Lord Broughamsaid, that in the absence of his noble and learned Friend, the Chief Justice of the Court of Queen's Bench, he wished to make a motion to which he presumed there would be no objection. On the 10th of May last, the House of Commons agreed to an address to her Majesty, representing that the Slave-trade still continued with great intensity, and that they 1013 thought a general concurrence of the great powers professing Christianity necessary in a declaration that the Slave-trade ought to be punished as piracy, and praying that their wishes and hopes might be made known to foreign courts in such manner as to her Majesty might seem best. What he had to move was, that their Lordships do adopt an address to the same effect, in order the more to strengthen the hands of Government as regarded this matter. The noble and learned Lord moved the following address:—
That an humble Address be presented to her Majesty, dutifully to submit to her Majesty, that the Slave-trade, which the Congress of Vienna most justly described as having degraded Europe, desolated Africa, and afflicted humanity, nevertheless still continues with great intensity; that, notwithstanding the various treaties and conventions which have been entered into by her Majesty and her royal predecessors with different powers for the suppression of this traffic, and notwithstanding all the endeavours of successive Administrations at home and of her Majesty's Ministers and agents in foreign countries, and of her Majesty's naval force employed in this service abroad, the trade has been aggravated in all its horrors; and that it is the opinion of this House, that a general concurrence of the great powers professing Christianity in a declaration that the Slave-trade, by whomsoever carried on, is piracy, and ought to be punished as such, is, under the blessing of God, one of the most probable means of effecting the abolition of that trade.That this House is further of opinion, that, in all treaties to be contracted between her Majesty and her allies, the concession of a mutual right of search of their commercial vessels respectively, would be another of the means likely to attain this most important object; and that this House most respectfully implores her Majesty to represent these their opinions, and wishes and hopes, in such manner as to her Majesty shall seem most likely to be effectual to her Majesty's several allies.That this House cannot refrain from expressing to her Majesty the deep concern with which they have observed, from the papers which her Majesty has caused to be laid be-fare them, that Portugal has not yet fulfilled the engagements which she has taken towards this country, by concluding with Great Britain an adequate treaty for the suppression of the Slave-trade.
§ Motion agreed to.