No. 116. Mr. Secretary Canning to His Majesty's Commissioners. Gentlemen, Foreign Office, May 30, 1824. I HAVE to acquaint you for your information, and that of the other Members of your Commission, that the Instructions annexed to the Treaty between His Majesty and the King of The Netherlands, for the prevention of the Slave Trade, have been issued to the following Ships and Vessels of His Majesty's Navy, viz.:/ and that the Instructions which had been issued to the Vessels Iphigenia, Sybille, Tumar, Tees, Tyne, Thistle, and Snapper, have been recalled and cancelled. His Majesty's Commissioners. I am, &c. GEORGE CANNING. No. 117.-Mr. Secretary Canning to His Majesty's Commissioners. GENTLEMEN, Foreign Office, June 19, 1824. I HEREWITH transmit to you, for your information, six Copies of Papers marked A. and B. relative to the Slave Trade, which have been presented to both Houses of Parliament, by His Majesty's Command, in the course of the present Session. His Majesty's Commissioners. I am, &c. GEORGE CANNING. No. 118.-J. H. Lance, Esq. to Mr. Secy. Canning.-(Rec. June 24.) I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your three Despatches, dated respectively, the 30th of October, the 17th of November, and the 26th of December, of last year, which arrived here on the 26th, 27th, and 28th Instant. In obedience to your Instructions, I immediately acquainted Mr. Lammens, the Dutch Commissary Judge, with the substance of the Despatch of November 17, and suggested to him the propriety of the insertion, in the Sentences of Condemnation under the Commission, of a Clause stating, so far as can be ascertained from the evidence given, whether any, and what number of Slaves were seized and found on board, at the time of detention and capture. I am happy to say, Mr. Lammens immediately agreed to the insertion of such a Clause, in all the future Sentences of Condemnation under the Commission. With regard to the Certificates of Emancipation granted by the Commissioners, when the Vessel itself is liberated; and also the examination of Witnesses in open Court, I shall not fail to press upon my Colleagues, the adoption of those Principles which you lay down upon those points, whenever circumstances shall arise which shall call for their application. I have the honour to be, &c. The Right Hon. George Canning. J. H. LANCE. No. 119.-J. H. Lance, Esq. to Mr. Secy. Canning.-(Rec. June 24.) I HAVE the honour to enclose for your perusal a Copy of a Paper which has lately been sent to every Plantation and to every Owner of Slaves in this Colony, and which is to be continued Annually. The object of the Government is to ascertain the Name, Age, Occupation, and Religion of every Slave in the Colony, which are to be set down by, and delivered in upon the oath of, the Director or Owner, as the case may be, in the order in which they are arranged in the Enclosure; and if a false Return is afterwards discovered to have been made, the Slaves omitted are instantly forfeited to the Government, and the Person making such false Return will be criminally proceeded against before the Fiscal. If this measure be properly enforced, I humbly conceive that it will more effectually put a stop to future illicit importations of Negroes than any thing hitherto done for that purpose, and it will in many respects be equal to the Acts of Registration passed in the British Colonies. I have the honour to be, &c. The Right Hon. George Canning. J. H. LANCE. (Enclosure.)-Form of Return of Slaves.-(Translation.) I, the undersigned of the the property of Estate, denominated declare, that the Slaves maintained on this Planta- Total. The above is a true Return, made on oath, pursuant to the Order issued by the Civil and Criminal Court of Judicature, dated August 18, 1823, and delivered at Surinam this Head-money payable for Slaves without distinction Imposts payable for One Year. of age at f7: 10 per head 10 per cent. increase of ditto 182. Seal-duty..... Total.. Note. These Lists, Blank Forms of which may be had in the month of January in each year, at the Office of General Control of Finances, are, on being filled up, to be delivered in at the same, previous to the last day of February, under a penalty of fifty guilders. No. 120. Mr. Secretary Canning to His Majesty's Commissioners. I HAVE received Mr. Lance's Despatch of the 30th of March, enclosing a Copy of a Blank Form to be filled up and renewed annually at every Plantation in Surinam, for the purpose of ascertaining the name, age, occupation, and religion, of every Slave in the Colony. His Majesty's Government have perused with satisfaction the proof thus given by the Local Authorities of Surinam, of their sincere endeavours to second the humane intentions of their Sovereign, as recorded in the Treaty between Great Britain and The Netherlands, for the Abolition of the Trade in Slaves. His Majesty's Commissioners. I am, &c. GEORGE CANNING. No. 121.-J. H. Lance, Esq. to Mr. Secy. Canning.—(Rec. July 7.) SIR, Surinam, May 3, 1824. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt on the 30th Ultimo, of your Circular dated January 31st, and also of your Despatch of the 4th of February, of this year, with the Enclosures therein contained.* I have the honour to be, &c. The Right Hon. George Canning. J. H. LANCE. No. 122.-J. H. Lance, Esq. to Mr. Secy. Canning.—(Rec. July 7.) SIR, Surinam, May 20, 1824. I HAVE the honour to inform you that Mr. Gerard De Veer was this day appointed by His Excellency the Governor, acting on the part of His Majesty The King of The Netherlands, Provisional Secretary of the Court of Mixed Commission here, on the resignation of Mr. Guicherit, who retires on a Pension. Sce Class B, Session 1824, Nos. 16 and 58. Mr. Gerard De Veer took the requisite oath to-day before the Members of the Court assembled for that purpose at the request of the Governor, and when his Appointment has been confirmed by His Majesty, he will be sworn in before the whole Court in due form. I have the honour to be, &c. The Right Hon. George Canning. J. H. LANCE. No. 123.-J. H. Lance, Esq. to Mr. Secy. Canning.-(Rec. Sept. 9.) I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your Despatch of February 4, and also of your Despatch dated May 28, 1824, and in obedience to your Instructions contained in the latter, I immediately acquainted the other Members of the Board, forming our Commission, that His Majesty's Ship, Thetis, of 46 Guns, commanded by Captain Sir John Phillimore, had been furnished with the Instructions annexed to the Treaty of the 4th of May, 1818, between His Majesty and The King of The Netherlands, for the prevention of the Traffic in Slaves. Nothing of importance has occurred here since my last Despatch. I have the honour to be, &c. The Right Hon. George Canning. J. H. LANCE. No. 124.-C. E. Lefroy, Esq. to Mr. Secy. Canning.-(Rec. Oct. 19.) I HAVE the honour to announce to you my arrival in this Town yesterday, the 19th instant, and that I had the pleasure of finding Mr. Lance in good health; and that I have since waited upon His Excellency the Governor, to acquaint him with my resumption of my official duties. I have the honour to be, &c. The Right Hon. George Canning. CHRIS. EDWARD LEFROY. No. 125.-Mr. Secy. Canning to His Majesty's Commissioners. GENTLEMEN, Foreign Office, November 20, 1824. I SEND to you, for your information and guidance, a Copy of the Act passed in the last Session of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, Cap, 113, for amending and consolidating the Laws of this Country for the Abolition of the Slave Trade; and, for your further information and guidance, in respect to the 75th Clause of that Act, I send to you the Copies of a Correspondence which has passed between this Office and His Majesty's Treasury [Enclosures in No. 9], upon the subject of the Enactment therein contained, for the transmission of certain Lists and Returns to His Majesty's Treasury. His Majesty's Commissioners. I am, &c. GEORGE CANNING. ૨૩ No. 126. His Majesty's Commrs, to Mr. Secy. Canning. (Rec. Dec. 13.) SIR, Surinam, September 15, 1824. We have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your Despatch, dated May 30, 1824, acquainting us for our information, and that of the other Members of our Commission, that the Instructions annexed to the Treaty between His Majesty and The King of The Netherlands, for the prevention of the Slave Trade, have been issued to the Ships and Vessels of His Majesty's Navy, following, viz., Gloucester, Owen Glendower, Ariadne, Victor, Swinger, with the number and names of their Guns and Commanders, and withdrawn from the following, viz. Iphigenia, Sybille, Tamar, Tees, Tyne, Thistle, Snapper. We have the honour to be, &c. The Right Hon. George Canning. CHRIS. EDW. LEFROY. No. 127.-His Majesty's Comm's, to Mr. Secy. Canning.—( Rec. Fcb. 4.) SIR, Surinam, November 28, 1824. WE have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your Despatch, dated July 7th. 1824. We have the honour to be, &c. CHRIS. EDW. LEFROY. The Right Hon. George Canning. No. 128.-Mr. Secretary Canning to His Majesty's Commissioners. Gentlemen, Foreign Office, February 28, 1825. I SEND to you, for your information, and that of the other Gentlemen forming the Board of which you are Commissioners, the accompa nying Copy of a Letter from the Secretary to the Admiralty [Enclo sure in No. 61], giving an account of Ships and Vessels in His Majesty's Navy which have been furnished with the Instructions for Cruizers, referred to in the Treaty for the prevention of Slave Trade, concluded between His Majesty and The King of The Netherlands on the 4th of May, 1818. I am, &c. His Majesty's Commissioners. GEORGE CANNING. No. 129.-Mr. Secretary Canning to His Majesty's Commissioners. GENTLEMEN, Foreign Office, April 4, 1825. THE Despatch of Mr. Lance, of February 6th, 1824, was communicated to His Majesty's Ambassador at The Hague, who was instructed to urge upon the Government of The Netherlands the expediency of rendering The Netherlands' Regulations, as to the Captors of Slave Traders, more favorable than they appear to have been to the capturing Vessel. The King of The Netherlands, with that candour which does him honour, admitted the truth of the observations submitted to His Majesty; and has issued a Decree, by which the Officers and Crew of a |