The Statesman.
London, England, 1810-06-16 00:00:00

TH v. STATTISIVIATI.

shonlitiakd lie subject into consideration' early
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next StostourzOrdered.

v;.-r

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merely shared that profit with others whielifor.
merly we had all to.ourselves. If those concerned
in the Slave Trade were as inhuman as they were
said to be, they ought to be considered as no bets
ter than pirates,' and as such, captured and con-
demned, to whatever nation they might belong.
lie-had letters which stated, that the only obsta.
de to an alliance between South Amerlea.end,this
country, was a fear on their part that we would
put so stop-to their Slave Trade. If, on the first
abolition of that trade on our part, we had de-
clared, that after a certain period an. wouhl cap.
lure all concerned in it, we shintld now have
heard nothing of such a circumstance. Such in.
• conveniences ever resulted from half measures.
Spain was now invoking Heaven and earth to es-
sist her in her struggle for liberty. It might have
been well, had we Made the abolition of the•Slave*
Trade on her part tise price of assistasice•on'ones :
we might have told them, that we could not re.
' coucile ourselves to fighting for liberty with the
one hand, and for slavery with the other.
Mr. iW. SMITH .was of opinion that some
such stipulation might have been made with Spain.
Mr. STEPHEN thusight Ministers had neglect-
ed no opportunity of endeavouring to effect the
general abolition of the Slave Trade. lie cool()
as soon love a man who had stringled his infant
.child, as give his feeble support to a Govertimeitt
who faded to support and follow up such a mea-
sure. He thought thelloneurable Gentleman had
magnified the extent of the contraband Slave
Trade. Sorry should he be if the best law ever
passed to relieve suffering humanity were so
grossly violated. The Slaye Trade, he was of
opinion, had received a greater check than an
lion. Gentleman so,med to imagine; but if, as he
said, it had only changed hands, be blessed God
that Great Britaiu had freed herself (ruin the guilt
and dishonour of a traffic so iniquitous. The epi-
thets en Honourable Gentleman applied to the
Slave Trade, belonged to it ; but those concerned.
'in it might be entitled to more indulgence. The
Abolition Act had been opposed by some from
principles of humanity. They had anticipated
failures in our commerce, revolutions in our co. ,
leaks, and massacres on the coast of Africa,
which happily had not taken place. If it were to
be passed again he believed many who formerly op,
posed it would atm give it their support. He ap.
proved of the Address ; it only pledged the House
to do something, and uoboily contended that no.
thing should be done. In a mural point of view.
a breach of the law like that adverted to by the
Honourable Gentleman ought to be punished
more severely than by penalty. It had been
thought a solecism that the Slave Trade should be
abolished, yet an attempt to revive it not be made
felony ; but practical experience sometimes proved
that to be right which abstract reasoning would
condemn as wrong.. 11.3 lioweeer,,men were walnut:*
dotted as still to carry en 141 abominable traffic in
defiance of the law, he thought it might be proper
to resort to measures for inflicting severer punish.
mcnt in the next Sessions. It was a disgusting
phenomenon to see a foreigner its our Cuterts claim.
ing of British judicature the restitution of a num.,
lvr of men as his property which he had torn from
their homes and was carrying into slavery. Under
the abolition law all negroes were to be eaten.
chised by an officer, to whom they were to be de.
livered by the captor, and then to be iustructed id
the means of gaining a future subsistence. During
the time such a cause was pending, the wen .must
be. in slavery or at liberty, and if at liberty, how
great was the hardship to be again delivered up to
slavery. . lie then spoke of the hardships to which
the captors were in consequence subjected.' Had
he been aware of those circumstances ()artier in
the Session, he would have proposed some remedy
fur the evil, thinking, as he did, that the interfe.
rence of Parliament was necessary. Ile thought'
-
the settlers in Trinidad had no right to compcnsa,
lion, as at the time they were encouraged to settle
there, they knew it was intended to make the ex-
periment of raising' sugar without the assistance
of slaves. Those coloiliesin which there were no
slates, boasting more internal security than others,
were necessarily less eirpettee to the parent State.
He thought it become Government to pause be.
fore they concluded a treaty with South America,
without stipulating that their population shalt not
be fed by new importations of regroes from
Africa. This country ought to consider itself au.,
thorized,to suppress the Sieve Trade), whoever the
parties were engaged in it. .. : ~ • .0: t 1
Mr.. CANNING, in giving his consent to . the'
Address, as proposed to be modified by his Bight
,Honourable Friend, would not pledge himself to,
go, 000,0 the Honourable Gentleman Might'
A OisPir P. 80, Aar, would' be gives definite
Old °en. . list his,prOject, It had, nearer tn. ee
41
said., lids , foreign Powers would. not assent to
Ike tnetattOottigland would compel them by war.
He was *Oast going to extremesi but he hoped
he trld oetise thought wanting in humanity and
ard r 104 p cause. All had, been slow at
could'iatioltallz be done with a view .to the del—
mate attainment of the object. With respect to,
capturing American ships engaged in the Slave.
Trade, as,such a measure was fraught With den.
gar,. they would do well. to pause .befoee they. aims
to a decision on so nice a point. , i
MH r. UHART stated, that• in the' and of
Jamaica therelud not been introduced one :nligro
illEgally, since the abolition of the Slave-Trade.
He gave his support to the motion.
Mr: W. SMITH explained.
, • Mr. BROUGHAM congratulated himself on
the approbation which his motion received: Re
Dever blamed the intention of Ministers with - re..
spect to this subject. . He adverted to the Portu.
guse abolition, and bore testimony to the:thirty:4l,
ter and ability of Mr. Aranjuez. The American,
Government he believed to be sincere in its..at.
tempt to abolish the Slave Trade. He thanked
Ministers for their candour, and proposed that
early in the next Session a positive arrange nett
might be come to, and make that. Nogg AS 1
crime which in its nature was felonious and cit.
mina. He Consented to withdraw the passage
from the Address.—lthar, hear !)
The question was then' put, and carried nem. '
ion. .. . .
' Mr. BROUGHAM thou movaliihat the Homo


VOTE OF CREDIT BILL.
Mr. WHITBREAD, on the question for thi:
third reading of the Vote of (' -edit Bill, rose and
said, that anxious as he was to bring before the
due, consideration of the House some. distinct
question upon the state of the nation, he had, on
account of the late period 'of the Sesslotis; and
the consequent thinness of attendance on the part
of the Members, thought it better to take the
•opportunity the 'present question afforded him',
of offering to the- House those observations he had
to make upon that subject. And his first obser-
vation was, that the present Session, thoughlong
end laborious, had been much too. short ; for the
business which was to be done in the last fort.'
night, in• the'course of which Gentlemen attend.
ed, night after night, expecting their respective
questions to come on, and so attended in vain,
was a sufficient proof of `this. The Right Hour,
Gentleman (the Chancellor of the Eichcquer):
seemed to be so sensible of this, that he had ex.
;pressed his intention of introducing' some .regal,:
lion next &ulna fur the making notices and Or-
, dent have reciprecally precedence on alternate
days. How far such a regulation would befoUnd
desirable he would not say, hut he should cur.
••tainly be adverse to any propOsition that would
' interfere with the undoubted right of every Mem-
! bee to make a motion on the sudden. (Hear,
.heater !) The occasions for such notions must be
•rare, but the principle was not fur that reason
to be given up. Having said thus much, be would
now observe upon one or two subjects, respecting
which he has hail an opportunity of speaking be.
fore in the course of this Session. The first was
that of Jeffery the seaman. He had made every
inquiry respecting the fate of this man, and in
the prosecution of these inquiries' acknowledged
himself to have been much aidrdby the prompt
assistance of the Board of Admiralty, and the re-
• suit of all was, that he bad now. every reason to
believe that Jeffery was alive, [flear, hear !]
and carrying on his trade as a blacksmith, in Be-
verly, in America. lie hoped that the Noble
Marquis at the head of the Foreign Department
would take effectual means to havuJeffery brought
' home in safety to his native country'aodiriends.
'The next subject was that of the Report of the
Committee on the Exchequer • Bills fundeiL • Hi
had the honour of being Chairman of that' Cont.'
,nktee, awl from his personal knowledge oritil
that passed, he felt himself constrained to say,
that he did not thin, though the age of the per-
son alluded to might render him a fitter objet of
lenity thap punishment, still he could not think•
that that person, Sir John Peters, ought to Cite.
tinue any longer in office as Paymaster. At the
same time lie :vas willing to do the same justice
in a way more agreeable to his feelings to another'
individual., Mr. Planta. He thought Mr: Planta
no honest man, and a meritorious Qfficer. lie
could nut say the same of Mr. Paytedwitpe. Lie
thought it very questionable whether that Gentle-
man should be suffered' teeretain his satiation. Indeed
fur himself, he had no doubt-that Mr.'Payletborpe
ought to retire • from • the office- he heldo' much
AS to the persons involved In- that RePtirt.,—
Doesal_the present Session ninny things,bail bees
expccAW which had not' taken place. Among
Others; iheleast expected,istrely, was not the dis-
tiissititien of the-present Ministry% The First Lord
tif the Adiniraitymust be' aware that a change of
Ititisqloirinthe Administrations of this country had
taken place. lie had vacated his scat fur Cam.
bridgeshire for the sinecure of. Teller `of the F,14,
chequer-he bad afterwards been rejected by Ma
former Constituents at the county of Cambridgtti:
and was returned for the borough of St. Genius/oat,
but being afterwards raised to the situation Cf
First Lord of the Admiralty, his re.election ter
St. Genitalia again became necessary. The Right,
Hon. Gentleman had formerly stood in a different
situation, lie had been Secretary of, State under,
a former Administration ; when that Administra_
lion stood in a majority of no mote than 34, they
:thought proper to withdraw from the management
:_of public affairs. The Administration, however,
and the circumstances of public affairs were now
different from what they were at that period; and
there was, besides, something peculiar in the.mode
in which the Right IlotOeittleman (Mr,N"erke)
had vacated- his scat, and had been elected to' ctio,l
Bier. He vacated his seat just before ifie
ters were left in the Miuority- on the question 'for
going into an Itiquirynn the Welchem Expedi-
lieu. The Right lion. Gentleman returned to Par-
liament ou the first divisjon of the -Committee on
the affairs of Public finance, in which, though
the Ministers had a Majority point,of natabers,.,
yet that majority was ‘Sis trilling that it wait' lON
prising that Ministers should have thought :satt tt:
taining theipplaces. Still, however, they coati.
toted to do so. The votes on the Ministerlai:side
of the House were often carried by a Ceti! wall,
majority, ,cifteohy the very narrowest tnajerityi
and often even Ministers were left in the tnitiotily.:,
In the Bullion ComatittetN.oewhich the Chancel-ler,
of the Exchequer was a Member, he had bah: Oa',
tented in the very principle of that grand and into.'
restiatqueetion,which went even to affect thevitals
of the present system. The-Chancellor-of-the,
chequer's Minority on this opinion was 4. to
In the:llene of Mr. PittOn tboyear 1797,
hint would haveheen esteemed 'sufficient to pate".
chase a tesigoatioe. Now, .kewever, the House,
reposed: too much confidence in Ministers, and.
' this was the use made 'of it. The Right Lion.l
Gentleman (Mr. Percent) had 100 long postpon.
ed the meeting. of thd. pollent.Parliateent.2 He
now, proposed. that it sheold, 'too early ; and
there was. equally little idoebt' that Parliament
would nut main twemble.till tiatilatest ;lois)* Pe.'
riot' for4he meeting of any' fiesalniti or till the last
guiheawasepent,: or the diaarectiorts of the Gobi..
net' rendered Allele nlectidgitectaisary: Seel A dis:.•
affection as had lately prevailed, be thought it sib.
rally impossible •could ao* eiist, so fee int the
countenances of Ministers in thatollouse could be
judged . of. • • There was one domestic. calamity
against which' he wished` particularly to guard
Gentlemen-.-the chance of a scanty harvest. He mu, • -
was happy to understand, from the last 1401111t1 LoiumNiT:LrisolinedA3ohou
rPeothelaithedoohyriegllt. •Lgr:et.i,
on this adducts that appiprauolt, lofsignsig.
fit J. 4.4 • -
, . •

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