GENERAL HISTORY. 



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effect to tlie principle of aboli- 

 tion. The congress of Vienna 

 was entitled to the gratitude of 

 mankind on this subject ; for 

 there all the great powers of 

 Europe made a declaration which 

 stamped the slave trade as dis- 

 graceful, and made every state 

 anxious to get out of it as soon 

 as circumstances could conve- 

 niently admit of its doing so. 

 But though much had been done 

 at this congress, yet still it was 

 painful to state, that from the 

 encouragement which such a 

 traffic held out to the sordid 

 passions of desperate men, neither 

 international conventions, nor 

 municipal law, could have extir- 

 pated the evil, so long as a con- 

 traband traffic might be carried 

 on under the cover of the flag of 

 any of the nations of Europe. In 

 this state of the trade more dis- 

 graceful and painful circumstances 

 occurred than before. The illicit 

 traffic arose out of the partial 

 abolition, and out of the facilities 

 that the cessation of belligerent 

 rights, in consequence of the 

 peace, created. It was infinitely 

 more practicable in peace than 

 during war. In the time of war 

 this country had extensive pos- 

 sessions in several parts of the 

 world. No man would say that 

 we ought to retain these in our 

 hands for the purpose of exclud- 

 ing slave traders. We had now, 

 however, by the conclusion of 

 the present treaty, arrived at the 

 last stage of our difficulties and 

 exertions. One great portion of 

 the world was rescued from the 

 horrors of this traffic. For the 

 first time, he believed, in diplo- 

 matic history, the states of 

 Europe bound themselves by a 



mutual stipulation to exercise 

 the right of search over their 

 merchantmen, with a view of 

 giving complete effect to the 

 same laudable object. The power 

 with whom the present treaty 

 was contracted, afforded by its 

 flag more protection to illicit 

 traders than any other nation: 

 this resource was now taken 

 from that baneful evil. It was 

 due to Portugal, and to the exer- 

 tions of its representative in this 

 country, to state that after a long 

 negotiation that power was the 

 first to concede the right of search, 

 under certain arrangements and 

 regulations to other nations. A 

 sum of money had been paid to 

 that power by virtue of a treaty 

 similar in principle to the present. 

 The Portuguese government had 

 been, at that time, called upon to 

 determine at what period it 

 would be prepared to adopt 

 measures for the final suppression 

 of the slave trade ; and a treaty 

 had been at length signed, by 

 which such a period had been 

 fixed, though the ratifications 

 had not yet been exchanged. 



The prudential inference from 

 this admission of a reciprocal 

 right was, 1 that it must be for the 

 interest of both parties to place 

 the exercise of it under such re- 

 gulations as should provide against 

 vexatious disputes, and be so 

 plain and intelligible that it must 

 be difficult for questionable points 

 to arise in the ordinary course of 

 executing the laws on this sub- 

 ject. By the present treaty of 

 regulation, no detention under 

 the stipulated right of search 

 was to take place, except in the 

 case of slaves being found ac- 

 tually on boaid. It was neces- 

 [c 2j sary 



