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"vious to the 1st of June, 1814, upon the alledged ground of carrying on an illicit traffic "in slaves."* Another consequence has been, that the Spanish merchants have also claimed a much larger sum for similar compensations, which must probably be settled by a similar

convention.

Not only have we sustained a considerable loss of money in this business, but of character also; for it is a degradation of national character, first to do wrong, and then to be obliged to make atonement. Nor is this the sum total of the mischiefs brought upon this country, by the African Institution thus assuming to themselves the exercise of official functions. The Portuguese Government, exasperated by these unjust spoliations upon their commerce, retaliated upon that of Great Britain. In the Brazils, British merchants were prohibited from shipping goods from one port to another; so that they are now obliged, under every possible disadvantage, to force a market for them whereever they are first landed. In like manner, British ships were prohibited from trading from one port to another; so that unless they can procure cargoes home at the port where they first arrive, they must return empty. By these

Papers respecting the Slave Trade, presented to both Houses of Parliament, page 48.

D

and various other vexatious and oppressive restrictions and regulations, the Portuguese Government have visited upon British merchants and ship-owners, the sins of the African Institution. All this is owing to the African Institution taking upon themselves to adopt the practice of their colleague, Mr. Macaulay, and save His Majesty's Ministers the trouble of thinking." As, however, they do not save His Majesty's subjects the necessity of paying, it is to be hoped that his Ministers will in future feel it their duty to think for themselves; and not again permit their functions to be exercised by unofficial and irresponsible advisers, characters unknown to the British constitution.

After new instructions had been issued to His Majesty's cruizers, by Lord Castlereagh, in order to put a stop to the unwarrantable seizures and condemnations, occasioned by the the misconstruction of the 5th article of the Treaty of Commerce between Great Britain and Portugal, in the commentaries made upon it by the African Institution, the Directors, in their next Report, suppress all mention of this fact; but are happy to state, that "in the "month of May last, instructions were issued by Government to the cruizers on the coast "of Africa, respecting the detention, under the

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"10th article of the Treaty of Amity, of Portuguese ships carrying slaves from the coast;" and that "these instructions specifically accord "with the construction which the Directors formerly ventured to put upon this article." When, however, the injury they had done, both to the interest and honour of the nation, was too flagrant to be longer denied, and the Convention by which Great Britain agreed to pay Portugal £300,000, in consequence, had been published, these expounders of law and confounders of treaties, did condescend to acknowledge, that "in one point the information they had given "to the navy was erroneous; namely, in their

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stating it to be necessary that vessels car

rying on the Portuguese Slave Trade, should "have been built in the dominions of Portugal, or condemned in a Portuguese Court of Admiralty." This unfortunate experiment, so far from putting a stop to the Slave Trade, has pointed out and settled the limits within which it may be carried on, by the subjects of Portugal and Spain, with the certainty of their being either unmolested, or fully indemnified; and thus it will now be pursued, with increased avidity, and to a greater extent than ever.

The present state of the Slave Trade having been thus explained, the next point for con

sideration is, at what period, and by what means, our exertions for the entire and universal Abolition of that trade, are likely to be carried into effect; and the most recent and authentic information on this subject, is to be found in the papers shewing the present state of the Slave Trade, presented to Parliament, by command of the Prince Regent, in the month of April, 1815; which contain the negociations that have taken place respecting it, between Great Britain and every Power in Europe, both previous to and during the Congress at Vienna.

These papers shew, that by a treaty with Portugal, signed the 22d of January, 1815, Great Britain stipulated to pay her £600,000 for relinquishing the Slave Trade north of the Line. They also shew, that Sir Henry Wellesley was instructed by Lord Castlereagh, to offer Spain £800,000 to accede to the same condition; and a loan of ten millions of dollars, (a loan and a gift being here synonimous terms,) to abolish the trade forthwith; both which propositions Spain rejected. They also shew, that the option of a West India Island, or a sum of money down, was offered to France, in consideration of her abolishing the Slave Trade immediately, instead of so doing at the end of five years, as stipulated by the treaty at Paris; which offer France declined, but agreed, without any pe

cuniary consideration, immediately to prevent French ships from trading on the coast of Africa, north of Cape Formosa, and issued regulations accordingly.*

They also shew, that Lord Castlereagh, by strenuous exertions with our august Allies; obtained their influence with the Powers who still carry on the Slave Trade, to consent to as

* How much reason have we to regret, that the minds of His Majesty's Ministers were not sooner enlightened, by the lucubrations with which the learned writer of the Report of the African Institution, entitled, "Reasons for Registry," has just favoured the public. They would not then have thrown away so much money, and have put so much more to hazard, in ignorance of those rights and duties which he has now inculcated; but have adopted what he terms, a "short and simple process." "She (Great Britain) has only to instruct the commanders of her ships of war, now on the African station, to seize, and send to Sierra Leone, all vessels under Spanish colours, carrying slaves - from any part of the Continent north of the Equator; to liberate the unfortunate captives, and then to dismiss the vessels.”* If this right be good against Spain, it must of course be equally good against all the rest of the world; and therefore His Majesty's Ministers have been paying large sums to Portugal, and offering still larger sums to other Powers, to obtain that which they were entitled to insist upon, without any consideration whatever, Notwithstanding this egregious act of folly on their part, according to the doctrine of the learned gentleman, he compliments Lord Castlereagh on his "able, zealous, and successful labours in these negociations;" and we confess that we have been less puzzled by all the author's abstruse reasoning on public law, than by attempting to reconcile his panegyric as a courtier, with his principles as a jurist.

Slave Trade of Spain in Northern Africa, p. 69. Ibid. p. 55,