Star.
London, England, 1824-03-17 00:00:00

•
It became the ITouse io impress upon Ministers the necessi:y .f
using plain, intelligible language, which these poor creatures a ~1
their masters might understand. Ile knew himself that most of the
cruelties attributed to the planters were either false, or gross exag.
gerations. In his great seal his Hon. Friend, he supposed, would
believe nothing that a white man would say o f the state of the
West Indies. He was far from saying that slavery was a desiraile
state of existence ; but, if they believed Officers of tbe Army and
Navy, who had visited the West Indies, they must be of opinion
that there was but little cruelty exercised towards the ,
He was not desirous of making out a case, he only wished that the
country should not be imposed uplift by empty exaggerated state-
ments. If we were oblig•ad to Beep rip discipline and subordination
with the whip In Eerope, he could assure tbem they would be un- .
able to do without it in the West Indies. Ile thought the lion. Gen.
fiction's experiment in Trinidad was perfectly good, and safe, and
would gradually bring about the emancipation of the slaves. Ile d d '
not approve of the fringe of lawn sleeves, which the Right Itelour.
able Gentleman had put to his pkart ; but, for the rest of it, be
wished to see it steadily pursued, supported by a firm clecla.
ration of that House, and a solemn promise that hus. Mainers
should be no longer teased, nor their property Interfered with.
If the naval and commercial prosperity of this country depended,
as much as he believed it did, on the West India Colonies, hr
thought he was well justified-in asking the !Inuit to take no pr._
ceecling, except on positive and distinct grounds. lle should hardli
allude to the question of compensation, Clough he believed it woull
be of such an amount as positively to frighten the country; and he
did not think that those Honourable Gentlemen who so mio:h fa-
voured the sending out of Missionaries would have great pleasure ia
coming forward and asking for an increase .f the Taxes on Msit,
Salt, Leather, ant other commodities, for the purpose of prov:d;,,g
a fund to meet the demand of contptisation. (hi all these consider.
ations, be felt it to be the duty of the House not to proceed too! .
distinct line of conduct was marked out_by the Goverznitut.

Mr. Secretary PEEL said, that the speech which the Iloasi had
just heard commenced with condemning Ministers, and in the
course of it vindicated the steps they had, adopted, as the only mea-
sures that, und-r all the circtintstanees of the case, could be adopted.
Dr. LUSHINGTON complained that the Right I lon. Gentle-
, man bad not told the House candidly, that if the Colonial I A•gist,..
tors refused, for three or four years, to adopt the Measures ree.,,,,_
mended, he would not remain passive to their contumacy. *I h,
Men lion. Gentleman had stated on a former occ ision, that if ha
found those Colonial Assemblies contumacious a. d obstinate, he
should submit a proposition to the House. 'noose L. gisistiva
sembliei had been contumacious, and why did not the Right Ron. •
Gentleman call upon the 'Joust. •cs ellfurce obedience? Two great
dangers beset the question—procrastination on the. one hand, and
precipitation on the other. It would, however, he an indelible
stain on the honoiti of that House to stand still, and abandon the
resolutions of last year.
Mr. W. TAYLOR came down to the House careful of the
course he should take, and considering the proposition of the
.Itiaht
Hon. Secretary fair and candid, he gave it his hearty °support.
Mr. MANNING adverted ko a printed examination of several
officers, who stated that the condition of the Negroes in the bland
of Barbadoes was better than that of the poor classesin England.
Mr. EVA NS regretted that the regulations of the lion.
Secretary had not a wider extension:
Mr. BLAIR thought the Government alarmist state openly, not
only what they intended to do, but where they would atop.
.Sir G. ROSE was favourable to the proposed measure for ex-
tending the influence of the Established Church in the Colonies, yet
felt himself bound Injustice to defend the persons wiro bid hithi r
been conveying religious instruction to the negro 11441a:ion. 'liar
number of slaves in onr West India Colonies was 733,000. of %A hi:11
100,000 had been fully converted to Christianity by those indivi-
duals so much condemned, and in addition, at least an equal mini.
ber attended to their instructions. . .

Mr.- W. SMITH defended the cause of emancipation, in suppo:t
of which he referred to the fact that there never was a period th.in •,;
which so few insurrections had occurred in our Colonies a, 41%6
the abotiti,m of the Slave Trade.

Sir ROBERT WILSON inquirtd of the Right Ilor.o.:rable
Secretary, ifthc regulations now brought before the nous: w.re
to be extended to the Cape of Good slope, the Mauritios, and
oar other Colonies? lie wished also to know if the le.th thuie,
which ordered that no negro should receive more than to enty.site
lashes at airy one time, meant, that the master might, for the sami-
offence, but at some other time, tie up the slave, and before his back
was hea!ecl as tin, punish him?
Mr. T. WI LSON thought it right to say, that when be was in
the Island of Grenada, where he remained for three-months, he
witnessed no cruel treatment that could convey to him an idea of
slavery at all answering to the description of it, which had been
given in-that (louse. The measure ought by all means to be al-
lowed time to find its level.
Mr. Secretary CA NN I NG, in answer to the questions put
to. him by the liorourable Member for Southwark, could say,
with respect to the first, namely, that the same communications
that had taken place with the West India Colonies, were made to
those alluded to by the honourable Member but he was not a'ste
to state what_the result would be. As to the second question, hi;
consttuction of the section was, that a master should not. be per-
mitted to inflict more than twenty-five lashes for the same offence.,
The Right lion. Secretary then proceeded to reply, at length.
to the arguments of Mr. Buxton, Mr. Wilberforce, and Mr. B
If ever (said Mr. Canning in conclusioh) there was a ease when ;:b
stinence from all hasty immature interposition was advisable--
when it was advisable -for Government to watch the course of
events and the operation of measures before they advanced, surely
it was in that case of difficulty in which they had to contend with
.an evil, long settled, almo,t coeval with the age of mankind—a
case in which they bad to reconcile a variety of opposing interests,
to turn back the course of confirmed habits—to change, iu short,
the constitution of a whole race of human beings, and recast au
existing generation—(hear, hear). That assuredly was a case in
which, if ever, a Government was to'proceed with circumspection,
they were especially bound. to march with (he would not say with
irresolution), but with timidity, with ,a steady attention to the course
,of events and with a calm observance of the signs of the times. Bat
he would not be taunted into a declaration wbieh, as thus called tor,
.might be described as wisdom, hut which, if made, he was sure
would be termed, as it ought to be, rashness—(Hear).—Leave was'
then given to bring in the Bill.—Adjourned at a quarter to Two.

THE EV EN18“ STA It.

LONDON.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 1824.
THE FUNDS.

STOCK F. NCH ANG K, TWKLVE O'CLOCK.
Consols opened thi! morning at 93i 3 for the Account, and af.er-
wards lowered to 94 /; with little doing ; for Money 931 I.
The chief business still continues in Mr. Rothschild's new In-
surance Shares, which have beeu at 15—are now 14b to 15, and
in great demand.
We have no political information in the City. There is a report
that Spain has accepted the mediation of England, but as yet we
cannot trace it to any authentic source.