Lord Holland, after requesting the indulgence of the House for introducing the subject of the Slave Trade without a question before the House, expressed regret that so little progress had been made in the attempt to prevent the practice of carrying on the slave trade under foreign flags. As he hoped that the result of the late operations on the continent would be the re-establishment of peace, he could not help calling the attention of ministers to this subject. The trade had been once carried on to a very great extent under the Dutch flag; and in any treaty with Holland, it would be the duty of ministers to insert a clause for the prevention of carrying on the traffic in question under the flag of that country. He did not, however, expect that ministers would give any particular explanation of what was to be done in the event of a treaty with that power. In the present circumstances it would be improper to do so. He only wished that their attention should be called to the subject. He did not however mean to say, that ministers had been negligent in this respect. He gave them credit for every desire to carry into complete effect the wishes of the legislature, and of the country; but it was matter of much regret, that so little progress had hitherto been made. He was sorry that an article of the description 244 which he had mentioned had not been introduced into the treaty with Spain. He regretted his being obliged to say, with all his admiration of the Spanish nation, and of the admirable struggle which they had made for their independence, that the slave traffic was carried on under their flag to a very considerable extent. He again, however, must repeat his hopes, that no exertions would be neglected, on the part of ministers, to put a final stop, if possible, to the slave trade, among all the powers with whom they had any influence.
The Earl of Liverpoolrepeated, what he had often stated before, that every principle which had induced the legislature to pass the Slave Trade Abolition Act, operated with ministers to use every endeavour to accomplish the abolition of the traffic among foreign powers. The very principles on which the abolition had been opposed, led them, since it was abolished here, to endeavour to render that abolition universal. It would, of course, be improper to enter into any particulars at present; but in the event contemplated by the noble lord opposite, he believed there could be no difficulty in making a suitable arrangement for this desirable object, with the nation to which the noble lord specifically alluded.