The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1843-01-10 00:00:00

TUESDAY MORNING, JANUARY 10, 1543

It is always a source of pleasure to the advocate of
any important political change to see the principles,
for the truth of which he has contended, recognised,
at however late a period, by those to whom his per-
severing advocacy has been addressed. The senti-
ments which, for years past-, we have expressed, upon
the subject of a well-devised system of immigration of
labourers into our tropical colonies—as affording, at
once, the surest means of restoring the prosperity of
those possessions, and, at the same time, of dis-
couraging the slave traffic of foreign nations—are
well known to our readers and the public. Guided
by our sincere convictions, we have resolutely adhered
to the advocacy of such a system, disregarding, alike,
the ill-grounded fears of many well-meaning friends of
the negro race and the sneers and slanders of those
who, under the cloak of anti-slavery zeal, sought only
to carry on a war of extermination against the British
planter ; and the gratifying result—we are not so
egotistical as to say of our labours, for those labours
have been aided by a valuable portion of the press of
the country—is at length before us. A committee of
Parliament has recognised the overpowering necessity
of such a measure of aid to our colonial brethren; and
the opinions of the present government, with respect
to its details and extent, have just been placed before
the public.
These opinions are contained in a " STATEMENT,"
which has been published during the past week, em-
bodying the suggestions made by a deputation of gen-
tlemen, with respect to the future emigration from the
west coast of Africa to the !Vest Indies, and LORD
STANLEY'S decisions upon them." The document in
question is somewhat too long to allow its being trans-
ferred entire into our columns ; but we shall endea-
vour to furnish the reader with what we conceive
likely to be the course of future legislation upon the
subject, so far as we can gather it from Lord Stanley's
intimation of his views.

And Ist. As a condition of their receiving the
advantages of a government system of immigration,
the local colonial legislatures will be required " to
prohibit the reception of immigrants brought in any
other manner."

2ndly. Proclamation will be made by the governor
of Sierra Leone, of emigration to the West Indies
having been made a government measure, and be
must be prepared to give every encouragement to
such emigration.

3rdly. The governor of Sierra Leone to send for-
ward to the West Indies all slaves captured by her
Majesty's cruisers—provided such captured slaves do
not object to go. Upon this head his lordship does not
hind himself until he shall have communicated with
the governor; but is of opinion that it may be ar-
ranged, and that the Africans will be henefitted by it.
Under the late treaty with Portugal, however, the
mixed commission courts will no longer sit at Sierra
Leone; but at the Cape of Good Hope, Bona Vista,

nation takes charge of
and Luanda, for Africa, and at Jamaica for the West
the Africans liberated under the
Indies. Under this treaty, moreover, " the capturing

capture."

The extension of the measure to the British settle-
ments on the Gambia, his lordship cannot, at present,
consent to; and leaves its reference to the United
States " to he separately dealt with."

4thly. As to the MODE OF TRANSPORT, All
emigration from the west coast of Africa to the West
Indies shall be carried on " by means of vessels hired
by a government agent, as in the case of transports ;
the whole expense to be repaid by the colonies to which
the emigrants may go." Government cannot enter-
tain the proposal that its steamers should be employed
(owing to the expense). In the first instance, " three
government transports, capable of carrying 400 emi-
grants each, shall be employed in maintaining a con-
stant communication between Sierra Leone and the
West Indies ;" and " the Lords of the Admiralty have
agreed to place an agent on board any vessels which
may be taken up for this purpose, and approved by
the Secretary of State."

sthly. ROUTE, &c. OF THE VESSELS. On the
ground that by restricting the measure in the first
instance to three colonies—Guiana, Jamaica, and
Trinidad—which have already the necessary funds
provided, its operation may take place more speedily,
each of the colonies will have a separate vessel, the
expense of which it will have to pay, and whose route
will be therefore direct. It is not intended, however,
so soon as the other settlements—Tobago, St. Vincent,
&c.—have raised the funds required for the satisfaction
of the government, to obstruct for a moment their par-
ticipation in the benefits of the scheme. The details
of the route and the proportioning of the expenses will
then, so far as these do not interfere with the working
of the whole plan, be left to be arranged amongst the
colonies themselves.
fithly. PASSAGES BACK TO SIERRA LEONE to
be given to all emigrants, " at a rate proportionate to
the period of their residence, during the first five years
after their landing in the colony; and on the expiration
of that time, if they have not been across in the inte-
rim, a free passage." The provision, that they should
not have been across in !he interim, Lord Stanley sug-
gests should not apply to any who may have gone
back as delegates.
7thly. OCCASIONAL VESSELS may be taken up,
when required, in this country; but the proposition,
to place the power of chartering on the spot in the
hands of the governor of Sierra Leone, Lord Stanley
has, at present, a difficulty in acceding to.
Bthly. EMIGRATION AGENTS. The government
agent at Sierra Leone to be continued, and he in-
structed to regulate the time and order of precedence

of the transports, and give public notices of such time
and order.

9thly. COLONIAL AGENTS AT SIERRA LEONE.
One agent, acting for all the colonies, is thought to be
most advisable ; but for the present the decision with
respect to this matter is left to the colonies themselves.
The governor of Sierra Leone will have the power of
suspending the duties of any
agent of whose mode of
action he may disapprove, referring the case to the
Secretary of State, and appointing a successor during
the interval. Where maintenance of the emigrants
previous to sailing, and advances for clothes, &c. are
requisite, such emigrants to be placed and maintained
at some depot under the inspection of a government
emigration agent-general at Sierra Leone; and care is
to be taken that such advance is not to he made a debt
against the emigrant. Agents are not allowed to
enter into any specific agreements for wages ; but con-
fine themselves to issuing public notices of the latest
periodical return, specifying the current rate of wages
in the colonies. Lord Stanley deprecates the employ-
ment,
of returned delegates, as subagents in collecting
emigrants in the interior ; or the employment of such
agents at all.

RELAXATION OF EXISTING RESTRICTIONS. Un-
der this head we may briefly state that, whilst his

lordship agrees to some of the relaxations proposed in
the existing restrictions upon emigration, created by
a recent order in council relating to the colony of