The Sun.
London, England, 1827-10-22 00:00:00

plied, that they scarcely so much as heard of the
Bill, till it had passed both Houses, and was on
the eve of coming into operation. Lord Gode-
rich, we believe, was Colonial Secretary at the
time this precious piece of legislation had birth,
and poor Mr. Canning, we dare say, knew and
heard no more of the matter than the man in the
,moon. Mr. Herries probably took what is
called the conduct of the Bill, but relying, as is
the fashion, upon the head of the law depart-
ment, from which it issued, who probably be-
stowed no great share of attention upon the de-
tails, and the concocter having cried " all's
right" to the coachman, off went the Bill through
each Parliamentary step, till, at the end of the
hourney, the conveyancers discover that they
ave been forwarding a mere dead body, fit only
for dissection. This one Act alone, we believe,
comprises not less than 100 folio pages, and,
with the other laws regulating this trade,
forms a volume not much less in size than
a good family Bible. Yet this one trade, in
particular, is carried on exclusively by coun-
try people, who, to their honour be it spoken,
are least of all qualified to cope with, or under-
stand the complex and involved chicanery and
special pleading with which it seems to he the
business of the minor law officers of the Crown
to envelope the details of each department. Ob-
scurity, of course, brings grist to the mill ; and
so that the law mill be but kept constantly at
work, it matters little how far the Revenue or
individual may suffer by these wordy and unin-
telligible details. Lord Goderich must pardon
us, if we say, that when he asked the maltsters
this question, he must, or ought to have been,
aware of the answer which they would naturally
§ Surely the tender mercies of these legislators are
cruel.

" See, in reply to the whole of this argument, the
Reporter, No. 27, passim." •
" ¶ There is no such provision in the Act. The Council
framed a clause to that effect, but it was rejected by the
Assembly.
" On the 7th of August, 1823, nineteen individuals
became escheats of the Crown ; and in 11 days from that
time—namely, on the 18th of August, 1823, they were
all sold by public auction, with the exception of two, who
effected their escape, and the net proceeds of their sale were
paid to the Treasury of Great Britain. The transaction,
had enough in itself, is in no small degree aggravated when
we consider all the circumstances of it, and especially the
cruel separation of families which was sanctioned by the
agents of the Crown. The following are the particulars
of this opprobrious sale, as they are given under the official
signature signature of ' Lionel Parke, Receiver-General of his Ma-
jesty's Casual Revenue' :
" 1. Quow, aged 55, father of Caesar, sold to Thomas
Louis for 451.
" 2. Caesar, aged 27, son of Quow, to Samuel Henery
for 901.
" 3. Orange, aged 67, mother of October, to B. T.
Young for Si.
" 4. October, aged 44, son of Orange, to C. Crouch

for 461.
"5. Abel, aged 49, husband of Lubbab, and father a
Thomas, Kitty, and Becky, sold to Henry Tudor for
32/. 10s.
"6. Lubbah, aged 40, wife of Abel, and mother of his
children, sold 'also to Henry Tudor for 381. She appears
to have been put up separately, and Mr. Tudor appears to
have bid high in order to obtain her.
" 7. Thomas, aged 16, son of Abel and Lubbah, sold
to H. Mozely for 51/.
" 8. Kitty, aged 13, daughter of Abel and Lubbab, to
Joshua Levi for 46/. 10s.
" 9. Becky, aged 6, daughter of Abel and Lubbah, to
Mr. Alsup for 28/.
" Again, Deborah, sultey, Betsey, Polly, and Thomas,
are brother and sisters. Sukey has one child, Betsey three,
and Polly one. They are thus disposed of
" 10. Deborah, aged 28, is sold to W. Straker for 15
" 1.1. Sukey, aged 26, mother of
James William
" 12. James William, aged son
of Sukey
" 13- Betsey, aged 34, mother of
Caroline, Grace, and Me-
(torah
14. Caroline, aged 4, daughter
of Betsey
" 15. Grace, aged 24, daughter of
Betsey
" 16. Medorab, aged 9, daughter of Betsey, is sold to
William Austin for 511. 108.
" 17. Thomas, aged 15, brother of Deborah, Sukey,
&c. is sold to John Straker for 521. 10s.
The fate of the remaining two is the only part of the
detail which is at all satisfactory.
" 18. Polly, aged 39, mother of
Richard absconded and can-
" 19. Richard, aged 11, son of not be found.
Polly
41 The price at which these persons were sold is stated iu
Barbadoes currency, and amounts to 6021., or about 4011.
sterling. How much of this money, after passing through
the hands of eacheators, receivers, marshals, counsel, attor-
neys, came into the Royal Treasury ) f Great Britain, we
should be curious to know, It is the price of blood, and
we trust will not rest there without inquisition. What is
it but a slave trade, more disgraceful thaa even that of
Africa, by which the King of Great Britain has been made
to enrich himself by the sale into perpetual slavery of 17 o.
his liege subjects, whose dearest ties have been burst
wander by the process ?"

are sold in one lot
to T. Howell for
511.

are sold in one lot,
to James Lealted,
for 50/.