your attendance in parliament, to express to you his majesty's acknowledgments for the zeal and assiduity with which you have ap. plied yourselves to the despatch of public business, and especially to the consideration of those im. portant matters which his majesty recommended to your attention at the opening of the session.

"His majesty directs us to inform you, that he continues to receive from his allies, and from all foreign powers, assurances of their earnest desire to cultivate the relations of peace, and maintain the most friendly understanding with his majesty.

"His majesty laments that he has not to announce to you the termination of the war in the east of Europe; but his majesty commands us to assure you that he will continue to use his utmost endea. vours to prevent the extention of hostilities, and to promote the restoration of peace.

"It is with satisfaction his majesty informs you, that he has been enabled to renew his diplomatic relations with the Ottoman Porte. "The ambassadors of his majesty, and of the king of France, are on their return to Constantinople; and the emperor of Russia, having been pleased to authorize the plenipoten. tiaries of his allies to act on behalf of his imperial majesty, the nego. tiations for the final pacification of

Greece will be carried on in the name of the three contracting par. ties to the treaty of London.

"The army of his most christian majesty has been withdrawn from the Morea, with the exception of a small force destined, for a time, to assist in the establishment of order in a country which has so long been the scene of confusion and anarchy.

"It is with increased regret that his majesty again adverts to the condition of the Portuguese monarchy. But his majesty commands us to repeat his determination to use every effort to reconcile conflicting interests, and to remove the evils which press so heavily upon a country, the prosperity of which must ever be an object of his majesty's solicitude. "Gentlemen of the House of Com

mons,

"His majesty commands us to thank you for the supplies which you have granted for the service of the year, and to assure you of his majesty's determination to apply them with every attention to econo. my.

"My Lords and Gentlemen,

"His majesty has commanded us, in conclusion, to express the sincere hope of his majesty, that the important measures which have been adopted by parliament in the course of the present session, may tend, under the blessing of Divine Provi dence, to establish the tranquillity and improve the condition of Ire land; and that, by strengthening the bonds of union between the several parts of this great empire, they may consolidate and augment its power, and promote the happiness of his people."

Convention between his Majesty and her royal highness the Infanta Regent of Portugal, for providing for the maintenance of a corps of British troops, sent to Portugal Dec, 1826; signed at Brighthelmston, Jan. 19, 1828.

In the name of the most holy and undivided Trinity, &c.

Her royal highness the infanta regent of Portugal having, in con

sequence of aggressions committed against the Portuguese territory, claimed the fulfilment, by his majesty the king of the united kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, of the ancient treaties of alliance and friendship which sub. sist between the two crowns; and his Britannic majesty having thereupon resolved to send, and having actually sent, a body of troops to Portugal, the two high contracting parties think it necessary to agree upon certain arrange. ments for the maintenance of the said troops during their stay in Portugal, and have named as their plenipotentiaries for that purpose, viz.:

His majesty the king of the united kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the right hon. George Canning, &c.-And her royal highness the infanta regent of Portugal, the most illustrious and most excellent lord, Don Pedro de Souza e Holstein, marquis of Pal. mella, &c.

Who, after having communicated to each other their respective full powers, found to be in due and proper form, have agreed upon and concluded the following ar. ticles:

Art. 1. Her royal highness the infanta regent of Portugal, anxious that the body of troops which has been so promptly sent to her royal highness's aid by his Britannic majesty should be treated with the hospitality becoming the relations of the two allied nations, engages to provide the necessary barracks and quarters, and buildings for hospitals, and for stores and magazines, and the necessary rations of provisions and forage, for the officers, non-commissioned officers, and soldiers, and for the horses and

cattle of the British auxiliary army, according to the regulations of the British service.

2. The provisions and forage above specified are to be delivered to the British commissariat, at a distance not greater than six Por. tuguese leagues from the head. quarters of each British detachment to which they are supplied, unless in cases where a different arrangement shall be made, with the consent of the British commis. sariat.

3. In order to obviate the diffi culties which an immediate disbursement of funds for the purchase of the aforesaid provisions and forage might occasion, under the present circumstances, to the government of Portugal, it is agreed that the British commissary-general shall, for the present, provide those supplies for the British army, charging the cost thereof to the account of the Portuguese government.

As, however, cases may arise, in which it may be more convenient to receive such supplies from Portuguese magazines, for the purpose of avoiding competition in the markets, the British commissary. general shall, in the execution of this agreement, concert his pro. ceedings, from time to time, with a person appointed for that end by the government of Portugal.

4. The accounts of the British commissariat being approved and signed by the commander of the auxiliary army, shall be delivered every three months to the Portuguese government, which, having verified the same, shall either pay the amount thereof forthwith to the British commissary-general, or carry it over to the credit of the British government, as shall be

judged most convenient by the two governments.

5. The cost of provisions and forage for the British troops shall be placed to the account of the Portuguese government, from the day of the landing of the said troops in Portugal, and shall cease to be placed to that account from the day of their departure, or of their passing the frontiers of Portugal.

6. Her royal highness the infanta regent of Portugal having consented that on this, as on for mer occasions, the forts of St. Julien and of Bugio shall be occupied by the British troops, it is agreed that the said occupation shall continue so long as the auxiliary army shall remain in Portugal. Those forts shall be, from time to time, duly provision. od by the Portuguese government, or by the British commissariat on account of the Portuguese government, in the same manner as is provided in the foregoing ar ticles with respect to the auxiliary army.

Arrangements shall be made between the government of Portugal and the commander of the British army, for the carrying on of the service of the pratique, of the police of the harbour, and of the customs, by the proper officers of the Portuguese government, usually employed for those purposes. A list of these officers shall be given to the British commanding officer, and they shall be strictly under his command in all that may relate to military service, and to the defence of the forts.

7. His Britannic majesty requiring, on the part of his ally, only that which is indispensably necessary for insuring the proper

maintenance of his troops, and for the good of the common service, declares that he will not bring for. ward any pecuniary claims whatever against the Portuguese government, on account of the assistance furnished by his majesty on this occasion to Portugal, beyond what is specified in the preceding articles.

8. The stipulations of this convention shall remain in full force until the two high contracting parties shall mutually agree to make any change therein.

9. The present convention shall be ratified, and the ratifications shall be exchanged in London, in the space of six weeks from the date hereof, or sooner if possible.

In witness whereof, the respective plenipotentiaries have signed the same, and have affixed thereto the seals of their arms.

Done at Brighthelmstone, the 19th day of January, in the year of Our Lord 1827.

(L. s.) (L. s.)

GEORGE CANNING. MARQUEZ de Palmella.

Despatch from the Right Hon. Wm.

Huskisson, his Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for the Colonial Department, to Major-General Sir John Keane, K. C. B., Lieutenant-Governor of Jamaica, sent down by him in a Message to the Hon. House of Assembly, on Fri day the 16th November, 1828.

Downing-street, Sept. 22.

SIR,-The act passed by the governor, council, and assembly of Jamaica, in the month of December, 1826, entitled, "An act to alter and amend the Slave-laws of this island," having been referred by his majesty in council to the lords of the committee of privy

council for the affairs of trade and foreign plantations, that committee have reported to his majesty in council their opinion that this act ought to be disallowed. The order of his majesty's council, approving that report, and disallowing the act, will be transmitted to you by the earliest opportunity.

In obedience to the commands of his majesty in council, I proceed to communicate to you the grounds of his majesty's decision upon this subject.

The privy council did not submit to his majesty their advice that this act should be disallowed without great reluctance. The great import. ance of the subject has been fully estimated, and his majesty has perceived with much satisfaction the advances which the colonial legis. lature have made in many respects, to meet the recommendations conveyed to them in lord Bathurst's despatch of the 11th of May, 1826; but, however much his majesty may have been desirous to sanction these valuable improvements in the slave code of Jamaica, it has been found impossible to overcome the objections to which other enact ments of this law are open. I am commanded to express to you his majesty's carnest hope, that upon a deliberate review of the subject, the legislative council and assembly will be disposed to present for your assent another bill, devested of those enactments which have prevented the confirmation of the present act.

Among the various subjects which this act presents for consideration, none is more important in itself, nor more interesting to every class of society in this king. dom, than the regulations on the subject of religious instruction.

The 83rd and the two follow. ing clauses must be cosidered as an invasion of that toleration to which all his majesty's subjects, whatever may be their civil condition, are alike entitled. The prohibition of persons in a state of slavery, assuming the office of religious teachers, might seem a very mild restraint, or rather a fit precaution against indecorous proceedings; but, amongst some of the religious bodies who employ missionaries in Jamaica, the practice of mutual instruction is stated to be an established part of their discipline. So long as the practice is carried on in an inoffensive and peaceable manner, the distress produced by the prevention of it will be compensated by no public advantage.

The prohibition of meetings for religious worship, between sun-set and sun-rise, will, in many cases, operate as a total prohibition, and will be felt with peculiar severity by domestic slaves inhabiting large towns, whose ordinary engage. ments on Sunday will not afford leisure for attendance on public worship before the evening. It is impossible to pass over, without remark, the invidious distinction which is made, not only between Protestant Dissenters and Roman Catholics, but even between Protestant Dissenters and Jews. I have, indeed, no reason to suppose that the Jewish teachers have made any converts to their religion among the slaves, and probably, therefore, the distinction in their favour is merely nominal; still it is a preference, which, in principle, ought not to be given by the legislature of a Christian country.

The penalties denounced upon persons collecting contributions

from slaves, for purposes either of charity or religion, cannot but be felt, both by the teachers and by their followers, as humiliating and unjust. Such A law would affix an unmerited stigma on the religious instructer; and it prevents the slave from obeying a positive precept of the Christian religion, which he believes to be obligatory on him, and which is not inconsistent with the duties he owes to his master. The prohibition is, therefore, a gratuitous aggravation of the

evils of his condition.

It may be doubtful whether the restriction upon private meetings among the slaves without the knowledge of the owner, was intentionally pointed at the meetings for religious worship. No objection, of course, could exist to requiring that notice should be given to the owner or manager whenever the slaves attended any such meetings; but, on the other hand, due security should be taken that the owner's authority is not improperly exerted to prevent the attendance of the slaves.

I cannot too distinctly impress upon you, that it is the settled purpose of his majesty's government, to sanction no colonial law which needlessly infringes on the religious liberty of any class of his majesty's subjects; and you will understand that you are not to assent to any bill, imposing any restraint of that nature, unless a clause be inserted for suspending its operation until his majesty's pleasure shall be known.

Having thus adverted to this most important branch of the general subject, I proceed to inquire how far the suggestions contained in Lord Bathurst's despatch of the 11th of May, 1826, have been fol

lowed in the act under consideration.

The council of protection, established under the 33d clause of this act, cannot be considered as an ef fectual substitute for the office of a distinct and independent protector. The council in each parish will consist of those individuals over whom the protector was to exercise his superintendence. Their duties are limited to the simple case of extreme bodily injury, and are to be discharged only "if they think proper.' The periodical returns required from the protector upon oath, are not to be made by the council of protection, nor are they even bound to keep a journal of their proceedings. No provision is made for executing the duties of the office in different parts of the colony upon fixed and uniform principles, and the number of persons to be united in this trust is such as entirely to destroy the sense of personal and individual responsibility.

In the provisions for the due ob. servance of Sunday, I remark that the continuance of the markets on that day till the hour of eleven, is contemplated as a permanent regulation. It is, however, impossible to sanction this systematic violation of the law prevailing in every other Christian country. In the proposals transmitted by Lord Bathurst to his grace the duke of Manchester, a temporary departure from this rule was permitted, but only as a relaxation required by peculiar and transitory circumstances.

The clauses denouncing penalties on persons employing their slaves to labour on Sunday, are expressed with some ambiguity, so as to leave it doubtful whether the penalty