very; and that not less than 352 vessels entered the rivers and ports of Africa north of the Equator, to purchase slaves, between July 1820 and October 1821, each of which was calculated to carry off from five to six hundred slaves. He further stated, that the traffic did not assume the usual secrecy of a contraband trade, but was carried on generally under the protection of the flag of France. "The consequence of this state of things," he continued, "is, that this contraband trade is attended by circumstances much more horrible than any thing that has been known in former times." "The dread of detection suggests expedients of concealment, productive of the most dreadful sufferings, to a cargo, with respect to which it hardly ever seems to occur to its remorseless owners that it consists of sentient beings." And he adds, that "the traffic is at present obviously carried on, to the northward of the Equator, solely by contraband, and in a considerable degree by a fraudulent, use of the French flag." He proposed, therefore, that the king of France should be entreated "to adopt some of those measures for putting down the Slave Trade which had been found effectual in other countries."

The French ministers, in reply, decline acceding to the proposals made to them, except so far as to state their readiness "to sign any declaration, collectively with the other powers, tending to put down this odious commerce, and to inflict upon the guilty the vengeance of the laws."

A final conference appears to have been held at Verona on the 28th November, when the following resolutions were adopted :—

"The plenipotentiaries of Austria, of France, of Great Britain, of Prussia, and of Russia, assembled in Congress at Verona, considering that their august sovereigns have taken part in the Declaration of the 8th February 1815, by which the powers assembled at the Congress of Vienna have

proclaimed, in the face of Europe, their invariable resolution to put a stop to the commerce known by the name of the African Slave-trade ;—

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Considering, moreover, that, notwithstanding this Declaration, and in spite of the legislative measures which have in consequence been adopted in various countries, and of the several treaties concluded 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 has even taken a still more odious character, and is become more dreadful, from the nature of the means to which those who carry it on are compelled to have recourse ;—

"That the causes of so revolting an abuse are chiefly to be found in the fraudulent practices, by means of which the persons engaged in these nefarious speculations elude the laws of their country, and the vigilance of the cruisers stationed to put a stop to their iniquities, and veil those criminal operations by which thousands of human beings annually become their innocent victims;

"That the powers of Europe are called upon, by their previous engagements, as well as by sacred duty, to seek the most efficient means of preventing a traffic which the laws of almost every civilized country have already declared to be culpable and illegal, and of punishing with severity those who persist in carrying it on, in manifest violation of those laws;

"Acknowledge the necessity of devoting the most serious attention to an object of such importance to the honour and welfare of humanity; and consequently declare, in the name of their august sovereigns,

"That they continue firm in the principles and sentiments manifested by those sovereigns in the Declaration of the 8th February, 1815; and that they have never ceased, nor ever will cease, to consider the

Slave Trade as a scourge which has too long desolated Africa, degraded Europe, and afflicted humanity, and that they are ready to concur in every thing that may secure and accelerate the complete and final abolition of that traffic:

"That in order to give effect to this renewed Declaration, their respective cabinets will eagerly enter into the examination of any measure, compatible with their rights and the interests of their subjects, to produce a result that may prove to the world the sincerity of their wishes, and of their efforts in favour of a cause worthy of their common solicitude."

The Directors express their bitter disappointment at the result of these conferences, if, indeed, any favourable result at all can be said to have been obtained, "The prosspect," they add, "of a total suppression of the increased and increasing horrors of that odious traffic, seems indeed more distant than ever." Of the plenipotentiaries of France they remark: "When acting in concert with the other Allied Powers, they concur in all those vague generalities of verbal reprobation, which, as experience teaches, bind them to no specific efficient measures, and from which they could not with any semblance of honour or good faith retire; but when pressed by the Duke to prove their sincerity by adopting such a line of action as should be really efficient, their answer is a mere tissue of excuses." "To apply to the Slave Trade the punishment of piracy' is beyond the limits of political conference.' To affix to it the penalty of death is a judicial or legislative measure, and must therefore wait the approbation of public opinion. To reject the colonial produce of those states who persist in it, would only affect Portugal, who must therefore be heard.' The registration of Slaves will be taken into consideration when the time for so doing shall have arrived, and then may possibly be permitted, but would CHRIST. OBSERV. APP.

be a violation of the right of property, which the laws of Great Britain respect even in its extravagancies and caprices.' The rights of mutual search, however limited, would have the most disastrous consequences.' What expectation, after this," justly ask the Directors, "of any good from that quarter, can be rationally indulged?"

The Portuguese government still refuse to accede to any measures calculated for the further suppression of the Slave Trade; and have even refused to ratify an article to which it was officially declared that the king had acceded.

The circumstances under which Spain has been placed had prevented full attention being given by its late Government to the subject of the Slave Trade.

Between Great Britain and the Netherlands, three additional arti-cles had been agreed upon; the first reciting, that vessels employed in the Slave Trade had unshipped their Slaves immediately prior to their being visited by ships of war, and had thus found means to evade forfeiture, and declaring, that if there shall be proof that a Slave or Slaves has, or have been, put on board, the vessel shall be detained, and condemned; the second providing for supplying the places of absent commissioners, judges, and arbitrators; and the third article declaring, that upon proof that any vessel detained hovering upon the coast of Africa, within certain limits, falls within certain specified designations, she shall be deemed prima facie employed in the Slave Trade, and, unless such presumption shall be rebutted by satisfactory evidence, shall be condemned. The two first of these articles had also in substance been agreed upon by Spain; but no provision had been made similar to that contained in the third.

The Directors had no reason to believe that any relaxation in the French Slave Trade had taken place during the last year. They detail the following affecting facts, as il

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lustrative of the way in which the traffic is carried on. The narrative is accompanied by a drawing of the vessel alluded to in the statement. One cannot look on its wretched manacled human cargo, jammed and wedged in on every side, without shuddering with horror. The narrative is as follows:

The plate represents a brig, which sailed from Nantes on a slave voyage, and was captured by Lieut. Mildmay in the river Bonny, on the coast of Africa, on the 15th of April, 1822. Her burden was 240 tons, and she had on board at the time of her capture 345 Slaves. She was manned by thirty men, armed with four twelve-pounders, all of which were brought over to one side of the ship for the attack. The circumstances of the case are thus stated: Sir Robert Mends was commander of a squadron on the coast of Africa, stationed there by the British Government to prevent the infraction of the laws for the abolition of the Slave Trade. He sent out Lieut. Mildmay, with the boats belonging to his vessel, to reconnoitre the river Bonny, a place notorious for carrying on this traffic. The boats having crossed the bar soon after day-light, about seven o'clock, six sail-two schooners and four brigs-were observed lying at anchor off the town of Bonny. When the boats were about four miles off, they displayed their colours; and, as they advanced, the slave-vessels were seen moored across the stream, with springs on their cables, all armed, with apparently about 400 Slaves on board, and the crews fully prepared to resist any attack that might be made upon them. The two schooners and three of the brigs opened a heavy fire of canister and grape-shot and musketry upon the English boats as they advanced. When the latter were near enough for their shots to take effect, the firing was returned. They advanced, and in a short time took possession of all the vessels. The other ships proved to be the Yeanam, a Spanish

schooner from the Havannah, ́ of 360 tons, and 380 Slaves on board; the Vicua, a Spanish schooner from the Havannah, 180 tons, and 325 Slaves on board; the Petite Betsey, a French brig from Nantes, 184 tons, with 218 Slaves on board; the Ursule, a French brigantine from St. Pierre, Martinique, 100 tons, and 347 Slaves on board; all manned and armed in such a way as that they might fight desperately if attacked. The Theodore, a French brig, had no Slaves on board; but a cargo was on shore, in readiness for embarkation.

Many of the Slaves jumped overboard during the engagement, and were devoured by the sharks. On board the Yeanam, which made the most determined resistance, the Slaves suffered much four were killed, and ten wounded. Of the wounded, three were females; one girl about ten years of age, lost both her legs, another her right arm, and a third was shot in the side. Even after the vessel had been surrendered, a number of the Spanish sailors skulked below, and, arming the Slaves with muskets, made them fire upwards upon the British. On board this ship Lieutenant Mildmay observed a slave girl, about twelve or thirteen years of age, in irons; to which was fastened a thick iron chain, ten feet in length, that was dragged along as she moved. He ordered the girl to be instantly released from this fetter; and, that the captain who had treated her so cruelly might not be ignorant of the pain inflicted upon an unprotected and innocent child, the irons were ordered to be put upon him.

The Spanish schooner Vieua, when taken possession of, had a lighted match hanging over the open magazine hatch. The match was placed there by the crew, before they leaped over board and swam for the shore: it was seen by one of the British seamen, who boldly put his hat under the burning wick and removed it. The magazine contained a large quantity of powder.

One spark from the flaming match would have blown up 325 unfortunate victims lying in irons in the hold. These monsters in iniquity expressed their deep regret after the action, that their diabolical plan had failed.

The Slaves, at the time of the capture of the vessel, were found in the wretched condition, exhibited in the plate; some lying on their backs, others sitting on the bottom of the ships. They were chained to each other by the arms and legs: iron collars were placed round their necks. In addition to these provisions for confinement, they were fastened together by a long chain, which connected several of the collars for their greater security in that dismal prison. Thumb-screws, to be used as instruments of torture, were also found in the vessel. From their confinement and sufferings the slaves often injured themselves by beating, and vented their grief upon such as were next them by biting and tearing their flesh. Some of them were bound with cords, and many had their arms grievously lacerated. Upwards of 150 of the Slaves died on their passage to Sierra Leone. The Spanish schooner from the Havannah was separated from the other vessels in a dreadful storm, as they were proceeding to that colony, and sank with 380 Slaves on board. The other vessels reached their destina. tion. Those from Spain were left at Sierra Leone for adjudication by the Mixed Commission Court of Great Britain and Spain; and those from France were sent to England, to be disposed of by the British Government, which ordered them to sail for France. The Slaves, however, had all been previously liberated, and distributed in the colony of Sierra Leone, through the villages settled by other captured Negroes; where they have regained their freedom, and now enjoy the opportunity of being instructed in the arts of agriculture and mechanies.

The Directors had learned with pleasure that the Imaum of Muscat had consented to abolish the Slave Trade in the island of Zanzebar, and all his other dominions. A large ship, mounting twenty guns, under French colours, direct from France, which had come to Zanzebar for Slaves, had been under the necessity of departing without procuring a single Slave. At Madagascar also the native chieftains had honourably persisted in refusing to allow the trade on their part of the coast.

The new Government of Peru had issued a decree, declaring that all children of Slaves born in the Peruvian territory after the 28th July, 1821, shall be free, and enjoy the same rights as other Peruvian citizens, with certain modifications.

The Directors next advert to the formation of the London, Liverpool, and other Societies for promoting the gradual Abolition of Slavery, and to the introduction of Mr. Buxton's motion in Parliament, of which our readers are already apprised.

The Directors quote from the Sixth Report of the American Colonization Society, the following interesting picture of Regent's Town, in the colony of Sierra Leone. The town contains from twelve to fourteen hundred inhabitants, all captured Africans taken within a very few years from the holds of slave vessels. Dr. Ayres visited the town about the beginning of the year 1822, and was agreeably surprised at the order and improvement which was manifested. He arrived in the evening: next morning, being Sunday, not a person was to be seen in the streets: a calmness reigned, he says, as solemn and profound as had done six years before, when nothing was heard in the wilderness, but the softly creeping tread of the leopard, when preparing to spring upon his prey. A few minutes before eight in the morning, the children of the school were arranged in a line classed according to their mechanical occupation, each class dressed in a uni