The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-03-20 00:00:00

THE EXTINCTION OF SLAVERY,

A LwrrEtt, addressed to the Imperial Parliament, on the
subject of the EXTINCTION OF SLAVERY, and the only
practical method of effecting that most desirable object,
with a glance at the proposed Niger Expedition of Lord
John Russell.

London, March 10, 1840.
Mr LORDS AND GENTLEMEN,—The Abolition of Slavery
in the British colonial possessions at the cost to the Govern-
ment of £20,060,000. sterling, a cost which, however great,
no Englishman for one moment regrets, and a sacrifice on
the part of the Colonists, to several times that amount, was
never intended by either party as a bonus to other nations,
where Slavery is openly tolerated, and the atrocities of the
Slave trade encouraged—and yet such has been the result.
The horrors of the middle passage are confessedly fivefold
greater than heretofore ! the importation of African Slaves
into the Rrazils, Cuba, and even the United States of Ame-
rica, has increased in a fearful ratio, notwithstanding the ex-
penditure by England of £25,000,000. since the year 1808
with the view of suppressing it ; and this increase must go on
as long as the present commercial system prevails.
Lord John Russell admits the incalculable magnitude of
the evil—the injuries it inflicts on the lawful commerce of
the country—the constant expense incurred in the employ-
ment of ships of war for the suppression of it—and the an-
nual sacrifice of many valuable lives in the service. And
how does he propose to remedy this crying evil ?—by placing
the axe at the root of the tree ?—by a practical and states-
manlike view of the evil and its remedies! No ! but by re-
commending a further primary outlay of £35,000. and an
andual charge of £10,546. for the purpose of sendi❑g an ex-
pedition to the Niger !!
Lord John admits, somewhat sotto voce, that the average
number of Slaves introduced into Foreign States, or colonies
in America and the West Indies, from the western coast of
Africa, annually exceeds 100,000 ; double that number would
be nearer the truth. And with this fact staring him in the
face, he calmly proposes to remedy the evil by an expedition
to the Niger !
Now I am prepared to maintain that. the check offered to
this debasing traffic, by three vessels and a complement of
one hundred and fifty-five men, would not only be utterly
useless, but immeasurably increase the evil. The obstacles
thrown in the way of the native chieftains in the disposal of
their captives would lead to increaeed vigilance and cruelty;
whilst the activity of the owners of slave-ships would be
doubled. It is an established fact that every species of ille-
gal traffic receives a powerful and constant impulse from the
hope of large and quick returns, and the greater the restric-
tions placed upon it, the more active and numerous are the
speculators ; and when to this is added the equally notorious
truth, that the minds of those who engage in the peculiar
trade under consideration, are wretchedly demoralised; that
the grand and eternal distinctions of right and wrong are
scarcely recognised by them ; that God is only known as a
God of wood or stone, the work of men's hands ;—that a fu-
ture state is never thought of—can we expect that an " ex-
pedition to the Niger" is to work a miracle, and three
steamboats civilize a continent?
But suppose for a moment that this Utopian scheme were
commenced—that the expedition had successfully reached its
destination—how, I ask, are the native kings, or heads of
tribes, to be convinced that this traffic, when correctly under-
stood, is opposed to their own interests ? I confess, that at
the first blush, the perusal of this portion of Lord John
Russell's scheme, looked well ; but when, upon reflection, I
calculated the ages it would take to impress upon the preju-
diced minds of opinionated and independent chiefs, commer-
cial ideas directly at variance with all they had previously
entertained ; when I call to mind the natural character of the
African, with which I had, after several years' study, be-
come somewhat conversant,—the futility of the scheme be-
came at once apparent, and the necessity of adopting a more
speedy and feasible extinction of the horrors of slavery forced
itself upon my mind.
It is all very well to talk or write of establishing " new
commercial relations with those African chiefs or powers,
within whose dominions the internal Slave Trade of Africa
is carried on, and the external Slave Trade supplied with its
victims." There is little doubt but diplomatists may be
found capable of beguiling these barbarous people, and appa-
rently convincing them that the Slave Trade is injurious to
their interests. A present of articles, either useful or attrac-
tive, would, for the time, no doubt, conciliate a favourable
hearing for our ambassadors. But let the novelty once pass
away ; and immediately their acquiescence in our views
would vanish. And the probabilities are, that of those whom
the climate had spared, the majority would become victims
to the vengeance of disappointed hopes. •
But, it may be said, the majesty of the British nation
would never suffer itself to be insulted by negro chieftains !
I believe it. The• African navy is not quite so powerful as
that of Russia, France, or America. Still, however, the
question will force itself upon public attention. What has
the expedition to the Niger effected ?—An African war !—a
sequel to the Chinese ! !
What then remains to be done ; How is the abomination
to be checked ? At all hazards, slavery having been abo-
lished at an immense sacrifice in the British dominions, this
empire cannot permit itself to countenance the evil in other
countries. This is the very point to which it is desired to
direct attention of the imperial parliament. The object of
emancipation was not to injure the planter, but protect the
negro ; not to encourage the slave trade amongst other na-
tions, but to relieve Great Britain from the stigma of traffick-
ing in human blood ; not to increase the horrors of the
middle passage, but to foster tie seeds of freedom and the
better feelings of our nature in every portion of the British
empire; not to increase the revemis of Rrazil, Cuba, or the
slave States of America, by diatom:dee of Our own colonies,
but to elevate our national character.
In one and all of these a signal failure is apparent. The
planter has severely stiffered,—the British possessions, for
want of free labourers, are fast going to decay=the Foreign
slave trade is rapidly on the increase,—the middle passage
is fraught with aggravated horrors,—the slave states in all
parts of the world are reaping a golden harvest,—and the
British government is laughed at for its vapouring ; which .
laughter will not be diminished, when the declarationk4,
Lord John Russell, in his manifesto, is read, viz.: that `-` to.,
repress the Foreign slave trade by a marine guard, would
scarcely be possible, if the whole British navy could be em-
ployed for that purpose."
Is the case, then, hopeless?—By no means. The remedy
is in the hands of government,—a remedy at once simple and
efficacious. It is manifest- that the demand for Slaves must
absolutely depend upon-the remunerating profit derived from
their labours. Destroy the sources of this profit, and you
at once destroy the necessity of supplying the market with
additional slave labobr.. The plan; then, that I would sug-.
gest, is, that ❑o article of commerce raised by Slave-la-
bour be, under any pretence whatever, admitted into the.
dominions of Great Britain. Close the ports against sugar,
rum, coffee, cotton, Lissn &c. cultivated by slaves, arid the
death-blow of the slave trade is at once struck ; and the
speedy emancipation of the entire negro race secured. It
may be argued, that with respect to cotton, we are not at
present capable of supplying our manufactories, 'without
having recourse to the slave states of America ; but this is a
most powerful argument in favour• of free emigration—as no
one has ventured to state that the British colonies are in-
capable of producing cotton, not only sufficient for our own
market, but the entire continent of Europe. Free labour,
therefore, is alone required.
It may here, perhaps, be asked, whether in our commer-
cial relations with slave countries we should not materially
suffer by taking such decided steps ? To this I emphatically
answer, no. The encouragement of free emigration into our
own colonies would restore more than counterbalance any dis•
advantages that might be anticipated ; first by the increased
impetus given to our cultivation in the West Indies and
the Mauritius ; and secondly, by the additional supplies
demanded from this country to meet the daily augmenting
wants of a growing population, which will be readily con-
ceded, when the remark of Mr. Scobell, of the Anti-
Slavery Society, is borne in mind, that British Guiana
alone is capable of sustaining a population of forty
millions! although the present population does not ex-
ceed 100,000, being at the rate of a single indivi-
dual to each square mile. Besides, it appears to me, that
under no circumstances could such a question be entertained.
To relieve ourselves from what we considered a foul blot
upon the- national character, £20,000,000 were cheerfully
expended. Shall we expend ten tinies that sum to encourage
slavery in other states? Is our philanthropy to be-confined
within the limits of our empire ? is slavery less abomi-
nable in Brazil than Barbadoes ? or is the humanity of
the Spanish master superior to that of the British. Such
shallow reasoning will not bear the light. During the
agitation for negro emancipation, many well-meaning people
abstained from the consumption of West India produce, from
an idea that they were encouraging slavery. Let the nation
at large adopt the philanthropic sentiment. Let an absolute
veto be put upon the introduction of slave produce. Let the
slave trade be declared piracy ; and the utmost rigour of the
law be invariably and irrespectively enforced. Let the im-
portation of free labourers be encouraged under proper regu-
lations, especially from those parts of the globe where the cli-
mate may appear most similar to that of the British colonies,
and consequently where the effects of a change of locality
would be scarcely, if at all, perceptible—and then, my lords
and gentlemen, twenty millions will not have been expended
in vain ! Slavery will effectually be eradicated : and the pros-
perity of the British colonies established upon a basis, which
no future events are likely to shake, and the right hand of
the British power, at present almost withered, will be re-
stored to its original strength and vigour.
The subject might here be safely left to the calm and dis-
passionate judgment of the legislature ; but there are one or
two other points suggested by the proposed " expedition to
the Niger," which appeared to have been hitherto overlooked
—notwithstanding their paramount importaace, in a moral as
well as a commercial point of view, to which it is desirable to
direct public attention.
The change in the condition of the coloured population,
when fully developed, will exhibit to the world a vast body of
people, who as they become enlightened, will naturally turn
thlle.niooidr,nuatsgehteteodaricibnuo‘oovdygtuuo.hts to the country from which they originally
came. It is then of the first importance, that their educa-
tion should be of a nature calculated to make their renewed
connexion with Africa, which must one day take place, mo-
rally and politically advantageous. The present religious
state of the West Indies appears to afford peculiar facilities
for carrying out this object. In every parish the minister
might be instructed to prepare one or more of the intelligent
negroes for the office of a missionary, which plan, if adopted
in every colony, would secure the services of from two to
three hundred individuals, properly educated for this impor-
tant duty ; whilst Codrington College at Barbados might be
rendered available for giving additional authority to the ne-
gro teachers who displayed any striking ability ; and thus
the African continent would in a few years be supplied with
a body of missionaries, who, from their physical powers,
their congenial habits, and complexions, are calculated to
promote the cause of the Gospel, and consequently of civilisa-
tion, in that benighted ouarteesof the globe, to an extent that
has never hitherto been contemplated.
Whilst the better to effect this object, a direct communi-
cation between Africa and the West Indies, a merely ten days'
industrious
talaeodgnare
diwddr
wastingci
;, t
johnitotlii
th:eeegerih. beill:rttßreTtydeui
mss
ftts rreeeEl
enpisiandci
aetpopulation,hiss immediatelyarpbce reeroci
dofis
uter oneicpane em,
crr-eaephd:ri:es
residence
eaasldtfnei
srddeboebepyfne
recsfobmter
supply-
ing glpfrerlltafiyaayni,
nnnioagsulatlrtley:, a
expeditione n
p o
edintoptrhoemNotiignegrt.—hisl mamos,tindeystiroairbdles intercourse,
instead
Gentle-
men, your obedient servant,
AN ENEMY TO THE SLAVE TRADE
AND SLAVE PRODUCE.

The Dowager Countess Cowper, recently united to Vis-
count Palmerston, does not intend to retain her rank. Her
ladyship's cards are printed " Vicountess Palmerston."

correctNA -
NV e
statement
are enabled to lay before 1
readerslTtlhoiNs
NT:eeCkual
the vessels which have already sailed,
A)f the particulars, of
our E x Pr EXPEDITION
the purpose of vindicating British hotio are yet to sail, for
China. The Blenheim, 74 guns, sailed direct
ir on the coast of
Portsmouth, 17th February ; Melville, 74 for China from
Cape; Wellesley, 74 guns, from the Indian station; guns, from the
46, direct from Plymouth, November; February •, Druid, ronde,
the Cape via Sydney, sth
if r o m
di em
from Plymouth, on the 23d February ; Nimrod, 20,
Plymouth, on the 24th February (with duplicate instructions
for Admiral Elliot) ; Modeste, 18, from the Cape, sth Nov.;'s
Wanderer, 18, sailed for the Cape, 12th Feb., from Ply-
mouth, with orders to Admiral Elliot to proceed with all his
corvettes and take the command in China. Besides these
ships, another 74 has been dispatched. At Portsmouth there
are now waiting orders, the Pique, 38 ; Andromache, 28 ;
10 vessels from the Indian station, from 18 to 28 guns each,
part of the Indian navy ; 2 vessels from the Cape station, 18
guns each ; 2 from the South American station, 18 and 28
guns each ; 2 from the New South Wales station, 15 to 28
guns each ; 2 large steamers, supposed to be the Sesostris
and Queen.—Commerciat journal.

(Accompanied by a Chart of the Canton or Tigris Rirer.)

NAN-KING.

This city is situated in lat. 23 deg. 7 min. N., and long.
113 deg. 15 min. E. of GreenWich, in the distriet of Keung-
ning-foo, province of Keung-soo. The principal products
of this part of the country are grain, cotton, green teas, and
silk, besides others of less value. Here theinhabitants
eel all their countrymen in the roanufaetnre cotton
cloth, embroidery, &c. They are, however,, represented as
effeminate, and devoted to luxury ; and, rich as are the pro-
ducts of the soil, an overcrowded population exhausts every
resource, so that the visitations of famine iu all its horrors
are by no means unfrequent. Nan-king was once the capital
,of the empire, but is now considered as the southern metro-
polis only. It is situated a league distant from the tine river
Yang-tze-keang, in the centre of China, and well adapted
for the capital of a large empire. Its walls are said to be. 32
miles in circumference. Scarcely two-thirds of the area
within this circumvallation are inhabited, a great part being
.laid out in fields and gardens. The city suffered much dur-
ing the Tartar invasion, and in the war with the pirates of
Fokeen, who laid siege to it in their turn. The streets are
narrow, and the public buildings bear traces of decay; but
the gates are still magnificent, and the far-famed porcelain
tower is still an object of wonder and admiration. This pa-
goda, or temple, stands outside the city. "It is (says Guts-
!tiff) raised on a massive basement of brick, and surrounded
with a rail of unpolished marble. Ten or twelve steps lead
to the nethermost hall, the floor .of which stands one foot
higher than the basis, and leaves a little walk, two feet wide,
all round. The front of this temple is adorned with a gal-
lery and a few pillars ; the roof is double, and covered with
green glazed tiles, which give the whole a very brilliant ap-
pearance, especially when the rays of the sun are reflected
upon it. The hall itself is of au octangular form, 40 feet wide,
surrounded with a wall, supporting the tower on one side. The
tower is 9 stories high,,every story smaller than that below it,
and the whole about 200 feet in height, to the summit of which
leads a spiral staircase of 190 steps. Each story is made up
of thick pieces of timber laid cross-wise, the ceiling being
adorned with paintings, the numerous niches with idols, and
the outer cornices and pent-houses with bells, which emit,
when the wind blows, a very pleasing chime. From the
eighth story the cupola (or spiral part) rises from the top of
the tower, but no steps lead to it. A. piece of iron runs in a
spiral form : on its top is placed 'a large gold ball, in the
shape of a pine-apple. The material of which the tower is
consteucted, and the neatness with which the whole is joined,
make it appear as if it were made of a single piece. Its
height and commanding situation have greatly increased its
fame, as the noblest work of Chinese architecture. The sub-
stance itself resembles our earthenware, and the glazing is so
well tixed that it has stood the testsof four centuries and still
looks beautiful." This pagoda was built by a scion of the
imperial clan of Ming, and is called Paon-gan-sze, or pagoda
of gratitude; it being customary for rich men who have ob-
tained an imaginary favour from their idol, either to build a
pagoda, or procure one to be !milt by joint subscription. _ A
league distant stands the ancient observatory, in which there
are a few instruments, which the Chinese were probably
taught to construct by the Arabs, who flourished under the
Youen dynasty, as astronomers. This building is, however,
neglected, and is falling into ruins, as are also the splendid
sepulchres of the emperors.
The satins of Nan-king are celebrated, their beauty never
having been surpassed by our home manufacture. Excellent
ink is also made here, and the inhabitants excel in the art of
printing, the making of rice paper, &c. The number of in-
habitants does not appear to be ascertained ; but, though the
city has lost much of its former splendour, when it was the
seat of government, it is still very populous, and maintains
the rank of a maritime emporium—its commerce, however,
being chiefly confined to the rivers and canals.
CANTON, AND THE RIVER TIGRIS.
This city is situated in the province of Kwang-Tung,
(called by Europeans " Canton,") which is of all others
best known to foreigners. The area of the province is
79,456 square miles, and it has a population of 19,174,030.
A viceroy is the first officer. The city is by the Chinese
commonly called Sang-thing, or " the provincial capital."
It is situated on the north bank of the Canton or Tigris river,
and is built somewhat in the form of a square, as will be seen
by reference to the accompanying plan. The square de-
scribed by the walls is intersected by a wall running east and
West ; and the division on the north, which is the largest, is
called the old, or Tartar city ; while the smaller, on the
south, is (railed the new, or Chinese city. Both together
are about six miles in circumference, and there are twelve
gates in the outer walls, and four in the intersecting one.
The suburbs are still- More extensive than the city. "On
the west," says China Opened, " they spread out in the
form of isosceles right-angled triangles, opening to the north-
west, having the river on the south, and the western wall of
the city for its equal sides. On the south they occupy the
whole space between the wall and the river. The eastern
suburbs are less extensive. The streets and canals are very
numerous, and the river, which, near the city, has some
large rocks in its centre, visible at low water, is covered
with boats of every description. Most of the dwellings are
built of brick ; the house 4 of the poor, and a great many of
those belonging to their Tartar lords, consist of mud.
Many' of the streets are very narrow, the houses low, and,
'if belonging to rich individuals, surrounded by a *all,
through which we pass to the house. Opulent indivi-
duals live in large ebuildings, like Chinese palaces. On
the roofs are, terraces which serve the. double purpose of
drying. clothes and -walking.." A strict watch is kept in the
streets during the night, and there arc bamboo towers on the
roofs, whence alarm. of fire or other accident may be readily,
given. The police- require to be vigilant, so numerous are
the robbers and vagrants. There are 30'collages for pro-
moting' learning, but only a few students The Budhuists,
who have also maintained their sway over the city, have here
`numerous temples, of which the Hae-chwang-sze, on Ho-man
Island is the higlio4. "It has three colossal statues, repre-
' senting- the ,three Bacillus of the past, present, and future,
• and 'iiriliSamense' number .of smaller idols, all gilt or gorge-
ousltAletbrated, ,andn row of apartments for 175 priests.
Here, too, is the marsoleum where the ashes of the deceased
saints -are_annually deposited. To a foreigner, a sacred pig-
stye,swith' more than ten fat and old grunters, is, perhaps,
the greatest. curiosity," There are about 124 other temples
in and about Canton', and, adds our author, "the number of
priests is said to amount to 3,000, -and
.of the nuns to 1,000,
and tM: maintenance of .these pernicious establishments is
said to exceed annually one million of dollars. There is also
a mosque in the city for the accommodation of 30,000 Ma-
hanimedans. In one of the factories there is a British chapel,
and there are three hospitals, which are wretchedly sup-
ported."
The commerce of Canton may be traced to an early date.
The province was known, under various names, at a remote
period of Chinese history, but the Chinese monarchs did not
turn their attention towards it till about 200 years before the
Christian era. The founder of the Tsin dynasty, (Tsin-che-
hwang), and the first universal rnonarch of China, pushed
his conquests southward, and subdued Canton and other
neighbouring provinces. This was the monarch who, in the
vain hope of destroying the records of all reigns but his own,
caused all the ancient books to be burned; but the dynasty
he had established was soon destroyed. His brother having
caused his death usurped the throne. Soon after Chaou-to,
who assumed the regal title, built the remarkable edifice
called the seven storied Pagoda, which is still to be seen on
a hill on the north of the city. This building is now de-
serted, like the pagodas in general, but supposed to have a
beneficial influence in keeping away evil spirits from the
neighbourhood.* Chaou-to, afterwards retired to Cochin-
China, and Canton became the place of banishment for dis-
graced statesmen. But even at that early peeriod it began
to rise into importance. About the middle of the seventh
century the Chinese annals relate, that vessels brought rare
commodities to Canton from foreign countries.
The first Europeans who visited China by sea were
the Portuguese.t In 1516 a vessel from that country
reached the islands at the mouth of the Canton river,
and her voyage being successful, eight vessels were
despatched in the following year. The Chinese, however,
discovered that most of these foreigners were- unprincipled
adventurers, and even in 1520 a Portuguese ambassador at
Pekin was sent back and eventually imprisoned and slain.
The Spanish, Dutch, English, and other nations followed
the Portuguese successively, and by their mutual strifes and
jealousies increase the contempt with which the Chinese had
been taught to hold all foreigners. The English, says the
last quoted authority, first turned their attention to China in
the year 1576, but the vessels equipped were lost on their
passage out. The next attempt to establish a trade here was
in 1634, but the opposition of the Portuguese defeated for
some years the object of this and other expeditions. In 1676
the East India Company succeeded in establishing a factory
at Amoy, front whence they were driven away in 1680, by
the contests of the Mantcheons, who had possessed them-
selves of the imperial throne, and those Chinese who resisted
their government. Iri 1684 they were permitted to return
to their factory ; and there they remained until foreign com-
merce became restricted to Canton and Macao. They then
established themselves at Canton, where their trade continued
to increase, but with occasional interruptions until the termi-
nation of their charter in 1833.
In Canton the manufactories are numerous, but no ma-
chinery is employed. " About 17,000 individuals (says
Gutzlaff), women and children included, are engaged in silk,
and 50,000 in cloth manufacture. About 7,300 duly licensed
barbers are daily employed in shaving the head, and there
are no less than 2000 physicians and quacks." There are
16,000 carpenters, and 7000 lapidaries. There are 18,000
boats. df various sizes, trading along the river, between the
city and Whampoa, an island where the foreign vessels find
the nearest allowed anchoring ground. There are 1700 shops
in Canton in which nothing is sold but firewood and charcoal.
There are daily slaughtered 24,000 pigs. The population,
including those who live in the suburbs, and on board of
84,000 boats on the river, is estimated at 1,236,000.!
The whole population is busily engaged in trade. The
city has commercial connections with all parts of the Chi-
nese empire, and with most countries in Europe, Asia, Africa,
and Australia. The foreign factories where the merchants
reside are situated in the suburbs, and are perhaps the finest
buildings in the empire. They are of brick and granite, two
stories high in one row, and each containing four or five
separate houses, joining each other. The names of these,
as translated from the Chinese appellatives, are curious. The
are " The factory of justice and harmony;" " the (English)
" the great and affluent
factory that ensures tranquillity ”(!) "
factory ;'' " the precious and prosperous factory, &c. &c.
Ships which proceed up the river must first obtain a per-
mit and pilot-at Macao. After their arrival at Whainpoa, a
security merchant, who must be a member of the Hong mer-
chants, is engaged : he has to pay the duties and warrant the
good behaviour of foreigners. They act as agents or con-
signees. The privileged company of Hong merchants, con-
stitute a body, and has a common fund levied upon foreign
shipping. They are, however, subject to heavy exactions by
the government, and frequently become banactkru business ex-
peditiously ; but their system of mediation between the
government and foreigners is decidedly bad. The whole
trade is under the nianagement of a Hoppo (or superin-
tendent of the customs); an officer purposely sent from the
imperial household at Peking. Besides measurement:duty,
import and export duties, foreigners have other charges,
exactions, and bribes to submit to, to an almost equa!
amount.

MACAO.
Having in our paper of the 6th instant supplied an account
of Macao from the Colonial Magazine, in our present notice
of it, we shall but recapitulate the most important facts, and
add some information derived from other sources.
Macao is situated on Heang-shem island, at the entrance.l
to the Canton river, in latitude 22 deg. 11 N. and 113 den%
321 west of Greenwich. It is remarkable as being the only
settlement possessed by Europeans‘ within the Chinese do-
minions ; and that possession does not amount to sove-
reitpLoy, as the authorities of the Celestial Empire not un:
frequently controul the judicial power of these foreigners,
and forcibly interfere in their internal affairs. The town is
built upon a rocky and hilly neck of land or peninsula, eight
miles in circumference, and with an excellent harbour. The
Poituguese, after repeated attempts to fix upon a colony, on
the coast of China, took possession of this rocky peninsula in
1588. They were permitted to build houses, not by imperial
sanction, but by connivance of the local officers, and in virtue
of this vassalage they have to pay a considerable, sum an-
nually. It has been generally supposed that the .place was
given to them for their activity on various occasions in sup-,
pressing the pirates that infest the coasts ; but there is no
* Colonial Magazine for February.
t ibid.