stated, that it had been for many years the duty of that House to vote rewards for services of a naval or military kind: those which were now to be recompensed were of a different nature, but also highly entitled to the gratitude of the country. He then entered into a description of lord Walsingham's public services in the other House, paid a tribute to his merits, and concluded by moving a resolution, that a sum of 2,000l. be granted to his Royal Highness out of the consolidated fund per annum, to be settled in the most effectual manner on lord Walsingham, during the term of his natural life.

joined in the tribute of praise justly paid by his right hon. friend to the merits of the noble lord. No one had higher claims to a public reward for his services.

The Resolution was then agreed to.

wished to put a question to the right hon. the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on a subject having a reference to the abolition of the slave trade. The continuance of this traffic, he would do his right hon. friend the justice to say, was, he believed, lamented by no man more than himself; but while he believed his right hon. friend was zealously disposed to exert himself to the utmost in effecting a general abolition, he was not sure that he could place exactly the same confidence in the noble lord, his colleague, to whom that cause was entrusted at the present Congress. There were two points on which he wished for information from his right hon. friend. By a publication of the American government to the world, of the proceedings during the negotiation at Ghent, it appeared to be stated by the secretary of state of the American government, that a number of negroes, taken by our commanders from the southern states, or seduced to desert from their masters, had been carried by them to the West Indies, and there sold as slaves. This was a charge of the heaviest nature, and if there was any foundation in it, was one which deeply affected the character of the officers employed in the American service, as well as the government of this country. It was well known, that one of the principal obstacles to the abolition in foreign states, and the foundation of the reluctance felt by them, was their disbelief of the sincerity of the English government and nation. As this charge had been made in so public a manner, he was anxious to know if there was any foundation for it; and if government were not possessed of sufficient information on the subject, he hoped they would be disposed let take the most prompt steps to ascertain the truth or falsehood of it. A great deal of time might be saved, by applying for the proofs, of which the commissioners at Ghent were declared to be in possession; for Mr. Monroe stated, that his department was in possession of ample proofs, and that these proofs had been sent to the commissioners at Ghent. For the purpose, therefore, of ascertaining the truth or falsehood of these charges, he hoped that an application would be directly made to the commissioners for the proofs of which they were thus stated to be in possession.—It had been stated by the right hon. gentleman the other evening, that his Majesty's government had entered into a treaty of amity and friendship with the government of Spain. In answer to an expression of the wishes of the House, it had been answered by the crown, that no opportunity would be lost in negotiation with foreign states, to secure farther by treaty the abolition of the traffic in slaves. He thought, certainly, that an opportunity of that nature had occurred in entering into a treaty with Spain, for procuring the insertion of stipulations for the abolition, or at least restrictions on the trade. When he considered the situation in which the government of Spain stood with regard to this country, he was sure that a better opportunity could not have presented itself for making the attempt which had been promised by his Majesty's ministers, and that if the attempt had been made, it could hardly have been ineffectual. He was most anxious to know, therefore, if in that treaty there were any provisions for the abolition or restriction of the traffic in slaves.

trusted that no doubt would be entertained by the House that the utmost efforts would be made by his Majesty's ministers for the furtherance of an object in which they were all so deeply interested as the abolition of the slave trade. He took to himself the credit of the sincere disposition in favour of it, with which he was complimented by his hon. and learned friend; and he ventured to assure him, in justice to his colleagues, that he was only one of many who all felt an equal interest with himself; and that the noble lord especially, to whom the interests of his country were at present entrusted at the Congress, had manifested in every particular the disposition which was common to himself and his colleagues, in his negociations with the other powers of Europe. With respect to the first question of the hon. and learned gentleman, he had to state, that his Majesty's ministers had no information whatever respecting the subject to which it related. They had received no information that slaves had ever been sent from any part of the coast of America to the West India islands; and he hardly con- ceived that any British officer could have been guilty of so black and atrocious an act as that charged in this case; that he could possibly commit such a violation of the laws against the slave trade, and expose himself to the certainty of being punished for so disgraceful and base a crime. He pledged himself to make the fullest inquiry into this case, and to prosecute with the utmost rigour of justice any persons who should have so disgraced themselves. But he hoped that till this matter was cleared up, the House would not lightly believe it. It occurred to him that in this instance the American government had given out this statement, however unjustifiable such conduct certainly was, with a view of striking a terror into their slaves. This was certainly much more probable than that any British officer should implicate himself in so abominable a transaction. There certainly was not in the treaty with Spain any provision for the abolition of the slave trade. It had been found impossible, in negociating with that court, to make it sensible of what were its true interests in this respect. The House could hardly be surprised, when it considered the whole of the conduct of that court, that in this attempt his Majesty's ministers had been unsuccessful. But he assured the House, that no effort had been wanting on the part of the government of this country to induce the court of Spain to comply, with the just expectations and wishes of the people of this country.