eat
point would thereby be accomplished. After, indeed, that they had
united all the flags in Christendom to put down this horrid traffic,
the slavers might repudiate all flags, and divest themselves of
every document which might enable th captor to identify them with any
particular nation. That would be the last refuge of despairing crime;
and in order to meet those circumstances, he would propose a clause
by which such a ship should be dealt with as though it were an English
trader, unless it appeared, in the course of the trial, that she
belonged to some particular state, in which event the case should not
be adjudicated by the court of admiralty, but dealt with as if at the
outset she had been of the nation to which she was ultimately shown to
belong. His lordship added, that when the nations of Europe were once
united in giving a mutual right of search, or the power of condemning
by a mixed commission, there would no longer remain any defence for
carrying on the slave-trade under any European flag; and he reminded
the house that he had already concluded treaties with Chili, Grenada,
Venezuela, and that intelligence had recently arrived of a treaty made
with Buenos Ayres. After a few words from Dr. Lushington, Sir E. Inglis,
and Captain Pechell, leave was given to bring in the bill, and it was
brought in and read a first time. The next evening it was read a
second time, went through a committee, and passed the commons without a
division.

The second reading of this new bill for the suppression of the
slave-trade was moved by Lord Melbourne on the 15th of August. Previous
to making this motion the noble viscount requested that the address
of the house of lords on the slave-trade, together with her majesty's
gracious answer, should be read; and after explaining the provisions of
the measure, he stated that, in compliance with the prayer contained in
the address, her majesty had given directions to her cruisers to take
the most efficacious measures for putting down the traffic, and
that this bill was necessary in order to fulfil their lordships' own
intentions and wishes, as expressed in their petition to the crown. The
Duke of Wellington still continued his opposition to this measure, and
he moved as an amendment that it should be read that day six months. He
was supported by Lord Ellenborough, who demanded that any orders which
had been issued to her majesty's cruisers should be laid before the
house. The measure, h