STATE PAPERS. 359 
die voice in all civilized countries 
has demanded that it should be 
suppressed as soon as possible ; 
that since the character and the 
details of this traffic have been 
better known, and the evils of 
every sort which accompanied it 
completely unveiled, several Eu- 
ropean governments haveresolved 
to suppress it; and that succes- 
sively all powers possessing colo- 
nies in different parts of the world 
have acknowledged, either by le- 
gislative acts or by treaties and 
other formal engagements, the ob- 
ligation and necessity of abolish- 
ing it; that by a separate article 
of the last Treaty of Paris, Great 
Britain and France engaged to 
unite their efforts at the Congress 
at Vienna to engage all the pow- 
ers of Christendom to pronounce 
the universal and definitive aboli- 
tion of the slave trade; that the 
Plenipotentiaries assembled at 
this Congress cannot better ho- 
nour their mission, fulfil their duty, 
and manifest the principles which 
guide their august Sovereigns, 
than by labouring to realize this 
engagement, and by proclaiming 
in the name of their Sovereigns 
the desire to put an end to a 
scourge, which has so long deso- 
Jated Africa, degraded Europe, and 
_ afflicted humanity. 
The said Plenipotentiaries have 
agreed to open their deliberations 
as to the means ‘of accomplishing 
so salutary an object, by asolemn 
declaration of the principles which 
have guided them in this work. 
Fully authorised to such an act, 
by the unanimous adherence of 
their respective courts to the princi- 
plesannouncedinthe said separate 
article of the Treaty of Paris, they 
in consequence declare, in theface 
of Europe, that, looking upon the 
universal abolition of the Slave 
Trade, as a measure particularly 
worthy of their attention, con- 
formable to the spirit of the age, 
and to the general principles of 
their august Sovereigns, they are 
animated with a sincere desire to 
concur, by every means in their 
power, in the most prompt and 
effectual execution of this mea- 
sure, and to act in the employ- 
ment of those means with all the 
zeal and all the perseverance 
which so great and good a cause 
merit. 
Too well informed of the sen- 
timents of their Sovereigns not to 
foresee, that, however honourable 
may be their object, they would 
not pursue it without a just re- 
gard to the interests, the habits, 
and even the prejudices of their 
subjects, the said Plenipotentia- 
ries at the same time acknowledge 
that this general declarationshould 
not prejudge the period which 
each particular Power should look 
upon as expedient for the de- 
finitive abolition of the traffic in 
slaves. Consequently the deter- 
mination of the period when this 
traffic ought universally to cease, 
will be an object of negociation 
between the different powers: it 
being, however, well understood, 
that no means proper to ensure 
and accelerate its progress should 
be neglected; and that the reci- 
procal engagement contracted by 
the present declaration between 
the Sovereigns who have taken 
part in it, should not be consider- 
ed as fulfilled until the moment 
when complete success shall have 
crowned their. united efforts. 
In making’ this declaration 
known to Europe, and to all the 
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