The Press.
London, England, 1853-10-15 00:00:00

r - 4

It is notorious that of late the slave trade to
COW has rapidly increased. Three years ago
it was all but, extinguished in that quarter, but
during the tine first months of 1mr):1 w learn
upon {oud Wit), that between nine and
ten thousand slaves were landed in the island.
The atrocious mime of the Lady 8,0,1 k, in
which it. is said that no less than thirteen
hundred Africans were carried off from a Por-
tuguese colony by a peribli. oils stratagem of
the master of that ship,ealled forth, towards the
dose of the session, the just deminerations of
Lord BUM.% II AM. The mild explanations of Lord
l't..%ltrslos, in reply, were eminently Annie-
teristic of our present Foreign Secretary. A
British Minister who, after the experience of
the last four months, still parade his
belief in the just intentions of Ibe Emperor of
ItusalA, is a fit apologist low the present
Govetmor of Cuba.
That personage has lately expressed, through
his official journal at the Havannalt, great in
diguation at, the eomments which have been
made upon him in England, both in Parlia-
ment and in the presF. General CANEno
appears to think that his high office ought to
place hint above suspicion. But in this he is
grossly mistaken, if the conclusions of the
parliamentary committee whielt has just
finished its labours are at all to be relied
upon. We learn from its report that a parti-
cipation in the profits of the slave thole has
been the rule with the Captains General of
Cuba flout time immemorial. There have
been of late some honourable exceptions, but
these only prove the !prevalence of the custom.
It appears that, up to the year ltclu, the
Governor of Cuba received half it doubloon
for every slave landed in the island. General
VArana, who assumed that post in 1:74 it I, for the
first time in the history of the colony, refused
to share, directly or indirectly, in the profits of
this vile traffic. lint his example has been
fllowed by only one of his successors.
General CONeIIA became Governor in 1t.430,
and he immediately made known his determi
nation nut to accept of any fees trout the slave-
dealers. He also took active measures for the
suppress' of the traffic ; but what Was the
result? lie was removed from his post before
he hail held it a twelvemonth, and the com-
mittee inform us that " it was generally under-
" stood that his meal was owing to the
" measures which he had taken to put down
" the slave trade.-

It is well known, indeed, that persons of vely
high rank in Madrid are directly interested in
the traffic, and it is they, and not the authori-
ties of Cuba, who are practically responsible
for its perpetuation. The example of Brazil
has proved to the satisfaction of the civilised
world that any eountry may put down the
slave trade Which honestly determines to do
so. Five years IWO there were imported into
the Brazilian territories an unusual average of
60,000 Africans. ill IKII it is believed that
the number landed did not reach 700. The
traffic in that quarter, indeed, may be said to
be extinguished ; and, without undervaluing
the important services of our own cruisers. we
are bound to admit that this result is mainly
attributable to the Vigorous measures adopted
anti eontinued during the last. three years by
the Emperor of BaAzit.. We cannot for a
moment doubt that a similar line of policy
would be equally successful in Cuba. The
question is. how are we to induce Spain to
adopt it We have bribed her handsomely to
put down this inhuman traffic, and she has
solemnly engaged to do mo at least. a score of
times during the last thirty years. But, while
receiving our money with one hand, she
clutches the gold of the slave-dealer in the
other, and is thus doubly rewarded for her
scandalous conduct. It appears from the
report of the committee that. since the year
ikiS we have paid to Spain the sum of
1,134,179/. to induce her to abandon the slave
trade. But the futility of this policy is now
abundantly apparent, and it is time that a
ditYerent system were attempted.

Ou the subject of Cuba we have also this
week Mr. EVERI,:TTM urinous reply ‘4, the
manly despatch of Lord JOHN IlussEt 1.. ill
whivh, us our readers will remember, his

THE PRESS.

Lordship sustained the principles of inter-
national law agt.inst the encroachments to
which they are subjected by the incompetence
of the United States' Government to restrain
the piratical inclinations of their citizens.
The only approach to an argument which
we van find on the part of Mr. EvEaErr is
this : that. England herself, with her dense
population, her press, post-office, and police,
has not, within her narrow limits, been able
to prevent expeditions intended to invade
friendly (-iambics being organised in her ports
and, therefore, ean•America, with her immense
territorial extent, her boundless wastes, her sea-
coast of hundreds of leagues, thinly sprinkled
with a population not, numerically, equal to
that of England, be justly blamed for not
preventing " a small steamer, disguised its
" trading vessel, from slipping oft from an
" outport in the night on an unlawful pur
" pose"? The charge against the American
Government is, not that it failed in stopping
the expedition after doing its utmost to pre-
vent it—no one reproaches them with their
difficulties—the charge is, that subscriptions
were raised, volunteers enrolled, and meetings
held in New Orleans and elsewhere, to pro-
mote that expedition ; that these things were
done, not in the dark, but in the broad noon-
day ; that they were as notorious at the time
as anything else is that is prominently bla-
zoned and proclaimed in the newspapers ;
that the American Government, knowing all
this, and possessing the power, never at
tempted, in good faith, to stop the expedition—
never, in tact, interfered at all until the ex-
pedition had signally failed, and then inter
fered to—save the piratical citizens from pu-
nishment justly deserved.
In England, expeditions against the law of
nations have been secretly organised, and
by our Government detected and stopped.
The expedition of FLORES, and that to Sicily,
were, we believe, the latest instances of our
good faith and respect for the international
law. It will surprise no one to learn that
Mr. EvEam's last charge against England—
intended as a home-thrust—is made on the
authority of Mr. COBDEN, who doubtless pre-
fers peace with foreigners, for this among
other reasons, that it provides a free circula-
tion for his libels on his countrymen.

MR. COBDEN AND THE PEACE
CONFERENCE AT EDINBURGH.
" SEEING is believing ; but feeling bath no
fellow," says the old proverb. But we say
that in believing Mr. COWEN has no fellow.
Mr. COBDEN not only believes that no glim-
mering dream of invading England ever
flashed through the mind of ordinary men,
but that NAPOLEON the First only gave it
passing thought—never seriously meditated
it," merely cast a look at us and went away."
This island was then the only nation un-
trodden by a foreign foe—Loudou the only
capital uncaptured by an enemy. What did
NAPOLEON see when he " merely cast a look at
us"? Did he see Quakers sitting on the white
cliffs, blandly and placidly smiling at him and
his vast army : or did his eye rest on a living
wall of armed men placed, like a rampart,
round the land? Why, we had SOO,OOO men
under .n•tns when NAPOLEON " cast a look at
us." Yet it was not that which deterred him
from attempting his intended invasion. " I do
•• not ask you," he writes to VILLENEuvE, " to
" gain a victory ; all I ask is, fight a battle:
lose your ships, if it must be so : but shat-
- ter and cripple those of the enemy, that the
•• Channel may be at my command for twenty-
•, four hours." The whole navy of France was
the price NAI,OI.EoN was willing to pay for a
Aimee of lauding an army in England. But
even that—fi•r which he was willing to pay so
dearly, that he might play his desperate east
—was denied to him ; and then, indeed, " he
went :away."
Mr. Contwx takes credit to himself that he
has not " triumphed " in the House of Com-
mons by exulting in the success of his peace
eontt•renees. Meek man ! Malice might sug-
gest. that he has adopted a prudent course,
for his own credit's sake, not to boast of his

SATURDAY,

success when the sea is covered with fleets,
the land with camps, and Europe is on the
brink of war.

ARCTIC DISCOVERY.

Tuz arrival of Capt. I soLzsiELu from Beechey
Island supplies us with much welcome Intel=
ligence from the Arctic Regions. The search
for FRANKLIN had still proved fruitless ; but
the gallant M'CLunv., for whose safety serious
misgivings were entertained, has been found,
with his crew, in safety. In his last letters to
England he announced his fixed resolve to
push his way to the eastward from Behring's
Straits, take his chance of wintering in the
pack wherever he might be caught by the ice,
and attempt to reach Melville Island by his
parties, if he failed with his ship. He has
successfully accomplished his daring enter-
prise, and has at last discovered the long-
sought for North-West Passage.
His ship, the Investigator, parted company
from COLLINSON, in the Enterprise, oth August.
1850, and, when last seen, was steering north
of Cape Barrow, under a press of canvas, and
with a stiff breeze. On doubling the Cape he
followed the American coast till he reached
Cape Parry. Here the sea being open, he
struck to the north, found land about sixty
miles off, and, between this laud to the west,
and other laud (forming a continuation with
Wollaston and Victoria Land) to the east,
discovered a channel leading directly into
Barrow's Strait. Beset by ice, M'CLunE win-
tered in the midst of the pack.
With the opening of the ice in Jul)), 1852,
lie attained his farthest position north in the
channel he had discovered. Only a barrier of
ice separated him from Barrow's Strait, but he
was unable to push through it. Probably
some peculiar circumstances favour an accu-
mulation of ice in this direction, as PARRY had
vainly endeavoured to find an opening when
running along its northern bank. Ultimately
M'CLuitv. took up a secure position on the
south side of Banks's Land, and hence connnu•
nicated with Melville Island.
His meeting with KELLETT on the coast of
PARav's first great discovery is one of the most
remarkable incidents in the whole record of
Arctic adventure. At last parties from the
east and the west had met, and British ves-
sels in good order from Baffin's Bay on one
side, and Behring's Straits on the other, were
within 170 miles of each other. This is the
crowning exploit of that series of Polar voy-
ages, commenced five and thirty years ago, to
round the North American continent, which
have done immortal honour to our navy, and
been fruitful in noble examples of heroic
daring, sustained exertion, skilful seamanship,
and unshaken fortitude under the severest
trials and privations. It is impossible not to
admire this continued contest of " man with
the elements' might " in regions where the ele-
ments are most irresistible. Our triumphs
are the more precious as the field of exertion
has been all our own. The chart of Arctic dis-
covery is one of the proudest illustrations of
our maritime greatness.
The only serious misfortune announced in
these accounts is the death of the generous
French lieutenant, M. BELLoT. He volunteered
to command the party sent from the North
Star to apprise Sir E. BELCHER of the arrival of
INOLEFIELD in the Phanix, and sank through a
fissure in the ice over which he was travellim.•
At the date of BELCHER'S last despatch
(July 26, 1N53) he was proceeding down
Wellington Channel with the view of return-
ing home. He has established a connection
between this sea and Jones's Sound, both
leading into a Polar ocean, composed, he
thinks, in great part of islets and sandbanks.
From his close examination of the adjacent
shores, without discovering the slightest trace
of FRANKLIN, it is unlikely that his lost sinus
ever took that direction. With greater proba-
bility we may suppose that he fulfilled his in-
structions (as those who knew him best said
he would do) and proceeded past Cape Walker
to the south-west in search of that strait
which both himself and the late Sir Jots