Star.
London, England, 1830-07-14 00:00:00

WIATE 01, THE COLOYILS.

Mr. BROUGHAM said, that in rising to address the hens •
upon so important a question, he was aware that he wits liable to
censure in bringing it forward at such a period of the session. tic
had been asked to wait until the next Session to bring forward his
motion. His regret was that he was not able to bring it forward at
an earlier period. Ilia excuse fur not doing so was, that he expected
some measure would have been adopted by government on the sub
jest. In this, however, be was disappointed ; but in justice to the
government he must say, that he could not lay the blame at their
door that the question had not been considered. But he saw no
reason because he had delayed the question till this period, that be
should suffer parliament to be prorogued without banging this
mighty subject before the house. Ile was aware that he would be
met by the statement of colonial rights, and by the power of the co-
lonial legislature, in answer to the position he was going to lay
down. He admitted that the local legislature had rights. hut it'
that legislature was so bound by local prejudice that It ceold not
disencumber itself, it was the duty of the legislature of the mother
country to dissipate those prejudices. Mr. Burke, while he advo-
cated the rights of the colonies to object to be taxed unless they as-
sented, upheld the right of the mother country to make laws fir
the colonies. It was said that, in gran log relief to the colonies,
they ought to consider the rights of property in the settlements. 110
denied holding *fellow creature in bondage was a nivel men of property.
The law of nature and of Christianity wu against such a species of
property. In Trinidad the slaves denominated household slaves ,
amounted to 16,500, of whom there were ectrunitted to prison for vs
rious offences, the incredible number of 11,131, upon whom divers
species of punishments were inflicted : and for what descririon of
cimes were 7,644 of these punished ? Would the he use wish to
be informed ? Some were punished for refusing to work, others
for absconding from the plantations to which they belonged, and
the remainder for insolence to their masters. Out of the whole
number only 713 had been convicted of theft. He could not help
alluding to the testimony as to the effects of slavery furnished by
that respectable officer, the Protector-Gennal of :Awes of the is.
land of Demerara. This gentleman represented the negroes to he
in a state of perfect happiness, and as having no reason who:ever
for being otherwise. If, however' this slave protector had b.:en
for the brief space of one hour In the situation of one of these poor
negroes, he would be sickened out of his opinion, which he.(slr.
Brougham) was free to admit was abundantly supported by the
concurring testimony of other persons connected with the West In-
dies. In the year 1786, Lord Rodney was represented as having
declared that he bad never seen any one instance of cruel or im-
proper treatment excited by slave owners towards the negroes, and
to add a wish that the peasantry of this country were in as comfort-
able a condition as the slaves of the West Indies. Admiral Bar-
rington had likewise spoken in favour of the situation of slaves ;
but if that officer had borne their torments for an hour, he would
have deemed it worse than the wont billow over which he had
ever ridden, and the feelings which would have been engendered
in his mind would have been more poigeant ti an these which
would have retrained after a conflict th et lad terminated i
the disgrace of the British flag. Every one had I cad of the fon.
and abominable atrocitiets that had been perpetrat. d by the Guinea •
meat, ard yet it had been alleged that the unfostbnste victims ea
board these ships were comfortably lodged, and en: even amused,
nay, delighted with music :Ind dancing, and when t red with these
pleasant recreations, were suffered to pass their time at games: o'
chance. If such were the fact, he should not be surristd to find
gen.lemen leaving she club houses 1 t St. James's, t t fo on boor
these vessels, where they could be thus amused, nut only with agree
able sounds, but their favourite put-RI:4. (Hear, and laughter.).—
It had also been stated, that the arrival of a Guinearnan in a Wee
India pert was a season of joy to the • but ceuld it be be.
li,ved, that ptriors torn from their native fields, children who had
been torn from their parents, or peraoni who had been deprived r f
all that rendered life valuable in their estimation, could feel pada.
cation in singing and dancing? The thing was as absurd as it VIP
impossible. By law the slave trade bad been made a capital
offence, and to show the sound policy of that law, and the dreadful
consequences of slavery, be should cite only a few inettmess. A
certain Rev. Mr. Brydgm bad been charged with a crime of a very
deep dye, and one that ougl:t to have been sifted. This reverend
gentleman ordered his servant girl to dress a turkey, and beaus* the
poor creature happened to disobey his seders, he imoselliately snuck
her a severe blow, and subsequently had ber tied up by the heads,
sad until the space from the naps of her week to the calves
of her ted one mass of laserated ileek. The matter was
besught the magistrates, who, el* beads. evidence en both
sldos, and the admissions of the rev coeds on the he bad or.
doted the punishment, decided by a division of foostsol to ten
that be should not be prosecuted; and the esnotjurnos was tbs.
the Rev. Thomas Wilson Brydges had not been pot spas ill trial,
but had, in foot, obtained apreWen by (*educe which :ought tr
have insured him in'ary. He (Mr. Bioughans) knew ibis rev.
tentleutsa by his woeful; by the Medea mature which they eon-
.


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