the deposit made at the Bank of England shall be written; and such certificate or such certificates shall be carried to the office of the paymasters of exchequer bills at the time of making every future payment, the receipt for which shall be written thereon; and when the whole amount of exchequer bills expressed in such certificate or certificates shall have been acknowledged to have been received by the paymasters of exchequer bills, such certificate or certificates being carried into the Bank of England, and lodged with the governor and company of the said Bank, shall entitle the person or persons holding the same, for every 100l. principal money contained therein, to 647. capital stock in the 3l. per cent consolidated annuities, the interest whereon shall commence from the 5th day of January 1818, but the first payment shall not be made until the 5th day of January, 1819; and to 647. capital stock in the 31. per cent reduced annuities, the interest whereon shall commence from the 5th of April, 1818, and the first payment to be made on the 10th of October next, if the subscription shall have been completed on or before the 3rd of September next; but if the subscription shall not be completed until after that time, the first payment shall not be made until the 5th of April,

1819.

"That the interest on all exchequer bills which shall be deposited at the Bank of England, or which may be carried into the office of the paymasters of exchequer bills as aforesaid, shall be computed up to the 1st of

August next inclusive, from which time the same shall cease, and the interest which may be due on such bills from the day of their date up to the said 1st of August shall be paid by the said paymasters as soon as conveniently may be after the said bills shall have been deposited or delivered in.

"That every such subscriber as aforesaid, who shall be desirous of making up any part of the subscription in money instead of exchequer bills, shall be at liberty to do so, upon paying the same into the Bank of England to the account of the paymasters of exchequer bills, together with a sum equal to 1. per cent upon such money payment; and also if such payment should be made after the 1st day of August next, a further sum, equal to 2d. per cent per diem on the amount of such payment in money, to be computed from the said 1st of August; and the paymasters of exchequer bills shall, upon the payment to their account being duly certified to them, grant a receipt on the before-mentioned certificate for such payment, in the same manner as if exchequer bills had been brought into their office.

“That all the monies to be received by the cashier or cashiers of the governor and company of the Bank of England, or which may be paid into the Bank to the account of the paymasters of exchequer bills shall be paid into the receipt of the exchequer, to be applied from time to time to such services as shall have been voted by this House in this session of parliament.

"3. That, towards raising the supply

supply granted to his majesty, there be issued and applied the sum of 3,500,000l. out of the duties granted by an act made in the 56th of his present majesty, intituled An Act to continue until the 5th of July, 1821, cer⚫tain additional Duties of Excise ' in Great Britain.'

"4. That, towards raising the supply granted to his majesty, there be issued and applied such sum or sums of money not ex

ceeding 250,000, arising from arrears of the duties on property, professions, trades, and offices, granted by an act made in the 46th year of his present majesty, as shall be paid into the exchequer between the 5th of April, 1818, and the 5th of April, 1819."

Several gentlemen made their observations on these Resolutions, after which, they were put, and agreed to.

CHAPTER

ON

N April 22 Mr. Wilberforce said, that he was now to move for certain West India papers, which would lay the foundation of some farther steps. After the abolition of the direct slave trade, the next great object was the alleviation of the miseries, and the improvement of the condition, of the slaves who had been previously in the West In dies. He could with confidence affirm, that the shutting out of all external supplies of slaves, was the surest mode of ameliorating the condition of the slaves who were there. It was upon this principle that he had, two years ago, proposed a bill of registration, which, indeed, was not his own offspring, but that of an hon. and learned friend. He entreated the House to consider whether any other method was likely to prove so effectual; and whether it was possible to accomplish the end which all now professed to have in view, without guarding in the strictest manner against every kind of evasion. With respect to the argument, that the prosecution of the work had better be left to the colonial legislatures, he had not felt so sanguine as many others in his expectations from that quarter. He had, how ever, assented to the propriety

of leaving it to them to make the experiment.

The object of his present mo tion was, to obtain information as to what had been done in conformity with this arrangement. It might be said, that these proceedings ought still to be left to the voluntary zeal and efforts of the affluent and liberal members of the West India body; but it had ever been to him a subject of deep regret, and continued disappointment, to see that more enlightened portion of the colonial interest making common cause with classes of a different description. The House would see, when the papers for which he intended to move were presented, what had been done; and he hoped they would remember that it was their duty to watch over the interests of a million and a half of beings who were at length recognized as being their fellow creatures. Their condition and their claims were entitled to the most serious consideration, and required the exercise of the utmost attention to the question, whether it was possible to prevent illicit importation by any other means than the measure he had recommended. He should conclude by suggesting, that our own exertions in this cause in our negotiations

negotiations with the other powers of Europe, imposed upon us the additional task of preventing, in future, all this improper intercourse between Africa and the West Indies. The hon. gentle man then moved "That there be laid before this House, Copies of all Laws passed in or for any British Colonies since the year 1812, and not already presented to this House, respecting the condition and treatment of Slaves, or the prevention of the illicit importation of Slaves; and also respecting the condition of the free coloured Population."

Mr. Goulburn assured the hon. member that nothing could be more gratifying to his feelings than to promote any measure which had for its object the bettering the condition of the slaves, and the prevention of any further clandestine importation. To the measure of a registration he was not hostile, but he believed the object would be best accomplished by first conciliating the good disposition of the colonists to its introduction. He had ever thought that the abolition of the slave trade must be the first point from which an amelioration in the condition of the slaves must flow. He hoped that the day was not far distant when such a change would take place in the condition of the black population of the colonies as would be most beneficial to them, and highly honourable to the character of this country.

The motion of Mr. Wilberforce was agreed to.

His next motion was for "Copies of Extracts of such accounts as have been received from the

said Colonies respectively since 1807, and have not been hitherto laid before this House, showing the increase and decrease of the number of slaves; and also of the free coloured and white population; also, the present numbers of the above classes; and as far as the same can be given, the changes in the relative proportion of Males and Females in the Slave population.

This motion was agreed to. As were also motions for "Copies or Extracts of acts passed in furtherance of the objects of the address of this House to his Royal Highness, of June 19, 1816:" and " Copies of all executive and judicial proceedings held in any of the said Colonies, connected with, or in furtherance of the objects of the said address; together with copies or extracts of all such correspondence relative to the said objects as may be communicated without detriment to the public service."

On the same day Sir Samuel Romilly made a motion concerning the treatment of slaves in the island of Dominica. He said, they had been often told of efforts made by persons in the colonies for the purpose of ameliorating the condition of the slave population; but of what avail were laws if they were not carried into effect? He believed his statements would clearly prove, that the laws which had been made in the colonial assemblies for the relief of slaves had not been acted upon. He would not on this or any other occasion advance what the hon. gentleman opposite denominated inflammatory statements: he would rather

under

under-rate than exaggerate the information which he had received. His motion would be for copies and extracts of certain papers in the office of the secretary of state for the colonial department; leaving it, of course, to the proper officer to select such documents, or parts of documents, the production of which would not injure the public service.

In the Spring of the year 1817 several cases came before the grand jury of Dominica, in which it appeared that great cruelty had been exercised on the persons of slaves, by their masters. The first of these was a case in which John Baptiste Louis Birmingham, doctor of medicine, was charged with having violently, cruelly, and immoderately scourged and flogged certain slaves, his property. The slaves were not found guilty; and yet, as soon as they were acquitted, they were brought out into the public market place, and underwent the penalties limited by the law. This bill was thrown out by the grand jury. Another case was that in which John Mc Corry Esq. was charged with having with cords, whips, sticks, and rods, immo. derately scourged and flogged his slave, Jemmy, who, it was stated, had been guilty of drunkenness, quarrelling, fighting, neglect of duty, absence from labour, or absence from the plantation, without a written pass. This bill was also thrown out. A third case was that of Alexander le Guay, planter, who was charged with .having assaulted his female slave, named Jeanton, and that he did confine the said Jeanton in an iron chair, by affixing and fasten

ing the same with padlocks in and upon the neck, arms, and legs of the said Jeanton, such punishment not being prescribed in and by a certain act of that island in such case made and provided; and it was farther charged, that the said Alexander le Guay maimed, defaced, mutilated, and cruelly tortured the said Jeanton, by fracturing, and causing to be fractured, her arm. This bill likewise was thrown out; and not contented with this, the grand jury thought fit to declare, that these several indictments were nothing more nor less than nuisances.

This presentment was dated Dominica, Grand Jury Room, the 4th day of February, 1817, and was signed by John Gordon, foreman. In consequence of these proceedings, the attorney-general had thought it expedient to have recourse to informations ex officio, considering it not right to trust to grand juries again.

The House had heard the nature of the offences with which the parties were charged, but in each case the persons were acquitted. The laws were beneficent; but what availed the laws when the unhappy slaves could not avail themselves of them. There was a general concurrence in opinion in the West Indian islands, that nothing was more improper than to interfere between master and slave: it was thought to have a tendency to excite a disposition on the part of the slaves to revolt. This, he believed, was the general impression; but he should be glad to find that he was mistaken. In the island of Dominica there was a species of punishment called "the public