seen the possibility that some one state might act as Portugal has done, and might thus pertinaciously refuse to abolish the slave trade after it had been prohibited by all other nations; and they declared it to be their purpose, in that case, to exclude such state from all commercial intercourse with their respective dominions. The crisis, thus foreseen and provided for, appears to have now arrived; and under that impression, the address of parliament in the last session prayed his majesty, that should Portugal continue to set herself in direct opposition to the moral feelings and concurrent wishes of the other powers, and thus to defeat the hopes of the civilization and improvement of Africa, he would use his influence to induce those powers to carry the above purpose into effect, as it would be an act of unfaithfulness to their own solemn and imperative obligations, if, in that case, they were to rest any longer satisfied, as heretofore, with mere entreaties and remonstrances. What has been the result of this representation, or whether any such representation has been made, is unknown to the directors. The revolution which has recently occurred in Portugal may possibly have interrupted the negotiations on that subject. But it suggests also a hope that the Portuguese nation, in vigorously asserting its own rights, will not be forgetful of the equally sacred rights of their African brethren, and that they will allow the voice of justice and humanity to be heard among them. Much may also be anticipated from that diffusion of information on the subject, which the liberty of the Portuguese press will now facilitate, and by which the public opinion may be enlightened, and the decision of the Portuguese Cortes eventually influenced. The measures which have already been adopted with this view will be adverted to in another part of the report. But whether these measures shall or shall not be effectual, it seems still in the highest degree obligatory on the great powers who were parties to the negotiations at Vienna, to use all the means they possess for securing the performance of the stipulations then made in favour of the African race. Portugal might also be urged to the course which justice and humanity require of her, not only by a regard to her commercial interests, which would suffer from her pertinacity should the threat held out at Vienna be executed, but by considerations intimately connected with the very existence of her colonial power; for while the provinces which formerly belonged to Spain on the American continent, and which almost surround Brazil, have proclaimed with one voice the emancipation of their bondsmen, and while the political agitations which prevail in Brazil itself must in a greater or less degree produce a fermentation in the minds of its black and coloured population, Portugal cannot be so infatuated as to believe that she may continue with impunity annually to im port into that colony tens of thousands of enslaved Africans, smarting under the sense of recent injury, and eager to break the chains to which they are still unaccustomed. SPAIN. The report points out the reluctance evinced by the govern ment of this country to relinquish the slave trade. On the 27th of August last, however, the Spanish minister declared that orders had been given for the punctual enforcement of the treaty on this subject, and in January last, an article for repressing the trade was, on the motion of Count de Torreno, introduced into the criminal code of Spain. How this article, in the event of its receiving the royal sanction, when submitted with the rest of the criminal code to the king, will be executed in Cuba and Porto Rico, remains to be seen. The Cortes, however, appear to have acted in good faith; and the whole tone of their proceedings is indicative of a cordial desire effectually to suppress the slave trade. Our ambassador at Madrid, in communicating the above decree to lord Londonderry, takes occasion to express his conviction "that the Spanish government will lend us every assistance for effectually carrying into execution the existing treaties for the abolition of that nefarious commerce." As yet, however, there has been no relaxation of that trade in Cuba and Porto Rico. Fewer vessels, indeed, have appeared on the African coast during the last year under the Spanish flag; but the importations into the island of Cuba, especially under the flag of France, have been large; while the only attempt made there to check them by bringing one of the vessels so employed before the mixed commission court of that place, proved abortive. The whole number of Spanish slave ships condemned at Sierra Leone by the mixed commission court, has been eleven, of which three were condemned during the last year. The directors have already adverted to the gratifying circumstance, that throughout the whole range of Spanish America, now become independent, not only has the slave trade been effectually prohibited, but the very incentive to this crime has been removed, by providing for the early and gradual abolition of slavery itself. All persons of every colour, born subjects of the independent states, have been declared free from their birth. And whatever other variations may appear in the plan of the constitutions to be adopted by the several independent governments, all have agreed, that dif ference, of colour shall not produce any difference in the civil condition of their subjects. Even in Mexico the Indians and Africans are entitled to the same civil and political privileges as the whites. NETHERLANDS. In the supplementary report of last year, a detailed account was given of the manner in which the treaties and abolition-laws of the Netherlands had been violated, by the large importation of slaves into Surinam, which had been openly permitted by the local authorities; and of the remonstrances made by our government, with a view to put a stop to this breach of faith. In consequence of these remonstrances, the king of the Netherlands issued, on the 21st of April, 1821, a new decree on the subject, which, though it professed to prohibit and punish the importation of slaves into Surinam, did, in fact, only open the ports of that colony more widely for their admission; diminishing at the same time, instead of raising, the penalties attached to such importations as might still be deemed illicit. The attention of his majesty's minister for foreign affairs was early directed to this extraordinary decree. The result appears to be, that no effectual legal check has yet been put to the importation of slaves into the Dutch colonies. This statement is confirmed by a letter, dated from that colony in February last; the writer of which affirms," that thousands of new negroes have been imported into Surinam since the mixed commission had been sitting there; and that there was no doubt the importations would be continued, unless very strong and decisive measures were adopted." FRANCE. It appears from what is stated under this head, that the slave trade, carried on under the flag of France, has maintained during the last, as in former years, its guilty pre-eminence. Although a French squadron has for some time been stationed on the coast of Africa, for the express purpose of suppressing the slave trade, no useful effort appears to have been made by it. While the slave ships of France are to be found on every part of the coast, the French cruisers have not, as far as is known, made a single capture. They have even met with ships trading for slaves under the flag of France, and after exchanging civilities with them, have left them unmolested to pursue their illegal and criminal traffic. It is even affirmed, that they are without any instructions from their government to seize French slave ships. The ground of this state ment is set forth in the appendix to the report, with the view of affording to those concerned, an opportunity of contradicting so opprobrious a charge. At Senegal and Goree, which form the head-quarters of the squadron, the merchants, and even some public functionaries, are still deeply engaged in this traffic. Few large ships, indeed, now export slaves from these settlements. The trade is chiefly conducted in small craft, which pass from the African continent to the Portuguese islands of Bissao and Cape de Verd, and there deposit their slaves: the only effect, even at Senegal and Goree, of all the vaunted measures of repression adopted by the French government being this-that some additional caution is used in the mode of carrying on the trade: In other parts of the coast, the British cruisers, wherever they touch, find the French flag spreading its protection over an immense number of slave ships. The coast appears to be almost covered with them. In January last, at the Gallinas, a small river, only about 100 miles south of Sierra Leone, three French ships were engaged in purchasing slaves, a large ship of the same nation, fully laden with slaves, having just sailed. Capt. Leeke, of his majesty's ship Myrmidon, visited in the course of a few weeks in the Bight of Biafra 16 slave ships, many of them French. In October, 1821, lieut. Wright, of the Snapper, during a cruise of only ten days in the neighbourhood of Cape Mount, fell in with nine slave ships. One was a Dutch vessel, full of slaves, which escaped; the other eight were French, several of them full of slaves. One of these was a vessel which had been detained on a former voyage by sir George Collier, and sent to Senegal for adjudication; but was retaken by the crew on her passage to that river. The present was her third successful slave voyage. In the month of December last, four French slave ships were visited by lieutenant Hagan, of his majesty's ship Thistle. They had been visited a few days before by his most christian majesty's ship, Le Huron, capitaine Mauduit Duplessis, from whom they appeared to have received no disturbance. But it is unnecessary to occupy the time of the meeting with these minute details respecting the French slave trade on the western coast of Africa. The enormous extent to which it is carried will be found fully attested by a great variety of documents, especially by the recent communications of sir Charles M'Carthy; of the commissioners of the mixed commission court; and of different naval officers; and above all, by those of sir George Collier, the late commodore on the African station. These communications will be read with a deep and painful interest. But the ravages of the French slave traders are not confined to the western shores of that devoted continent. The eastern coast, and especially the island of Zanzebar (of which a copious account was given in the last report), have recently attracted the cupidity of these lawless adventurers; and an extensive traffic has been carried on thence for the supply not only of the isle of Bourbon, but even of the island of Cuba. A vessel, with 344 slaves on For must board, named Le Succes, was de- Nothing is more worthy of notice in this correspondence than the thorough hatred which slave traders appear to have entertained for governor Mylius, who has since unfortunately been recalled, and whom they pay this nation the compliment to accuse of "Anglomania and Philanthropy," merely, as it would appear, because he was determined conscientiously to fulfil the duties of his office, and was alive to the calls of humanity and justice. A variety of other proofs will be found in the appendix, of the pertinacity with which the slave trade is carried on under the French flag, as well as of the impunity with which its prosecution is almost uniformly attended. The directors would more particularly refer to the letter of M. Berthier, a merchant of Nantes, dated in February, 1821, in which he openly proposes to his correspondents a participation in a slaving adventure; and to the fact mentioned by the captain of Le Succes, that at one time 24 ships were fitting out at that place for the prosecution of this odious com merce. This state of things may be considered as arising in part from a want of due vigilance in the public functionaries. It is mainly, however, to be attributed to the defectiveness of the laws abolishing the slave trade; and this is an evil which it is impossible not to regard as chargeable to the account of the government and the legisla ture. Even if the penalty of confiscation, the only one which attaches to the violation of the French abolition laws, were more frequently enforced than it is, it would do little to arrest the progress of the slave trade; the risk of capture and condemnation being so small as to be easily insurable. At present the rate of insurance does not exceed 15 or 20 per cent, while the gains of the trade are proved to amount to from 200 to 400 per cent. It appears from the papers found on board Le Succes, that 248 slaves which she landed in the isle of Bourbon in her first voyage, cost only 9,943 dollars; and that the proceeds of the sale of these slaves amounted to 29,564 dollars. The 344 slaves which she took on board, on her second voyage, cost only 10,214 dollars; and would have yielded, if sold at the same rate with the former cargo, upwards of 40,000 dollars. In like manner, the authentic prospectus of a slave voyage from Havre, inserted in the appendix to the report of last year, exhibits on an outfit of 53,000 francs, a nett profit of upwards of 166,000 francs. Under these circumstances, and in the present state of the French law, even if the government were really desirous of suppressing the slave trade, it is scarcely possible that it should fail to be carried on to a great extent. Its gains are large and certain, and the risk attending it is small; while in the case of a judicial conviction, followed only by a confiscation of the property, no discredit attaches to the offender, which affects in the slightest degree his standing and estimation in society. The directors, therefore, feel fully persuaded, that until the laws of France shall be so far altered as to place the slave trader in the list of criminals whose offence is to be visited with an infamous punishment, little hope can be entertained of any material diminution in the existing slave trade of France. Without such a change in the law, no value can be attached to the professions and engagements of the government of France. Its good faith will continue to be the subject of suspicion; and its flag will continue to be the cover for the atrocities of |