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I have to instruct you to make known these facts to the Austrian Government, and to request them to take suitable measures for preventing the Austrian flag and the Emperor's subjects from taking any part in a trade which was stigmatized by Austria, in conjunction with the leading Powers of Europe, at the Congress of Vienna, as "a scourge which desolates Africa, degrades Europe, and afflicts humanity;" a trade of which Austria repeated her reprobation at the Congress of Verona; and of which the Court of Vienna again recorded its continued abhorrence, by becoming a party to the Treaty of the 20th of December, 1841. &c. A. C. Magenis, Esq.

I am,

PALMERSTON.

No. 37.-Mr. Magenis to Viscount Palmerston.-(Rec. December 2.)
MY LORD,
Vienna, November 25, 1850.

WITH reference to the representations which in conformity with the instructions contained in your Lordship's despatch of the 18th of September last, I made to Prince Schwarzenberg, relative to the frequent transport of slaves in steamers belonging to the Austrian Lloyd's Company, and his Highness' declaration of his ignorance and doubts of that statement, as reported in my Slave Trade despatch of the 2nd ultimo; I have now the honour to inclose copy of a note from Prince Schwarzenberg, of the 20th instant, containing a report from the Directing Committee of the Company of Lloyd's, which repels with energy, the imputation in question;" and adds, that up to the present moment it had never received the slightest indication of such an abuse.

Your Lordship will perceive that the Committee in question protests against any imputation of connivance in the case of slaves who follow voluntarily their masters as servants, and who may be transported with those masters by their steamers from one port of the Levant to another. I have, &c. Viscount Palmerston, G.C.B.

ARTHUR C. MAGENIS.

(Inclosure 1.)—Prince Schwarzenberg to Mr. Magenis.

Vienne, ce 20 Novembre, 1850.

MR. MAGENIS, &c., a bien voulu communiquer au Ministère Impérial des Affaires Etrangères la copie d'une dépêche que lui a adressé Lord Palmerston, et dans laquelle sa Seigneurie relève une prétendue connivence dont se serait rendue coupable en faveur de la Traite des Nègres, la Société des pyroscaphes du Lloyd Autrichien, en enjoignant à M. le Ministre Plénipotentiaire de porter ce fait à la connaissance du Gouvernement Impérial, et de réclamer de sa part les mesures propres à prévenir dorénavant toute infraction pareille au Traité du 20 Décembre, 1841, dont l'Autriche est une des parties cosignataires.

A la suite de cette communication, le Ministère des Affaires Etrangères a cru de son devoir de provoquer sans perte de temps de la part de l'autorité compétente, une enquête sévère, à l'effet de vérifier les faits dont il a été question.

Du rapport ci-joint en copie, adressé par le Conseil Administratif du Lloyd Autrichien à M. le Ministre du Commerce, Mr. Magenis voudra cependent relever que ce Conseil, ainsi qu'on pouvait s'y attendre, repousse avec energie l'imputation dont il s'agit, et que, fort de sa conscience d'avoir toujours scrupuleusement veillé à conserver intact l'honneur du pavillon Impérial, il croit pouvoir mettre d'autant plus en doute le fait susmentionné, que jusqu'ici il ne lui est jamais parvenu le moindre indice d'un abus pareil, auquel d'ailleurs, certes, les autorités Consulaires Autrichiennes se seraient vivement opposées.

Le Conseil Administratif du Lloyd a enfin déclaré, que pour le prémunir à l'avenir contre des soupçons de ce genre, il fera parvenir, tant à ses agens qu'à ses capitaines de navire, les instructions les plus précises, pour fixer toute leur attention sur ce point; mais en même temps il croit devoir protester d'avance contre toute imputation de connivence de sa part dans les cas qui sont toujours possibles qu'à la faveur de l'autorisation légale pour leur embarquement, dont se munissent les passagers du Levant, il s'introduise quelquefois des esclaves qui suivraient volontairement en qualité de domestiques leurs maîtres, attendu que la Société du Lloyd n'aurait guère les moyens de l'empêcher.

Le Soussigné, &c., en se flattant que l'exposition ci-dessus suffira pour tranquilliser la sollicitude du Ministère Britannique, saisit, &c. A. C. Magenis, Esq. F. SCHWARZEN BERG.

(Inclosure 2.)-The Directing Committee of the Austrian Lloyd's Company to the Austrian Minister of Commerce. (Translation.)

THE Undersigned, Directing Committee of the Austrian Lloyd Company, perceive to their great surprise, in your Excellency's communication of the 12th of October, that a suspicion has been cast upon the Company of indirectly promoting the Slave Trade by means of their steamers, because up to the present time the Directing Committee have never received any intimation that the most distant suspicion was ever entertained of such a misuse of their steamers having been made. As it has always been the chief care of the Directing Committee to maintain inviolate the Austrian flag as well as that of the Company, such an imputation cannot be otherwise than most painful to them, and the probability of the fact is the more doubtful, as the Imperial Consular authorities would certainly meet such an abuse by a refusal to draw up the ship's papers.

If, however, it should happen that from time to time slaves are found among the servants of the passengers from the Levant, which have been brought on board with the regular permission to embark this cannot possibly be laid to the charge of the Company's steamers, and would be, in fact, very difficult to prevent. In consequence, however, of this most unexpected accusation, the Directing Com-. mittee will issue the strictest injunction to their captains and agents to devote their most earnest attention to the case in question.

BELGIUM.

No. 38.-Visc. Palmerston to Lord Howard de Walden and Seaford, MY LORD, (Circular.) Foreign Office, March 10, 1851.

I HEREWITH transmit to your Lordship 4 printed copies of a law passed by the Legislature of Brazil on the 4th of September, 1850, for "establishing (fresh) measures for the suppression of the traffic of Africans in the Empire of Brazil," annexed to which are printed copies of an Imperial Decree, issued on the 14th of October, 1850, for regulating the execution of the said law.

I have to instruct you to communicate a copy of these important, documents to the Belgian Government, to point out to them that the crime of slave-trading is by that law declared to be piracy, and earnestly to urge them to take the necessary steps for enacting a law declaring that such of their subjects as shall be concerned in that traffic shall be deemed and dealt with as pirates, and shall on conviction be liable to suffer a severe secondary punishment.

You will also recommend to the attention of the Belgian Government the regulations which have been promulgated by the Brazilian Government to render more easy and certain the application of the Brazilian laws against Slave Trade, and you will request the Belgian Government to consider whether any part of those regulations could be adopted with advantage in Belgium.

You will further say, with reference to the recommendation that Slave Trade should be stigmatized as piracy, and that it should be punished as such, that such has long been the state of the law in Great Britain and in The United States, and that this law has worked very effectually, not merely through the fear inspired of the punishment which it awards, but by the moral effect produced on the minds of men by the fact that the law stigmatizes by its true and proper character, the disgraceful and infamous crime of stealing and

selling and buying men, women, and children, for the purpose of consigning them to the miseries of slavery.

The Brazilian Government has now followed in this respect the example of Great Britain and of The United States, and Her Majesty's Government cannot allow themselves to believe that the Government of Belgium can feel less detestation than the abovementioned Governments do of the atrocious crime in question, or that they can hesitate in giving to the world the same public manifestations of their sentiments on this matter, by promulgating a law similar to those which have been enacted in this respect in Great Britain, in The United States, and in Brazil.

This earnest request of Her Majesty's Government is not dictated by any belief that the subjects of Belgium disgrace themselves by taking part in these abominable practices, but Her Majesty's Government are desirous of having the weight of the moral sanction of the Government of Belgium added to that force of public opinion in the civilized world which has been brought to bear upon the perpetrators of one of the greatest iniquities which have ever been committed by the human race.

Lord Howard de Walden and Seaford.

I am,

&c.

PALMERSTON.

No. 39.-Visc'. Palmerston to Lord Howard de Walden and Seaford. MY LORD, (Circular.) Foreign Office, March 27, 1851.

WITH reference to my despatch dated the 10th instant, I have to instruct you to inform the Belgian Government that a representation, similar to that which I have therein directed you to make to them, has been made to each and all of the maritime States of Christendom which have not yet made Slave Trade piracy.

Lord Howard de Walden and Seaford.

I am, &c.

PALMERSTON.

[This and the preceding Circular were likewise sent to Her Majesty's Representatives in Denmark, France, Greece, the Hanse Towns, the Netherlands, Sardinia, 2 Sicilies, Spain, Sweden, Tuscany, Bolivia, Chili, Mexico, Peru, the Republic of the Uruguay, and Venezuela.]

SIR,

BRAZIL.

No. 40.-Viscount Palmerston to Mr. Hudson.

Foreign Office, April 3, 1850. I HAVE received your despatch of the 17th of January last, in you inform me that a report had reached you from various

which

quarters, that it was the intention of some of the members of the Brazilian Legislature to present a Bill to the Chambers, during their present session, for the repeal of the Brazilian Law against Slave Trade of the 7th of November, 1831.

In the event of this report proving true, I have to instruct you to renew formally the protest which was made by Her Majesty's Government in 1837, against a similar project for altering the Law of 1831, and to state to the Brazilian Government, that such a proceeding would be considered by Her Majesty's Government as a violation of the Treaty of 1826; and that Her Majesty's Government would deem themselves authorised thereby to take such steps as in such case to them might seem meet.

J. Hudson, Esq.

I am, &c.
PALMERSTON.

No. 42.-Mr. Hudson to Viscount Palmerston.-(Received April 5)
MY LORD,
Rio de Janeiro, February 20, 1850.

I HAVE the honour to transmit herewith to your Lordship a printed copy of the Report which the Brazilian Minister for Foreign Affairs presented to the Brazilian Legislative Assembly upon the opening of their present session on the 1st ultimo.

I have also the honour to inclose a translation of that part of this report which relates to the Brazilian Slave Trade.

The Brazilian Minister for Foreign Affairs explains, in some measure, a paragraph which occurs in the speech from the Throne, of the Emperor of Brazil, on opening the present session of the Brazilian Legislature on the 1st ultimo, respecting the supply of labour for Brazilian agriculture.

His Excellency says, that measures ought to have been taken in the year 1826, to supply the place of that labour of which Brazil was deprived by the Convention concluded against Slave Trade, between Great Britain and Brazil, on the 23rd of November of that year.

His Excellency admits that no such steps were taken; and he follows up this admission by recommending that colonization on a large scale be now adopted by Brazil; and he gives it as his opinion that, until this is done, Brazil will in vain contend with the traffic in slaves.

I regret the expression of this opinion, because it implies that the planting of colonies of Europeans in Brazil is to precede the suppression of the Slave Trade; whereas, by referring to the actual condition of those colonies of Europeans which already exist in Brazil, it will be found that the first object of the settlers is the purchase of slaves; consequently, Brazilian colonization, as understood by the Brazilian Government, will but increase the demand for slaves. The settlement, therefore, of colonies of Europeans

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