The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1833-05-21 00:00:00

families. Now it had for a long time been illegal to separate
families; and so strong a desire was there in the colonial legis-
latures to prevent the separation of slaves, that a clause in the
1 iw bad been inserted, that with a small levy on an estate it was
illegal to separate a family. The next point was that of regu-
lating punishment on the slaves. So jealous were the magis-
trates with respect to the punishment of the slaves, that on a
negro complaining even of a scratch which the overseer could
not satisfactorily account for, the negro had the benefit of the
law. (Cheers.) The next and last proposition was that of
establishing savings banks. Now it happened to be something
to know that slaves had any money to save. But he contended
that the negro was not yet in a condition to appreciate the value
of such establishments. In a district over which he acted as
chief justice, an overseer had given notice that he was ready to
take in money on good security, acknowledged to be good; and
what was the result? He (Mr. Barrett) had said that the over-
seer's book would remain without a blot; and, after having ad-
vertised in all the newspapers for some time, not a single five-
penny piece was deposited in the chest. . Next a demand for a
protection of slaves was called for; bat lie contended that the
people of Jamaica would never consent to pay stipendiary ma-
gistrates. He did not defend the punishment of flogging, but
he wished to know how much time had elapsed since flogging
women at the cart's tail had been abolished in this country.
The people of the colonies are of opinion that they should not
abandon their property without compensation. With respect
to the punishment of the negroes, he, as a planter, would state
that any other punishment to which the slaves could be made
subject, would be much more severe than that now imposed
upon them. The whole course pursued by Mr. Stanley showed
a want of candour. With respect to the decrease of the negroes
on the sugar plantations, it was an extraordinary fact that dur-
ing the late revolution not less than 5000 soldiers sprung up in
the obscure parts of the island, and which no one knew the ex-
istence of. These men were blacks, and accounted for the re-
duction of slaves on certain estates. .There were gentlemen,
however, he was sure, present, who would prove that the culti-
vation of sugar was not unwholesome. '1 hon. gentleman
concluded by referring to other parts of the evidence, to show
the misrepresentations of Mr. Stanley.
Mr. BURGE said the honourable gentleman had exposed the
misrepresentations of Mr. Stanley. There was one law in the
colony he would refer to • it was, that if a slave was so im-
properly treated, as had been stated by Mr. Stanley, the owner
not only lost his slave, who was declared free, but he had to pay
in price, which went into a fund to provide for the slave. The
colonies had shown that which had called for the approval of Sir
G; Murray, Mr. Huskisson, and Lord Goderich, while Mr.
Stanley:only three weeks in office, had declared the colonial
legislature's had not only not done anything, but that they had,
in fact, treated the order in council with disdain. The great
and momentous question under discussion, he had expected
would have been opened in the House of Commons by concilia-
tion, a question which, from popular feeling, had made thousands
of victims. Wai it fair for .Mr. Stanley to have stated the
colonies had done nothing to promote religious instruction,
when Jamaica alone, out of the public treasury, paid' not less
than £25,000 a-year for this purpose ? With 'aspect to the num-
ber of slaves manumitted, Mr. Stanley had much underrated
the lumbers. In Jamaica alone, between 1817 and 1830, not
less than 8,000 slaves had had-freedom 'granted to them, 4,000
of which -were voluntary on the part of the proprietors. The
honourable gentleman proceeded to address the meeting, and
contended that many of the facts stated by Mr. Stanley were
nufounded in truth. He would now read the petition.
The petition to the House of Lords Was adopted, to be pre-
sented by the Duke, of, Wellington; and. that to the House of
Commons by Sir Richard Vyvvan.
The meeting adjourned at half-past five o'clock.