96] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1817. 



pense and deliiy not only prolong, 

 but greatly augment, the evil 

 wliirh we are tlius labouring to 

 icniedy : 



" That it appears to us but too 

 notorious, that tliese crimes, hi- 

 therto partially checked by the pio- 

 hibition of so many just govern- 

 ments, and by the abhorrence of 

 all good men, are now again re- 

 newed, and are cariied on with 

 fresh, and continually increasing 

 activity ; that many of the sub- 

 jects of those powers which have 

 concurred in the abolition, are 

 found, nevertheless, still to pur- 

 sue the some nefarious comse; 

 that the stipulations by which 

 other governments ha\'e consented 

 to put limits to this evil, stipula- 

 tions purchased by this country at 

 the price of large sacrifices, are 

 constantly, and almost openly 

 disregaided ; while the ]irotection 

 of the only remaining Hag under 

 which this wickedness can now 

 be carried on without limit or re- 

 straint, and the intervention of 

 the only nation to whicli its con- 

 tinuance is indiscriminately ])er- 

 mitted, are used, not merely to 

 protect this horrible traffic in the 

 extent to which that people for- 

 merly pursued it, but as a sanc- 

 tion to its inilefinite increase in 

 their hands, and as a cover for 

 the breach of the laws by which 

 all other civilized comnnmities 

 have restrained their subjects from 

 embarking in it : 



" That, in humbly submitting 

 these painful circumstances to the 

 humane and enlightened consider- 

 ation of his Koyal Highness, we 

 are sure it cannot be reijuisife to 

 dwell upon the other and great 

 evils which they necessarily in- 

 volve : that this state of things 



has led, by manifest and necessary 

 consequence, to a system of arm- 

 ed defiance and outrage, a system 

 utterly destructive of all peaceful 

 commerce, insulting to legitimate 

 authority, and, in its effects and 

 consequences, little, if at all, short 

 of oj)en piracy : that this system 

 also impedes, or rather it alto- 

 gether frustrates, the just and 

 benevolent endeavours of those 

 powers, who are labouring to in- 

 troduce among the natives of 

 Afiica the arts, and habits of civi- 

 lized life ; is productive of perpe- 

 tual contest and irritation, leading 

 not unfrequently to open violence 

 between his Majesty's ships and 

 subjects, and those of the sove- 

 leigns in amity and alliance with 

 this country; and continually en- 

 dangers even those relations, the 

 maintenance of whicli is of the 

 utmost moment to their interests 

 and to ours, as well as to the ge- 

 neral i-epose and tranquillity of 

 Europe : 



" To represent to his Royal 

 Highness, that being deeply im- 

 pressed with the magnitude of all 

 these considerations, we earnestly 

 entreat his Royal Highness, that 

 he will be pleaseil to pursue with 

 unremitted acti\ity, those negoti- 

 ations into which he has already 

 entered on this most momentous 

 subject ; that he will establish for 

 tliis purpose the most effective 

 concert with those sovereigns, 

 whose just and benevolent pri)ici- 

 ples respecting it, have already 

 been announced to the world in 

 concurrence with his own ; and 

 that he will leave no eiFort untried 

 to bring the present evils to a 

 speedy and immediate termina- 

 tion, and thereby to prevent the 

 future and still greater mischiefs 



which 



f 



