Star.
London, England, 1823-03-28 00:00:00

SLAVERY.

Sir ROBERT WILSON presented a Petition from
a certain number of his constituents, which be begged
to say would have no doubt received the sanction of
the whole of his constituents, had there been time be-
fore the adjournment of the House. The Petition re-
lated to the measure which the Hon. Member for
Bramber (Mr. Wilberforce) was about to bring into
the House, and which he hoped he would live to see
operate the benefit he intended by it. When the
House considered that there were a million of our
fellow beings in the West Indies who every morning
were awakened at sun-rise by the echos of the whip,
they would not think the subject uninteresting. He,
bad been informed by a most respectable witness, Mr.
Cooper, that he never saw a black in our West India
Colonies who did not bear marks of violence on hii
body. Besides this, the parent was separated from
the child—the husband from the wife. He did hope
the Government of this country would see the -pro-
priety of emancipating all these slaves. It was
scarcely to be supposed that in the year an this
should remain to be done. No sooner was the new
Republic of Colombia established than slavery was
abolished—those born in slavery were to remain as
apprentices to their masters to the age of 18, and
then purchased from then by a fund created by the
accumulation of wages. But they had seen strange
things in their time—they had seen an alliance of
powerful men calling themselves " Holy r establish-
ing a traffic in human flesh. Until emancipation was
ordered of our own slaves, foreigners never would be-
lieve we were sincere in our professions on the subject.
Mr. BRIGHT was of opinion that the Hon. Mem-
ber for Southwark, and many others in the House,
were deceived on this subject by the pamphlet from
which he had taken the assertion, relative to the ne-
gtoes being marked with the lash. He wished to.
Gan there was none marked with the lash to -be
found in our colonies; but this assertion was much
nearer falsehood than truth. He would refer to that
pamphlet itself to prove that there was at least one
good•master in the %Vest Indies—one who had done
everything that lay in his power to ameliorate the
condition of his unfortunate slaves. But this Gen-
tleman who wrote the pamphlet went there as a Mis-
sionary, and the burden of his complaint was, that
he was not'allowed to preach eleven times a year.—
Now tb all who knew aught of the case, it was clear
thin preaching was not the proper mode of improving
the negroes. One who wished to do that must live
among them, talk with them, learn their grievances,
and their deficiencies, and accommodate his remedies.
He must not make fanatics of them. The Hon. Mem-
ber talked of the example of Colombia • but where
was the analogy ? In that State there were sixty
thousind blacks with a population of two millions of
whites. Instead of holding up such an example, let
them look at some of the Spanish State; where, how-
ever unappropriate to this kingdom, the Catholic re-
ligion had acted in a most exemplary way • the Mi-
nistert of that Religion had taught its faith to these
slaves—it had baptized them, and even communi-
cated to them the blessings of the marriage institu-•
tion. In these States, therefore, the slaves were pre-
pared for emancipation ; but in our neglected and
degraded colonies, had any pains been taken to pre-
pare therd for such a change? The progress of
manners must be looked to in making such changes.
The perusal cf the discussions which took place in
that House on the subject, would serve to teach the
whites their duty, and tend to bring about that I ITI•
provetnent which he anxiously looked forward to.
Mr. Secretary CANNING rose to discourage a dis-
cussion which could lead -to no practical results, on
a subject upon whichaone but practical results could
be available to any good—( Hear, hear)...-But there
r another ground for abstaining when it appeared,
as it would upon reflection, appear, that every such
discussion as this tended to take away from Parlia-
, t and the Execative, whose duty it was to watch
twerthls great subject, the chance of their attentiou
it being attended with any effect. It was unne-
cessary for him, whose whole Parliamentary life, at
*ell as during the period that his Hen. Friend (Mr:,
Wilberforce) had employed to achieve his triutttih;
d proved bit sentiments to declare that he enter.
,canted no feelings in opposition to his Hon. Friend'!.
llet it was not by inflaming the passintii'd
;one set of men against another, or at*.croptir.etZ;