88] ANNUAL REGISTER, 181(5. 



shortly move for some papers. 

 He also declared, that he would 

 undoubtedly bring forward his 

 promised measure early in the 

 next session. 



The petition was ordered to lie 

 on the table. 



Lord Grenrille, who had moved 

 for certain papers connected with 

 the registry of slaves in the colo- 

 nies, which, he understood, were 

 soon to be laiti on the table of 

 the House of Lords, gave notice 

 on May 30th, of his intention, 

 early in the next session, to sub- 

 mit to their lordshijjs some pro- 

 position on this head. 



The papers moved for having 

 been laid before botli Houses of 

 Parliament, Mr. IVilber force , on 

 June 19th, rose, and began his 

 speech by saying, that although 

 he had yielded to tlie noble lord's 

 recommendation of defening the 

 question of negro slavery, yet, 

 that the subject appearing to him 

 now to stand u})on different 

 grovmds, he thought it of the 

 greatest importance, that there 

 should be every possible degree 

 of information, and felt it his 

 duty to state some of tlie princi- 

 ples, which the House having 

 adopted, it seemed necessary to 

 carry into eifeet. In proceeding 

 to this consideration, he would 

 show what was the condition of 

 a gre at part of the slaves in the 

 West Indies ; and that this was 

 not as it ovight to be was evident, 

 from the circumstance of their 

 not increasing in number. Tlie 

 latest accounts from Jamaica, 

 wjiere they ^vere in general the 

 best treated, admitted that great 

 numbers were lost every year, 

 from the circumstances of their 

 being under-fed and over-worked. 



The hon. member then adverted 

 to some of the plans that had for- 

 merly been suggested for melior- 

 ating their condition ; but, said 

 he, the friends of the abolition 

 had been satisfied with that ge- 

 neral measure. The only thing 

 he regretted was, that it was not 

 immctliately followed by a re- 

 gistry bill. It had been objected, 

 that they iiad changed their 

 groxmd, and were now aiming at 

 emancipation, a cry which had 

 been raised from the first exer- 

 tions in favour of the negroes ; 

 but it could be proved, that they 

 had always regarded the slaves as 

 incapable of liberty at present, 

 and hoped that a change might 

 take place by degrees, as the na- 

 tural result of the abolition. 



Mr. W. then took notice of a 

 charge made against the registry 

 bill, that it had been tlie cause of 

 the late insurrection ; and he 

 gave reasons for attributing it to 

 the irritation excited among the 

 negroes by the violent language 

 of the planters, when speaking 

 on the measure of registering. 

 He proceeded to state the proba- 

 bility of the smuggling of slaves 

 into the islands, in opposition to 

 the present declarations of the 

 colonists ; and made some re- 

 marks on the Jamaica report of 

 the state of negro population for 

 a number of years, to justify this 

 suspicion. In fine, he concluded 

 by moving, " That an humble 

 address be jnesented to the Prince 

 Regent, that lie will be pleased 

 to give directions, thai there be 

 laid before this House tlie titles 

 and dates of any acts of the as- 

 sembly of Jamaica, transmitted 

 for his Majesty's approbation, by 

 which any poll-tax on slaves was 



imposed. 



