h of June. On the
motion for going into committee on the bill brought in pursuant to
the resolutions, Mr. Buxton again discussed the question of compulsory
apprenticeships. He moved, that it be an instruction to the committee
that they shall not, for the sake of the pecuniary interests of the
masters, impose any restraint or obligation on the negro which shall not
be necessary for his own welfare, and for the general peace and order
of society; and that they shall limit the duration of any temporary
restrictions which may be imposed upon the freedom of the negroes,
to the shortest period which may be necessary to establish, on just
principles, the system of free labour for adequate wages. He was
supported by Lord Howick and Mr. Macaulay, who before had opposed him
on the same question, but who now declared that he had an insurmountable
objection to the transition state, which was to be interposed between
the cessation of slavery and complete freedom. If it could be proved,
he said, that any restraint was proposed, the effect of which was to
improve the morals of the negro, to promote his habits of industry, and
to enable him better to discharge the duties of a freeman and citizen,
he would give his assent to such a restraint; but he thought that the
restraint was not laid upon the negro, as it ought to be, with the sole
view of improving his character: one of the objects was, not his own
advantage, but as a compensation to the planter. In reply, Mr. Stanley
said that the compensation was of two sorts: one was a sum to be paid
down now for the remission of one-fourth of the labour of the slave, and
the whole would be paid by the end of twelve years, when the negro would
be completely free. The sum to be paid to the colonies was taken with
reference to the estimated value of the slave, and to the interest of
money: taking that value at L30,000,000 for 800,000 slaves, would give
L37 10s. for each. It was not extravagant to say that such a sum was
about the average value of a slave. He went on to say that one-fourth of
the labour of the negro was to be taken from the master, and placed at
the disposal of the negro himself; but for the remaining three-fourths
he was to be maintained by the master. Now the maintenance, taken at
a moderate average, was calculated at fifty shillings each; this for
800,000 negroes would be L2,000,000 per annum, and the one-fourth of
this would be L500,000; and this at the end of twelve years would