New-York daily tribune., 1844-11-30


[Contnuedl
THIS decision established the principle that
ihe air of Eoglsnd is too pure for any slave to
br.athe," hut the wrongs in the islands were not
tber,by touched. Public attention, however,
was drawn that way, end the method Of the
stealing and the transportation from Africa, be.
came noised abroad The Quakers got The sta-
~. In their plain meeting. houses, and prim
dwellings, this dismal agitation got entrance
They were rich they owned for debt, or by in-
hentancc, island property; they were religious,
tendcrheertcd men and women aud they had
10 hear The news and digest it as they could
81, Quakcrs met in London on the 9Th July,
1893; William Dillwyn, Samuel Hoar, George
Harrison, Thomas Knowles, John Lloyd, Joseph
Woods, "to consider what step they should take
for the rslief and liberation OF the Negro slaves
in the West Indies, and for the encouragement
Of the slave. trade on the coest Of Airica."-
They made friends and raised money for the
save; they interested their Yearly Meeting; and
all English and all American Quescrs. john
Woolmsn of New-Jarsey, while yet an apprcn
tice, was uneasy in his mind when he was sc! TO
write bill of sale of Negro, for his master
He gave his testimony against the ;raffi,, in Ma
ryland and Virginia. Thomas Clerkson was a
youth at Cambridge, England, when the subject
given out for a Latin prize dissertation was, 4" Is
it right to make slaves of others against their
willl" He wrote an essay, and won the prize;
but he wrote too well for his own peace he be-
gan to ask himself if these things could be true )
and if they were, he could no longer rest. He
left Cambridge; he fell in with the six Quakers
They engaged him to act for them. He hlmsclf
interested Mr. Wilberforce in the matter. The
shipmastcrs IN that trade were the greatest ms
creauts, and guilty of every barbari;y to their
own Crews. Clarkson went TO Bristol, made
himself acquainted with the interior Of the slave
ships, and the details Of the trade. The facts
confirmed his sentiment "that Providence had
never made that TO he wisc, which was immoral,
and that the slave trade was as impotic as it
was unjust;" that il was found peculiarly fatal
10 those employed in it. More seamen died in
that trade in one year, than in the whole renlaln-
ing trade Of the country in two. Mr.. PITT and
MIR. Fox were drawn into the generous enter
prise In 1888, the House Of Commons voted
Parliamentary inquiry. In 1871, o bill TO abol-
ish the trade was brought in by Wilbcrforce, and
supported by him, and by Fox, and Burke, and
Pitt, with the utmost ability and. faithfulness;
resisted by the planters, and the whole West In
dian interest, and lost. During the nett sixteen
years, ten times year after year, the attempt was
renewed by Mr.. Wilberforcc, and ten times de-
ieatcd by the planters. Tho King, and all the
ROYAL Family but one, were against It. These
debates are instructive, US they show on what
grounds the trade was assailed and defended
Every thing generous, wise and sprightly, is sure
10 come TO the attack. On the other part, are
found cold prudence, barefaced selishncss, and
silent votes But the nation was aroused 10 en-
thusiasm. Every hornd fact became knowu-
In 1871, three hundred thousand persons III Brit
tain pledged themselves to abstain from all artl-
cles oil island produce. The planters were OBJ
ged TO give way; and in 1907, on the 25th of
March, the bill passed, and the slaye.trade was
abolished.
The assailants of slavery had early agreed to
limit their political action this subject to the
sb,ltion of the trade, but Granville Sharpe, AS a
matter of conscience, while he acted as chairman
of the London Committee, felt constrained 10 re
cord his protest against the limitation, declaring
that slavery was as much crime against the
Divine law, as the slave-uadc. The trade, un-
der false flags, went on as before. In 1921, ac-
cordinp to officixl documents presented to the
American Government by the Colonization So
ciety, 100000 slaves were deported from Africa.
Nearly 10000 were landed i'll The port of Havana
alone Ia consequence Of the dangers of the
trade growing out of the act Of abolition ships
were built sharp for swiftaess, and with fright
full disrs gard of the comfort of the victims Trey
were destined to transport. They CARED fve,
Blk, even seven hundred slowed in ship SO mar
row as to be unsafe, being made Just broad
enough on the beam tokeep the sea. In attoHpt-
ing TO make its escape from the pursuit OF a man.
of.war, one ship flung FIVE hundred slaves alve
into the sea. These facts went into Parliament
In the Islands, was an ominous state of cruel and
licentious society; every house had dungeon
attached to it; every slave was worked by The
whip. There is no end 10 the tragic anecdotes
in the municipal records of the colonies. The
bow was set TO strip and 10 fog his own mother
to blood, for a small offence. Locking in the
face of his master by the Negro was held to be
violence by the island couts. He was worSed
sixteen hours, and his ration by law, IN some
islands was pint of flour and one salt herring
day. He suffered insult, stripes, mualetlon, at
the humor of the master iron collars were nv
eted on their necks with iron prongs ten inches
long; capsicum pepper was rubbed in the eyes
of the females; and they were done TO death
with the most shocking levity between the mas
Ter and manager, without fine or INQUIRY. And
when. at last. some Quakels, Moravlans, and
Wesleyan and Baptist Missionaries, following IN
the steps of Carey and Ward in the East Indies,
had been moved to come and cheer the poor VIC
tim with the hope Of some reparation, IN u iu-
ture world, of the wrongs nc suffered IN this,
these missionaries were prosecuted BY the plant
ers, their lives threatened, their chapels burned
and the Negroes furiousy forbidden to go near
them. These outragos rekindled the flame oi
British indignation. Petitions poured into Par
lament: a million persons aigned their names
TO these; and in 1888, on the l4!h May, Lord
Stanley, minister of the colonies, introduced INTO
the House of Commons his bill for the Enanci-
patton.
Thescheme of the minister, with such modifi;;
cation SIS it received in the Legislature, proposed
gradual emancipation; that on LIST August, 1854
all persons now slaves should be entitled 10 be
registered as appren,iced laborers, and to acquire
thereby all the rights and privileges OF tsecmen'
subject to the restriction of laboring under Ger
tain conditions. These conditions were, thas
the predials should owe three fourts OF the pro-
hts Of their labor to their masters for SIX years.