The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-07-01
LORD BRoUGHAM AND THE SLAVE TRADE

The annual meeting of the British and For.
eign Anti Slavery Society was held in London
on the 29th ult., Lord Broughsm presiding.
The Secretary, in giving an abstract of the
Societys annual report, said that sum of
100000 had been paid by England to Spain,
to compensate her for the losses which she
would sustain by the emancipation of her slaves,
and the Society considered the time had arrived
when measures should be adopted by the coun-
try to compel Spain to pursue an honest course
in this matter.
From information received By the Society, II
appeared that the number of slaves annually
larded in Cuba icdS not less than from fifteen
to t'renty thousand. The native trade Of Afri-
ca was greatly increased. Not less than 20. 900
tons OF palm oil had been shipped from the
Blight Of Benin, and the exports of cotton had,
IN several years, increased from 230 pounds to
4,OOO 600 pounds. An attempt was being made
to revive the slave trade in France, under the
ineidous guise of importing free laborers from
Africa. Active measures had been taken by
certain party in this country to introduce sim
liar plan to which the attention of the Society
was most energehcally directed
Lord Brougham, on rising to address the
meeting, was received with loud cheers The
noble and learned Lord repudiated all claim to
the merit of having had principal hand in tbs
abolition of the slave trade. 1t was to Thomas
Clarkson, and his worthy co operators, the So
ciety of Friends, aided by. Wllberforce, that
that great work was due primarily but ultimate
ly to the Ministry of Mr.. Fox, Lord Grenville,
and Lord Grey, in 1907, who, as their last act
before quitting office, which an absurd cry cf
intolerance compelled them 10 do, introduced
the act for the abolition Of the African slave
trade. Unhappily, (ssid the noble Lord,) that
was sought to be accomplished by pecuniary
penalties alone and when / found, two or
three years after, that these penalties we're not
suhcient-because in the gambling nature of
men, and of slave. traders included they could
well afford to lose five cargoes of slaves by con-
hscatlon, and to pay the penalties of seizures,
provided one out of six csrgoes escaped and
brought them the enormous profits which that
unnatural traffic created-it seemed to me fit
aud 1t is IN that respect only that | can be said
to have had any efectual hand in the carving
out OF this great measure-that it should be-
treated no longer as a mere revenue question,
as one of penalties and confscation, but as one
OF penal law, and an act to be punt bed as a
crime. How could l. then, do otherwise than
listen to the call to break through my rule,
which for many years had laid down to my
SELF not to attend public meetings, and attend
here to day? Cheers.
When l found that in other countries, OH
both sides of the Atlantic. there were attempts
making to revive that traffic, and go backward
to Slavery itself, 1t seemed that the time had
come, l will not say to show that in our "asF ca
live their wonted ires," cheera, but that we
had awakened from the slumbering of advanced
age awakened before des ascending into thai
state of sumbering, feeble, unressoning and
narrative old age, and that, before descending
| therento, L should add one effort more to the
great cause. Cheers
The antiquity of the system of Slavery has
bsen urged in its favor, and has been even
transferred to the slave trade ITSELF By some of
the statesmen of America in a late debate in
Congress. When speaking of the peasantry,
as they call the slaves, they say that they are a
peculiarly happy and comfortable people, and
that their situation is. one which the peassntry
OF any other country might envy.
There is one subject upon which / must pa
permit to say a world mean the scheme
OF what is called free emigration from the coast
of Africa. Cheers
II IS the Jrossest abuse Of language TO falH
| Of free emigration from the coast of Africa. I
lately had occasion TO see some most respect.
able and gallant officers, who had served in
the Frer oh navy during the Crimesn war. AID
who had lately been on the coast cf Africa
as superintendents of the shipment of those
so called free negroes. | found from them
that the mortality on board the vesses-with
all the excellent regulations of the French
| Government-on thirty days voyage from
Africa to Guadsloupe aud Martinique, lc1s as
much as ten per cent. IN these thirty days On
my asking how the men we're obtained, learnt
that erery one Of them acas sIaUe, purchased
tor the purpose Of being taken on board the.
French ships. They were slaves brought MP
TO the coast from the interior, and then liberia
ted, IN order to be put on board under inden-
| lures, which these poor negroes, being no doubt
excellent French lawyers must be supposed to
understand the exact nature of, binding them
| TO service for a number of years.
| 1t is said tina. we in England have no right
to complain, because we ourselves supply our
colonies with coolies from India and China. and
therefore the French and Spaniards have q
right 10 take negroes from Africa. IL is to
Cuba alone to which these men are sent and.
depend upon it, unless y,n blockade the ports:
Of Cuba, 10 rs IN rain to erpect that the systeae
can be pat doion.
L agree with those who think that the better
course to take is not 10 trust to any blockade
OF the Cuban coast, but to do all we can in con-
cert with the French Government, IN order to
obtain the emancipation Of the slares IN CHbG
ITSELF. The instant that emancipation takes
place, there would be an end to all speculation
on the part of our kinsfolk in America TO OBJ
tain possession of Cuba fo- the great obiec.
of those who entertain that notion is to obtain
increased preponderauce of the slave States in
| the Union. Cheers The weight which this
country ought to have with the Government Of
Spain, Joined with that of France, if brought
to bear upon that Government, would, | am
convinced, soon succeed in bringing this great
advantage to our cause. There was never a
greater delusion, if it is not gross misrepre-
sentstion, than to suppose that our imp 9rtng
coolies is anything like q parallel case to the
traffic carried on by France on the coast of At
RIGA. utterly objected to the coolie system,
and brought forward motion after motion
against it. But the grand difference is, that
the coolies come from a different sort of coun-
try-British officers can prevent them from
being kidnapped, and no contrsban1 force is
used In getting them on board the ships Bat
from the African coast these native Africans
are obtained from slave trade princes, who hunt
down the slaves for the purpose of capturing
and then selling them as what are called free
emigrants. Cheers
observe that Slavery is not only described
by many of its advocates as q very ancient in
stitution, but / see that one of the American
statesmen has lately stated, in the Assembly OF
the United States, that the slave trade, as well
as Slavery, is q very ancient practice, and that
in former times, and in almost all parts of the
world, it was carried on. 1t is ancient, 70
doubt. But there is another more ancient
practice not altogether uneonnected with slave
trading. | mean the practice of murder, and
of the worst sort of murder, fratricidal murder;
for it does 40 happen that the FIRST man thal
was born murdered the second, and that secoad
born was his brother. Bot do not think Won
would deem it pallisiion of the offence OF
murder or of frstricide to cite its undeniable
antiouitv We are told that ANNA rn;srooxo