Star.
London, England, 1807-02-03 00:00:00

SLAVS TRADE.

Lord GRENVILI,E having moved the reading
of the Older of the Day f,r the Second R:ading or
the Slave Trade Abolition Bill, obfetved .hat thole
of their Lordlhips who had witncfred his extreme
anxiety to carry forward this imisortant meafure with
the kali p Able interruption, wc.cl.l readily vin.
ceive that he now felt great regret in finding hinifeif
under the neceffity of propoling a further dehiv. Un-
fortunately, however, two of his Noble Friends,
whole fentiments refpeaing this meafare it was im•
pnrtant the }lnure ihould be' in poffeffion of, and
whole affiflance he much withed to have upon the
dilcutlion of the fubjefl, were too much indifpofed to
be enabled to attend the Houle. He therefore pro--
poled that the Second Reading of the Bill mould be
poliponed till Wednefday. Ordered, and that the
Lords be fummoned for that day.
The Earl of WESTMORELAND prefented a
Petition from the Ship Builders, Ship Owners, Ma-
nufa&urers, and others of the Port of London, again ft
the Slave Trade Abolition Bill, which was ordered
to lie on the Table.

A short cormerfation took place refpeeling the pro-
priety of hearing Counfel in behalf of the Petitioners
who had prefented petitions againa the Bill.
Lord GRENVILLE fuggeited the propriety of
making fome order upon this fubjeft, if it was the
pleafure of their Lordfhips to hear Counfel, in order
that they might avoid the i:'convenience which oc-
curred, of having a preliminary difeuflion of this
nature, on the very day in which the meafure pro.
poled was to be brought forward.
The Earl of WESTMORELAND moved, that
filch of the Petitioners as thought fir, fhould be
1-,eard by their Counfel, on the Second Reading of
the Bill.

Lord GRENVILLE thought it woul,l he expe
dient to make fome regulation with refp:& to the
hearing of Counfel in order to prevent unneccif try
delay. As to the propriety of examining evidence,
that of courfe would be decided on, after their Lord-
Alps had heard Ccutifel. He thou ;ht, ilowever, that
it would be fuflicient to hear one CounlA upon each
Petition, as the greaser part of the arguments which
the Counfel mull neceffarily touch upon, had already
been often repeated., and as it was of fo much im-
portance to avoid delay.
Lord ELDON alto expreffed himfelf decidedly
hoftile to unneceffary delay, but at the fame time it
was of the uttrioa importance that a fubjeet of this
magnitude thould be deeply and clofely examined.
and that the parties whole interells would be affe4fted
by it, fbould be fairly and fully heard.

The Earl of WESTMORELAN ex•
preffed his hope that the par tits whcfe inter et 6 would
be affeaed, would he fully heard.

Lord HAWKESBUIiIr fuggened that the ince-
rens of the Petitioaers might he quail y benefited, and
the time of the Houle lefs taken up, i; the Petitioners
were claffed according to the intereits of thole peti-
tioning, which would be fowid to he divided into
three, namely, the Old Planters in Jamaica, and
other Iflands, the New Planters in the Iflancl of Tti
nidad, and the Shipping and Commercial Intereils
of the Ports of this Country, and Counfel heard for
each interefl.

Afttr fettle further converlition, the Petitioners
were ordered to be heard by their Counfel on Wed-
nth:lay, and by a fubfequent order, Counfa were di.
retied to be called in at half pall four.