Page:The History of Slavery and the Slave Trade.djvu/269

 treaty was concluded by England with Brazil, for the abolition of the slave-trade, and it was accordingly prohibited after March, 1830.

The emperor of Austria issued a decree utterly abolishing slavery throughout the Austrian dominions. "Every man," said his imperial majesty, "by the right of nature, sanctioned by reason, must be considered a free person." Every slave becomes free the moment he touches the Austrian soil, or even an Austrian ship.

The rising republics of South America took a stand against slavery and the slave-trade. One of the first acts of the constitutional assembly of Guatemala was the abolition of slavery. The 13th article of their constitution declared every man in the republic free; that no one who took refuge under its laws should be a slave; and that no one should be accounted a citizen who was engaged in the slave-trade.

In 1829, Guerrero, the President of Mexico, issued the following decree:

"Desiring to signalize the year 1829, the anniversary of our independence, by an act of national justice and beneficence that may turn to the benefit and support of such a valuable good; that may consolidate more and more public tranquility; that may cooperate to the aggrandizement of the republic, and return to an unfortunate portion of its inhabitants those rights which they hold from nature, and that the people protect by wise and equitable laws, in conformity with the 30th article of the constitutive act,

"Making use of the extraordinary faculties which have been granted to the executive, I thus decree:

"1st. Slavery is forever abolished in the republic.

"2d. Consequently all those individuals who until this day looked upon themselves as slaves, are free.

"3d. When the financial situation of the republic admits, the proprietors of slaves shall be indemnified, and the indemnification regulated by a law.

"And in order that the present decree may have its full and entire execution, I order it to be printed, published and circulated to all those whose obligation it is to have it fulfilled.

"Given in the federal palace of Mexico, on the 15th of September, 1829."

In Colombia, slave children born after the revolution were to be free at eighteen. In South America, except Brazil, slavery is either abolished or drawing to a close.

The action of the United States government in abolishing the slave-trade, and its efforts to suppress the illegal traffic, are referred to in subsequent chapters. The treaties and conventions of England with foreign nations for the suppression of the slave-trade will also be found in another part of the volume. The practical results of all these labors are exhibited in the chapters relating to the slave-trade after its nominal abolition.