Star.
London, England, 1818-09-05 00:00:00

and much ingenuity' of argument, as Well as labour
of research, was eiaptdyed, •ptiVe, Cis the Vise
hind, that french subtetts could not have lawfully
essaragedin the Slave Trade • and, on cite other, that
SsolaFohibitory decrve 'had Leh promulgate: re-
'
Viously to the.commencement of this vbyage, which
.oOuld be regarded as binding cia the subjects of
'France. ' •
The judgment of Sir Scott would have
been equally conclusive against the legality of this
seizure, even if it could have been established in evi-
dence that France had previously . prohibited the.
Stave Trade byher municrpal laws. For the sake
of argument, however, he assumes, that the view he
has taken of the subject might in such a case be con-
troverted. He proceeds, therefore, to inquire, how
far the French law had actually abolished. the Slave
Trade at the time of this adventure.
[Here the Report recapitulates the Learned Judge's
:reinarks on the notes which passed on this subject
...between the British Minister and Prince Talley rand,
in• July, 1815 ; the Treaty of Nov. 50, 1815 ; and
the Ordinance of Bth Jan. 1817] • •
The Directors will not dwell on the regret and
disappointment which the discovery of this failure
on the part of France to fulfil her .solemn and reize-
terated engagements, must proiuce on the mind of
every individual present. She had pledged herself
deeply, both in profession and promise, to the prin-
ciples of abolition ; she had solemnly declared, in the
'face of Europe, chit she had renounced, on the part
'of her subjects, all concern in a trasc " so odinus,
in itself, and so repngiait to the laws of, religion
and nature." By her chief Minister: she Had officially
announced, not merely her intention to abolish this
trade, but the fact that on the 30th of July, 1816,
directions had actually been issued, " in order thin
on the part of fiance, the traffic in Slaves may retie'
from the present time, every where and for ever."—
Yet, when the legal import of all these recorded en-
gagements comes to be investigated, they are found
to have been utterly delusive. Until the Bth of Ja-
-Inuary, 1817, not even an attempt had been made to,
give to them the formality or the force of law; and
how weak and futile the Ordinance of that date is,
as to any effectual suppression of the Slave Trade,
has already appeared from the observations of Sir'
William Scott.
The injurious consequences of this supineness on
the part of the •French Government, havrextended
far beyond the case of le Lank. The Colonies tif,
Senegal and Garee were not actually restored to
France until the lapse of a considerable period Of
time after the Goiernment of that country had dis-
claimed all fardur participation in the Slave Trade.
It might have been hoped, therefore, that such mea-
sures would have been adopted, and such instruc-
tions given to the persons entrusted with the com-
mand of these places, as would have preServed the
natives in their vicinity from the irorrors Which could
not fail to attend a revival of that trade, hA'er Mal
ing been pracucally abolished for a period of up-
wards of twenty years. Such, however; the Direc-
tors are concerned to state, has not been the case.
Since the cession of these settlements, s Slave,
Trade has been carried on to a great extent in their im-'
mediate vicinity, and even untier the French flag; and
it would appear, from credible information, that be-
fore the expiration of the first year of its occupation
by France, more slates had been exported from the,
rive Senegal alone, than had been exported thence in,
any two years prior to the Revolutionary war. The
effects ire such as *night have been anticipated;
namely, the usual insecurity of person and property,
and the fevival of wars in the interior, and of preda-
datory expeditions in the vicinity of the settlement,
The Moorish tribes dwelling. on the northern banks
of the river have resumed their antient employment,
and have been actively engaged in ravaging and
baiting the Negro villages, and reducing the misera-
ble inhabitants to slavery. In this statement various
eye-witnesses entirely concur, so as to leave no tea-
satiable doubt of its accuracy. Some idea of the
misery and devastation produced by this renewal of
the Slave Trade in the neighbourhood of the River
Senegal, may be fotmed from the following extract
of a letter from a Gentleman recently arrived from
that quarter, which will be found corroborated by
other documents inserted in the appendix :
" The Moors have been engaged to supply Sene-
gal with slaves; and the numerous villages and
towns near the river, and the Traquar country, have
either been burnt, or are deserted by their late peace-
ful inhabitants; and those beautiful and interesting
_ _

Scenes on the left bank of the Senegal, in the Footer
country, which I visited twelve months ago, when
they were covered with corn, tobacco, cotton, melons,
&c. now present only a dreary wilderness, the culti-
vators being either kidnapped to foreign climes, or
obliged to fly from the grasp of the European agents."
The above facts, as well as all others of which any
account has reached the Directors, in proof of the
existence of 'an extensive French Slave Trade on the
western coast of 'Africa, and for the supply of the
Isle of Bourbon, at Madagascar, and its vicinity,
have been from time to time submitted to his Majes-
ty's Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. In con-
sequence of his representations to the French Govern-
ment, measures have been taken to ascertain the facts
of the case; which have led, as the Directors under-
stand, to the removal of the Governors of the Isles of
ISotaibon and Gotee (who appeared to have connived
at the practices complained of), end to -the substitu-
tion Of OlEceis from 'Whom they hope that a more
conscientious performance of their duties in this re-
spect. be eilbeeted.
it is ftesunteir trnit"tlie- French Government le not
fullyelecttrainted the state of *things in the river
Se 1, Which, would otherwise, no doubt, haft
for some mark of its displeasure. Ott
the taine Unquestionable authority from which the
Direetbesirave obtained the facts already laid before
the Meeting, they have learned that it is the practice
Ilisae4essels, Which tarry slaves from .genegal,qtot
iciiake their slaves on board in the river, but to clear
tout, from the Custom-house as in ballait ; 'and after
they wave croseed the :bar, and are fairly out of the
10er, @k4laVes4ite then -carried off in small canoes,
ChtilisglAte dangerous *surf, which beats constantly
bta tlibtesieh, and embarked in the vessels for which
liftfare destined, though it often happens 'that the
ifetitSts ire buried In the %raves, and many lives lost
in:the attempt -reach ft. 411 consequence of this
arrangement, it is obvious that the:eifficoky isfob.
tubing correct information on this subject through