Negro Emancipation.
The Times, 1824-01-12T00:00:00

TO TIIE EDITOR OF THE TIMES. The WVest Indians may justly charge the anti-colonial paTty With inconsistenev and a bxeachi of faith upon thtis important subject. In support of this assertion, the fwo following extracts mav be qtuoted. Ifit be said that they are comprised in. the reports of (listifct societies, it may be answered, that both bodies are governed by the same Pre- sident, and thatof the 21 Vice-Presidentsofthe Societv fortbe Abo. lition of Slavery, 17 of that number are Directors or Vice-Presidents of the African Institution. The latter society, in the 13th report. refers with approbation to the proceedings of the other, and llr. Stephen, a Vice.President of both, stated, on the 16th of Mlay last, that though the object of the two institutions were diffesent, there was a close affihitv between them.n(P. xlvi.) " Mr. WVilberforce, in comnmon with all the mostdistinguished advocates of the abolition, is anxious to sbow, that a nmere cessa. tion of she importation of slaves cannot occasion those dapgers which might justly be apprehended from tlhe sudden emancipation of men, most of wvbom must be destitute of those habits which are necessary for enabling them to act with propriety as freemen. " It is w ell knoawn that the triends of abolition are the less in- clined to recommend any hasty or violent measures for emancipa- tion, because they are convinced, that if newv importationsof slaves be completely an ectually prevented, this of itself must produce a material and progressive improvement in the condition of those already on the colonies, so as to lead in time to their emancipation. Through a similar progress, the peasantry of oi.r own countrv, and of the greater part of Europe, have risen fro-n the condition of serfs to that of free labourers, by means of a number of indul- gences granted from time to time by the masters themselves, merel- f'rom a regard to their own interest. Experience taught them that it was better policy to bribe their slaves to be industrious, thtan to attempt compulsion; and5 from this motive, one privilege has been conferred after another, till in the end all that distittguishedl the condition of a slave has been annihilated. The same causes will produce the sanme ef'ects in the West Indies as in Europe; and however slovr this progress may be supposed to be, history demon. strates that it is sure and invariable; for, along with the advance- ment of civilizatioin, domestic slaverv has disappeared in every country where it hias not been kept alive either by the practice of enslaving prisoners taken in war, or by the importation of slaves from counffics where that practice subsists."-S'pecial Rrport of the Directors of thK African J)zrtitution, of tltc 12th of Apri4 18lh, page 130. ' When the British slave trade was abolished, a confident ex. pectation was entertained that the certain result of that measure would be the rapid tnitigation and final extinction of the colonial bondage which had sprung from it, and which in its ptinciple is equally indefensible. " Sixteen years, however, have nowv elapsed since the British slave trade Avas abolished; but during that long period what e5fegtial steps havc been takeu, either in this country or in tie colonies, for mitigating the rigoars of Negro bhndage, or fer putting an end to that condition of society ? "Shall the friends of the African race be now reproached for waiting no longer, when the rel ground of reproach is thit they have waited so long ?"c Is it not obvious from the first repart, that a few years ago the abo- litioniets were far fhom contetnplating emancipation othervise than as a very remote result? ln.referring to the gradual ard alnost in- sensible iiiaprovmenent which nmasked the progress of the enslaved serf fowards ltberttv thev clearlv demzonstrated wh.t -vo. h-n ht1 wizenL ox LeIr view. Yours, wr. s.D. - qccu [4)1lJ >wJre:u m cs r tliie huweEyxor tne AbolIt on of lavery.-Vide Pre ace to the Debate of the 15th ol May, 18!3.- (P. 10 and 19.) NBGRO EMA 'CIPA TiONM.