§ Mr. F. Buxton, in rising to move for the Committee of which he had given notice, said, that as the subject had been already discussed in all its details, and as he did not anticipate any opposition, he would content himself with merely moving "That a Select Committee be appointed, to inquire whether the Slave Trade has existed at the Mauritius and its dependencies, to what extent, and the causes thereof."
Mr. W. Hortonbegged the hon. gentleman not to press the appointment of such a committee in the absence of his right hon. friend, the Secretary for Foreign Affairs. There were many things connected with the subject which would render it very desirable that his right hon. friend should be present.
§ Mr. F. Buxtonexpressed his surprise, that, after that right hon. Secretary had, nearly nine months ago, declared his opinion in favour of inquiry, and declared that, after the charges he had heard, a parliamentary inquiry ought to take place, there should be any opposition, or hesitation in consenting to the appointment of a committee. As he had had no opportunity, however, of any immediate correspondence with that right hon. gentleman, he would consent to postpone his motion for the present, upon the consideration of the hon. Secretary consenting to reply to two, or even one, question. He was convinced, in the first place, that if there was any inten- 606 tion to send out a commission to the colony, it would prove wholly useless. No justice could be done by such a commission; and he made that assertion upon the strength of the best, because it was hostile, testimony. The last question he had put to a hostile witness before the last committee was—"Do you think the trading in slaves at the Mauritius in the year 1820 to have been as notorious as the sun at noon-day?" The answer was, "I think it is." Then came the point, that, although the trade was, as it had been thus described from the mouth of a hostile witness, as notorious as the sun at noon-day, it was equally notorious that, although great numbers of ships had been captured, and no less than two thousand five hundred slaves taken, not a single individual had ever been punished. So prevalent, indeed, was the feeling in favour of slavery, that it was declared there was an impossibility in procuring conviction. In case it was not the intention of the government to send out a commission, the hon. member observed, as we understood, that he had an equally strong objection to a commission at home; and he begged, therefore, to ask what was the intention of government upon the subject?
Mr. W. Hortonreplied, that he was not prepared to give a perfectly satisfactory explanation of the matters referred to by the hon. member, in the absence of his right hon. friend. He was not, however, aware that it was the intention of government to send out a commission to the Mauritius; and, as to a committee at home upon the subject, it was not, in his opinion, by any means likely to be productive of beneficial results.
§ Mr. Buxtonthen withdrew his motion.