The Sun.
London, England, 1810-03-13 00:00:00

SLAVE TRADE.

Lord HOLLAND rose, pursuant to notice, to re-
call the attention of their Lordships to the Address
adopted by that. House,. and' the detision they had
Come to in 1806, respecting the Abolition of the
Slave Trade. In that Address his Majesty was re-
quested to instruct the Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs to take measures, in conjun&ion with other
Foreign States, for the generalabolition of that inhu-
man and odious trade. A period of more than three-
years had since elapsed, but scarcely any thing has
"during 'that time been heard of what progress was
making-towards the accomplishment of that desir-
able end. This was a subject which . should not,he.
alldwed to sleep. Sweden, at the time that the Ad-
dress was moved, had but narrow means of carrying
on that trade. They had since, however, consider-
ably increased. With Spain and Portugal, our in
fluence at the present moment should naturally be
great, and therefore it should be taken advantage of
to accelerate the attainment of an object which we
solemnly professed to have so much at helm More,
however, could be done to that effect with the
United States of America, than_ with any other
Power, and he trusted the opportunity' of the present
negociations for touching on that subject would, not
be negleeled. It should be made the reciprocal ob-
jed and material interest of those two Governments.
We should declare to America that we would put
in force all -the penalties enaded against that trade,
and that we-should con4..scate.every ship discovered.
to be employed in it. America should be brought to
adopt, and aet upon, the same regulation, and in
the execution of it, • the two Governments .should
lend each other their mutual sepport. For if, -as he
trusted, the Slave Trade lee: been proved to be con-
trary to j ust ice and humanity, then it must be contrary
to the Law of Nations. But surely there never
was a moment when the Law of Nations ought
more vigilantly, to be attended to, and more strictly
observed, than the present. It was upon the.violation
or the observance of that law, that every thing seemed
now to turn. What would be thought Of this country,
in what light, would the decision- of the British Legis-
lature be considered, if, after, having adopted mea-
sures so 'serious and solemn for the'abolitiran Of the
Slave Trade, we should afterwards seem to forget
that- we had ever entered into those grave resolu-
tions ? The object of his present motion was .to pre-
vent such asupposition, and to ascertain what steps
had been taken, by his Majesty's Government for
carrying the object of the Address of that House
into execution. His Lordship concluded with mov-.
ing an humble Address to his Majesty, praying that
there be laid before the - House copies or ex-,
tracts of several representations, and the answers
thereto,- which had been made to the Ministers Of
different Foreign Statesirespecting the Abelition.of
the Slave Trade. -

The Earl of LIVERPOOL' was reedy to confess that
the Address presented to his Majesty on this sub-
ject
.was very forcible
.and solemn, and that un-
doubtedly. it ought most seriously to be attended to;
he should therefore offer no objections to the Address
moved by the Noble Lord.

Lord HOLLAND'S motion was therefore agreed to.
without any opposition.

FOREIGN EXPEDITIONS.

.Lord DARNLEY rose to make his promised Mo-
tion respe&ing the sending abroad of men of, the
regular force of the kingdom. His Lordship began
by taking a retrospective view of the present Admi-
nistration, of the coati& of the men who have
been in power in this country since the fatal battle
of Austerlitz. Then ended, in his opinion, all
hopes of the restoration of the independence of Eu-
rope. Yet, by a blind fatality, the. Government of
this country continued to
.embark in wild enter-
prises for the accomplishment of an objeal which
had so long become hopeless. Accordingly tilt!),
failed in all their Expeditions; or if they succeeded
in one (the Expedition against Copenhagen), the
success was overbalanced by the disgrace of the
achievement. It might be said of the tenor and
character of their Expeditions, that they were

" Monstrurn nulla virtute redempturn avitus."
They crowned all t hese heroic Expeditions by the
last, that to Walcheren, of which he should now
take but little notice, trusting that the condo& of
those who framed and executed that Expedition
would be brought before their Lordships in.a more
solemn manner. He could not, however, but ob-
serve, that of the whole of the military .force em-
ployed in that Expedition, not one half remained fit
for service.. This would appear from the late re-
turns. Yet it was, after the fruitless sacrifice of so
many brave men, after the wild and unavailing pro-
fusibn of so much blood and treasure, that Ministers

[PRICE SIXPENCE HALPPENgr.

were.nbw preparingato drain the ;country of t? e
small regular force that yet remained for its delete .
He was sort), our gallant army had not a more et 'e
, advocate-than he pretended to be; hut seeing- t' e
cOnduEt of Ministers in the light in which Ire
he could not but conjure that House to interpose,
and rescue the remains' of our. brave army from tl e
sacrifice to which the folly an I intatnatiee of M
nisters were pressing tri doom them.' The report of
.their intention to send on foreign service all the re-
maining regular British troops in the kingderes --s
too general not to have some foundation. How far
it was founded in
~.fad he wished to be explained.
1e wished, moreover, to ascertain what were our
remaining resources for the internal defence of the,
-country ? It might be objected to his motion that it
would be conveying improper information to the
enemy. He did not believe it would afford the
enemy more informaticei than he was already in
Possession of. He believed, indeed, the enemy
knew full as much as Ministers of the internal.sitUae
lion of the country,, and that perhaps would 1: ct •be
knowing much. For
.afer the gross and shameful
ignorance of which they have been convi&ed in the
framing oltheir expeditions, it was not easy to ima-
. gine they could be in possession of any correct infora
mation. The country should not: be kept in the
dark, when its most vital interests were at stake.
He should therefore move an humble Address to
his Majesty, praying .he would be graaiotesly pleased
to give diretitions that there be laid beforethar House.
a return of the amount of the regular military fori.e
now in these kingdom's. •
Lord MouNT36y- expressed his surprjse at the
Wide range .whiCh the speech of the Nohte Lord Rita
taken. He had gone hick to what hail happened
' previous to. the death of that immortal, Statesnia
(Mr. Pitt), and to what took place subsecoetit
that melancholy event. It surely was not surpciss
ing, that the loss of such a man' should have un-
hinged any Administration. His 'colleagues had
felt the weight of that loss, and not knowing how
to repair it,. yielded their places under that dejec-
tion. He would not now canvass the tmasures of
-their successors; or make any invidious comparison
between their conduct and that of his Majesty's pre-
sent Ministers. Perhaps the less that conduct was
inquired into the better it would be for the Nchie
Lords on the other side of the House: Butte
would not agree with ihe Noble Lord thit"'Phelivk s
of our soldiers had in any -of the Expeditions alluded
to, been sacrificed in vain. Had they not afforded
the opportunity of proving to the world, and of ie.
viving the glory of the intrepid valour, the ardent
: spirit, and the steady discipline of British troops.?
Was not that in itself a most brilliant and important
result ? Neither could he agree witla the Noble
L6rd. that our'loss
.had been so great in the Scheldt
expedition as bad been represented, orthat theconii-
try would be left so bare of men as the Noble Lord
seemed to insinuate. According to the Medical Re-
' ..port, must of. the men who had returned sick from,
Walcheren, would be able to resume actual service
by the months of May and June. They would coo--
sequently be in a condition to supply theplace of
these troops which it might be the intention of Go-
vernment to send abroad There were objeols of
high interest at stake—undoubtedly no opportunity
should be omitted of assisting and encouraging the
Spaniards and. Portuguese, whenever they made a
stand, and• seemed resolved to resist the common
enemy. If the troops-were destined for the defenc e
of Cadiz, where'could it be more desirable to ems
ploy them. than in the last hold of Spanish indepen-
dence, than in a spot where the loyal Spaniards
may have deposited their remaining treasure, and
which, in cak: of an unavailing defence, we may
aid them in rescuing from the gripe of a raps-
cious enemy ? He saw no possible- danger .ahat
could arise from sending- this force abroadesiwhile
it would be adinga in "conformity with *the pledge
We had given to Spain, and in unison with the spirit
which first prompted this country to espouse the
cause of the Spanish patriots. In that view he
would give his vote against the motion of the Noble
. Lora,
The Marquis of .Dowsrsurae supported the mo-
, lion in a maiden speecha He particularly objedeci
to drawing mere men from Ireland. He believed
that at the present moment there were not in that
part of the empire more than three or four thousatei
regular troops: Was that a sufficient force to se-
cure it against any sudden incursion that might be
made into thdt Country) Those among their Lord-
ships whO, like himself,were interested the tate
Of Ireland, should seriously attend to that cireurn-
• stance. Why were not_men of the German troops
employed on foreign expeditions ; was it that they
could not be trusted , and that more reliance was.
placed in the steadiness and fidelity of the British
troops ? Whatever was the reason, it was galling.
to the feelings of the country, to see their brave
countrymen taken from the defence of their native
soil, perhaps to be uselessly sacrificed in the suppoi
of.a foreign cause. He must again entreat their •
Lordships_ to look to the state of Ireland, and they
'would then see theitnpolicy of sending more tt eeps
abroad. , • -
On the question beingput,
LOrd DARNLEY' complained that none of his
Majesty's Ministers had taken any notice of the
arguments which he had used iu support• of the
motion.
Lord HARROWBY thoughtn the; objeaions which-
the Noble Lord Lad hiinself anticipated to his mo-
tion were quite of, force enough toincluce him to
oppose it. He suaeryssateld not seriously ihsink of
having such information es the motionedlied fo Lid
before the public under the present.. circumstances
of the country.
The question was then put on Lord Darnley's
motion, and negatived without, a division.
IRISH CATHOLICS'. --
Lord Doemoolimena presented a petition from
the body of the Roman Catholics of Ireland, and

another from the Catholics of the County and -City
of Cork. In alluding to the. former; the. Noble
Lord- enumerated the.grievances of which the peti-
tiOners complained, and gave notice thatim a futpre
da. he'shouid submit a petition to their Lordsb4ps,
grount!eFl on the prayer of that petition.
The petitions were then ordered 'to lie. on the
table.
The Marquis of• T.,,ANsuciarrtz moved that there-.
be laid before. then /lOuse copies of the lekters.,Writ-
ten by S►r 'R 'hard Strachatt W. Croker, Esq.
on the Eiilbjea.Ot Lori Ch itham's narrative, and
also a copy, of the narrative itseif.—OrdereC

-The Marquis:of NYEt.i..LsLix and Lord Liven-
row- aid
_before OIL- • House several 'papers "which
had been ,tnoyed fur reipc(;;ing Spain, whiCh atter
shine complajncs log. the length of pine fliey
had been
.prep' wing, were (.;rd,red to be printed..
Lord HOLLAND' gave notice o, 114 intention to
bring forward a motion resp.:cting the -Ne'gociaticiii
which was said to have taken place with the' French
Government for the exchange of prisoner.