Imatges de pàgina
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Another, and a very different branch of this collection comprises a numerous and rare series of Newspapers, from 1603 to the present time, amounting in the whole to 700 volumes, which is more ample than any other that is supposed to be extant. A large collection of between 300 and 400 volumes in quarto, containing materials for a History of the Stage, from 1660 to the present time, and particulars relating to the biography of actors, and persons connected with the stage, may be classed after these daily journals.

Dr Burney's collection of Prints has been principally made with reference to this object, comprising the most complete series that probably exists of theatrical portraits, beginning in the latter part of Queen Elizabeth's reign, which is the period of our earliest engravers of portraits, such as Geminie, Hogenburgh, Elstracke, and the three Passes, and continued to the present time. The number of these theatrical engravings is about 5000, many of which are bound together in ten volumes; besides these, there are about 2000 other engraved portraits, principally of authors, commentators, and other learned persons.

With respect to the value of the manuscripts, the Homer is rated by the different witnesses at from 6001. to 8001., and one of them supposed it might even reach so high a price as 1000l.; the Greek Rhetoricians are estimated at from 340l. to 500l. ; the larger copy of the Greek Gospels at 2004; the Geography of Ptolemy at 651., and the copy of Plautus at 50%. One witness estimates the whole of the ancient manuscripts at upwards of

25001., and an eminent bookseller at 3000l. The set of Newspapers, from the year 1603 to the present time, is valued at from 900 guineas to 1000Z.

The books with manuscript notes, together with Dr Burney's Variorum Compilation, including the Fragmenta Scenica Græca, are estimated by one at 1000l., and by another as high as 1340.; who likewise computes the materials for the History of the Stage at 140l.

The Prints are judged to be worth the sum of 450l. ; and the bookseller above referred to, who has examined the whole (except the engravings) for the purpose of enabling the present proprietor to set a value upon them, estimates the printed books in the library at 9000l., some other books in his study adjoining, and a great number of tracts at 500l. and the whole, exclusive of the prints, at 14,5004

A considerable expense would necessarily attend the selling of this, or any other library, by public auction, which usually amounts to either 15 or 174 per cent upon the gross produce of the sale; but your Committee having questioned the last witness alluded to, Mr Payne, found it to be his opinion, that the net money price of the library in question, after deducting all expenses, might amount to 14,500.

The persons examined by your Committee, as being particularly competent to assist them in forming their judgment, have been Henry Ellis, Esq. the Rev. H. Barber, and Mr Smith, from the British Museum; Richard Heber, Esq. the Rev. T. F. Dibdin, the Rev. J. Cleaver Banks, Mr Payne, and Mr Evans; the substance of whose testimony your Committee have endeavoured to put the House in posses sion of.

The importance of acquiring for the British Museum a library stored with

* Sce Gemini.-Edit.

such literary treasures as have been enumerated, is sufficiently apparent from what has been already stated; but it is obvious, that in purchasing the entire collection much more will be bought than it will be necessary to retain; and that a considerable number of the printed books being duplicates of those already in the British Museum, must be sold again; and that this cannot be done otherwise than at the expense of 17 per cent upon the produce of such sales, whatever the amount may be. It is also to be borne in mind, that, even if the purchase should be completed without delay, these duplicates could not be sorted and examined, so as to bring them to sale in the course of the present ses. sion.

Your Committee therefore suggest, that for the ensuing year, the net amount of such sale (which may be estimated at from 3000l. to 4000l.) should be so far refunded to the public, as to go in diminution of the annual grant to the British Museum; and also, that in consideration of so ample and costly an accession being made to the existing stock of books, may be proper to suspend or reduce, for a time, the annual grant of 1000l. to the book fund, with the exception of such parts of that annual sum as are applied in subscriptions to works now in the progress of publication.

it

Upon the whole matter, your Committee venture to recommend as the result of the best consideration, which they have bestowed both upon the importance and just value of the entire collection, that the proprietor, being ready to dispose of it for the sum of 13,500l., it will be a very material addition to the public stock of literature, and purchased at a price which cannot be deemed unreasonable.

TREATY

Between his Britannic Majesty and his Catholic Majesty, for preventing their Subjects from engaging in an Illicit Traffic in Slaves. Signed at Madrid the 23d of September, 1817.

In the Name of the Most Holy Trinity!-It having been stated, in the second additional article of the treaty signed at Madrid on the 5th of July, 1814, between his Majesty, the King of the united kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and his Majesty, the King of Spain and the Indies, that "his Catholic Majesty concurs, in the fullest manner, in the sentiments of his Britannic Majesty, with respect to the injustice and inhumanity of the traffic in slaves, and promises to take into consideration, with the deliberation which the state of his possessions in America demands, the means of acting in conformity with those sentiments; and engages, moreover, to prohibit his subjects from carrying on the slave trade, for the purpose of supplying any islands or possessions, excepting those appertaining to Spain; and to prevent, by effectual measures and regulations, the protection of the Spanish flag being given to foreigners who may engage in this traffic, whether subjects of his Britannic Majesty, any other state or power."

or of

And his Catholic Majesty, conformably to the spirit of this article, and to the principles of humanity with which he is animated, having never lost sight of an object so interesting to him, and being desirous of hastening the moment of its attainment, has resolved to co-operate with his Britannic Majesty in the cause of humanity, by adopting, in concert with his said Majesty, efficacious means for bringing about the abolition of the slave trade, for effectually suppressing

illicit traffic in slaves, on the part of their respective subjects, and for preventing Spanish ships trading in slaves, conformably to law and to treaty, from being molested or subjected to losses from British cruizers; the two high contracting parties have accordingly named as their plenipotentiaries, viz. his Majesty the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Right Hon. Sir Henry Wellesley, a Member of his Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, and his Majesty's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to his Catholic Majesty; and his Majesty the King of Spain and the Indies, Don Josef Garcia de Leon y Pizarro, Knight Grand Cross of the Royal and Distinguished Spanish Order of Charles III., of that of Saint Ferdinand and of Merit, of Naples, of those of Saint Alexander Newsky and of Saint Anne of Russia, and of that of the Red Eagle of Prussia, Counsellor of State, and First Secretary of State and of the General Dispatch; who, having exchanged their respective full powers, found to be in good and due form, have agreed upon the following articles :

Art. 1.-His Catholic Majesty engages, that the slave trade shall be abolished throughout the entire dominions of Spain, on the 30th day of May, 1820, and that, from and after that period, 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, upon any pretext or in any manner whatever; provided, however, that a term of five months, from the said date of the 30th of May, 1820, shall be allowed for completing the voyages of vessels, which shall have cleared out lawfully previously to the said 30th of May.

Art. 2.-It is hereby agreed, that from and after the exchange of the ratifications of the present treaty, 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, upon any pretext or in any manner whatever; provided, however, that a term of six months, from the date of the exchange of the ratifications of this treaty, shall be allowed for completing the voyages of vessels which shall have cleared out from Spanish ports for the said coast, previously to the exchange of the said ratifications.

Art. 3.-His Britannic Majesty engages to pay, in London, on the 20th of February, 1818, the sum of 400,000!. sterling, to such person as his Catholic Majesty shall appoint to receive the

same.

Art. 4.-The said sum of 400,000%. sterling, is to be considered as a full compensation for all losses sustained by the subjects of his Catholic Majesty engaged in this traffic, on account of vessels captured previously to the exchange of the ratifications of the present treaty, as also for the losses, which are a necessary consequence of the abolition of the said traffic.

Art. 5.-One of the objects of this treaty on the part of the two governments, being mutually to prevent their respective subjects from carrying on an illicit slave trade; the two high contracting parties declare, that they consider as illicit, any traffic in slaves carried on under the following circumstances:-1st, Either by British ships, and under the British flag, or for the account of British subjects, by any vessel, or under any flag whatso ever. 2d, By Spanish ships, upon any part of the coast of Africa north of the equator, after the exchange of the ratifications of the present treaty: provided, however, that six months

shall be allowed for completing the voyages of vessels, conformably to the tenor of the second article of this treaty. 3d, Either by Spanish ships, and under the Spanish flag, or for the account of Spanish subjects, by any vessel, or under any flag whatsoever, after the 30th of May, 1820, when the traffic in slaves, on the part of Spain, is to cease entirely; provided always, that five months shall be allowed for the completion of voyages commenced in due time, conformably to the first article of this treaty. 4th, Under the British or Spanish flag, for the account of the subjects of any other government. 5th, By Spanish vessels bound for any port not in the dominions of his Catholic Majesty.

Art. 6.-His Catholic Majesty will adopt, in conformity to the spirit of this treaty, the measures which are best calculated to give full and complete effect to the laudable objects which the high contracting parties have in view.`

Art. 7.-Every Spanish vessel which shall be destined for the slave trade, on any part of the coast of Africa where this traffic still continues to be lawful, must be provided with a royal passport, conformable to the model annexed to the present treaty, and which model forms an integral part of the same. This passport must be written in the Spanish language, with an authentic translation in English annexed thereto; and it must be signed by his Catholic Majesty and countersigned by the Minister of Marine, and also by the principal naval authority of the district, station, or port, from whence the vessel clears out, whether in Spain, or in the colonial possessions of his Catholic Majesty.

Art. 8.-It is to be understood that this passport, for rendering lawful the voyages of slave ships, is required only for the continuation of the traffic to the south of the line; those pass

ports which are now issued, signed by the First Secretary of State of his Catholic Majesty, and in the form prescribed by the order of the 16th of December, 1816, remaining in full force for all vessels which may have cleared out for the coast of Africa, as well to the north as to the south of the Line, previously to the exchange of the ratifications of the present treaty.

Art. 9.-The two high contracting parties, for the more complete attainment of the object of preventing all illicit traffic in slaves, on the part of their respective subjects, mutually consent, that the ships of war of their royal navies, which shall be provided with special instructions for this purpose, as hereinafter mentioned, may visit such merchant vessels of the two nations as may be suspected, upon reasonable grounds, of having slaves on board, acquired by an illicit traffic; and in the event only of their finding slaves on board, may detain and bring away such vessels, in order that they may be brought to trial before the tribunals established for this purpose, as shall hereinafter be specified. Provided always, that the commanders of the ships of war of the two royal navies, who shall be employed on this service, shall adhere strictly to the exact tenor of the instructions which they shall receive for this purpose. As this article is entirely reciprocal, the two high contracting parties engage mutually, to make good any losses which their respective subjects may incur unjustly by the arbitrary and illegal detention of their vessels. It being understood that this indemnity shall invariably be borne by the government whose cruizer shall have been guilty of the arbitrary detention; provided always, that the visit and detention of slave ships, specified in this article, shall only be effected by those British or Spanish vessels, which may form part of the two royal navies, and by those only of such

vessels which are provided with the special instructions annexed to the pre

sent treaty.

Art. 10.-No British or Spanish cruizer shall detain any slave ship, not having slaves actually on board; and in order to render lawful the detention of any ship, whether British or Spanish, the slaves found on board such vessels must have been brought there for the express purpose of the traffic; and those on board of Spanish ships must have been taken from that part of the coast of Africa where the slave trade is prohibited, conformably to the tenor of the present treaty.

Art. 11.-All ships of war of the two nations, which shall hereafter be destined to prevent the illicit traffic in slaves, shall be furnished by their own government with a copy of the instructions annexed to the present treaty,

and which shall be considered as an integral part thereof. These instructions shall be written in Spanish and English, and signed for the vessels of each of the two powers, by the minister of their respective marine. The two high contracting parties reserve

of

commissions shall reside-one in a pos session belonging to his Britannic Ma jesty-the other within the territories of his Catholic Majesty; and the two governments, at the period of the ex change of the ratifications of the present treaty, shall declare, each for its own dominions, in what places the commissions shall respectively reside. Each of the two high contracting par ties reserving to itself the right changing, at its pleasure, the place of residence of the commission held with. in its own dominions; provided, how ever, that one of the two commissions shall always be held upon the coast of Africa, and the other in one of the colonial possessions of his Catholic Ma jesty. These commissions shall judge the causes submitted to them without appeal, and according to the regula tion and instructions annexed to the present treaty, of which they shall be considered as an integral part.

are as fol

Art. 13.-The acts or instruments annexed to this treaty, and which form an integral part thereof, lows: No. 1. Form of passport for the Spanish merchant ships, destined the faculty of altering the said instruc- for the lawful traffic in slaves. No. 2. tions, in whole or in part, according Instructions for the ships of war of

to circumstances; it being, however, well understood, that the said altera

both nations, destined to prevent illicit traffic in slaves.

the

No. 3. Regu

tions cannot take place but by the lation for the mixed commissions, which

common agreement, and by the consent of the two high contracting parties.

Art. 12.-In order to bring to ad

on the coast are to hold their sittings of Africa, and in one of the colonial possessions of his Catholic Majesty. Art. 14.-The present treaty, con judication with the least delay and in- sisting of fourteen articles, shall be ra convenience, the vessels which may be tified, and the ratifications exchanged detained for having been engaged in at Madrid, within the space of two be established, within the space of a possible. In witness hereof the re an illicit traffic of slaves, there shall months from this date, or sooner i the ratifications of the present treaty, the same, and have thereunto affixed year at farthest, from the exchange of spective plenipotentiares have signed

two mixed commissions, formed of an

the seal of their arms.

Done at Ma

equal number of individuals of the two drid, this £3d September, 1817. nations, named for this purpose by (Signed) HENRY WELLESLEY. (L.

their respective sovereigns. These

JOSEF PIZARELO,

(LEX

if

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