entitled "An Act to amend and consolidate the Laws relating to the abolition of the Slave Trade," are forbidden to be done by British subjects, wheresoever residing or being, whether in any countries or settlements not belonging to the British Crown, or within the British dominions, colonies or settlements, is affixed for inspection in the office of said Consul, and may be inspected accordingly, from the hour of 12 to 3 P.M, daily (Sundays excepted).

Given under my hand, at Galveston, this 1st day of May, in the year of our Lord, 1844.

WILLIAM KENNEDY.

No. 407.—Mr. Kennedy to the Earl of Aberdeen.—(Rec. July 29.) MY LORD, Galveston, June 14, 1844.

AMONG the recently published Acts of the 8th Congress of the Republic of Texas, is one having reference to the apprehension of runaway slaves. As my official duty may be reasonably supposed to include an early report of local legislation in relation to matters interesting to Her Majesty's Government, or bearing upon our national welfare, I have the honour to transmit a copy of the main sections of this Act, together with a copy of an Act to which it is supplementary, and of 2 sections of other Acts declaratory of the punishment to be inflicted on whites, and free persons of colour, convicted of stealing or enticing away slaves, or aiding and assisting in the flight of fugitive slaves. I have, &c.

The Earl of Aberdeen, K.T.

WILLIAM KENNEDY.

(Inclosure.)-Laws of the Republic of Texas, in relation to Runaway

Slaves.

ACT OF CONGRESS.-(Passed February 5, 1841.)

SECT. 1. Where any slave is now in the gaol of any county of this Republic, or shall hereafter be committed to the gaol thereof, as a runaway, a notice of the apprehension and commitment, with a full description of said slave, shall be published weekly in one of the gazettes at the seat of Government, for the space of one month, and printed copies thereof shall be furnished to the clerk of the County Court of the county in which the commitment is made, to be carefully filed and preserved in his office; and it shall be the duty of the sheriff or gaoler, having custody of such slave, to ascertain as nearly as may be the name of the owner thereof, and to address him or her by regular post, at least twice, giving a full description of said runaway slave, in such manner as may best lead to the discovery and restoration.

2. If said slave, being a runaway, shall not be claimed and proved by the owner thereof within 6 months from the first publication of his

commitment, the sheriff of the county in which the commitment was made, shall expose said slave to sale at the Court House of his county, upon giving at least 30 days' notice of such sale, by advertisement posted up in, at least, 2 public places in said county, and published in some gazette of the county in which the sale is to take place, or in the next nearest county having a gazette; and, out of the proceeds arising from the sale of any runaway slave, as aforesaid, the sheriff shall be entitled to the same commission and fees as are allowed in cases of execution, and the balance, after paying all prison fees, or fees for the maintenance of said runaway while in custody, clerk's fees, and expenses of apprehending and advertising, shall be paid into the county treasury for the use of the proper county: provided that if the owner of any runaway slave thus sold shall prove his property within 3 years after said sale, the proper county shall pay to him the amount that shall have been paid into the county treasury on account of the sale of said slave: but the right to any slave sold as aforesaid, shall be and remain vested in the purchaser under the sale made by the sheriff as aforesaid, any law to the contrary notwithstanding.

3. The sheriff making the sale of any runaway slave as aforesaid, shall return a full and clear account and statement of such sale, under his hand and seal, to the Clerk of the County Court, who shall record the same among his record of deeds.

4. All runaway slaves shall be lawfully apprehended by any person and carried before the next justice of the peace, who shall either commit them to the county gaol, or to the custody of the sheriff, or send them to the owner, if known, who shall pay for every slave so taken up the sum of 10 dollars to the person apprehending him or her, and all reasonable costs and damages; and if said owner shall fail or refuse to pay said reward and reasonable expenses, the person apprehending and delivering said runaway slave as aforesaid shall be entitled to have his action for the recovery of the same, before any justice of the peace of the district or precinct in which said owner resides, or in which said slave is delivered up to the owner.

5. If any person or persons be convicted of harbouring or concealing any Negro or Negroes belonging to any person or persons whomsoever, or suffering the same to be harboured or concealed with his consent or knowledge, the said person or persons shall, for each offence, be fined in a sum not exceeding 500 dollars, and shall be imprisoned not less than 1 calendar month, nor exceeding 6 calendar months, and shall be liable in damages to the party owning the slave or slaves, to be recovered by action on the case before any court having competent jurisdiction.

ACT OF CONGRESS. (Supplementary to the preceding Act), passed January 27, 1844.

SECT. 1. It shall be lawful hereafter for any person or persons who may apprehend and commit to gaol any runaway slave or slaves on or west of the San Antonio river, to demand and receive the sum of 50 dollars for each and every slave so apprehended; provided said slave or slaves be so secured that the property shall come safely to the possession of the owner, to be paid upon the delivery of such slave or slaves to the owner thereof, or his authorized agent; and the person or persons apprehending such slave or slaves shall have a lien on the same until the reward specified as aforesaid shall be paid.

2. In all cases in which any slave or slaves shall have been apprehended and delivered to the owner at his residence, it shall be lawful for the person apprehending and delivering such slave or slaves to demand and receive for each slave so apprehended and delivered, in addition to the sum specified as aforesaid, the further sum of 2 dollars for every 30 miles he may travel in going to and returning from the residence of said owner, the distance to be computed over the shortest route travelled at the time; and to have a lien upon the slave or slaves for the payment of the same, as provided for in the first section of this Act.

3. The provisions of the 2nd section of this Act shall extend to persons apprehending runaway slaves in any part of the Republic; provided said slave or slaves are delivered by the apprehender to the owner at his or her residence.

4. If no owner appears to claim any slave or slaves so apprehended, and the same be sold under the provisions of the Act to which this is a supplement, then, and in that case, it shall be the duty of the sheriff to pay over to the person or persons apprehending such slave or slaves the reward prescribed by the provisions of the first section of this Act; provided that the sheriff shall take, in writing, the testimony on which the claim to the reward is admitted, and that the same be filed in the office of the clerk of the County Court.

Galveston, June 14, 1844.

In reference to the foregoing laws it is to be observed, that by Section 6 of an Act of Congress, passed December 21, 1836, it is enacted, "That every person who shall steal, or entice away any slave out of, or from the possession of the owner or owners of such slave, shall be deemed guilty of felony, and on conviction thereof shall suffer death."

It is further to be observed, that by Section 2 of an Act of Congress, passed December 14, 1837, it is enacted, "That it shall not be lawful for any free person of colour to inveigle or entice away from

their owner or master any slave or slaves, nor to aid or assist any slave or slaves in leaving the Republic, without the consent of the owner of such slave or slaves; nor shall it be lawful for any free person of colour to conceal, or render aid or assistance to any runaway slave, with the intent to prevent the return of such runaway to his or her owner; and, upon conviction of any of the foregoing offences before a District Court, such free person of colour shall be fined in a sum equal to the value of such slave or slaves, and, on failure to pay the said fine, shall be sold as a slave for life.”

These several laws, and sections of laws, are at present in force in the Republic of Texas.

VENEZUELA.

WILLIAM KENNEDY.

No. 445.—Mr. Wilson to the Earl of Aberdeen.—(Rec. April 9.) MY LORD, Caracas, March 1, 1844. WITH reference to the annual report upon the internal affairs of Venezuela, recently presented to Congress by the Secretary of State for Justice and the Home Department, I have the honour to acquaint your Lordship, that during the year ending the 31st of December last, 7 female slaves and 18 male slaves have been purchased by the State and manumitted, whilst 581 children of slaves, of whom 284 were males, and 297 females, born during the year 1825, having obtained the age of 18 years, have been apprenticed to trades or rural occupations until the age of 25 years, when they will enter upon the unrestricted enjoyment of their freedom, all in comformity to law.

Copies of the principal laws relating to slavery in Venezuela were transmitted to your Lordship in Mr. O'Leary's despatch of the 4th of May, 1842; and such full particulars respecting the question were furnished in my despatch, of last year, that I should not have brought the subject again under your Lordship's notice were it not for the painful necessity of reporting to your Lordship a case recently made public, exhibiting a lamentable want of zeal in the faithful execution of the law of manumission.

A person of the name of Chaves died in the year 1841, leaving property to the amount of about 300,000 dollars, at exchange of 6 dollars and a quarter to the pound sterling, to £48,000.

Being bequeathed to a stranger in blood, this property became chargeable with a legacy duty of 10 per cent. in favour of the fund for the manumission of slaves; and as the laws upon the subject are very stringent, in ordinary cases they would have been enforced, but

unfortunately, in the present instance Mr. Perez, the executor, is a man possessed of great influence on account of his wealth, and more particularly as a principal shareholder and director of the National Bank; and as the value of money in Venezuela varies from threefourths to 2 per cent. per month, Mr. Perez has a positive interest in the prevention of a speedy liquidation of the estate of Chaves, who was besides his partner in business; for in the meantime a large portion of the funds remain under his sole management and for his personal benefit.

Hence, under the most frivolous and vexatious pretexts, he has hitherto not only successfully evaded a liquidation of Chaves' estate, but also the payment of 30,000 dollars-4,8007. due to the manumission fund, the authorities not having as yet enforced upon the occasion a faithful observance of the laws.

Had these been honestly and fearlessly executed, about 200 slaves still retained in bondage would, since 1841, have been purchased and set free with the proceeds of the legacy duty on Chaves' estate.

The case has been denounced in a public paper of this capital as a flagrant violation of one of the fundamental laws of the Republic ; and attention being thus boldly called to the subject, it is to be hoped the proper authorities will eventually cause justice to be done; and General Soublette, the President, and Mr. Manrique, the Secretary of State for the Home Department, have assured me that such will be the case.

It is but just to say, that the Executive Government seems well disposed to perform its duty in all matters connected with the question of slavery, and has announced to Congress, that it is actually preparing regulations for the more efficient collection and disbursement of the tax (legacy duty) for the manumission of slaves, and if necessary, will apply to Congress for further powers; and that these are required seems fully proved by the apparent inability of the Executive to prevent hitherto the practical evasion of the law of manumission in the case herein submitted to your Lordship.

The Earl of Aberdeen, K.T.

I have, &c.

BELFORD HINTON WILSON.

No. 449.-Mr. Wilson to the Earl of Aberdeen.-(Rec. May 8.) MY LORD, Caracas, April 2, 1844.

IN the execution of the instructions contained in your Lordship's despatch of the 31st of December last, received at this Legation on the 29th ultimo, I have drawn up, and caused to be printed in a newspaper of this capital, a public notice, 2 copies of which are herewith inclosed, calling the attention of Her Majesty's subjects to the Act 6 and 7 Vict., cap. 98, for the more effectual suppression of the Slave Trade.