A.-Principally owing to the influence of the late Liberator, General Bolivar, enforced by his example, in unconditionally giving freedom, in 1810, to his own numerous slaves, the gradual extinction of slavery throughout Colombia, of which Venezuela was at the time a component State, was formally determined by the law of Colombia of the 19th of July, 1821, and from that time the abolition of slavery seems to have been considered by the nation at large as a fundamental principle of the Republic: nevertheless that law was modified in 1830, as already explained in Answer No. 10; and in the present year, a portion of the press, under the influence of the landed proprietors, denounce it as one of the causes of the actual agricultural distress, indicating that some indemnification to slave-owners should be made. Q.-12. Is there any difference in the eye of the law between a free white and free coloured man? A.-None whatever; the denomination of persons of colour being formally abolished in 1811, by the Political Constitution. Q.-13. Are free coloured men ever admitted to offices of the State? A. The law makes no distinction between them; and the free people of colour holding offices of State, and in the public service, form a large proportion of the total number of employés. Q.-14. You will state whether you have drawn your answers from public documents or from private information; and you will state whether any periodical census is taken of the population within the district of your Consulate, and what was the last period at which it was taken? A. In all possible cases, from public documents; and in others, from private information, especially from Mr. Manrique, Secretary of State for the Home Department, and from Colonel Smith, an enlightened Englishman in the service of Venezuela, who, from 1837 to 1841, held the offices of Secretary of State for the Finance and Foreign Department. No periodical census is taken of the population of Venezuela. In 1825 a census was taken; and although admitted to be very inexact, no other was taken until 1834. From its numerous errors, this census was rejected, and another was taken in 1837, which is the last that has been formed; even this is not considered to be very correct, giving, as is believed, a lesser amount of population than that which really existed; nevertherless, in the absence of more correct data, it has been necessary in preparing Answer No. 1, in this despatch, to adopt this census (1837) as the basis for calculating the amount of population in 1832 and in 1843. For the sake of perfect accuracy on a point of such importance, it appears necessary to qualify, by the following explanation, the 2nd clause of Answer No. 8-namely, that "The children of female slaves born subsequent to the 19th of July, 1821, are free.” Such children, as an indemnification to the owners of their mothers, for the expenses of their training, are bound to labour for them, virtually as slaves, until the age of 18, in respect to those born prior to the 2nd of October, 1830, and to the age of 21, in respect to those born after that date. On the expiration of these periods, as the case may be, they are delivered over free to their legitimate parents, or to their grandfathers or grandmothers, being free people, and who as well as the brothers and sisters, if free, of such children, may at any time previous procure them their freedom. by paying to the owner of the mother the one-half of the price for a slave of the same sex and age as determined by the Spanish tariff. If these children have no such relations, then, at the discretion of a Board of Manumission, acting under the superintendence of the Executive, they are apprenticed, until the age of 25, to trades or rural occupations (for example, as field labourers), and in preference to their former patrons. From all this, it follows, that although the children of female slaves born after the 19th of July, 1821, are declared free, in ordinary cases they do not practically enter upon the unrestricted enjoyment of their freedom until they attain the age of 25. 2. Mr. Chatfield to the Earl of Aber- Aug. 12 Slavery does not exist in deen Central America Page 436 Progress of Treaty Nego- 436 Mar. 24 Ditto ditto 437 Consular: 11. Pro-Consul Druce to the Earl of Aug. 10 Answers to Queries on Aberdeen Slave Trade and Slavery. 437 No. Date. 1843 SUBJECT. Page 13. Mr. Perry to the Earl of Aberdeen Aug. 9 Reply to Queries as to Slave Trade and Slavery 439 23. Mr. Fox to the Earl of Aberdeen Jan. 24 President's Message as to equipment of American Squadron for the West Coast of Africa 24. Mr. Everett to the Earl of Aberbeen 25. The Earl of Aberdeen to Mr. Fox 444 26. The Earl of Aberdeen to Mr. Everett Mar. 27. Mr. Fox to the Earl of Aberdeen Feb. 2 28. The Earl of Aberdeen to Mr. Fox April 11 29. Mr. Everett to the Earl of Aberdeen | April 26 471 April 27 40. The Earl of Aberdeen to Mr. Everett Aug. 28 Tigris and Seamew. Com pensation allowed 41. Mr. Everett to the Earl of Aberdeen Aug. 28 Case of the John A. Robb 46. The Earl of Aberdeen to Mr. Fox Oct. 490 renewed remonstrance.... 491 5 American vessels carrying slave goods and equipments--Brazil................ 498 No. Date. SUBJECT. 47. Mr. Everett to the Earl of Aberdeen Nov. 13 Tigris and Seamew. Fur ther inquiry to be made before accepting compensation..... 48. The Earl of Aberdeen to Mr. Everett Nov. 22 Transport of Slave equip ments in American ves- Page 499 500 49. Mr. Everett to the Earl of Aberdeen Dec. 2 Acknowledgment of the preceding.. 503 50. The Earl of Aberdeen to Mr. Paken- Dec. 29 Instructions issued to Briham tish Squadron on the West Coast Consular: 52. Mr. M'Tavish to the Earl of Aber- June 30 Reply to Queries as to deen Slave Trade and Slavery in Maryland....... 504 507 54. Mr. Grattan to the Earl of Aber- July 15 Reply to Queries as to deen Slave Trade and Slavery in Massachusetts........ 511 56. Pro-Consul Moodie to the Earl of Aug. 24 Reply to Queries as to Aberdeen Slave Trade and Slavery 513 519 60. Colonel Fitzgerald to the Earl of Aug. 12 Aberdeen Reply to Queries as to 521 62. Pro-Consul Lingham to the Earl of July 17 Reply to Queries as to 64. Mr. Gray to the Earl of Aberdeen.. July 24 Reply to Queries as to 66. Mr. Sherwood to the Earl of Aber- July 15 Reply to Queries as to deen Slave Trade and Slavery in Maine and New Hampshire....... 68. Mr. Molyneux to the Earl of Aber- Nov. 20 Reply to Queries as to deen 522 523 526 Slave Trade and Slavery in Georgia 530 MOROCCO. 1843 69. The Earl of Aberdeen to Mr. Drum- Dec. 16 mond Hay Introduction of Mr. Richardson, Agent of the Anti-Slavery Society 532 70. Mr. Drummond Hay to the Earl of Dec. 11 Arrival of Mr. Richardson. Aberdeen Petition of Anti-Slavery Society.. 71. The Earl of Aberdeen to Mr. Drum- Dec. 31 Mr. Richardson's Anti |