COLONIAL SLAVERY. (Hansard, 1 June 1832)

§ Earl Grey
presented five Petitions from the Cities of Hereford, Edinburgh, and other places, praying for the abolition of Colonial Slavery.

The Duke of Buckingham
wished to remark, that few persons could wish that colonial slavery should be perpetual, or that it should very long continue to exist. But, at the same time, the Government ought to consider that great and vital interests were to be attended to, and he implored the Ministers to take the consideration of the state of the West Indies on themselves, and act on their own responsibility, and settle the matter without reference to Committees. His own object was, that the system of slavery should be brought to a conclusion as soon as that could be done consistently with a due regard to the protection of the West-India interests. But the merchants and planters ought no longer to be kept in suspense, and the Government ought to explain to them clearly what their situation really was, and take the settlement of the question on itself, and put an end to the agitations on the subject.

Lord Suffield
had nothing to say to what had fallen from the noble Duke, but he gave notice, that when arguments were advanced, and observations made on occasion or presenting petitions on this subject, he should think himself bound to answer them as well as he could, if they should appear to him to require an answer.

§ Viscount Goderich
had felt great difficulties in his mind in reference to this subject ever since he remembered to have heard it first suggested; but when the noble Duke called upon the Government to take the matter into its own hands, and act on its own responsibility, in order to put an end to the agitation of the question out of doors, the noble Duke might have done the Government the justice to recollect that it had acted on its own responsibility. In 1820, the Government 286 of that period had called upon Parliament for its opinion and for its sanction to certain principles to be acted on, in order to prepare the slaves for the ultimate condition of freedom, and a resolution to that effect was passed in the House of Commons, and subsequently in that House. So far the Government had taken the opinion of Parliament on the proper principles of action, and on these principles successive Governments had acted; and it was in pursuance of these resolutions, and in execution of these principles, that the present Government had acted, and it had acted to a certain extent on its own responsibility. The conduct of Ministers might be right, or it might be wrong; but they had been disposed to act on their own responsibility throughout, and had no desire for the appointment of these Committees. But still, when they found that many persons deeply interested in West-India property, were anxious to have Committees, they thought it their duty to give way. They had endeavoured to explain to those persons that they would derive no advantage from the appointment of Committees; but as those persons persisted in their desire to have Committees appointed, the Government had given way to them, although it was contrary to its own views of what was most proper to be done. But as these Committees were appointed, he hoped they would keep in view, that in the circumstances in which the West Indies were placed, all their recommendations ought to contemplate the ultimate abolition of slavery, because it would be quite impossible to maintain it.