The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1833-08-02 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS, TUESDAY, JULY 30.

The gallery was opened at twenty minutes past twelve o'clock.

SLAVERY ABOLITION BILL.
The house having resolved itself into committee on this bill,
Mr. STANLEY said that all the remaining clauses having re-
ference to the money clause, he should; iu pursuance -of the
understanding come to last night on the Subject, move that the
25th clause be now read. .
Sir E. WILMOT rose for the purpose of moving the amend-
ment of which he had given notice, that.the.surn of £15,000,000
be substituted for £20,000,000. He denied that he was con-
nected with any party either in or out of that house. lie op-
posed the grant of £f20,000,000 on two grounds; first, because
the covenant agreed on by the resolution.for the immediate
abolition of negro slavery was not complied with ; and, secondly,
because the additional £5,000,000 proposed 'tei he given to ob-
tain the concurrence of the West India body bad failed to
produce the effect intended.
Mr. O'CONNELL, addressing the chairman of the committee,
inquired if he possessed an equal privilege with.the Speaker .to
order the gallery to be cleared of strangers. (Laughter.)
The Cu Aursi AN said, if any hon. member chose to declare that
be saw strangers in the gallery, it certainly became his impera-
tive duty to order the gallery to be cleared.
Mr. O'CONNELL said, then he should not look that way just
now (loud laughter), as his object had been, attained. He
thought the house would have been placed in a very unpleasant
predicament with regard to the standing orders .if he had exer-
cised the privileges of every member of that house, and as there
had been an avowal that the people were suffered to report, jus-
tice would be done. He did not wish to allude to the scurnions
manner in which that avowal had been .made, .but if any hon.
member wished to see an excellent specimen of scurrity, he
had only to read The Times newspaper of that day: Heil dd.not
think that promise would be kept, because, as designedly false
reports had been given, they would still continne. He then
proceeded to the consideration of the question before the house,
and eulogized in very warm terms the character and conduct of
Mr. Stephen, who, he said, had been very isistruna,kottikl-iu-obtain-
ing the emancipation of the ne'roes. He would now come to.the
question of the £20,0000,600. He did not know on what the ques-
tion of the£2o,ooo,ooo was to rest. Could the people of England af-
ford that sum ? They had sent their representatives to,that house
for the purpose of making reductions, and they bad scarcely made
one at present. The house had refused to reduce the malt tax, at
least it had recalled its vote on that subject (hear, hear) ; it
had refused to abolish the assessed taxes (hear) ; in short, it
had refused to diminish the great burdens of the people. (Hear.)
And the ground on which it had refused to du so was, .that the
government could not afford to do so. Why then, he would
ask, were those burdens to be increased? flow were theyw to
be provided for before so large a sum as £20,000,000 as
granted? The people had a right to know how it was to be
provided for. In conclusion, the hon. and learned gentleman,
in the name of the people of England, protested ae.ainst the
grant of .C 20,000,600, and stated, that in doing so, he telt it to be
his duty to vote against it.
Mr. STANLEY felt assured that no pecuniary sacrifice the
nation could make at the national cost could be so injurious
as the sacrifice of the national honour. Neither of the two
honourable members who had spoken on this subject had stated
any ground whatever why £15,000,000 should be preferred to
£20,000,000, which certainly the house had 'ari'right to expect.
They had already sanctioned that `1:20;01)0,000 should be the
sum, for, upon the division, the proposition then was, that it
should be £15,000,000. Now, having since 'that. taken off the
five -years, it was too much to expect that the lukie would can-
cel that vote without one single argument having been advanced
to justify such a proceeding. The house-wont recollect the
mannerin'which the government had= been- attacked, and ac-
cused of breaking faith, for agreeing to tike shortening of the
apprenticeship—a thing to which they were given by the force
of public opinion. (Cheers.) His honour ti•ti's, ptc4,•etl, and
he felt it was his duty to give it all the opposition. in his power.
Mr. BUXTON, after passing a high eulogium on Mr. Stephen,
proceeded to say that there was not one clause in the bill, how-
ever curious it might appear, that he would support with more
pleasure than the grant of E. 20,000,000 ; and it any degree of
reproach attached to those who voted for it, he was prepared
to take his share. The amount was far• surpassing, what he
thought the actual value of the slaves; and if the government
were only to wait till next year, they might buy emancipation
at a quarter of the present price ; but then in what state would
the colonies be ? He supported the grant for tbig reason : if
emancipation was not given, more than ;€720,000,000: would be
spent in military preparations ; and; what was worse; it would
be against men who were merely welling their natural rights.
The discussion was continued until near three o'clock, when
the Chairman reported progress, and asked leave. to sit. again.
Mr. STANLEY expressed a hope-that in consideratiOn of the
importance of the subject hon. members who had motions to
make would permit the adjourned discussion on the•lnil to take
precedence.
The Speaker vacated the chair at three o'clock.

The house resumed at five o'clock.
In answer to a question put by Mr. O'Connell, respecting the