Star.
London, England, 1826-05-20 00:00:00

Air. Bingos) the Hon. Gentlernin, in the most marked manner,
avowed his anxiety to meet it with a direct negative, though the
Right Hon. Gentleman ( Sir. Canning) was satisfied with getting
Tl 4 it by the previous question.
Air. Witscrr•Horeon espiained.
Dr: LI/Sill N C I'ON iih,erved, if he might judge from what
had occurred in an e her place, there were some of his Majesty's
Minister. who bad eaprcs•ed a different opinion from that which
had been avowed and acted upon in this llouse—(Hear, hear) He
wa. not ?referring to an opinion which might be said to have be.
cs.rie antieuated. hut it was an opinion delivered within two
months tr .iit the present time. by a Noble and Learned Lord, who,
had t .kets an opp • tunny in another place purposely to state, in
diets dna, p4/fillide terms, his entire dissent from the very opi-
nion which had been expressed by the Right Honourable Secretary
fur Foreign Affairs, who had stated that the spirit of the Bd.
tish Constitution was not in its principle hostile to slavery.—
Now, what was said elsewhere? It was declared " that a great
deal had been said with respect to the state of slavery ; which was
designated as contrary to the genius of the British Constitution
and opposed to the spirit of religion. Now the slave trade .was
fostered, encouraged, and almost instituted, by Lord Somers. Then,
he would hesitatq a long while before be ventured to say it was con-
trary to the spirit 'of die Christian religion, for it had been sup•
ported by the Bishops for a considerable period."—lie would
ask, whether sentiments like these were not calculated to uphold
the Colonists in their contuntaitious opposition, and whether they
were net calculated to defeat the measures proposed by his Ho-
nourable Friend. There was no person who was acquainted
with the British Constitution who would not maintain that slavery
was in every respect hostile to the constitution of thiueountry ; and
be could almost venture to say, it was no where to be tound that
Lord Somers ever bad expressed his opinion in sanetiuning such a
traffic. But if the truth had been so, instead of bringing forward
his statement, would- it not have been much better, and doing more
justice to him to have buried in oblivion a fault which wrs not his,
but the fault of the times; because the question had nut then under-
gone any discussion before the House, and all its atrocities were
completely hid in obscurity—( Hear). lie knew not bow it could
be contended that means might nut be extended in bringing up the
children of the West Indian slaves in such a way as to fit them for
that state of freedom which the rest of his Majesty's subjects en-
joyed. To fall short of these measures would be to fall short of
the measures of justice, and he thought every sacrifice should be
made which, in justice to the Proprietors of the West India trades
could fairly be granted. He would ask, in the name of truth and
of justice, what cause there was for any further delay on this ques-
tion, and why another Session was to be allowed to pass over
without the House adapting those measures which bad been so long
in contemplation?
Mr. BERN AI. would not enter into the broad question of com-
pensation, but thought that the reluctance skewn by the Colonists
to accede to the recommendations of his country was natural enough.
With regard to the condition of the Slaves in the West India
Islands, he must however say, that they were much better off than
was generally imagined. The changes which had taken place within
the i..st 15 years were productive of much benefit to the slaves ;
their health had been attended to ; they had been baptised, and
were instructed religious and moral principles; indeed, every
thing that could have been done to ameliorate their condition had
been tried. The Sunday was set apart as a day of rest ; and there
was a'law in force throughout the Colonies, by which a master
could be severely punished for putting his slaves• to work at
the sugar-iiiillsou Sundays. The only course which remained to
be pursued was uric founded upon justice ; and before this country
prisces:ded to take step. in destroying the property of the West
India Planter (by which he provided for his family) it should take
ail the circumstances couuected with the case into its most impar-
tial consideration.

C. IL ELLIS regretted exceedingly the reception which
the reeonunctitlations of Parliament bad experienced. He was of
opinion that religious instruction was vise of the first things to be
attended to, since it was a nutter of much importance in the plan
proposed fur the amelioration of the slaves. It was a matter of deep
rug' et with him that this bad not been sufficiently attended to. By
the Census of 18 3 it appeared that, during the last three years,
nu leas than tour thousand slaves bad been treed by purchasing their
manumission. He was convinced that the West India planter had
no übjectioo to the emancipation of the slaves, but they at the same
time did not wish it to be effected by means of an insurrection.
lie contended that so long as a slave knew that his master could
grant or Muse him his manumission just as he behaved himself and
showed an axiety to obtain bis master's good opinion, lie was more
disposed to adopt a behaviour which was likely to tend to lais own
and his master's welfare. This desire was, however, diminished
when be found himself a free man and upou an equality with his
n'USI Cr:
Mr. BU'II'BRWORTII* eapressed his satisfaction at the
measures which had been taken in the Colonies to give to the
Church a permanent establishment. Han. Member was in-
terrupted In his observatiotts, by the clamorous impatience of the
House for a div.sion.

Mr. DENMAN said, the subject was one of infinite importance ;
and as the last Act of the present Parliament, it would be a matter
of deep regret, and even of reproach, if tbeHuuse permitted it to be
borne down by elantour, wi:hout being beard. The extraordinary
pre4ress of the Colonies in liberal views' within these few years' was a
proof that the House ought not to wait the slow progress which some

lion. Members talked:if ; but that it ought to press its measures,
which not only produced the intended good,but engendered that pro-
gress of sentiment that w..s must essential The sentiments of preced-
ing ;,uthorities had been misquoted. it was true, that in I SO6, the
hopes of thu Legisleture had been, that the masters of the slaves
would themselves effect the amelioration in their condition: that
was the wish Of this country ; but if the experience of twenty years
taught that these expectations were fallacious, was the House to be
bound down by the mistaken views that had been then taken ? In
806, Mr. For bad thought the question not ripe for discussion,
and: had depended on the good sense and sound principles of the
masters; but if these hopes bad been defeated, and the masters
would not become the instruments of emancipation, and the Go-

vernment met with a resistance to their measures, it became the
duty of Parliament to see that the hands of Government were I
strengthened. In 114'7, one of the greatest ornaments, and one of
the most splendid orators of this country, had said that he did not
like to hear the term ' property' applied to the subjects of a free
country. He had asked, could man become the property of man?
—and speaking with reference to the hagfish Constitution, lie had
said, that every Colony of the country must bear its principles of
Government, and could no more shake off its allegiance to the Con-
otittition, than it could its allegiance to the Sovereign. The Hun.
}limber concluded his observations by supporting the motion.

Secr.AAry CANNING said, that the Hun. And
Learned Member who had last spoken had brought the debate
precisely to that point at which he (Mr. Canning) could have de-
s'.red to see it,—to the short question, whether the resolutions pro-
posed for the aduption of the House, were eit!ier necessary or likely
to he useful as regarded the. object, to serve which they must Ist.
t ilten to be intended? Ile might fairly lay out of dispute all other
y)iiiis of the lion. and Learued Gentleman's speech ; because upon
Vio main question, Guverntnent had already conceded everything
which in the spit It of moderation and conciliation ought to be done.
Tu any such mode of proceeding, however, the lien; Gentleman
seemed opposed. Ills speech seemed arranged entirely for a system'
of force and terror; and, in fact, was conceived in a disposition not
nears foreign to the temper in which the general question had
keen commonly discussed, than to the temperate and detailed
statement which had introduced the present resolution. The
point, as he took it, was now, however, not whether these resole
lions contaiued abstract truths—for that could not be denied ;
but whether, practically, they were likely to be useful—or
whether they were not likely rather to be seriously - detrimental
to the cause, of colonial improvement, and to the amelioration of
the condition of the slaves. In the first place, then, he addressed
the House.as addressing those who had brought forward, or con.
c.:rted in, the vote of May, 1823. If there were any who were
du:posed to go back to that which had been the opinion of the few
i 1 RO7 —that emancipation by Act of Parliament ought necessarily
t.)14,110w abolition of the Slave Trade by Act of Parliament—to
he answered, that they came now too late ; that they were
e4topped by •the Resolutions which had been actually passed in
that House ?(itree years back, in the year 1822; Resolutions by
which Parliament had pledged itself—bad elected—to abide by

a system, not of force but of conciliation, unless in the event of
meeting with such a spirit of resistance and contumacy u he
(Ur. Canning) fully trusted it would not have to encounter.—
And, fir the course which the Hen. and Learned Geadenna re-
cooniended,let the House obseeve, that it was one which instantly
threw all the weight of the desired alteration upon the shoolders of
this country. It at once cut away all chance of co-operation on
the part of the Cotentin; for even t►e Coteents could hardly be ie.