SLAVE TRADE. (Hansard, 18 June 1844)

§ Lord Wharncliffe
moved the third reading of the Slave Trade Treaties Bill.

The Earl of Minto
said, he had no doubt that this Bill was a beneficial one, but he would take that opportunity to draw the attention of their Lordships to the present state of the Slave Trade in Cuba, and to the inefficient manner in which the Treaties for the suppression of that trade had been executed by Spain. During the regency of Espartero the Spanish Government took every possible means to put an end to the Slave Trade in Cuba. But, he understood, that since the change in the Spanish Government the Slave Trade had been revived to a very great extent; and the same fees had been established, for the benefit of the Governor of Cuba, on the importation of slaves, as 1090 had formerly existed. He believed that all the representations made on the subject by the British Government had been treated in the most unbecoming manner. He hoped the noble Earl would be able to declare that those statements had been exaggerated, or, at all events, that Her Majesty's Government had done all in their power to enforce the observance of the Treaty.

§ The Earl of Aberdeen
said, it was unfortunately too true that a great increase had taken place in the Slave Trade at Cuba; and he was sorry to say, that there was little or no exaggeration in the statement of the noble Earl. At an early period of the last Session he had expressed a very sanguine hope that the Slave Trade would speedily cease in the island of Cuba, owing to the great exertions of the Captain-General Valdez, who then ruled there. But he should observe that General Valdez had gone far beyond the intentions expressed, and the instructions given by his own Government, in carrying the treaty into effect; for he believed that had the Governor of Cuba depended on the Government of Madrid that very little would have been done to check the Slave Trade. Before his recall he had done everything in his power to carry the Treaty with this country into effect. By his strenuous exertions the importation of slaves which had been carried on to the enormous extent of 40,000 annually, was diminished to 3,000, and, he was very sorry to own, that in the first month of the present year, as many slaves were imported as had been imported during the whole of the last year of the government of General Valdez. He believed the noble Earl was quite right in attributing this increase of the Slave Trade to the change of system in the Government of Madrid. He need not say that nothing would be wanting on the part of Her Majesty's Government to prevent the continuance of this traffic. He would, however, rather not at present enter into any particulars as to the steps that had been taken for that purpose; but he could not but hope that they would be attended with success. The noble Earl must be aware that all these treaties touching the Slave Trade had been but imperfectly executed by Foreign Powers. The noble Earl had only mentioned the case of Spain; but there was no doubt that the same observation might be made with respect to Brazil; for he was com- 1091 pletely certain, that from one end of that empire to the other, the provisions of those Treaties were set at nought. He hoped, however, that, before long, improvement in this respect would be effected, both in Brazil and Cuba, and, undoubtedly, Her Majesty's Ministers would not relax in their endeavours to cause those Treaties to be respected.