Star.
London, England, 1807-02-06 00:00:00

AA there would be much lets danger to
bend from rebellion.
Lord SIDMOUTH had given the utmott attention
to this fubjeCt for the IA twenty yeari, and felt ex-
treme pain to differ materially from thole with whom
behad been moll intimately connected in his opinion
on this fubjeCt. It silo gave him great pain to differ
ear this fnbjeCt from the general feeling of the great
fly of the people of this country. No man was more
thoroughly convinced than he was of the injuaice and
enormity of the trade in itfelf, and no Man more fin.
mai walled for its abolition; but he retained the
fame opinion now that he had formerly exprefled,
that a gradual abolition would be the only effeetual
Blade of destroying this trade. When he laid he wa-
tt' the trade to be abolifhed as loon as poflible, he did
not mean as loon as worldly wifdom and confiders.
tions diem:Tß would make it prudent, hut as foon
as the thing could really be done. He willed to abo.
Efh the Trade of Slaves from Africa, but he did not
ith merely to (hilt the trade from the merchants of
Liverpool to the met chants of other nations, that are
always our rivals in commerce, and our enemies in
war. The celebrated Mr. Burke, who was ait warm a
hiend as any man to the entire abolition of the trade,
thought that the bell means of effeOing it would be
to throw °Wades and impediments in the way of it,
which would in time amount to an abfolute prohibi.
tion. In this opinion he always coincided, and there-
fore he had voted for all the meafures of that nature
which had been propnfed IR, to prevent Britifh
!hips from fupplying foreign colonies with Raves ;
Idly, to prevent the importation of them in the new
conquered colonies ; and, 3317, to prevent any more
(hips being employed in the trade. He hadalfoheartily
concurred in the op:nion of his Mojelty's Govern.
mint, with refpeet to the iflard of Trinidad, that the
experiment Ihould be tried of fettling it by Planters,
who timid come with their Eaves from the neigh.
bouring fettlements of Demarara and Surinam, but
that no encouragement Ihould be given to thofe who
imported Eaves from Africa. Since that experiment,
another attempt was made to fettle that nand, by
introducing a number of Chinefe fettlers. Of this
attempt he alt.() moil entirely approved. He did not
conceive it poflibie that the Blacks could at prefent
keep up their population, when the difproportion was
fo great between males and females; neither would
he allow that the return of the birthroand burials was
a fair criterion to judge of the increafe of population
by, as many more children died than there did of
adults. He laid that it appeared by the Militia Re-
turns, that tile increafe of adults in this country was
greater than the inereafe of the population, as
calculated from the births and burials. He therefore
contidered, that the abolition mita immediately
produce a diminution in the number of naves, which
would neceffarily produce alio a diminution in culti-
vation. While the demands of Europe remain as
at prefent, any diminution in the cultivation in our
iflands mull be made up by an increafed cultivation
in the colonies of our rivals, which could only be
done by African (laves. He thought the prefent
Eaves in the Weft Indies would be extremely difcnn-
tented when they found that no more of their coun
trymen were to be imported, and that they were
never to bear again either from their country or their
relatives, but that the ocean was for ever interppied
between them, and all communication cut off. He
had always thought, that the gradual emancipation
of the Eaves would fooner lead to the total abolition
of the trade than the abolition of the trade would to
the emancipation of the (laves, which was an eve tt
extremely to be defied, but could not be effected at
once. He had certainly no confidence in the Repre-
fentative Affemblies of the lflands ever doing any
thing for the improvement of the fituation of the
Eaves, which their own intereß did not point out as
abfolutely necefrary. He concluded by declaring his
opinion againfi the total abolition.
Lord ROSSLYN was convinced that the imme
diate abolition of this odious traffic would be attend-
ed with no injurious effefts to the colonies, to the cul
tore of which the Negroes already imported were
fully competent, if properly treated. Such treatment,
it might be laid, it was the obvious intereß of the
Planterto give the Negroes, and therefore it might
inf-t red that they experienced it already, and yet
that importation became neceirary to keep up the fop-
ply. This, however, he was prepared to contradict.
Be knew that planters and their agents were too much
in the habit of facrificing their intereß to their pal
Eons, which they were nut likely to controul either
from their own.will or from the prefcriptions of the
Colonial Legiflatures, until by prohibiting farther im-
portation they (hould be urged by the pull-tire of ne-
cellity to do fo. It was only from the Itrongefi
im-
pnlfe of felf intereß, from the moll cogent perfuation
of neceffity, that men of loch habits were likely to
adopt the praftice of humanity. When unable to pro-
cure any more negroes, they would feel the urgency of
taking care of thole they already had. With regard to
the Ratement of the Noble Earl (Weltinoreland), as
to the various defcription of perfons who concurred I
in a with to produce the abolition of this trade, he
thought that formed a forcible argument in favour of
the meafure before the Houfe. For the concurrence
of men of all religions, of all political parties, and
even of thofe who profefTed no relig ion, in fuppori of
this meafure, ferved to thew, that to all who were fut.-
ceptible of a fentiment of humanity ; who were ca.
pable of difcriminating between the beauty of virtue
and the deformity of vice, this traffic was abhorrent.
With fuch an unanimity of fentiment ; with fuch a
combination of powers, could that Houk, without
fixing a Rain upon its charafter ; without incurring
univerfal odium, hefitate to accede to the motion of
his Noble Friend ?
Vifccunt SIDMOUTH role to explain, with re-
fpeCt to the ircreafe of population, and objected
that fuch inmate had taken place in particular
Elands.
Earl ST. VINCENT deprecated the meafure,
which, if paired, would, he was fatisfied, have the
effera of transferring Britilh capital to other countries,
which would not he difpofed to abandon loch a pro-
duftive branch of trade. As to the humanity fo much
contended for, it would be well if Noble Lords re-
Hefted this queltion, whether humanity was con-
fulted by the abolition. If it were, their arguments
would be well tonoded.—But, from his own expe-
rience, he was enabled to (late, 'hat the Weft India
Hands formed Paridife itfelf, to the Negroes, in
"VI iron with their native country. Thawing thisi
which, upon due inquiry. it was in the p :wer of any
Noble Lord to a:certain, he was furpriaed at the

'Propotition bernre the Tioure .1 And, confidering the
high charadter and intelligence of the Noble Prnpofer,
he declared that•he could account in no other way ror
Hs having brought It forward, but by fuppoling that
fome Obt-man had call his fpell upon him (a laagh.)
Lord •KING argued forcibly in fupport of the mo-
tion, which, in his (minion, nothing but the facrifice
of every generous and manly fentiment to cold and
low calculations of felfintereft—nothing but a per-
verfion of jultice and humanity, could induce any
man to defend. And with regard to the reliance
which forne'perfons profeffed to place upon the equity
and teelirgs of the Colinial Legiflatures, he begged
to know if a perverfinn of inflict and humanity were
fupported in that I-Lotre, whar was to be expected
from let's enlightened and lilies al afft.nblies ?
Lord NOI27I'HESK detailed feve-al inflanees of
wanton cruelty praelifed upon he negrnes in the co-
lonies by their matters, who were fcarcely under the
controuLof any law with regard to their conduit. If
humane treatment were oraetifed tow aids he negroes
he was certain, from his knnwledoe of the ildetior of
the colonies, that a futficient supply could be kept op
far every purpofe of cultivation, and filch to ment,
the good effects of which he had oitneff.:.! in St.
Chritlopher's and other of the colonies. 1. as n r, he
was very much afraid, ever likely tohe,:nme general,
until the Planters were precluded from folthca
plies. As to the affertinn of the N hie Earl (st.
Vincent ) with refpeet t:t the celettiol comforts of the
naves, he was rather dirporcd to think that h”wever
long that Noble Lnr I might hove been itationed in
the Welt Indies, he had Peen very little f the inte7.
rior of any of the colonies, ur he would not have
made that afrertion. _

Lord ELDON (poke againft the meafure, which
he thought went farther, and urged a procedure
more precipitate than even the advocates for the abo-
lition could require, if their feelings were at all influ.
enced by confederations of policy or jullice towards
our own merchants. The Ad prohibiting any more
so.ffels from eno ig'ng or being built for the porpafe
of the flame ade, wrothd naturally tend to the gra.
dual abortion of that trade, which was as much as
any rat:onal refleeting advocate of the meafure could
defire. The confequence of a ludden abolition upon
our colonies, upon the colonies of others, and upon
our mercatrilt intereft, ought to he ferioully urged.
But it was contended that jirilice and humanity fo
loudly called for the abolition, that no argument
drawn from any other fource ought to be attended
to. It would be well, however, before any decifion
was come to upon this important meafure, delibe-
rately to confider thefe quettions ; firft, whether the
trade was contrary to the principles of joHice and
humanity ? and, fecondly, whether it would be con-
formable to thole principles to abalifh it, while it was
continued by other nations ? It was admitted on all
fides that the treatment which the Negroes experi-
enced from &hill' dealers was humanity itfelf, com-
pared to that which they met from thofe of other
nations concerned in the traffic. Of courfe, fhould
we withdraw from the trade, while other nations
purfue it, humanity would be outraged, becaufe the
fate of the Negroes would be aggravated. The Noble
Lord concluded with an exhortation to the Houfe
if the abolition were determined on, at kali to take
care that the property of thofe who have fo long,
upon the faith of Parliament, been engaged in this
traffic, fhould nor fuller.
The Bilhop of DURHAM (poke fhortly in fupport
of the Abolition. Though it thould be argued that
the Slave Trade was favourable to the commercial
interests of the nation, he fhould Hill fay that it was
unworthy of us to Peek fuch means of wealth, fo
holtile to the principles of morality and religion.
The Earl of MOIRA, in a very eloquent, but
temperate fpeech, took a general view of the fubjeCt ;
he thought that the evidence upon the table of the
Houfe mull be fufficieat to convince their Lordfhips
of the neceffity of abolifhing this fanguinary Trade.
If Noble Lords were not fatisfied with this evidence,
he referred to Holy Writ, he referred them to that
great work of our forefathers (the Old Testament)
and that great Commentator upon that work, whole
maxim was, " Do unto others as you would they
fhould do unto you."
Lord HAWKESBURY admitted that the Slave
Trade was a great political evil, and that it was de-
flyable to put an end to it; but confidering that flavery
had been permitted under the Jewifit Difpenfation,
that there was no exprefs prohibition of it in the
Chriftian : that it was a condition of mankind which
many great and wife men in all ages had fanEtioned,
he was not prepared to fay that to allow flavery was
a crime. Neverthtlefs, combining Slavery and a Slave
Trade, he thought that it was matter of regret the
latter had ever exifted, and that it was deferable to
abolifh it. The queftion was, however, whether it
could be aholifhed by the propofed meafure, and whe-
ther the confequences would be beneficial to the Na-
tions of Africa ? He contended that the Slave Trade
in Africa had fubfiPfd before Europeans had entered
upon the Trade, an he doubted whether their with-
di awing from it ould put an end to the evil, or
tend fo much as was argued to the internal peace and
improvement of Africa. He denied, however, that
our withdrawing from it would abolifh the trade ;
and if it only (bitted hands, the change would be to
the difadvantage of the negroes, and of the carafe of
humanity. The French would, in all probability,
refart to it, the Spaniards would encourage it, and
the Portuguefe and other nations would carry it on ;
and probably Britifh capital would embark in it. He
bad always thought that the moll effectual means of
abolifhing the trade would be by regulations and
duties amounting ultimately to a prohibition. Upon
the whole he contended that the prefent meafure
would only transfer the African trade to others, to the
great difadvantage of this nation, and the lois of the
%Vett India Planters. To compaa among the different
Powers to abolifh the traffic would be the molt effec-
tual remedy ; but if we began the thin; in this man-
ner,all argument to induce otheriPowers to enter into
a compad was removed.
Lord HOLLAND fiipported the Abolition. Hefaid
that the arguments of Lord Eldon refpeCting the opi-
nions of former Statefmen and Legiflators; Lord So.
merh Mr. Locke, &c. would, in their application, put
a flop to all improvement. But could it be fuppofed
that fo great and wife a man as Mr. Locke, after
reading the evidence which lay on the table refuelling
the Slave Trade, would give it his fanflion ? The evil•
was now expoled, and could not be defended. As
well might we be told that the reformation was wane-
b:ffary, as it might be laid, could a R.evcrcnd Prelate