The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1835-05-15 00:00:00

required for their support during a voyage, probably of 40 days,
to the Havannah. State of the Carolina, captured by the Isis,
Captain Polkinghorne :—The effect produced upon all the gal--
lant boarders by the miserable appearance of the slaves could
only be alleviated by remembering that they were the means of
their being rescued; but it was still very affecting. A vessel of
only 75 Spanish tons was crammed with 350 human beings, 180
of whom were literally so stowed as to have barely sufficient'
height to hold themselves up when in a sitting posture. The
poor creatures crowded round their deliverers with their mouths
open, and their tongues parched with thirst front want of water.
they inesented a perfect ghastly spectacle of human misery;
ten of them died soon after. The crew of the vessel consisted
of 14 Spaniards, who were landed at Prince's Island." He
thought be had now stated enough to prove the necessity of in-
troducing some measure for the purpose of putting a stop to the
odious slave traffic • and then the question arose, what kind of
measure ought to be adopted with that view ? It had been sug-
gested, that an enactment requiring that all slave-vessels when
captured should be immediately broken up might be in some
degree effectual. This war, not an unimportant suggestion, be-
cause it was a fact, that vessels, after being condemned, were
bought up for the purpose of being'again employed in the slave
trade. It had also been thought that some good might be done,
if, considering the hardships which the men employed in sup-
pressing the slave trade had to undergo, they were to receive
promotion in proportion to their services, and if the prize-money
were granted, not in reference to the tonnage of the vessels,
but to the number of slaves liberated. But these were minor
regulations compared with what the house ought to do in the
shape of treaties. Those which were already in existence had
been most shamefully violated by foreign powers- ,There were
four points to which it was necessary to attend in the formation
of a perfect treaty for, the suppression of the slave trade. In the
first place, the slave trade ought to be declared to be piracy ;
2diy, the mutual right of search ought to be established; idly,
that right ought to extend along the whole coast of Africa, where
the slave trade existed; and, 4thly, vessels being equipped for
the slave trade should be subject to capture and condemnation,
though having no slaves on board. Now it so happened that in
all the treaties hitherto drawn up for the suppression of the slave
trade one or other of these points had invariably been omitted.
It was most important that there should he one unifoim treaty
on this subject. He was happy to believe that no difficulty
would be found in inducing France to concur in some effectual
treaty to put a stop to the traffic in slaves • and he did hope
that with regard to Spain and Portugal a better feeling began
to prevail on this subject than had been entertained by former
governments of those countries. But, whatever might be the
disposition of Spain, England had a right to demand the effec-
tual co-operation of that country in the suppression of the slave
trade. Nothing could be stronger than the language of the
treaty concluded with Spain, and England had in fact paid
E 400,000 to Spain for the suppression of the slave trade. Before
concluding he would mention one fact, which had made a
greater impression on his mind than almost anything else. In
addition to the desolation which this shameful traffic created in
Africa, it, was the cause of the destruction of not less that.
100,000 persons year by year; and this large number of Lipman
beings were sacrificed for the purpose of enriching miscreants,
the acknowledged enemies of the human race, who, if justice
had been done, would undoubtedly have died the death of mur-
derers and pirates. (Hear, hear.) The bon. member con-
cluded by moving an address to the crown, which was read by
the Speaker, but in a tone of voice almost inaudible. We be-
lieve that the object of the address, which was of considerable
length, and embraced most of the topics alluded to by the hon.
member in his speech, was to pray his Majesty to take steps
with the view of inducing foreign powers to co-operate with
him for the effectual suppression of, the slave trade.
Mr. HOME entirely concurred in the propriety of expressing
some strong and decided opinion on the absolute necessity of
putting a stop to the slave trade.
Mr. S. Rice was understood to say, that the important object
of the address before the house had been communicated to the
foreign-office, and he understood that with respect_ to it no ob-
jection was entertained in that department. With regard to
the recital of facts contained 'n the address, that had been com-
pared with public documents, and found to be correct. Whe-
ther it would be advisable or not to adopt a shorter address than
the one just moved, appeared to him to be rather a question of
form than of substance; but he knew of no subject more befitting
the attention of that house and of the government than that to
which the address had reference; and he should be sorry to see
the tone which the house ought to adopt in the discussion
of such a matter any way lowered. The British government
were not only bound by the obligations of treaties to put a stop
to the slave trade, but were also bound in justice to the West
India proprietors to see that they were subject to no unfair com-
petition on the part of foreigners. Thus not only humanity, but
the interests of the West India colonists, called on the govern-
ment to omit no step calculated to put down the slave trade.
With respect to the objection taken by the hon. member fot
Middlesex to the length of the motion, he begged to state that
he certainly did recollect that on a former occasion an address
to the crown had been opposed on account of its length; but it
should be borne in mind that that address consisted not of facts
extracted from public documents on the table of the house (as
the present one did) but of the reasoning of the bon. member
who moved it. With respect to the suppression of the slave
trade, he believed that France was willing to co-operate cordi-
ally with this country; and he expected that Spain and Portu-
gal would be found ready to enter into some satisfactory ar-
rangement for the same purpose. To effect this object no means
had been left untried by successive governments, and he was
sure that they could not be fairly accused of neglect of duty.
This address would not impede any negotiation pending at pre-
sent, nor was it inconsistent with an accurate statement of facts.
He asked his hon. friend, the member for Middlesex, whether
he thought that any inconvenience would arise from withholding
the assent of the house from this address to night, and from re-
viving the discussion upon it on a future occasion ; He put it
to the house whether, in the present state of parliamentary bu-
siness, his suggestion ought not to be acceded to.
Mr. COB[IETT next addressed the house, but was, from hoarse-
ness, almost inaudible in the gallery. We understood him to
contend, that until they could prevail on the government of the
United States to grant the right of search, they never could put
an end to the traffic in slaves. He objected to the length of the
address. Nine pages of address carried to the ears of a king
was a monstrous absurdity. (Hear, and a laugh.)
Mr. F. BuxroN after admitting that the address was too long,
withdrew his motion.

BOROUGH OF PENRYN.
A petition was. presented from Williams, of the borough of
Penryn, complaining of the retain made from that borough at
the last election.
The house then adjourned at a quarter to eight o'clock.

HOUSE OF COMMONS—WKDNEsDAy.

'The SPEAKER took the Chair at half past nine o'clock.
Petitions on various subjects were presented to the Haase,
but the greater portion of them were on subjects of no particu,
lar novelty or interest.

THE DORCHESTER UNIONISTS.
Mr. EU'ART presented a petition signed by 15,000 inhabitants
of Liverpool, praying for a remission of the sentence passed on
the Dorchester labourers. The punishment of these unfortu-
nate men had excited very great sympathy, as it was generally
understood that they had sinned through ignorance of the law.
It was much to be lamented that the criminal law was not more
►enerally known, and its anomalies explained away, and be
knew`of no case in which the House of Commons would be
more justified in acting as the advisers of the Crown than the
present. He trusted that the Commissioners appointed to in-
quire into the state of the Criminal Law, would see the ne-
cessity of establishing a code which would be better understood,
and mole generally known among the people.

SPIRIT LICENSES.
Mr. EWART presented a petition signed by nearly 2,000 inha-
bitants of Liverpool, praying for a repeal of the duty imposed
last Session upon Spirit Licenses : also a petition signed by
nearly 4,000 inhabitants of Liverpool, praying for some legis-
lative enactment for the suppression of crime and drunken-
ness.
- - -

ABOLITION OF IMPRISONMENT FOR DEBT BILL.

Sir R. PEEL rose to present a petition, very numerously
signed by a most respectable body of persons, calling them-
selves merchants, traders, and others, of the city of Westmins-
ter, against certain parts of a bill which had been brought in
by the present Attorney-General, entitled a bill for the facili-
tating the recovery of debts, and abolishing imprisonment for
debt in certain cases. He believed the bill had been referred
to a select committee, and that committee had not yet made
their report. Under these circumstances, to enter into anydis-
cussion upon the bill, or upon its general principles, till that
report was made, would be premature. Therefore, without
saying a word that could promote any discussion upon the pre-
sentation of this petition, but merely calling the attention of the
house to the fact that the petition emanated from a body of prac-
tical men deeply interested in the bill, he would call their
attention again to the allegations of the petition, when it was
printed, as containing the opinions of those who were enabled
to form an opinion well worthy.of the consideration of the house.
(Hear, hear, hear.) The petitioners considered that the bill
would delay, rather than facilitate the recovery of debts; they
stated that the honest debtor, under the existing laws, had little
difficulty in obtaining all the relief to which he was justly en-
titled. -He considered that the bill deprived the petitioners of
their main security; and that the abolition of arrest and impri-
sonment for debt, without substituting some equivalent for the
recovery of debts, would be ruinous to the petitioners. Under
these circumstances they prayed the house not to give their
assent to the bill; and they prayed to be heard by their agents,
and to have' their witnesses examined before the committee of
the house. Without expressing any opinion upon the bill, he
begged leave to present the petition.
Sir F. PoLLocx was not disposed, in a matter of importance
like the present, to legislate without strict inquiry. To the de-
tails of the present measure he had great objections, but with
its principle he was disposed fully to concur. He iad heard
with great satisfaction that the bill was to be further considered,
as he would be sorry to suppose that any thing connected with
the report of that committee should not be open to general in-
quiry. From all he had heard and seen, and as far as his ex-
perience served him as a guide, he should say that he would be
sorry if the bill did not undergo the fullest discussion in that
house. By this means the honest debtors and creditors would
be secured in obtaining that justice to which they were entitled.
He begged to apologize for trespassing on the house; but, as
one of the commissioners, he wished to place his sentiments on
record as regarded the probable operation of this bill. (Hear,
hear.)

SCOTTISII CHURCH.

Sir R. Peel presented petitions from different parishes in
Scotland in support of the established church of that country;
also a petition from a place in Forfarshire against the appro-
priation of the church revenues to other than ecclesiastical
purposes.

HIGHWAYS BILL.

The house then resolved itself into a committee of the whole
house upon the highways amendment bill, Mr. Plyme in the
chair.
The preamble having been postponed, the clauses of the bill
up to 13 were agreed to without comment. On clause 14 being
proposed,
Mr. BENNETT wished that it should be amended by making
the guardians of the poor the guardians or inspectors of all the
roads in all parishes joined under that bill.
After a few words from Mr. Lefene, the clause as it stood in
the bill was agreed to.
The several clauses of the bill down to the 47th were then
agreed to with some verbal amendments, and the house was left
in committee

The Hon. Mr. Irby is shortly to be united to Miss Galwey,
daughter of Lady Harriet Galwey.
A little incident occurred at the Glee Club on Saturday last
which may be taken as a " sign of the times." A toast and a
glee are given in succession; and Lord Melbourne having been
proposed as a toast, a wicked wag immediately called the round
of " Let's have a Peal." The application was received with
bursts of laughter and applause.
The weight of the new "Great Tom" of Lincoln, recently
put up in the cathedral, is 5 tons S cwt., being ,exactly 1 ton
heavier than its predecessor, which was cast in 161 U.
It is a curious circumstance that Lord Glenelg (Charles
Grant) may spell his title either backwards or forwards. Is
there any hidden meaning in this ?
Lord John Russell will, it is believed, appeal to the very in-
dependent electors of Totness, way being made for him by one
Mr. Parrott, whose con-sid-er-a-tiou for resigning his seat is an
Assistant Comraissionership under the new Poor Law A ct.—