07 



SI.AVK, SLAVKKY, 8LAVK-TUAHK. 



SLAV)'., SKAVKHV, SLAVE-THAI)!-:. 



the caprice or brutality of bit owner. In the British colonies, 

 BSpecUlly in the Utter port of the Uitt century and the beginning of the 

 nracut, much wa dune by the legislature ; courts were established to 

 Lear the complaints of the olives, flogging of females wan forbidden, 

 the punishment of males was also limited within certain bounds, and 

 the condition of the slave population was greatly ameliorated. Still 

 the advocates of emancipation objected to the principle of slavery as 

 being unjust and unchristian ; and they also appealed to experience to 

 show that a human being cannot be safely trusted solely to the mercy 

 of another. 



But long before they attempted to emancipate the slaves, the efforts 

 of philanthropists were directed to abolish the slave traffic, which 

 desolated Africa, wholly prevented its advance in civilisation, and 

 encouraged the maltreatment of the negroes in the colonies, by 

 affording an unlimited supply, and making it not the planter's intend 

 to keep up his nt< k in the natural way. The attention of mankind 

 was first effectually awakened to the horrors of this trade by Thomas 

 Clarkson. His labours with the aid of the zealous men, chiefly 

 Quakers, who early joined him, prepared the way for Mr. Wilberforce, 

 who brought the subject before parliament in 1788. and although, 

 after his notice, the motion, owing to his accidental illness, was first 

 brought forward by Mr. Pitt, Mr. Wilberforce was throughout the 

 great ]>arliunieutary leader in the cause, powerfully supported in the 

 country by Thomas Clarkson and others, as Richard Phillips, George 

 Harrison, William Allen, all of the Society of Friends, Mr. Stephen, 

 who had been in the West Indies as a barrister, and Mr. '/,. Macaulay, 

 who had been governor of Sierra Leone, and bad also resided in 

 Jamaica. A bill was first carried (brought in by Sir W. Dolben) to 

 regulate the trade until it could be abolished, and this in some degree 

 diminished the horrors of the middle passage. But the question of 

 abolition was repeatedly defeated, until 1804, when Mr. Wilberforce 

 first carried the bill through the Commons ; it was thrown out in the 

 Lords, and next year it was again lost even in the Commons. Mean- 

 while the capture of the foreign colonies, especially the Dutch, during 

 the war, frightfully increased the amount of the trade, by opening 

 them settlements to British capital; and at one time the whole 

 importation of slaves by British vessels amounted to nearly 60,000 

 yearly, of which about a third was for the supply of our old colonies. 

 At length, in 1805, an order in council prohibited the slave-trade in 

 the conquered colonies. Next year the administration of Lord 

 Orenville and Mr. Fox -carried a bill through, prohibiting British 

 subjects from engaging in the trade for supplying either foreign settle- 

 ments or the conquered colonies. A resolution moved by Mr. Fox, the 

 last time he took any part in public debate, was also carried in 1806, 

 pledging the Commons to a total abolition of the trade early next 

 session, and this was, on Lord Grenville's motion, adopted by the 

 Lords. Accordingly next year the General Abolition Bill was brought 

 in by Lord Howick (afterwards Earl Grey), and being passed by both 

 houses, received the royal assent on the 25th of March, 1807. This 

 act prohibited slave-trading from and after the 1st of January, 1808 ; 

 but as it only subjected offenders to pecuniary penalties it was found 

 that something more was required to put down a traffic the gains of 

 which were so great as to cover all losses by capture. In 1810 the 

 House of Commons, on the motion of Mr. Brougham, passed unani- 

 mously a resolution, pledging itself early next session effectually to 

 prevent " such daring violations of the law ; " and he next year carried 

 a bill making slave-trading felony, punishable by fourteen years' 

 transportation, or imprisonment with hard labour. In 1824 the laws 

 relating to the slave-trade were consolidated, and it was further 

 declared to be piracy, and punishable capitally, if committed within the 

 Admiralty jurisdiction. In 1837 this was changed to transportation 

 for life, by the acts diminishing the number of capital punishments. 

 Since the Felony Act of 181 1, the British colonies have entirely ceased 

 to have any concern in this traffic. If any British subjects have 

 engaged in it, or any British capital has been embarked in it, the 

 offence has been committed in the foreign trade. 



The l)uke of Wellington, while ambassador at Paris in 1814, used 

 every effort to obtain from the restored Bourbon government a pro- 

 hibition of the traffic in slaves ; but the French West Indian interest 

 and commercial jealousy of England frustrated all his attempts. The 

 first French law abolishing the slave-trade was a decree issued by 

 Napoleon on the 29th of March, 1815, during the Hundred Days, after 

 his return from Elba. It prohibited any vessel from fitting out for the 

 trade, either in the ports of France or in those of her colonies ; and the 

 introduction or sale in the French colonies of any negro obtained by 

 the trade, whether carried on by French subjects or foreigners. The 

 influence of Great Britain was again strenuously exerted at the peace in 

 1815, to obtain the concurrence of foreign powers in the abolition ; and 

 the object has been steadily kept in view by this country, and every 

 opportunity of forwarding it taken advantage of, down to the present 

 time. The consequence has been that now nearly all the powers in 

 Europe and America have passed laws, or entered into treaties, pro- 

 hibiting the traffic. 



To the General Treaty signed by the representatives of Austria, 

 France, Great Britain, Portugal, Prussia, Russia, Spain, and Sweden, 

 assembled in Congress at Vienna, on the 9th of June, 181 5, was annexed, 

 as having the same force as if textually inserted, a Declaration, signed 

 at the same place by the Plenipotentiaries of certain of the powers, on j 



the. 8th of February preceding, to the following effect : that seeing 

 several European governments had already, virtually, come to the 

 resolution of putting a stop to the slave trade, and that, successively, all 

 the powers possessing colonies in different parts of the world had 

 acknowledged, either by legislative acts, or by treaties or other formal 

 engagements, the duty and necessity of abolishing it ; and that by a 

 separate article of the late treaty of Paris (30th May, 1814), Great 

 Britain and France had engaged to unite their efforts at this Congress 

 of Vienna to induce all the powers of Christendom to proclaim its 

 universal and definitive abolition ; the members of the Congress now 

 declared, in the face of Europe, that they were animated with the 

 sincere desire of concurring in the most prompt and effectual execution 

 of this measure by all the means at their disposal. And this Declara- 

 tion was renewed by the pleni|K>tentiaries of Austria, France, Great 

 I'.ntain, Prussia, and Russia, assembled in Congress at Verona, 

 solutions adopted in a conference held on the 28th of November, 1822 ; 

 in w hich, however, it is admitted that, " notwithstanding this declara- 

 tion, and in spite of the legislative measures which have in consequence 

 been adopted in various countries, and of the several treaties con- 

 cluded since that period between the maritime powers, this commerce, 

 solemnly proscribed, has continued to this very day ; that it has gained 

 in activity what it may have lost in extent ; that it has even taken a still 

 more odious character, and more dreadful from the nature of the means 

 to which those who carry it on are compelled to have recourse." 



The following will be found, we believe, to be a correct and complete 

 list of the treaties and conventions for the suppression of the slave- 

 trade that have been made by this country with other states since the 

 general peace : 



In 1814, with France, by Additional Articles to the Definitive Treaty 

 of Peace signed at Paris 30th May (engaging that the slave-trade should 

 be abolished by the French government in the course of five years) ; 

 and with the Netherlands, by treaty of London, 13th August Its 

 abolition had also been stipulated in the Treaty of Kiel, concluded 

 with Denmark on the 14th of January. 



In 1815, with France, by Additional Article to Definitive Treaty 

 signed at Paris 20th November (by which the two powers, having each 

 already, in their respective dominions, prohibited, without restriction, 

 their colonies and subjects from taking any part whatever in the 

 slave-trade, engage to renew their efforts, through their iniui>" 

 the courts of London and Paris, for its entire and definitive abolition) ; 

 and with Portugal, by Treaty signed at Vienna 22nd January (referring 

 to Treaty of Alliance concluded at Rio de Janeiro 19th February, 1810, 

 in which the Prince Regent of Portugal had declared his determiiiatioD 

 to adopt the most efficacious means for bringing about a gradual abolition 

 of the slave-trade ; and making it now unlawful for any of the subjects 

 of the crown of Portugal to purchase slaves, or to carry on the slave- 

 trade, on any part of the coast of Africa to the northward of the 

 equator). 



In 1817, with Portugal, by Convention signed at London 28th July 

 (prohibiting universally the carrying on of the slave-trade by Portu- 

 guese vessels bound for any port not in the dominions of his Most 

 Faithful Majesty; and restricting it in other circumstances); with 

 Portugal, by Separate Article, signed at London llth September 

 (referring to arrangements to be adopted "as s.n a* the total aboli- 

 tion of the slave-trade, for the subjects of the crown of Portugal, 

 shall have taken place ") ; with Spain, by Treaty signed at Madrid 

 23rd September (by which his Catholic Majesty engages that the slave 

 trade shall be abolished throughout the entire dominions of Spain on 

 the 30th of May, 1820, and that in the mean time it shall not be 

 lawful for any of the subjects of the crown of Spain to purchase slaves, 

 or to carry on the slave-trade, on any part of the coast of Africa to the 

 north of the equator, or in vessels bound for any port not in the 

 dominions of his Catholic Majesty ; and by which the restrictions 

 under which the trade may be carried on in other circumstances are 

 specified) ; and with Kudaina, king of Madagascar and its dependencies, 

 by Treaty signed at Tamatave 23rd October. 



In 1818, with the Netherlands, by Treaty signed at the Hague 4th 

 May (specifying restrictions under which the reciprocal right of 

 visitation and search is to be exercised). 



In 1820, with Madagascar, by Additional Articles signed at Tanaua- 

 rivoux llth October. 



In 1822, with the Imaum of Muscat, by Treaty signed at Muscat 10th 

 September ; with Netherlands, by Explanatory and Additional Articles, 

 signed at Brussels 31st December ; and with Spain, by Explanatory 

 Article signed at Madrid 10th December. 



In 1823, with Netherlands, by Additional Article signed at Brussels 

 25th January ; with Portugal, by Additional Articles signed at Lisbon 

 1 5th March ; and with Madagascar, by Additional Articles signed at 

 T.tm.-itavL' 31st May. 



In 1824, with Sweden, by Treaty of Stockholm, 6th November (ar- 

 ranging reciprocal right of visitation by the ships of war of the two 

 countries). 



In 1826, with Brazil, by Treaty of Hio de Janeiro, 23rd November 

 (renewing, on the separation of that empire from Portugal, the stipula- 

 tions of the treaties subsisting with the latter power). 



In 1831, with France, by Convention of Paris, 30th November ('stipu- 

 lating mutual right of search, within certain seas, by a number of .ships 

 of war to be fixed every year for each nation by special agreement). 



