicable amelioration in the condition of the
slaves, and he believed that the Woit:lndia interest would go, hear-
tily with theta in pursuit of that object, if those who professed to
be the peculiar advocates of the slave population could say distinctly
at what they aimed, , and not go on making the attaimnent of one
object the stepping stone to others.
Mr. WM. SMITH denied every particle of the insinuations
brought forward by his Hon. Friend. He adverted to a recent pe-
tition from the Council of Antigua, in which they accused persons
whom they described as pretenders to religion, of usurping the pro-
vince of the Established Church, and attacking, private proverty,
and claimed protection from those officious intruders upon this,
among other grounds, that their ancestors had sought refuge in
that Colony from Puritanical persecutors. The hest answer that'
could be given to the allegations of these petitioners, was to
read part of the evidence given some years ago before a Com-
thittee of the Privy Council by Gentlemen from. this very. Co-
lony, in proof of the improvement which the Moravian. and
other Missions had. effected in the character and habits of the slave
population. .
Mr. WARE admitted that exaggeration had been einployed by
the advocates of both aides of this question. The proprietors el
West India property had just cause of alarm and complaint from
the unreasonable language' held in this • country.. 'What, for in-
stance, could he thought of some passages in a recent
.pamphlet
of Mr. Stephens, who deoounced the owners of West India
property 113 a class, and described them as men unfit for a seat its
Parliament? What could be thought of his moderation and can-
dour, when on addressing theElectwas of Great Britain, he ap-
waled to their feelingi for the Greeks, and their detestation Of
Ferdinand of Spain, and told them that the oppression Crolored•bY
the Greeks was nothing in comparison with that inflicted upon
the slaVea in the West- Indies, and the tyrants, far more odious
than Ferdinand, were Supported by British bayonets on their petty
plantation thrones? This language could haVe no other effect
than to retard Whatever could benefit the *lave, and towards the
Colonists it was. unjust, illiberal, and unhandsome.
Dr. LusniNgTag could not shut his mouth upon this sub-
ject when he heard parties with whom, he was proud to say,
he had- acted in concert thus attacked. If exaggeration bad been
indulged, and excitement produced, to whom were they to be as-
' cribed? He'was of opinion that little exaggeration could be im-
puted so the society of which he was a member. Documents had,
recentle,arriVed, which chewed that their statements fell short of
the naked' facts. The Honourable-Member had produced one
short passage from it work of 100 pages, without making any al-
lowance for the provocation its learned and excellent author had
received, against whom a torrent of libels had been published in.,
the \Vest Indies.

Mr. BERNAL asserted that the grnscest exaggerations had been
disseminated. He instanced the branding of Negroes, which prac-
tice had been said to prevail in Jamaica. This he pronounced to
be an unfounded calumny. Was it not also a calumny to assert
that the law passed by the Jamaica House of Assembly to prevent
arrests on Sundays, had been framed with a view to the benefit of
the masters and not of the slaves. He averred that this measure
had been adopted particularly op account of the slaves, to whom
the Sunday market was important. , The work of accusation was
much easier than diet of defence.

A Memnsit, whose name we could not learn, intimated that he
was himself connected with the West India Colonies, and said that
the Hon. Member who was about to bring up the Petition had
precisely defined his feelings, and he believed the gevral 'feelings of
the whole West India interest. They wished for nothing so anxi-
ously DA to know what was required of them:
Mr. MANNING, in a speech the greater part of which was
inaudible in the Gallery, complained of the tricks and artifices re-
sorted to for the purpose of getting up pail-ions. One of the exag-
gerations employed with thatview was the arsertion,that the 800,000
ahem in the West Indies were kept in the lowan state of misery
and degradation. He would appeal to. the Ilan. Secretary of State
if this was 'an accurate representation.
Mr. SYKES produced a Jamaica Gazette, to prove the prac-
tice of branding, and read three yr four advenieements for the sale
of slaves, all of whom were described by their marks. He referred
to the notice which had been taken of a pamphlet written by a
man who was equally entitled to respect fur his talents and his vir-
tues. He thought it uofiiir to select a particular passage from a
work of that description, but did not regret that the pamphlet had
been mentioned; if Hon. .Members should be induced to read it,
a great advantage would be gained.
Mr. Secretary CANNING had advised his Hon. Friend, the
Under Secretary of State, not to reply to the appeal which had
been made to %him. Nothing could be more inconvenient than
for Ministers to be called upon to attest or contradict facts al-
leged in Petitions to that House. -
Mr. T. WILSON deprecated the manner of getting up pe.
titions. That from the metropolis signed by 80,000, had lain at
London, and at the doors or windows .of
itihifreeserensht:phie q: allpi over'
e had been placed, representing negroes in
chains. This he thought
,most disgraceful. Penns of petitions
bad been issued, and the clergymen and other individuals Jailed
upon to assist is procuring signatures. If Ministers wanted the
support of such petitions, or were to be in any degree swayed
by them, they would be unworthy to hold their situations.
Some rtitions had been got up, praying for an alteration of the
sugar duties, on the 'ground that the duty on West. India sugar
was smaller than on sugar from the Havannah. This was a bad
argument even. upon the principle of the petitioners, for a the
West Indira bad not done all that might be wished, the Ha-
vantudi had done nothing. The Slave Trade had at least been
abolished as it respected the West Indies, but it was still carried

PRICE SIX UNPENCE.

on in the Havannah. By an equalization of the dutift the West
Indies would be ruined. The conduct of the Anti-Slavery So-
ciety had been such as ought to put, the house upon its gtard.
Some of the petitioners affected liberality and talked of indemnity.
But their liberality was to do the misehief first, and adjust tier.
indemnity afterwards. Ile thought it would be right on'the part
of Ministers to inquire into the state of St. DotninO, in order to
see if the black pophiation there was happier under the system of
free labour, or if in fact, the cultivation of auger Was effectually
carried on under 'hat System.
Mr. EVANS said, that the Hon. Member who spoke last,
had misapprehended the nbjeet of gorse of the Petitioners. They
insisted, that if any favour was shown in respect to duty, it ought
to be to the sugar produced by free labour, rather then as at pre-
sent, to thatprodneed by !lave labour.
Mr. W. SMITH was conOinced that his lion. Friend, and
those Gentlemen on this side of the water, who thought with
him, were in total ignorance of what was passing on the other
side. His Hon. Friend had said that the branding was an old
story. Now he held in his hand the Supplement to the Jamaica
Gazette, in which a great thrniber of advertisements appeared,
describing Creole Negroes as marked with ,carious initiu4s antf.
signs. Now, if he was in the situation a the pergolas who pu!',-
fished there advertisements, he would rather lose lda Creole negro'
than offend the eyes, and ears, and feeling r of Great Britain in sues
M manner.

Mr. I3ERNAL said, that. be had silted the practice of tuarkiv
to be generally out of use. Undoubtedly there might be VASet of
runaway *levee, who were a disgrace to the estates to which they
belonged, being branded. But he repeated hia denial that the
practice of getierrd branding W. 13 iu existence.

Mr. It. said, that the branding of negioes WM by law
punishable as cruelty ; toad if he had expected the discussion of
this subject, he would have pointed out a cast• in which a person
had b.en so puhished.
'fire Petition was then ordered to be printed. •!

Mr. BUTTERWORTH presented a Petition froM tholuhabit-
ants of Dover, expressing their satisfaction at the Measure' taken
by the House for ameliorating the condition of Slaves, and pray-
ing for the Abolition of Slavery. The Hon. Member stated that,
from his knowledge, the planters and owners of alarks in the West
Indies had dune much to ameliorate the condition of the negro•po-
pulation. Also .five similar Petitions from Bow, Amesbury, and
other places—Ordered to he printed.