landing a few slaves, but then the President was backed by the people and had very few soldiers; yet the feudal party dared not move, nor could the Portuguese traffickers venture much in the accursed line. The subject is far from being exhausted; for as the Portuguese do misrepresent Britain to the Brazilians, saying, we want to put down the slave traffic merely to ruin and destroy the Brazilian planter and support our own colonies, so also to the British they misrepresent and decry Brazilians, as unfit and incompetent in matters of trade and business, and unworthy of credit; thus and by other means getting and keeping the position almost entirely of go-betweens in buying and selling. Notwithstanding, there is a vast majority of Brazilians, and many planters too, entirely opposed to Slave Trade, as against their most vital interests, and with much reason; this better feeling is being widely extended in spite of these Portuguese. I do not know of any slave traffic lately to the northward. The schooner Herminia has been brought up here with the officers prisoners for trial, and no doubt, I trust, she will be condemned. The 22 new Africans also brought up in her and taken at Paraiba, will also be finally declared free, I hope, and liberty be secured to them. From Mr. Vice-Consul Burnett I get regular advices, and of some interest. He wrote to me from Maceio, that the President, Dr. Jozé Bento, had opened his eyes to the extensive traffic being carried on in the Alagoas, and had solicited his aid in the way of information. It appears that several lots of Africans have been landed in various parts of Alagoas, and that the small-pox has terribly prevailed among the population. The number of blacks imported may have exceeded 1,000 souls. No vessel, however, has been seized, none of these poor blacks rescued from slavery; but I see that the pilot who run the slaver Innocente on shore is to be proceeded against by others concerned therein; and this is owing to one of the cruizers sent by the Presi dent from here, and who is constantly sending out a fast cruizer or two on this duty of looking after the slave-craft. Further, it seems that Dr. Jozé Bento has lately dismissed the delegate of Porto de Pedras, an influential planter, Jozé de Barros Pimentel, but not till, in return for his assistance, he had some 40 blacks, and some of these it appears he had had actually the confidence to send into the town of Maceio for sale, and thus his conduct became too scandalous and public. This Barros Pimentel is the same person who was charged with the murder of the English engineer Andrew Harvey, and who was lately cleared from that charge by a certain process. Were I to credit all the reports I hear, there must have been a far greater number of Africans landed between this and Maceio lately; for instance, one tells me that he knows of an engenho where some 300 are now hid. I have, &c. Viscount Palmerston, G.C.B. HY. CHRISTOPHERS. BRAZIL (RIO GRANDE DO SUL). CONSULAR. No. 260.-Consul Morgan to Viscount Palmerston.-(Rec. Dec. 31.) I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your Lordship's circular despatch of the 15th of May last, in which I am instructed, whenever any well-founded informations of slave-vessels may come to my knowledge, to communicate the same to the senior officer of Her Majesty's ships at or in the neighbourhood of Rio Grande, as well as to the Commander-in-chief of Her Majesty's naval forces on this coast; which instruction I shall not fail to obey whenever circumstances shall call for its execution. I have, however, the satisfaction to acquaint your Lordship that the direct African Slave Traffic in this province has for some time past entirely ceased; and that the importation of Bozal negroes, which has taken place from Bahia, has likewise been very discouraging to importers, from the very nature of the apathy of demand. On the other hand, the Rio Grandenses, alive to the danger they expose themselves to by multiplying the number of their enemics under the present and past state of the political relations of this country with the neighbouring Republics of the Plata, have turned their attention seriously to colonization, which has now become a subject of some importance; and I have no doubt that slavery-with the views at present held upon its viciousness and danger—will be abolished in this province, at no very distant period by some act emanating from the inhabitants themselves, when colonization shall have supplied in some degree the demand existing for labour. In the Provincial Assembly at present sitting at Porto Alegre, a proposal has been made-which I am given to understand will shortly become law-to impose a head-tax of 16 dollars on every slave sent to this province for sale. This law is mostly directed against the entry into the country of refractory negroes, who are sent hither by their masters residing in the northern ports of the empire. Viscount Palmerston, G.O.B. I have, &c. JOHN MORGAN, JR. No. 261.-Consul Morgan to Visc. Palmerston.-(Rec. Feb. 3, 1851.) WITH reference to the statement made in my despatch of the 1st October last, that a proposal had been made in the Provincial Assembly, to levy an extra tax of 16 dollars or rs. 32$000, on every slave brought to this province; I have the honour to transmit herewith copy and translation of that project, which has now become law, and to which certain dispositions have been added, in order to prevent emigrants in future from becoming owners of slaves, by prohibiting their introduction into the existing colonies and in those that may be hereafter established; as well as specifying the exemp tions that will be allowed on such slaves as shall arrive henceforward, if re-exported within the period of a twelvemonth. This law, although not quite so comprehensive and stringent as could be desired, is nevertheless a great bonus in favour of free emigration, which, if properly enforced with the law and regulations lately enacted at Rio de Janeiro by the General Legislature of the empire towards the effectual suppression of the Slave Traffic, and common to all the provinces, will tend most materially to assist the inhabitants of Rio Grande do Sul in their desire to free themselves from the innumerable evils attending the accumulation of a slave population in this important frontier province of the empire. I have, &c. Viscount Palmerston, G.C.B. JOHN MORGAN, JR. (Inclosure.)--Provincial Law, No. 188, of October 18, 1850. ART. I. The introduction of slaves into the territory marked out for the existing colonies of the province, or in such as may be formed in future, is prohibited. II. The slaves which actually exist in the territory of the colonies shall be registered by the director or his agents, in a book to be kept for the purpose, within a period of 2 months from the publication of this law; a note of such as shall die being duly entered in the said books. III. All persons who shall travel to the colonies or temporarily reside thereon, may take such slaves as they require for their domestic service, they shall, however, be obliged to send to the director or to his agents, a list of the slaves and to take them away when they retire from the colony. IV. The slaves which shall be introduced into the colonies in contravention to this law shall be expelled by order of the director, the masters of the same paying all expenses attending the expulsion. V. The dispositions of the above Articles are also applicable to such colonies as may be formed by private individuals. VI. For each slave imported into the province a tax of 328000 shall be levied in aid of the funds for colonization. VII. Are not subject to the above tax : § 1. The slaves registered on board ships. § 2. The domestic slaves of persons who may temporarily come to reside in the province. § 3. The slaves existing in the province, those who leave it with their masters and return with, or are sent back by, the same, within the period of one year. VIII. Are subject to the tax, the slaves treated upon in § 1 and 2 of the preceding Article, who do not leave the province with the ships or masters who brought them hither. IX. All dispositions contrary to this law are revoked. BRAZIL (RIO DE JANEIRO). CONSULAR. No. 262.-Consul Hesketh to Viscount Palmerston.—(Rec. May 21.) MY LORD, Rio de Janeiro, March 14, 1850. I HAVE the honour to transmit the following report respecting African Slave Trade in the district of this Consulate, during the year 1849. The Custom-House returns of the intercourse between this port and the African coast during that period do not afford any information, but rather appear, as heretofore, to be purposely deceptive, merely showing of departures to Africa, 10 vessels under Portuguese flag. 26 with the customary cargoes of provisions and other articles generally required for the transport and purchase of slaves; the exact descrip tion of these exports being concealed by every species of artifice, with the connivance of various officers of the Customs. Of arrivals from Africa the official report merely gives during either in ballast, or with too trifling a portion of cargo to afford anything approaching to a remunerating return freight. The correct number of departures from this harbour to Africa during last year cannot be ascertained, for many vessels have cleared outwards with false destinations, while others have fitted out and sailed from the various outports, a list of which ports I inclose, and where not only every convenience is provided for the outfit of slave-vessels, but also where barracoons, lighters, and large sailing drogas, and all other requisites for the quick disembarkation of Africans are known to exist. But the Brazilian return of arrivals from the coast of Africa is even more glaringly deceptive than that of departures, for it is notorious to every person and authority, that all the vessels mentioned in the inclosed list have brought slaves from thence, and that they have been landed at some of the small harbours to the northward and southward of Rio de Janeiro, being 69 vessels with about 40,980 5,000 45,980 Long as this list of vessels is, it is more than probable that it does not still comprise the entire number, from the facility with which many can elude observation in these unfrequented places. The number of captives on this coast by British cruizers during last year, or early in this, were 6, namely, 2 with slaves, but only part of them were rescued, as both vessels were stranded by their crews; 2 on their voyage to Africa, or some place of outfit, one of which was the notorious steamer Providencia, alias Paquete de Santos; and one burnt, having previously landed her cargo of human beings. At the close of 1819 there were about 32 vessels known to be on their illegal voyages from this district to Africa for slaves; and 18 lying in this harbour, also belonging to slave-merchants, and either recently returned from Africa, or fitting out for that coast; besides |