LORD BROUGHAMwished to put a question to his noble Friend the Secretary for Foreign Affairs, relative to an occurrence which was represented to have recently taken place in Cuba. He understood that a person named Zulueta, a man notoriously engaged in the slave trade, the owner of the ship in which, as had been not long since stated in that House, so many hundred unhappy negroes had been imported into Cuba, under especially lamentable circumstances, had been, indeed, for his offence, sent to the Moro prison, but had also been immediately after—in the course of a few days—released from prison and allowed to come back to Havannah, where a grand entertainment was given him by a number of persons notoriously engaged in the same nefarious traffic with himself. Such a state of things must confirm the general impression that the Governor of Cuba was giving only a colourable adhesion to the treaties for the suppression of the slave trade, while, in reality, he aided and abetted those who were notoriously engaged in that traffic; and it was therefore extremely desirable that the public should learn from the noble Earl whether he had received any information as to the rumour in question.
§ The EARL of CLARENDONcould only say, that a short time ago, about three weeks since, our Consul General in Cuba had reported that, in consequence of stringent instructions which had been sent out to the Governor of Cuba, it was understood in the island that a great amendment in the existing state of things with regard to the slave trade in Cuba would take place. The report so received, he had communicated at once to the Committee of the House of Commons sitting on the slave trade, who had included it in their report. The Consul General had also reported that Senor Zulueta, a notorious slavetrader, had been imprisoned, adding, that this exertion of vigour on the part of the authorities—a course quite unprecedented there—had spread consternation among all the slavetraders of Cuba, and was expected to be productive of good results. He had certainly heard of the rumour referred to by his noble and learned Friend, that Senor Zulueta had been speedily re- 1818 leased, and had been entertained by a number of other persons engaged in the same unlawful traffic with himself; but he had as yet received no official confirmation of the rumour.
§ House adjourned till To-morrow.