The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-01-10 00:00:00

" TO THE EDITOR OF THE SALOPIAN JOURNAL.

" Sir,—l have the painful and melancholy task to announce
to you that it bath pleased Almighty God suddenly to de-
prive us of our beloved and much-lamented master, Sir
Watkin Williams Wynn, Bart. Sir Watkin, the good, hath
breathed his last. Welshmen, mourn, for your chieftain is
no more!

" The morning of the sth of January closed the mortal ca-
reer- of this great and good gentleman, in the 68th year of
his age. In him the widow bath lost a husband, the orphan
a father, and hundreds the kindest and best of masters. Let
every eye be dim with the tears of grateful and affectionate
sorrow.
" His goodness is at too great a height, and too universally
known and appreciated, to be affected by my humble pane-
gyric ; and I shall now leave his memory to the gratitude
and admiration of posterity, having a melancholy satisfaction
in testifying that affection and respect for his memory, which,
whilst he lived, it was no less our inclination than our con-
stant study and duty to shew him." •

WRECK OF THE BRIG CERES, OF LONDON, ON

BIRD ISLAND.

The brig Ceres, Randels, .of. London, from Itainouski,
River St. Lawrence, on her homeward voyage, was totally
lost-on the 13th of September, whilst lying to in a heavy gale
of wind, on Bird Island. This island is a perpendicular rock
the height of any royalmast-head, and covered with millions
of fowls; called gannets, as large as any of our English geese.
Ten minutes after the vessel struck she filled and broke up,
and the master, mate, and ten seamen perished. The car-
penter, James Irving, of the Orkneys, and George Wood,
seaman, of London, saved themselves by gaining the rock
from the foremast. When they had gained the summit of
this rock, a scene was presented which filled them with fear
and astonishment, of being devoured by the millions of large,:
birds which inhabited it. QUantities of heads, bones; anch,
parts of fish in a state of putrefaction, with thousands of cgs,,.
and millions of young fowls in their nests, were, found., lies
eggs were their first attempt, in order to satisfy the:64vings'i
of nature, but they could not find one to feed upon,* they!.
were all rotten; and the young fowls were their only resort
In this situation the two unfortunate men remained for nearly
three days, when a schooner came so near that they could
observe the men on deck ; as soon as they saw her, the car- ,
penter pulled off his shirt and hoisted it as a signal, but no
notice was taken of it. Afterwards two brigs passed, but.
neither of them appeared to see their signal of distress.
On the third day the brig Dykes, Sharp, of Maryport, out-
ward bound for Quebec, appeared. The captain thought he
saw something on the rock, and said to his mate, " Did you
ever hear of any person being on this rock ?" and he said,
"Never." He looked with a glass more earnestly, and dis-
tinctly saw a signal, which lie made out to be a blue shirt
and two men moving to and fro. He immediately lowered
his steering sail, stood towards the island, and came as near
as he could with safety, and then manned his boat. As soon
as the two unfortunate men got on board they returned
thhnks to Captain Sharp, as their deliverer. At this time
Captain Sharp had on board six men belonging to the Onon-
daso, which had been abandoned a few days previous. About
three years ago Captain Sharp took from the Wexford thirty-
fiie men, which vessel had been run foul of at sea.
From a letter which appeared in the Quebec Gazelle of
Nov' 2, it seems that public attention had been called for the
purpose of raising a subscription in order to present Captain
Sharp with a gold medal for his exertions in the cause of
humanity.

IMMIGRATION OF THE NEGRO RACE INTO
THE BRITISH WEST INDIES.

(From the Colonial Gazette.)
The negro race is one the whose immigration to the
West Indies would be most advantageous both to the pre-
sent inhabitants and the new colliers. That is already the
predominant race, and is the only one, except Europeans
(whose immigration as labourers is out of the question),
that would be received on a footing of brotherhood by the
staple population. That, too, is the only race to which the
climate of the West Indiesis known to be entirely congenial.
It is also of essential importance, with a view to serving
the African negro, that his race should be preferred to all
others.

In this, as in every case where the aim is to increase the
population of a colony by means of immigration, the first
step would be to render the colony as attractive as possible to
the class of immigrants. In order to attract any great num-
ber of the negro race to the West Indies, it is absolutely ne-
cessary that the principles of emancipation should be followed
out to the end—that that race should there be placed on a
footing of perfect social and political equality with the whites.
If any white object to this, we should say that this foolish
pride deserves the beggary which thetriumph of his objection
would entail on his class. For while the utter ruin of the
planters must occur without a great increase of labouring
hands, it is.equally sure that no measure of negro immigra-
tion will be adopted by parliament that does not repudiate all
distinctions of colour. Nor if adopted by parliament would
any measure of the kind prove sufficient for its purpose, un-
less it made the British colonies a land of refuge ; a happy
home for the persecuted negro of the western world. This
we address to such planters as forget that emancipation has
taken place. To those whose object it is to give the negro
race, for once in the world, a fair chance of rising from their
universal degradation, we need Scarcely say that it is a sine
qua non of success to banish every distinction of colour.
Supposing the British West Indies to stand out from the
rest of America by the repudiation of every 'distinction of co-
lour, there would be sources in plenty from which to draw
immigrants of the negro race. The government of Trinidad
has settled this point as respects the free-coloured people of
the United States. Its mission to the States for the purpose
of setting on foot a system of negro immigration to that
colony; has been completely successful. Equal rights under
a sympathising government was the attraction which it held
out to these unhappy people. After much communication
with the free negroes of the United States, the government
of Trinidad is satisfied of their disposition to settle in the
British West Indies, provided they be there secured against
falling into the same political and social degradation from
which they now wished to escape. But where in that part
of the world is that race admitted to a real. equality with the
whites ? Wherever that race exists in Africa, they would be
well disposed to emigrate to a country of suitable climate,
which offered the attraction of good wages and equal rights.
From 50 points between Rio de Janeiro and Boston, they
would flock to the British colonies, if invited by the call of
justice to the negro.
In all probability, however, the increase of population in
our colonists would still be inadequate to the demand for
labour. The more intelligent of the emigrants from vari-
ous parts of America would soon lay by a capital, and
would themselves require labouring hands. --In order to
supply the utmost possible demand for labour, recourse
must be had to the fatherland of the race. The object here
would be to substitute for the exportation of slaves a
system of free emigration. This is the suggestion of Sir
Edward Cust. It may startle the friends of the negro, but
should engage their most serious attention. What is the
objection to the emigration of labourers from Africa to the
West Indies, any more than from Kent to Australia ? The
sole objection is, that African emigration might become the
disguise of a slave trade. That might happen without fitting
precautions ; but the objection ceases supposing the pre-
cautions to be sufficient. One precaution would suffice : a
law should preclude individuals from speculating in the con-
duct of emigration from Africa to the West Indies ; the
whole process from beginning to end—from the first invi-
tation to emigrate down to the emigrant's comfortable settle-
ment in the colony—should be confided to a special and re-
sponsible public authority. The same law• might provide
specific securities for the negro's free consent to his removal,
for just such care of him during the passage as is bestowed
on British emigrants who proceed to Australia under the
superintendence of a government commission, and for his
support in the colony until engaged as a labourer for hire. It
were well if the law further entitled the immigrant negro to
public support whenever unemployed, and to obtain, upon
demand, a tree passage back to Africa. These two last pro-
visions, supposing the cost of their execution to be thrown
liabilities
the landowners,
al on the landowners of the West Indies, would prevent the
ed. The
labour market of the colonies from being overstocked, either.
ge n c e., and yet would really be no
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ei
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attractiveness of the colonies—would thus be continually.
maintained. Nothing more would be requisite to produce,
ere long, an amount of free emigration from Africa sufficient
to destroy the very root of the African slave trade.

We are authorised to say that there is not the slightest
foundation for the statements which have appeared in the
French papers, that Lord Ponsonby is about to be recalled
from his post as ambassador at Constantinople. Lord Pon-
"'l4, we have reason to believe, enjoys the full contidcnc
ofsheisaGireovae:rmoeLitti,:n
approbation,--Ministerial
ibalyerhiiasiapbalve
erc.onduct in the per,
ftorrnance of arduous duties in difficult circumstance, earned