Star.
London, England, 1819-02-16 00:00:00

81.11 NE TRAM

Lord CASTLEREAGH brought up a large mass
of papers relative to negotiations with foreign Powers,,
on the subject of the Slave Trade. Some other doe
currents were also subjoined..
Mr. WILBERFORCE said, that the documents
were too voluminous to be taken into consideration
to-morrow, as hi, Lordship had proposed.
Lord CASTLEREAGH concurred, that Members
could not be prepared for a discussion on the subject
until the papers had been printed : he, therefore, did
not object to postpone his, notice until Friday next.
Mr. SMYTH observed, that he wished to obtain
from the Noble Lord some information on another
important point connected with this interesting ques•
tiun. The House was aware, that conventions had
been signed betweenthis country and Spain and Por-
tugal, for the establishment of commissions for the
adjudication of captured slave ships on the coast of
Africa, in South America, and in the isla:zst of Trini-
dad. The ratiacations of those conventions were to
be exchanged within a limited time; and at the ex-
piration of months at the latest, the commissions
were to be established. He wished to know whether
that desirable object had vet been accomplished, and
if not, when it was probable that it would be attained.
Lord CASTLEREAGH remarked, that there were
three Conventions—one with the King of the Nether-
lands, on which no enactment had been yet founded ;
and two others with Spain and Portugal : as to the
latter, two Bills had been passed, to enable Govern-
ment to act upon the Conventions ; but, without going
into detail, he could state that, with the utmost
anxiety on the part of Ministers to complete the ob-
j.:ct in view, they had experienced great difficulty in
tilling up the list of the Commissioners.
Mr. WILBERFORCE complained that a strange
delay had occurred in sending out the Commis-
sioners. Ile did not mean to impute it to the Noble
Lord opposite; but the House should know, thin every
day which was suffered to pass before they went out,
signed the death-warrant of hundreds of their fellow-
creatirres.—(llear, hear.) Ile trusted he need not
add any thing further, to urge the sending those Com-
missioners out. If they could be sent even a week
sooner than was intended, the lives of thousands
might be saved by it.

LAW OP APPEAL.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL, in snaring that
the Bill for repealing the Law of Appeal by Wager
of Battle in criminal cases, and in Writs of Right, be
committed, observed, that in passing the Bill through
the Committee at present, he wculd purpose some
verbal Amendments ; but there was a material one
which he intended to propose afterwards, which ap-
plied to Appeals in cage of Treason abroad. An
Honourable Member had on a former evening ex-
pressed a doubt whether such right of Appeal did
not exist as a law. Upon'examitung into the matter,
he had found, thaf that law was in effect virtually re-
pealed ; for it could only be tried in the High Come
of Chivalry, which Coutt was not in existence at pre-
sent. However, as it had not been expressly repealed
by any Statute, he would include it in his Bill, and
set the matter at rest..
Sir F. BURDETT wished to save one part of the
Law of Appeal—that which was made in cases of
Murder; and he intended, when the Bill was recons-
miued, to submit an Amendment to that effect. He
admiped it would be a hardship to have any man
liable to be uied twice for the SW* offence; but he
considered the right of Appeal in such eases necessary,
as a protection against an undue Exercise of the power
of the Crown in pardoning persont amvicted of murder.
Sir J. MACINTOSH would have offered himself
upon this subject on a former amigo, if he had an:.
ticipated any serious objection -to the bill ; but he
considered it so wise and so much celled for %meanie
dm* did not imagine ant Individual would hist

opposed. it. He multi lists* fah Amore to say
argumsru which might be *feed is favour of the.
appeal in cases of .murdet.) bat be professed he did,
net ire how any part of the law could be suffered to
amain, without leaving a principle equally incon-
sistvt with humanity and justice--(Hear, hear.) The
objections to the repeal of that part ofit which ap-
plied to cases of murder, rested upon no better audio.,
city than the observations of Junius upon the case of
the Kennedys.
The bill then passed through the Committee, pro
forma. The report was received, and ordered- to be
taken into further codsideration on Monday next.

i• REGULATION lIILL.

On the motion, by Mr. BENNET, for the second
reading of this Bill,
Mr. OMMANEY made two objections to it. The
first was, that the laws, as they stood at present,
gave the climbing boys sufficient protection; and the
second was, that the machinery which was proposed
to be substituted for them was not found to succeed.
Mr. BENNET said, that the answer to the first
objection might be found in the evidence of the mas-
ters themselves, who bad all admitted that the laws
were not sufficient for the protection of the children.
His answer to the second objection would be, that
that could not be called a failure in the machinery
which succeeded is 990 cases out of 1000. The Bill
was then read a second time, and ordered to be com-
mitted on Wednesday.