The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1833-05-17 00:00:00

fiH N; LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

of the slave could only be received upon the recommendation of
the master. That observation only applied to one island,
namely, that of Antigua. The right honourable Secretary had
declared untruly that a slave might be liable to receive thirty-
nine stripes for merely looking his master in the face. He was
anxious that the house should not allow charges against a body
of persons to go forth to the public, and create a prejudice,
without there being an opportunity to answer them. The right
hon. gent. had said that the evidence of a slave was not admis-
sible without the recommendation of his master; that was untrue,
for in Jamaica, at least, it was admissible without such recom-
mendation. The statement of the right hon. gent. would, if
uncontradicted, have a great influence in the minds of all who,
like him (Sir It. Vyvyan) were anxious for the emancipation of
slaves

Colonel Leith Hay, and another member whose name
is not given, also addressed the house to the same effect.
Mr.
_Harvey, likewise, offered some pertinent remarks.—
He said_ that it appeared to him strange that parliament
should not be made acquainted with the nature of the
measure which Lords Goderich and Howick had been two
years in concocting, while its attention should be taken
up by one in a very crude state, hastily manufactured by
Mr.. Stanley within the last three weeks, upon a subject
with the details of which be must be presumed to be de-
plorably ignorant. The best proof of the right honour-
able gentleman's ignorance is to be found in the unwar-
rantable charges contained in his speech of Tuesday night.

In the Times newspaper of Monday last we observe a
police report in which Lord Molyneux, one of the
honourable representatives for this county, cuts a con-
spicuous figure ; but the evidence is' of too indelicate a
complexion for our pages. We wonder if the liberal, ex-
emplary, and respectable constituency of this neighbour-
hood who assisted in. returning the noble lord had any
earnest at that time of his lordship's habits. Perhaps
they will do us the favour to bear this police report in
mind on a future occasion. Crockford's gambling house,
—on Sunday, too : this is too bad ! Pray, can this be
the same noble lord whom the newspapers stated pre-
sented several petitions for the better observance of the
Sabbath ? We are curious on this point.

THE ministerial plan for the abolition of slavery
throughout the British dominions, was announced to the
House of Commons on Tuesday last by Mr. Stanley.
We have already given an abstract of the several mo-
mentous propositions comprised in' this measure. The
house did not go into any discussion upon it, but, on the
motion of Sir Robert Peel, postponed its consideration to
the 30th of the present month. From all that has yet
transpired, during the short period that the details have
been before the public, it does not appear that the plan
gives satisfaction to any party. Lord- Howick, the son
of the prime minister, opposes it, on the ground that it
does not sweep away slavery at once and for ever.—
There is more equity in it than the noble senator ex-
pected, and, therefore, it is unpalatable to his lordship's
taste. It is, besides, a very different scheme from that
concocted by his precious self and the sagacious Lord
Ripon, and for concocting which, and adhering to their
wretched bantling, they were both, most unceremoni-
ously, kicked out of the colonial office. We are conse-
quently not surprised at seeing Lord Howick, in babbling
strains and schoolboy phraseolOgy, opposing the plan of
Mr. Stanley.
Mr. Fowel Buxton is also- opposed to it, on the ground
that it compels the negro to pay a certain price for his
freedom, at the rate of from £5 to £7 per annum for 12
years.

Among the West India body there is, as might have
been expected, a variety of opinions. Some are for op-
posing the measure in Coto ; others only seek for modi-
fications ; some say it is practicable, and others assert
the reverse ; but all agree that the plan cannot pass in
its present form.

There is one thing that we see plainly enough, name-
ly, the principle of emancipation, at a definite period, is
now recognised by the Government and the Parliament,
for the first time, and this being the case, be it for good
or evil, for weal or woe, for happiness or misery, on we
must proceed until we carry that principle into effect.—
At the expiration of twelve years, then, there is to be an
end to slavery in the British colonies, provided the slave
binds himself as an apprentice for that period, and
give some ten hours' extra labour in the week as the
price of his manumission. This last is the. condition to
which Buxton objects, and it is, we confess, with the ex-
ception of the loan, the most difficult part of the project.
The questiOn is, " will the slave consent to work out his
own freedom ?" If he, consent to work voluntarily, all
is well ; but if he is to be compelled, then' we only add
to and considerably increase the hardships of slavery.—
On the other hand, if he should refuse to work, and there
be no power to compel him, he must remain a slave for
life, and where then goes our principle of definite eman-
cipation.

By the scheme, as it at present stands, the planter is
placed in a most vexatious and embarrassed position.
The young, healthy, and robust slave will be sure to bind
himself as an apprentice; but slaves of the middle age,
both male and female, will not so bind themselves, be-
cause if they should, they would be free at that time of
life when the burthen of maintaining them is thrown
upon their masters, and when they live at his expense,
and lead.a life of ease and indolence. • In this way, if the
bill be not altered, there would .be no end to slavery
during the existence of all those slaves who hal e reached
a middle or mature age.
But such surely cannot be the intention of the govern-
ment. The ipprenticeship plan should be made com-
pulsory ; the extra labour should be optional ; and the
mother country must be content to give, as a gift, those
fifteen millions of money which ministers propose to give
the shape of a loan. But this brings us to the crown-
ing difficulty. How are these fifteen millions to be
raised ? It is not proposed, because it would be absurd
to propose raising them upon what is still by a poetical
license called property, in the West Indies. That pro-
perty will cease to possess any value the moment that
compulsory labour is terminated. Experience has
taught us that the negro will not cultivate sugar except
by compulsion. No man, therefore, except a madman,

would lend money upon any such security. The ques-
tion then comes to this, that unless these fifteen millions
are raised, the scheme cannot be carried into effect ; and
if raised at all the security must be the people of England,
and the interest be the produce of British taxes.
What say you to this plan, this new tax plan, ye op-
ponents of house and window duties—ye drinkers of ale,
and consumers of taxed malt ? Must we continue to
have our daylights shut up, and our sunbeams assessed
by the taxgatherer, and the exciseman's finger in our
tankard of ale, for an indefinite period, merely to oblige
Buxton and Co., and confer a boon upon the negroes
which not one in ten will thank us for, or even accept,
unless compelled ? This is the raw which we refrain
from touching for the present.
But, admitting, merely for the sake of argument, that
this difficulty is overcome, let us glance a little further
into the vista of futurity. Let us anticipate the expira-
tion of the definite period—the twelve years. It re-
mains to be tried, it is true, whether the negro will work
for wages. It is said that the present scheme would
gradually initiate the slave into the habits of the free
labourer, and induce him, at the termination of his bond-
age, to labour like an Irish bricklayer or pavior for so
many shillings per week. We are afraid, however, that
those who take this view of the case know very little
of the effects of a tropical sun, the inherent indolence
of the negro, and the facility with which the necessaries
of life can be procured. Those facts afford us something
like a prima facie evidence that our "black brethren"
would, in a state of freedom, be averse to any harder de-
gree of labour than that which is requisite to obtain the
rude means of subsistence. But we have also the evi-
dence of history and sad experience that they will eschew
the labour, required in cultivating sugar; and we are
fully persuaded that the first moment of emancipation
would be the last that would be devoted to the growth of
this now common necessary of life. Whence; then, after
emancipation is complete, are we to procure our sugar ?
From some other slave country. From Brazil, perhaps,
which still carries on the slave trade ; and from the
East Indies, where sugar is cultivated by slaves.
This must not be. It would be astounding folly
to suppress slavery in our own colonies, at a frightful
expense, and at the same time encourage it in foreign
nations. If we mean to act consistently we must cease
our intercourse with those countries where slavery ex-
ists. Our hands must not be slovenly wiped—they must
be washed clean. We must prohibit the exportation of
our manufactures to Brazil, which are carried from
thence to Africa, and there bartered for the blood and
bones of the poor slave. We must stop the sugar im-
portations from India, and wind up our dealings with
brother Jonathan.

But, in our zeal, we have forgotten to consider what
the planter is likely to say to all this speculative wisdom.
Is the Government prepared to suppress any rebellion
that may result from the first announcement of this bril
liant scheme ? What will the people at, the Mauritius
say ? Perhaps not much, but we ,are afraid they will do
something. Do ! What Y Never mind : wait friend,
and see.

LIVERPOOL SPRING MEETING.

MAGHULL COURSE,

These races commenced on Wednesday. Stewards, Sir R.
Williams Bulkely, Bart. M.P. and W. M. Stanley, esq. The
day was beautifully fine, the company numerous and fashion-
able, and the running excellent. The different stakes and
prizes were won as follows :