The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1865-03-23

prise that be issued proclamation in
viting his subjects to colonize here, and
rendering = grant of one hundred acres
Of land for each four slaves that they
would employ in cultivation. The mo-
nopoly created in favor of this company
so cramped the trade of the London
merchants to the slave coast that they
besieged the Ho1se of Commons with
their complaints, until, finally, in 1895,
the House passed q resolution That,
for the better supply Of the plantations,
all the subjects of Great Britain should
have liberty to trade in Africa for ne
groes, with such limits as should
be prescribed by Parliament" I'm
der William ILL.,, an act was passed
partially relaxing the monopoly, the
preamble to which states that stthe
trade was highly beneficial and advan-
tageous to the kingdom, and to the plan
tations and colonies thereunto belong.
ing" In 1903, the Commons, still i'm
portuned by the merchants, again re-
solved "That the trade was impA .ant,
and ought to be free and open to I'll the
Queens subjects trading from Great
Britain" In I'LL, they again resolved
"That this trade ought to be free in a
regulated company; the plantations
ought to be supplied with negroes at q
reasonable rate; considerable stock
was necessary for carrying on the trade
to the best advantage, and that an. .ex-
port of 100000 at least, in merchan-
disc, should be annually made from
Great Britain to Africa" At last, the
popular complaints completely prevailed
in the passage of an act under George
H., throwing open the trade, and de-
claring '.'the slave trade to be very ad-
vantagcous to Great Britain, and neces-
sary for supplying the plantations and
colonies thereunto belonging with a
sufficient number of negroes at reason
able rates."
In the meantime, the colonies sought
in vain, by petition, by remonstrance, by
legislation, to diminish the evil. In
1860, an act was passed by South Caro-
lima prohibiting the farther importation
of African slaves. The act asnot only
rejected by the British Grown, but the
governor was reprimanded, and a circu-
lar was sent to all the governors of all
the colonies, warning them against pre-
suming to countenance such legislation.
News reaching Great Britain in 1865
that a similar bill had been twice read
in the Assembly of Jamaica, instructions
were sent to the governor of that colony,
in conformity with which he forbade any
farther progress Of the bill. Neverthe-
less, another attempt was made by the
Legislative Assembly Of Jamaica in 1774,
whereupon the Earl Of Dartmouth, then
Secretary Of State, wrote to the governor
that "thcse measures had created alarm
to the merchants of Great Britain en-
gagged in that branch Of commerce" and
forbidding him, "on pain Of removal
from his government, to assent to such
laws" And, at last, in 1875, after the
Revolutionary War had commenced, the
Earl of Dartmouth, in answer to a re-
monstrance from the agent of the colo
nies, replied: We cannot allon til.
colonies to check or discourage, in ans
: degree, q traffic so beneficial to tile ma
tion."
We do not propose to speak here .
length Of the slave trade of England Il
other than her own colonies. Some ide'
of it may be formed from the fact that
in May, 1913, the British Governmen
made a formal treaty with Spain, b!
which England undertook, for the tern
of thirty years then next to come, t.
transport, annually, four thousand ant
eight hundred slaves to the Spanis'
American colonies, at a fixed price,
And, a question arising a. to the tru
legal character of the slaves thus to b.
exported to the Spanish American Colo
nies, the twelve Judges Of England do
cided: "In pursuance Of His Majesty
order in council, hefeunto annexed, "
do humbly certify our opinion to be tina
negroes are merchandise" Even whit