The Sun.
London, England, 1842-09-20 00:00:00

THE SLAVE TRADE.

A second Suppl.ement to the London Gazette of
Friday, after adverting to the treaty between England
and P
ortugal, ratiiee in July last, contains the fol-
lowing announcement :
And whereas it is expedient and necessary that ef-
fectual provision ihould be made for carrying into
execution the provisions of the treaty aforesaid :
Nov, therefore, her Majesty, by virtue of the
powers vested in her by the Acts above recited, and
by and with the advice of her Privy Council, is pleased
to order, that the said treaty shall be carried into
immediate execution, and that all searches, detentions,
seizures, condemnations, and sales of ships or vessels
for any violation of the provisions of the said treaty
shall be legal ; and it,is hereby further ordered, that it
shall and may be lawful for any officer commanding
any ship of war of her Majesty, or of the Queen of
Portugal, who shall be duly instructed and autho-
rised according to the several provisions of the said
treaty, to visit and search any merchant vessel of either
of the said two nations which shall, upon reasonable
grounds, be suspected of being engaged in trans-
porting negroes for the purpose of consigning them
to slavery, or of having been fitted out for that pur-
pose, or of having been so employed during the voyage
in which they are met by the said cruisers ; and to
detain and send or carry away such vessel, together
with the master, officers, crew, passengers, slaves, and
cargo, for the purpose of such vessel being brought to
trial or adjudication before one of the Mixed Commis-
sions to be established in virtue of the said treaty, or
of the Mixed Commission Court, at present established
under the convention between Great Britain and
Portugal of July 28, 1817, pursuant to the stipula-
tions of the above recited treaty, signed at Lisbon
on the 3d of July in the present year ; and all such
commanders and other officers of her said Majesty's
ships are hereby authorised and required, in the
exercise of such rights of visiting, searching, detain-
ing, sending, carrying in, and delivering as aforesaid,
to execute, perform, and comply with the said several
provisions and instructions of the said treaty as
apply thereto respectively.
And it is further ordered, that in case of the death,
sickness, absence on leave, or any other legal impedi-
ment of any British Commissioner, established by
virtueof the said treaty, the British Arbitrator of such
Commission shall fill the office of such Commissioner
ad interim, until the office shall be thereafter filled by
some person appointed by her Majesty, or until such
Commissioner shall resume the duties of his said
office ; and that in case of such vacancy of the office
of British Arbitrator of the Commission, established
by virtue of the said treaty, or in case of the death,
sickness, absence on leave, or other impediment, of the
said Arbitrator of the said Commission, the office of
such Arbitrator shall be filled, ad interim, successively
by the Governor, Lieutenant-Governor, resident in
such possession, by the principal Magistrate in the
same, and by the Secretary of the Government, until
the said office shall be filled by some person appointed
by her Majesty, or until such Arbitrator shall resume
the duties of the said office ; and that in case of the
death, sickness' absence on leave, or other legal impe-
diment of the British Arbitrator in the Commission,
established by virtue of the said treaty within the pos-
sessions of the Crown of Portugal, or of his assuming
ad interim the duties of a Commissioner of the said
Commission as aforesaid, the office of such British.
Arbitrator shall be filled ad interim successively by
the British Consul and British Vice-Consul, resident
in such possession ; and in case of such vacancy in the
offices, both of British Commissioner and British
Arbitrator, then that such office of Commissioner shall
be filled ad interim by the British Consul, and such
office of- British Arbitrator by the British Vice-
Consul ; and in case there shall be no British Consul
or Vice-Cousul at such place, then it shall be lawful
for the Arbitrator on behalf of the Portuguese Go-
vernment to act in all those cases in which a British
Arbitrator, if there were any, would be required to
act ; and in case of such vacancy in the offices, both
of British Commissioner and British Arbitrator, and
there should be neither a British Consul nor British
Vice-Consul resident at such place, then that it shall
and may be lawful for the Commissioner and Arbi-
trator appointed by the Portuguese Government of
such Commission to sit alone in such Commission ;
and in all cases brought before them for adjudication,
to adjudge the same and pass sentence accordingly,
nntil the said offices shall respectively be thereafter
filled by some person or persons appointed by her Ma-
jesty, or until the said British Commissioner and Bri-
tish Arbitrator shall resume the duties of their said
offices respectively.
And it is hereby further ordered, that immediately
after sentence of condemnation upon a vessel charged
with being concerned in illegal slave-trade, shall have
been passed by the Mixed Commissions established
under the said treaty, all negroes or others who were
on board of such vessel,
and who were brought on
board for the purpose of being consigned to slavery,
shall be delivered over to the Government to whom
belongs the cruiser which made the capture ; and that
the negroes so liberated and delivered over to !such
Government shall be placed under the care and super-
intendence of a board, consisting of two members or
Commissioners, with a power to call in a third mem-
ber, under the circumstances stated in the said treaty.
And it is further ordered, that in those colonies or
possessions of her Majesty in which, under the treaty,
Mixed Commissions are to sit, the boards of superin-
tendence of the liberated negroes shall consist of the
Governors of the said colonies or possessions,
and of the Portuguese Commissioners in the said
Mixed Commissions ; and that when the Portuguese
Commissioners are absent, then the Portuguese Arbi-
trators of the said Mixed Commissions shall sit in the
place of the Commissioners in the boards of superin-
tendence of liberated negroes; and that in those colo-
nies of the Queen of Portugal, in which, under the
present treaty, Mixed Commissions are to sit, the
boards of superintendance of the liberated negroes
shall consist of the Governors of those colonies or
possessions, and of the British Commissioners in the
said Mixed Commissions ; and when the British Com-
missioners are absent, then the British Arbitrators of
the said Mixed Commission shall sit in the place of
the Commissioners in the boards of superintendence
of liberated negroes.
And it is further ordered, that the several members
of the boards of superintendence shall, before enter-
ing upon their offices, respectively take an oath, in
presence of the Principal Magistrate of the place,
which oath the said Magistrate is hereby empowered
and required to administer, that they will faithfully
execute 1 their office without favour or partiality, ac-
cording to the true intent and meaning of these

regulations.
And it is hereby further ordered, that a fit and
proper person shall be selected and appointed by the
board of superintendence; to act under its directions,
with the titie of Curator of liberated negroes ; and
that each Curator may, under the, sanction of the
hoard, employ such persons aS may be .necessary to
assist him in the execution of his duties. .
.
And it is further ordered, that the Curator so ap-
pointed, shall, previously to his entering on the duties
of his office, take before the board of superintendence
an oath in the following words.:—
"I, A. 8., do solemnly swear, that I will act, to
the best of my skill and knowledge, faithfully and
impartially in the execution of my office ; and that
I will conduct myself with due respect to the au..
thority of the board of superintendence of liberated
negroes to which I am attached.
" So help me God."
And it is hereby ordered, that the Supreme Courts
in the places or colonies belonging to her Majesty, in
which the said boards of superintendence shall re-
spority, and jurisdictionectivel reside shall
to take cognizance of all
shall have the requisite power, au-
thority, and
which,. for the due execution of the said re-
gulations, may
at the instance of such board, in respect to the
be brought in such Courts respectively
forfeitures, fines, and penalties, and to the moneys
g
',payable for the apprenticeship or hire of liberated.ne,
roes by
and the
tIOIIS, So that the said forfeitures may be. enforced,
masters or officers, tinder the said regula-
suit or
'said moneys may be levied, and the payment of the
said fines and penalties recovered, and the
amount thereof may be made to. the person appointed
by the said regulations to receive the same.
tion thereupon, may be
And it is further `ordered, that the pendency of any
sioners or arbitrators for the condemnation or restitu-
proceeding instituted before the said 4;:arnnis-
tion of any ship or cargo, or slaves taken, seized, or
whether brought
detained, by virtue of the said treaty, or the final a.l-
- in bar, or given in
judication condemnation, or judgment, or determine-
good and complete
persons,
evidence under the general issue, and shall be and be
in any Court whatever, to be a
deemed and adjudged
bar in any action, suit, or proceed-
ing,of any such ship, vessel, or
or instituted by any person or
sequence of
cargo, or of any damage,' or' for any injury sustained
for the recovery
'thereby, or by the persons on board the same, in con-
matter, or thing done under the authority, or in pur-
any capture -seizure, or detention, or fief
suanee of the provisions of the said treaty, anything
vessel employed or engaged in illicit traffic in slaves,
in any Act or Acts of Parliament, or law or laws, to
the contrary notwithstanding.
ship or vessel belongin6
'And it is further ordered, that where any ship or
to her Maje3t7,- duly au-
in violation of the said treaty, shall be seized by any