The Sun.
London, England, 1845-06-12 00:00:00

NEW SLAVE-TRADE CON-
VENTION.

ought also to prevail between the officers of the two
squadrons, of every rank and order. The commander
of the English station will receive the same injunction
in this respect ; and it will on either side apply not or ly
to those cases of co-operation which are explicitly sti-
pulated by the treaty, but also to every circumstance
which may admit of the interchange of mutual civilities,
and the reciprocation of moral and physical co-operation
between the ships, the officers, and the crews of the two
squadrons. The duty of all persons on board the cruisers
of the two nations, while upholding t'heir mutual inde-
pendence, will therefore be constantly to aid each other
in the execution of their respective orders, and to com-
municate to each other every information which may
tend to further the measures adopted, in all that relates
to the suppression of the slave trade.
With regard to merchant vessels and cruisers bearing
the flag of other nations whose Governments have suc-
cessively concluded with France conventions founded
upon the principle of the right of search, and conform-
able to the treaties of 1831 and 1833, no change has
taken place in the state of things regulated by those
Acts ; and you will have to carry into execution, with
regard to them, the general instructions already issued
by my department. I need only here remind you that
those countries are Sardinia, Tuscany, the Two Sicilies,
Sweden, Denmark, and the Hans Towns. It now be-
comes my duty to call your attention to article 6 of the
new convention.

LITERATURE.
7'HE WESTIIIINS7'ER REVIEW.

The follouing are the annexes to the new slave-trade
conventi,:n between England and France, which was laid
on the table of the HotFe of Commons on Monday even-
in,n, The treaty has already appeared in The Sun—

The present number possesses greater variety than is
usually di,played in this Review, which devotes so much
space and labour to subjects of political economy, awl,
in our opinion, far too little to literature and the elegant
arts. It is therefore much more attractive to general
readers, and more adapted also to the principal objects of
its conductors—the dissemination of true principles of go-
vernment amongst the greatest number. Mankind re-
quire to be led on—to be beguiled, as it were, into such
studies ; and this can be more effectually accomplished
by famishing an agreeable book of instruction and
amusement, occasionally intermixing light articles with
others of a more serious and forbidding cast. We have
here not fewer than three or four of the former deserip-
tion—" Old and New London," " The Iliad of Homer,"
" Life of Voltaire," and Mrs. Norton's new poem,
The Child of the Islands." To Homer, however,
scarcely fair justice is done. The writer seems too much
occupied in minute criticisms, in detecting faults in
translations, and in other labours more congenial to the
spirit of a German scholiast, than a lively and classical
reviewer. At the same time, we must admit, his views
in general are very correct ; he blames with truth the
tedious and expletive paraphrases of Pope, which have
no foundation in the original, and gives due praise to a
new translation by the s.m of the Vice Chancellor of
England. The following description, by the writer, of
what a translation should be, we recommend to the at-
tention of those engaged in one of the most difficult of
classical labours :

ANNEX REFERRED TO IN ARTICLE VIII. OF THE CONVEN-
TION BETWEEN GREAT BRITAIN AND FRANCE FOR THE
SUPPRESSION OF THE AFRICAN SLAVE TRADE, SIGNED
AT LONDON, MAY 29, 1845.
Irritrue;ions for the senior officer of her Majesty's

ships and vessels on the west coast of Africa, with ze-
spect to the convention with France, signed at Loudon,
May 29, 1845.
By the Commissioners for executing the office of Lord
High Admiral of the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, &c.

We transmit to you herewith a copy of a convention
between her Majesty and the King of the French, dated
May 29, 1845, by which it is stipulated that the con-
tracting parties shall each maintain on the west coast of
Africa a naval force of not less than twenty-six vessels,
to be employed for the prevention of the slave-trade, by
closely watching all the parts of the west coast where the
slave-trade ix carried on from Cape Verd to 16 deg. 30
min. south latitude, and by exercising all the powers
vested in the Crowns of France and Great Britain fur
such purpose ; and we desire that you will take every
opportunity, and use your utmost efforts to effeet the
objects of this convention.
You are to take the earliest opportunity of putting
yourself in communication with the senior officer of the
French squadron, for the purpose of co operating with
him in the execution of this convention, and of concert-
ing with him as to the best means of closely watching
the parts of the African coast before described, by select-
ing and defining the stations to be established, and by
taking the charge thereof, either conjointly with the
French cruisers, or separately with the force under your
command, or by leaving the same to the French naval
force, as may be deemed most expedient.
You will understand, however, that in the cave of a sta-
tion being especially committed to the charge of cruisers
of either nation, the cruisers of the other nation may at
any time enter the same for the purpose of exercising
the rights respectively belonging to them for the sup-
pression of the slave trade.
You will, in concert with the commanderof the French
squadron, determine with what native princes and chiefs
it may be necessary to negotiate treaties for the suppres-
sion of the slave trade. And you are authorised to ne-
gotiate such treaties, either personally, or by an officer
specially instructed for such purpose ; such treaties to
be framed in accordance with the draught of engage-
ment forming appendix to Section VII. of the instruc-
tions issued on the 12th of June, 1844, to her Majesty's
naval officers employed in the suppression of the slave
trade.
Whenever it may be necessary to employ force to
compel the due execution of any treaty contracted with
any native chief, in virtue of this convention, and to
which both her Majesty and the King of the French
are parties, you will concert with the commander of the
French squadron as to the employment of force for such
purpose, and arrange, in concert with 1113, to act con-
jointly with the French force, or separately, as may
be deemed most advisable ; but, with respect to these
conjoint treaties, you will not employ force without the
consent of the commander of the French squadron.
It will be the duty of yourself and of the commanding
officers of her Majesty's ships under your orders, upon
all occasions, to communicate to the officers of the French
squadron any information which may be of service in
detecting the frauds of the slave traders, and especially
to give notice of any vessel supposed to belong to France,
and suspected of being engaged in the slave trade,
which may be met with or heard of in the course of a
cruise; and you will give directions to the officers un-
der your orders to pay strict attention to this duty.
With respect to the visit, search, and detention
of vessels belonging to nations between whom and
Great Britain there are existing treaties relating
thereto, and for the suppression of the slave
trade, and also with respect to vessels not entitled to
claim the flag of any nation, you will be guided by the
instructions founded upon the Statute passed in the se-
cond and third year of her Majesty Queen Victoria,
chapter 73, and upon the treaties in force with foreign
States, and the Acts of Parliament made in furtherance
thereof, which have been delivered to you for your go-
vernmmt ; the present instructions in no respect inter-
fering therewith.
You are not to capture, visit, or in any way interfere
with vessels of France ; and you will give strict instruc-
tions to the commanding officers of cruisers under your
orders to abstain therefrom. At the same time, you
will remember that the King of the French is far from
claiming that the flag of France should give immunity
to those who have no right to bear it ; and that Great
Britain will not allow vessels of other nations to escape
visit and examination by merely hoisting a French flag,
or the flag of any other nation with which Great Britain
has not, by existing treaty, the right of search. Accord-
ingly, when from intelligence which the officer com-
manding her Majesty's cruiser may have received, or
from the manceuvres of the vessel, or other sufficient
cause, he may have reason to believe that the vessel does
not belong to the nation indicated by her colours, he is,
if the state of the weather will admit of it, to go ahead
of the suspected vessel, after communicating his inten-
tion by hailing, and to drop a boat on board of her
to ascertain her nationality, without causing her deten-
tion, in the event of her really proving to be a vessel of
the nation the colours of which she had displayed, and
therefore one which he is not authorised to search; but
should the strength of the wind, or other circumstance,
render such mode of visiting the stranger impracticable,
he is to require the suspected vessel to be brought to, in
order that her nationality may be ascertained; and he
will be justified in enforcing it, if necessary—under-
standing always, that he is not to resort to any coercive
measure until every other shall have failed; and the
officer who boards the stranger is to be instructed
merely in the first instance to satisfy himself by the
vessel's papers, or other proof, of her nationality; and
if she prove really to be a vessel of the nation desig-
nated by her colours, and one which he is not authorised
to search, he is to lose no time in quitting her, offering
to note on the papers of the vessel the cause of his hav-
ing suspected her nationality, as well as the number of
minutes the vessel was detained (if detained at all) for
the object in question ; such notation to be signed by
the boarding officer, specifying his rank and the name
of her Majesty's cruiser; and whether the commander
of the visited vessel consents to such notation on the
vessel's papers or not (and it is not to be done without
his consent) ; all the said particulars are to be immedi-
ately inserted in the log-book of her Majesty's cruiser ;
and a full and complete statement of the circumstances
is to be sent, addressed to the Secretary of the Ad-
miralty, by the first opportunity, direct to England; and
also, a similar statement to you, as senior officer on the
station, to be forwarded by you to our Secretary, ac-

That article calls attention to a fact well known to all
the officers who have been employed during the last 30
years in the suppression of the slave trade.
All the vessels which engage in that traffic are fur-
nished with arms, such as swords, guns, pistols, and some
even have on board small cannons or swivels. This pre-
caution is indispensable to them, if it were merely for
maintaining in obedience with a small crew several hun-
dreds of negroes violently carried off from their families
and native land.

" A translation is, or ought to be, as much a resemblance of
the thoughts and style of a writer, as a portrait of his features.
It is not enough to know his height, age, and form,—we must
have his air, complexion, and countenance. There is abun-
dance of gold and silver in the world, it is the head on the
medal that gives it its value. The thoughts of the ancients
have occurred, and will occur to thousands ; we must have
more—we must have the expression in its sharpness of finish,
and boldness of outline ; we must have the words that burn, not
perhaps with all the brilliant glow they possessed, as they flew
off from the anvil of the master, but at least with that portion
of heat which may be preserved in a translation. What men
want is not Pope's or Dryden's poetry, but Homer's or Virgil's.
It is of that they are ignorant, and it is that consequently they
want to know. If, instead, we are presented with a beautiful
poem, we accept it with pleasure and gratitude—but we still
look for our original object. Cromwell, with characteristic
force of mind, said to Lely, If you don't paint every wart on
my face, I wouldn't give a farthing for your picture.' "
But by far the most interesting article in the number
is that on Voltaire, founded on a review of Livi s of
Men of Letters, &c., by Lord Brougham. Full justice
is done both to the illustrious Frenchman, and to his
noble biographer. Every reader has heard of the phi-
losopher of Ferney, of his wit and sarcasm, and poetry
and history, and almost every accomplishment which
befals a great mind, with, we admit, one important
exception, but taking the extracts from Lord Brougham's
work, and the additional information furnished by the
reviewer into account, we have never read any life
which places in such a strong light the versa-
tile powers, the high genius, and the great abilities of
this distinguished writer. His avowed infidelity is
justly and strongly condemned, while allowances
are at the same time made for the weak-
nesses of human nature, and the provocation
which Voltaire had received from a Church and a State
vying with each other in vices which cast such a stigma
on France during the middle of the eighteenth century,
and paved the way for the great revolution. We give
the subjoined extract as a fair specimen of the ability
with which the reviewer has accomplished his work :
" His life was one long strife with what he deemed error ;
to the end of exposing falsehood, he early determined to dedi-
cate all the energies and faculties of his extraordinary genius :
endowed with a pungent and brilliant wit in a measure far
surpassing that which is allotted even to the most distinguished
among men, he naturally employed this his most formidable
weapon of offence against that which he unfortunately be-
lieved to be the great master-error of his time. In so doing,
he unwisely and unfairly wounded the pious feelings of the
whole Christian world, and however great was the immediate
effect of his assaults, has by the very outrage thus committed
upon existing religious opinions, very materially diminished the
extent and the permanence of his influence upon the opinions
of mankind.

But it frequently happens that the commanders and
crews of slave vessels make use of their arms for another
and no less criminal purpose, by committing acts of de-
predation and robbery, either upon one another, or upon
the inhabitants of the coast, or the Europeans who resort
to it. This is proved by the instructions given to your
predecessors, and especially by those given by the Go-
vernor of Senegal, on the 15th of July, 1841, to the
officers employed on the African station.
It is also a well-known fact, that almost all slave ves-
sels have on board double sets of papers, papers appa-
rently issued by several Government,—false muster-
rolls, which enable them to assume the appearance of
belonging to one nation or to another, as they may find
occasion.

It is generally at St. Thomas and in the Island of Cuba
that these false papers are fabricated, and they contain
couuti-rfeits of the printed forms and autograph signa-
tures of the different authorities of each maritime nation,
more or less skilfully executed.
You are acquainted with the provisions of the law of
the 12th of April, 1825, against piracy. You know that
this law considers as pirates, not only the crew of armed
vessels who commit acts of depredation, but also those
who sail without ships' papers, or either with papers
which are not sufficient to prove the regularity of their
voyage, or with commissions issued by several different
powers or states—the word commission being here un-
derstood not only of letters of marque in time of war,
but of papers delivered to merchant vessels in time
of peace.*
In so doing, the law of 1825 has only restated and
confirmed the principles already received, the doctrine
which forms the foundaion of our maritime legis-
lation, of the ordinance of 1554, the ordinance of
1681, recognized as an authority all over Europe,t that
of 1718, and of the decree of the Second Prairial, year
11. ; and these principles have always been applied by
our tribunals as well to French vessels as to foreign
vessels, without having given rise to any complaint.
You know, likewise, that in case of suspicion of piracy
the law of nations, recognised by all civilized nations,
authorizes any ship of war, to whatever Power she may
belong, to detain the suspected vessel, whatever may be
the flag that she bears ; under condition of delivering
her over to the jurisdiction which has the right of de-
ciding upon the validity of the capture and the prosecu-
tion of the crime.

" There is, however, much that may be adduced in extenua-
tion of the conduct of Voltaire. It behoves us not to judge of
him by the circumstances which now surround us, and which,
in so far as they are more happy than than thuse which ex-
isted in his day, may truly be said to be greatly the result of
his indefatigable exertions in the cause of tolerance and free-
dom. To estimate fairly the course pursued by him, we must
place ourselves in the same position ; must form a vivid, as
well as an accurate picture of the baneful influences of the
religion of his people, and of the many dreadful corruptions
which rendered the Catholic Church of his time one of the
most active and effective instruments of evil that ever hung
like a curve over the destinies of mankind. Let us once pie,
ture to ourselves the extent and potency of the bigotry and
intolerance which then afflicted Europe, and we shall cease to
wonder at the zeal and steadiness with which Voltaire pursued
the pernicious superstition of his countrymen ; we shall find
ourselves unwilling to rebuke the wit which covered with ever-
lasting ridicule the miserable pretences of piety and virtue
which led to the revocation of the edict of Nantes, and all the
many horrors with which that atrocious result of doting im-
becility was attended. We shall learn to honour the courage,
and wonder at the skill and perseverance which rescued the un-
fortunate family of Calas from the pions fury of the intolerant
and bigoted magistrates of Toulouse. We shall involuntarily
begin to esteem the intrepid defender of Sirven, and to believe
that he who boldly stood between the ferocious assassins of the
unfortunate La Barre, and their remaining victims, has many
claims upon our love and gratitude, and that his large and
generous charity would cover a greater multitude of sins than
truth can fairly lay at the door of Voltaire. Living as we now
live, safe from the assaults of any such barbarous fanaticism
we are by our very safety rendered almost incapable'
of properly appreciating the worth of him who, in an age of
such terrible and ferecious bigotry, could raise his voice firmly
and loudly in defence of outraged humanity. The people of
Paris, however, could and did understand the value of the great
deeds of which we are speaking. Who is it they are follow-
ing,' said a stranger at Paris, in the year 1793, to a poor
woman—' Who is that old man the people are crowding after?'
The poor woman knew him not as the great dramatist or tl.e
great poet. She hai never read Zaire,' never heard of the
Henriade ;' neither could she tell the inquiring stranger that
the patriarch of toleration was tLere—the great philosopher,
the greater historian. But she answered, ' Do you not know ?
it is the saviour of the family ef Calas.' Il sut cette r6ponse,'
says Condorcet, et au milieu de toutes les marques d'admira-
tion qui lui furent prodiguies, ce fut ce qui le toucha le plus.' "

Whenever, therefore, a vessel shall be pointed out to
you as suspected of acts which our Legislation considers
as piracy, according to the law of nations (in contradis-
tinction to those which our law merely assimilates to
piracy, and which are such only according to our
national law), you are authorized to detain the vessel, in
order to ascertain whether the suspicion is well-founded.
As the exercise of this right may nevertheless give
occasion to abuses, if not restrained within proper limits,
by the good feeling and discretion of the officers who are
invested with it, you will not forget that in such case the
causes of suspicion ought to be real and grave ; that the
verification of the national character of vessels and of
the regularity of their papers, if necessary to be resorte
to, should be limited to the measures strictly requisite
for accomplishing that object ; and with a display of
force and proceedings not justified by the circumstances,
would be on your part a reprehensible act, and would
give rise to well-founded complaint.
The law of the 12th April, 1825, does not view as an
act of piracy the mere fact of a vessel's hoisting a flag
which she is not entitled to bear ; it is nevertheless an
act contrary to the law of nations—a fraudulent act,
which, if tolerated, would render it impossible to exer-
cise any police on the sea, or any observation of mer-
chant vessels by ships of war, even such as it is the duty
of a cruiser to exercise over vessels of her own nation.
If, in order to enable a French vessel laden with slaves
to escape your vigilance, it were only necessary that she
should hoist the flag of another nation; if this fact alone
were to render her inviolable, even when you were cer-
tain of her being French—that she was carrying on the
slave-trade, and that the flag which she bore was
usurped—every cruising 'station would become useless ;
you could neither repress prohibited, nor protect lawful,
commerce.

Whenever, therefore, you may have reason to suspect
any fraud of this nature, you are at liberty to verify
the national character of the suspected vessel. If your
suspicions should turn out to be well founded, if the
suspected vessel prove to be either French, or one sub-
ject to your observation in virtue of treaties actually in
force, and if such vessel be actually engaged in the slave
trade, you will not hesitate to detain her. No nation
can be entitled to claim for its flag the right of protect-
ing crime, and of withdrawing criminals of other na-
tions from the punishment which is their due. If, on
the contrary, your suspicions should be groundless, if
the suspected vessel belongs bond fide to the nation whose
flag she bears, you will not hesitate to release herim-
mediately ; giving, however, notice of the fact to those
cruisers who have the right to detain her.
In these operations you will never lose sight of the
fact, that you are acting at your own riskand peril ;
and that if, through any act of yours, the suspected
vessel should sustain any damages, she will be intitled to
indemnification. In dealing with her, therefore, you
cannot act with too much circumspection.
Signed by the Minister of Marine.

companied by any remarks you may have reason to make
thereon.
The commanding officers of her Majesty's vessels must
be it- in mind that the duty of executing the instruction
immediately preceding must be discharged with great
care an l circumspection. F. if any injury be occa-
sioneil by exlminatio:i without sufficient cause. or by the
examination being improperly conducted, compensation
must be made to the party aggrieved ; and the officer
who may cause an examination to be made without suf-
ficient cause, or who may conduct it improperly, will
incur the displeasure of her Majesty's Government.
Of course, in cases when the suspicion of the com-
mander turns out to be well founded, and the vessel
boarded proves, notwithstanding her colours, not to be-
long to the nation designated by those colours, the com-
mander of her Majesty's cruiser will deal with her as he
would have been authorised and required to do had she
not hoisted a false flag.
Given under our hands, &c.

" Report to the Chamber of Peers upon the Law of the
12th of April, 1825, by the Baron Portal. (" Moniteur" of
1825, vol. 1, p. 199.)
+ Speech of the Keeper of the Seals. Speech of M. Par•
dessus. (Session of the Chamber of Deputies, April 25, 1825.)

ANNEX REFERRED TO IN ARTICLE VIII. OF THE CON-
VENTION BETWEEN GREAT BRITAIN AND FRANCE FOR
THE SUPPRESSION OF THE AFRICAN SLAVE TRADE,
SIGNED AT LONDON THE 29TH DAY OF MAY, 1845.
(Translation.)
Monsieur le Commandant,—A convention concluded
on the 29th of May, 1845, between his Majesty the King
of the French and her Majesty the Queen of Great
Britain, a copy of which is hereto annexed, regulates
upon a new basis the vigilance and repression which the
two countries have engaged to exercise in concert with
regard to ;he slave trade. The two Governments being
perfectly unanimous as to the object to be pursued, and
firmly resolved to obtain by the promptest means the ex-
tinction of this criminal traffic, have recognised the ne-
cessity of adopting m• asuros entirely distinct from those
laid down in tha treaties of 1831 and 1833.
In the execution of this new treaty, the African sta-
tion will have to take the most active and important
pert. It will, therefore, be your daty to make yourself
fully master of the spirit of this document, and of the
meaning of each of its stipulations. You will never forget
that your chief obligation, as commander of this station,
is to secure to this convention every result which the two
contracting Powers have a right to expect from it.
The basis of those arrangements—the principle of the
work to be carried out in common on the part of France
and England—consists in a complete and continued ac-
cord bet -seen that of the French squadron and that of Great
Britain. Immediately on your arrival upon the coast of
Africa you will place yourself in communication with the
officer commanding the English forces, in order to esta-
blish fro:n the very beginning that concert which ought
to govern the whole and every part of your operation.
You will examine in common, pith a view to the ar-
rangeMent of the service, those points of the cc ast which
are already known to be the seats of the traffic, and
which are to be closely watched by the two squadrons ;
you will make arrangements for being subsequently in-
rormed of, and f,r watching, as may be necessary. those
places also to which the traffic might be removed ; and
you will then make a distributien of the cruisers placed
under your command on all those parts of the coast to
which the system of co-operation should be applied,
either simultaneously or separately.
You will devote particular attention to the means to
be employed in order to obtain the relinquishment of the
slave-trade on the parts of the kings or chiefs of the
tii-es which inhabit the coast. Some of them have
already been induced to abandon it; others appear dis-
p sed to take the same course; the larger number have
still to be persuaded to it by means of negotiations and
promises of indemnification. To keep the former to
the observance of their engagements—to reduce as much
as possible, by means of treaties freely negotiated, the
number of those who still serve as auxiliaries or asso-
ciates of the slave trade,—such are the results which, in
this respect, it is proposed to attain by the system of
eu-operation. Unity of intention and action for this
purpose is an essential point to be arranged between the
commanders of the two squadrons. I therefore recom-
mend you t') consult with the commander of the British
squadron, in order to •letermine the measures which each
of you should undertake, with a view to secure the
success of this important part of the convention.
The concert which will be established between you

TAR S ITN, LONDON, THURSDAY
_MORNING, JUNE 12, 1845.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.
HOUSE OF COMMONS, Juue 11.

The SPEAKER took the Chair at Four o'clock.
NEWCASTLE AND DARLINGTON RAILWAY.

on the order of the day for the report on the Newcastle and
Darlington (Brandling Branch) Railway being read,
,51r. LIDDELL moved that the Bill be recommitted.

Mr. H. HINDE opposed the motion, which was negatived
without a division, and the report was agreed to.
NEWCASTLE AND BERWICK RAILWAY.

On the motion for the third reading of the Newcastle and
Berwick Railway Bill,

Mr. H. HINDE moved that the Directors appointed by
the Duke of Northumberland shall be shareholders in the
company ; and that the standing order requiring such amend-
ment to be referred to the Standing Order Committee, be sus-
pended.
The amendment was agreed to, and the Bill was read a
third time and passed.
MANCHESTER AND BIRMINGHAM RAILWAY.
The report on the Manchester and Birmingham Railway
(Ashton Branch) was agreed to.
ASHTON, LIVERPOOL, AND STALEYBRIDGE