The Express.
London, England, 1851-09-13 00:00:00

Convention of 1926 to prohibit, and in respect to
which alone is Lord ABERDEEN*/ Act, even had it
under public law any validity, applicable. She was
a little coasting craft, making one of her or-
dinary commercial trips from one ports of the
empire to another; she was carrying odd
-and
ends of all sorts from Itiqi and, amongst other pae-
sengers on board, she had some slams ; not, however,
newly imported Africans, but slaves which their
owner was sending to his plantation; just as slaves
are sent from Richmond in Virginia, to New Orleans
in Louisiana. In this lawful voyage, under the flag
of her sovereign, the Amelia was seized by a British
cruiser, and because its officer did not know the name
of the port for which she was cleared out, he, so
runs the story, held the smack to be engaged in the
African slave-trade, and landing her crew and pas-
sengers, sunk her within sight of her own shores.
To have carried her to St. Helena, to be there con-
demned by a British Vice-Admiralty Court, or to
have handed her over for judicial investigation to the
Brazilian authorities, would, it seems, have been too
much trouble. Sharp was the word and quick the
motion. " She is a slaver; sink her!" And a few
floating timbers remained to prove how effectually
the order; had been obeyed. If this be not pi-
racy, the Yankee proceedings in Cuba are the most
lawful enterprise the world ever saw; and the sooner
some joint-stock speculation is got up. by all the ene-
mies of this country to establish the independence of
Ireland the stronger will be the illustration of the
new reading of the law of nations.
And this outrage was perpetrated after Lord PAL-
MERSTON had, a few weeks previously, on two sepa-
rate occasions informed the House of tommons that
the Brazilian slave-trade was almost at an end; and
within a few hours of her MAJEsTY congratulating
parliament on its approaching termination.
Under any circumstances, and at any time, such
an act of violence would have been unjustifiable. But
under existing circumstances, and at present, it is
the very height of impolicy : for it is calculated to
revive the slave trade by again turning the whole
current of public opinion in Brazil in its favour, and
by tending to the overthrow of the only administra-
tion that has ever had the courage to face that
question; a ministry that has given to Brazil an
anti-slave-trade law which not even the severe
criticism of our Foreign-office can discover a blemish
in ; an administration which has seized and liberated
nearly 3,000 slaves since the enactment of that law,
and under whose tenure of power the slave-traders
are leaving the empire as fast as they can—many
faster than they could wish.
Former v iolences of this sort were defended by
the pro-slave-trade policy of Brazil and its govern-
ments. " Facts—facts!" demanded Lord PALMERS-
TON, in answer to all verbal assurances. Well, at

last • Brazil cabinet has produced "facts—facts"
which have astonished the world—has shown not
only a will but a way to the destruction of the slave-
trade. And the answer of this country to her own
demand—to the adoption of her own policy, and to
the success of that policy—is greater violence than
ever, greaser aggression still. It would almost seem
that the downfall of • cabinet, whose proceedings at
Rio can arrest any share of the merit of the great
suppression triumph from the honest fame of Lord
l'AL•Easrox have been resolved on.

In a country like Brazil, roads are of course few ;
where they do exist they are bad. Its long sea
board is to the empire its great highway, its canal,
its railroad, its almost only means of communication.
Interfere with that, obstruct it, or endanger it, and
the commerce of Brazil comes to a stand still. hence
the pertinacity with which all Brazilian governments
have refused the right of trade along the coast. We are
now obstructing that high way. Senhor Tonnes
the finance minister, on the 3rd of August told the
chambers that tradesmen would not execute orders
from sugar plantations for new boilers, and that the
coasting vessels would not carry them ; boilers being
articles within our equipment regulations—and thus
the operation of sugar culture is interfered with.
Nu wonder that, thus situated, the imperial cabinet
has resolved on placing the coasting trade of Brazil
under the protection of some powerful foreign flag,
when its present insecurity is paralysing production
and trade. And there is no difficulty in
the way of their doing so. Brazil is not
embarrassed by any treaties of navigation
or commerce ; she has no most favoured
nation stipulation to prevent her ; public law cannot
hinder her ; and her own municipal legislation has
made timely preparation for the contingency. All
she wants is a powerful ally, which will undertake
the task and earn the profit. The offer will be a
temptin,,,. one for the enterprising northern marine
of the United States ; and its policy will fit in
with the views of the slave-holders of the Southern
States.

All this violenc,, and irritation, these aggressions
and threats, are rendered more pitiable by the fact
that combination,' are forming at prtsent in Eng-
land fur the further development of the great re-
sources of Brazil. Since the decline of the slave-
trade, capital there wants investment ; and merchants,
too, have turned their attention to providing invest-
ment for it by the introduction of railroads into
Brazil. To these schemes the imperial cabinet is
desirous of giving every encouragement ; English
engineers had actually gone out to make the proper
surveys, when this unfortunate nffair of the Amalia
occurred, if nut to mar all, at least to discourage and
annoy all.
One consolation, however, remains. In Mr.
SOUTHERN, who replaces Mr. Iluoscns as British
minister at the imperial court, our Foreign-office will
have a man of sense, and of independent thought to
inform and advise it.