Government approve of the communications which you made thereupon to Fuad Effendi and to the Russian Envoy. I shall transmit a copy of your despatch to Mr. Buchanan, now acting as Her Majesty's Chargé d'Affaires at St. Petersburgh, for his information and guidance. H.E. Sir Stratford Canning. SIB, I am, &c. PALMERSTON. No. 651. Viscount Palmerston to Sir Stratford Canning. Foreign Office, July 31, 1851. WITH reference to my despatch to your Excellency of the 11th instant and to previous correspondence on the subject of the importation of Georgian and Circassian slaves, by way of Trebizond and Erzeroom into Constantinople, I herewith transmit to you, for your information, copies of 2 despatches which I have received from Her Majesty's Consul at Erzeroom, reporting that further arrivals of a considerable number of those slaves had taken place at Trebizond, all of whom had been embarked at that place on board of Turkish steamers for Constantinople. H.E. Sir Stratford Canning. I am, &c. PALMERSTON. No. 652. Sir Stratford Canning to Visc. Palmerston.-(Rec. Sept. 10.) MY LORD, Therapia, August 26, 1851. ALTHOUGH I had previously brought under the notice of Aali Pasha, and also of the Russian Envoy, the traffic in Circassian slaves unfortunately carried on with this country by means of vessels navigating under the Ottoman flag, I have submitted to the Ottoman Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs the 2 despatches addressed to your Lordship from Erzeroom by Mr. Brant, and transmitted to me in copy with your Lordship's despatch of the 31st ultimo. I have to state with much regret, that his Excellency declared himself unable to hold out a prospect of any measures being adopted by the Porte for the repression of that pernicious traffic. He described the question as one of great delicacy, according to the notions prevailing in Turkey. Viscount Palmerston, G.C.B. I have, &c. STRATFORD CANNING. No. 653.-Earl Granville to Sir Stratford Canning. SIE, Foreign Office, January 28, 1852. WITH reference to previous correspondence which has passed between this Office and your Excellency, on the subject of the alleged practice of the steamers belonging to the Austrian Lloyd's Company, of carrying slaves to Constantinople for sale, I now transmit to your Excellency a copy of a despatch respecting this matter, which Viscount Palmerston addressed to Her Majesty's Chargé d'Affaires at Vienna on the 4th of September last, and a copy of the reply which has been received from Her Majesty's Minister at Vienna. H.E. Sir Stratford Canning. I am, &c. GRANVILLE. TURKEY (ERZEROOM). CONSULAR. No. 654. Consul Brant to Viscount Palmerston.-(Rec. June 2.) MY LORD, Erzeroom, May 5, 1851. It has only lately come to my knowledge, that the Pasha purchased some time since 3 male children stolen in Georgia. It is said they are Catholics, and have been forcibly circumcised. They are kept in the Pasha's harem with great secrecy; and further particulars I have not been able to learn. His Excellency Hamdy Pasha, in talking with Bidjan Pasha, asked him why he did not buy slaves, as he had such good opportunities in Childir. Bidjan Pasha replied, that he had no inclination to bring upon him the complaints of the Russian Consul. Hamdy Pasha replied, that he would guarantee that no complaint should come from that quarter, as he was understood with the Consul on the point; and that he had himself bought slaves with the connivance of the Consul. Bidjan Pasha reported this to a high Turkish functionary who is worthy of credit, and from him I heard it. I can give no further evidence of the Consul's connivance; but that 3 boys have been bought by Hamdy Pasha, have been circumcised, and are kept secretly in his harem, I have ascertained from many persons, and cannot doubt the fact. Viscount Palmerston, G.C.B. I have, &c. JAS. BRANT. No. 655. Consul Brant to Viscount Palmerston. - (Rec. June 2.) MY LORD, Erzeroom, May 6, 1851. I HAVE the honour to acquaint your Lordship, that Mr. ViceConsul F. I. Stevens reports to me, in a despatch dated the 24th April, that a very large number of Circassian slaves had recently arrived at Trebizond on their way to Constantinople; and that on the day previous 100 more had arrived, chiefly females, who probably would be embarked in a Turkish steamer. I have, &c. Viscount Palmerston, G.C.B. JAS. BRANT. No. 656. Consul Brant to Viscount Palmerston.-(Rec. July 19.) MY LORD, Erzeroom, June 7, 1851. I HAVE the honour to inform your Lordship that Mr. Vice-Consul F. I. Stevens reported to me, that besides the lots of slaves from Circassia mentioned in my despatch of the 6th ultimo, another lot had arrived at Trebizond, consisting of 50; all had been embarked on the Turkish steamers, the Austrian having refused to take them as passengers. The traffic seems to have extended itself of late, probably with the connivance of the Russians. Viscount Palmerston, G.C.B. I have, &c. JAS. BRANT. TURKEY (PREVESA). CONSULAR. No. 657.-Viscount Palmerston to Consul Saunders. Foreign Office, April 4, 1851. SIR, I HAVE received your despatch of the 10th of February last, reporting the proceedings which you took with respect to 11 Arab slaves who had been brought from Candia to Prevesa for sale. I have the satisfaction of informing you that I approve those proceedings and the note which you addressed to Ismail Pasha upon the matter. S. S. Saunders, Esq. SIR, I am, &c. PALMERSTON. No. 658. Viscount Palmerston to Consul Saunders. Foreign Office, April 5, 1851. I HAVE received your despatch of the 26th of February and its inclosures, containing further information respecting the case of the 11 Arab slaves who were brought from Candia to Prevesa for sale in the month of February last; and with reference to the statement which you made in your letter of the 15th of February to Sir Stratford Canning, that the Albanian owner of these slaves would renounce them at prime cost, said to be from 101. to 121. a-head, I hereby authorize you to purchase their freedom at that rate. You will reimburse yourself for the expense which you may incur on this service, by drawing a bill on me at 30 days' sight for the amount. You will give me due advice of the drawing of such bill, and you will transmit to me a voucher or vouchers for the amount of the purchase-money. S. S. Saunders, Esq. I am, &c. PALMERSTON. SIR, No. 659. Viscount Palmerston to Consul Saunders. Foreign Office, April 5, 1851. In addition to the instructions conveyed in my other despatch of this day's date, I have to state to you, that when you shall have purchased the freedom of the 11 Arab slaves therein referred to, you should take measures to place them in employments so as to enable them to earn their livelihood. S. S. Saunders, Esq. I am, &c. PALMERSTON. UNITED STATES. No. 667. Mr. Crampton to Viscount Palmerston.-(Rec. Nov. 3.) MY LORD, Washington, October 20, 1851. I HAVE the honour to inclose herewith the copy of a despatch and of its inclosures addressed to me by Her Majesty's Consul at Norfolk, requesting to be informed whether it would be proper for him to institute legal proceedings against the master of an American vessel who appears to have been guilty of having illegally landed at that port a free person of colour, a British subject. Referring to your Lordship's instructions to Sir H. L. Bulwer, contained in your Lordship's despatch of October 11, 1850, in regard to a similar case, I have stated to Mr. Waring that I feel assured he will meet the approval of Her Majesty's Government in following the course therein directed. Mr. Waring further requests the sanction of Her Majesty's Legation in taking such measures as may happen to be best calculated to effect the recovery of certain persons of colour, British subjects, who appear to have been brought to The United States by the Illinois, with an intention, as Mr. Waring supposes, of their being sold as slaves; and I have thought it right to authorize him to take all such proper measures as may appear likely to effect this object; and to report to Her Majesty's Legation all the circumstances in regard to this case which he may be able to ascertain, with a view to their being brought under the notice of The United States' Government. I have, &c. Viscount Palmerston, G.C.B. SIR, JOHN F. CRAMPTON. (Inclosure 1.)-Consul Waring to Mr. Crampton. Norfolk, October 13, 1851. I HAVE the honour to request you will be pleased to instruct me if I shall institute proceedings against Edward Chamberlaine, master of the American brig Henry Woodis, upon the same grounds as in the case of James Mannings and John Mings, as directed by Sir H. L. Bulwer in despatch dated November 6, 1850. I am informed the said master had a coloured man, a British subject, on board his vessel, and departed from this port without him; also that he did not make any declaration or report to that effect at the CustomHouse, as required by the laws of this State, and I am of belief, from these circumstances, this coloured man has been disposed of for some base purposes. I further request you will be pleased to permit me to take such measures as I may deem most judicious for the recovery of certain coloured persons who were landed at this port on the 18th ultimo from the American steamer Illinois, Lieutenant Harstene, United States' navy, master, last from the Island of Jamaica, who were, as I am informed by Mr. Consul Barclay of New York, British subjects, and supposed to have been brought into this country to be sold as slaves. I have ascertained that there were several coloured people landed here from that steamer; but, as in the preceding case, no entries or declarations were made at the Custom-House, as required for that purpose, in proof of the illegality of the proceedings, I have the honour to inclose, for your inspection, my official note upon the matter to Simon L. Stubbs, Mayor of this city, and his reply thereto. J. F. Crampton, Esq. I have, &c. FRANCIS WARING. (Inclosure 2.)-Consul Waring to the Mayor of Norfolk. Norfolk, October 3, 1851. MR. FRANCIS WARING, Her Britannic Majesty's Consul, presents his compliments to Mr. Simon L. Stubbs, and will feel much obliged by his furnishing Mr. Francis Waring with the name of the person who brought 7 coloured boys into this city by the American steamer Illinois, Lieutenant Harstene, United States' navy, master, on the 18th ultimo, to whom he was pleased to grant a certificate, as Mayor of this city, to allow the 7 coloured boys under that person's charge to pass from this place, per steamer, for the city of Baltimore, Maryland. (Inclosure 3.)-The Mayor of Norfolk to Consul Waring. Norfolk, October 6, 1851. THE Mayor of Norfolk has the pleasure of acknowledging the receipt of Mr. Waring's letter of the 3rd instant, in which he requests the Mayor to inform him of the name of the person who brought 7 coloured boys into this city by the American steamer Illinois, Lieutenant Harstene, United States' navy, master, on the |