Star.
London, England, 1814-06-28 00:00:00

Wellingmn, on his return from his Continental ser-
vices.. It was now upwards of five years ,that that
illustrious Officer was absentrfrom.his country on his
most important command'. At the commencement,
and during a great part of that period, the whole of
Spin, and a great part of Portugal, was in the pos-
session:of the -French. Before he quitted those re-
gioas, there. was not a single Frenchman in arms left
•in the Peninsula. The Duke of Wellington uni-
formly continted at the scene of action, although he
%ad' the sortie inducements to return home occasion-
ally as other Officers, and especially to receive, as
they did, the grateful acknowledgments of their fel-
e low subjects, those ebullitions of public gratitude,
whiCh ware spontaneously manifested by individuals
of all ranks and descriptions. The Duke of Welling,:
ton resisted all these temptations, and at the close or
I each campaign be allowed that liberty and indul.
genee to fibers which he denied to himself. He had
now worked dut•by
.dint of arms the salvation of
those conntriei; lbegreat object to which his efforts
were/directed. These were topics on which he felt
it was unnecessary-to trouble their Lordships,
whom the records of his,triumistain_glorious succes.
sion Witt-become familiar. 'lli the skill and prudence
of His occasional retreats, his jgreat military talents
appeared as conspicuous, Stivirlisis most splendid vie-
torier_and glorious'advatces a and they had at length
to congratitlate themselves °tithe happy and auspi-
tiotis"&iftination of his immortal labours, involving
not btafthe independence and security of the Penin-
sula,* but the deliverance of the Continent of Europe
4rotta. that State of thraldom and degradation in which
she so 'long had suffered. Without fat ther preface,
thereforeb he irould move.-
44 That the Thatiks and Congratulations of this
House be given to Field Marshal the Duke of Wel-
lington, upon his return from the Continent of Eu-
rope • and for the great ond eminent service he had
rendered his Majesty and the Public ; and that the
Lord Chancellor be ordered' tla communicate the
said Vote of Thanks to the Duke of Wellington in
his place."
The Earl of DARNLEY expressed his cordial
concurrence with the motion, and suggested, in order
to give .the greater solemnity and importance to the
occasion, that their Lordships should appear in

their robes.
The question was then put, and the motion voted
mem. duo.
SLAVE TRADE-
His Royal Highness the Duke of GLOUCESTER
hid on the table a number of. Petitions, praying for
Vie Abolition, of the Slave Trade. And, !among the
rest, one from the inhabitants of the City of .London;
which, on the motion of his Royal Highness, was
read, and expressed the regret with which the Peti.
tioners bad observed that silo express itipulation was
contained in the articles of the liefinitite Treaty of
Peace for the abolition of horrid traffic, but ra-
ther that it seemed to be cooniied at by the High
Contracting Parties.... • • - .
His Royal Highnirsalthe Doke of Suswc, Lord
_ HOLLADO, and several other Noble Lords presented
Petitions of a.similar nature from Various places.
•Loral GRENVILLE then rose, andafter moving
thaethe humble Address of that House' of the 9th
of May last, to his Raga! iiighneas she Prince• R-
egent, with the !Lower thereto, be read ; and, the
same, being complied -with rhisrLordshiti proceeded to
make the motion• of -which be had given notice, re-
garding the Article in the .Deftaitive.Treaty of Peace,
which allows France tocontinue the Slave Trade for
,tve years. "A his stipulatiou oa.the part of our Go-
vernment, he argued, was not- only an act sanction-
ing injustice and crtselty, but directly contrary to the
expressed wishes of Parliament and the promise of hit
Royal Highness the Prince Regent, as declared in
the Papers that had been read ; . and, moreover, was
contrary to the generstl with of the People of chit
country, as was evident from the qumerous Petitions
on the table. He was of opinion, that, supported as
.we were in the late contest, by the Emperors of Rus-
sia and Austria, and-the King of Prussia, aed giving
.law, not receiving it from France, we must have suc-
ceeded, if a proper stand bad been made, in with-
bolding not merely front that country the power of
continuing this inhuman traffic, but in putting a stop
to it wherever it• was carried on. Was Parliament
that bad toted the extirpation of this trade, and this
land of freedom which cried out against its injustice,
to be made accessories to, and abettors of slavery ?—.
France has.at present no Slave Merchants, the article
alluded to must therefore have a prospective view,
and be of the most fatal tendency. His Lordship
concluded by moving for copies of such parts of the
dispatches from the British Minister employed to ne:
gociate the Definitive Treaty of Peace, as related to
-the Slave Trade.
The Earl of LIVERPOOL, in an eloquent speech',
proceeded to combat the arguments advanced by the
Noble Lord ; and asserted, that however the House
-.may agree to the principle contendedfor, and respect-
ing which there has .been much enaggeration, the
Noble Lord bad completely misrepresented the spirit
and purpose of the A.rticle in the Treaty. The fair
view of the question is,' to consider what would have.
been the case provided no such clause had been intro-
:. duced. Would not France have carried it on How
can it be said that the stipulation is of no avail
rf‘uthich states, th;t after the stipulated period, it shall
!.,totally tease? With respect to our dictating to France
the subject, he contended, that no nation pos-
-4 Awed a right to dictate to another upon the subject ;
foe upon that principle you might insist upon the'
Abolttionuf the Inquisition in Spain. That a recti-
4.,tudirin moral principles is no justification for plung-
ing the country into a war upon that score; come-
' ..queptty;you have no right to continue it, much more
to'tntorce and dictate to others at the point of thiO
isayooet; He professed his opinion ever *as, teat the
• Abolition of- the Slave Trade would be bensiircial at
well ds'tietiTableto this country ; but it is quite ano-1
• .chef thing to make that the ,ins qua acn to Fran*
:wpm Whickber colonies are. ao be restored. given
fsvereyetrto .adopt this, you could totimifirce It to
" Owe colonies-that ontrhe is the possesstee of others.
c His •Lordship defended she pp,lics of abolishing. it
uni -ersilly at theyperiotof isodeats, instead of tn-
• .cursing at risk. by instetist spoil. its inikueitiate aboli-
tion-4 and observori, sterating ,whot bed !wen
of the .faich.to bet rep -eaecutiog that part al
the Treaty, that good faith is ever implied in the
execution of every Treaty, and there was no just rea-
son to doubt it in this instance. He then proceeded

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