Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-01-21 00:00:00

Saturday, January 21, 18 60

report of an interesting law case which /5.
heard in' the Court of Chancery on ThursdaJ''
It is possessed of very considerable interest, and
that is rather enhanced than diminished by the ell'.
cumstance that one at least of the patties to the
litigation belongs to this' town. This case weS
argued in 1858 for eight consecutive days before
the Vice-Chancellor, Sir W. Page Wood, °II
which occasion his Honour gave decree in favour
of the plaintiff. From this the defendants
appealed. The groundS of the appeal occupied
six days in the hearing. After fully considering
the bearings of the case, their lordships, the Lord
Chancellor and the Lords Justices,. confirmed the
decision of the court below, and dismissed the
appeal with costs.

The annual meeting of a political agitating
body, called the Lancashire Reform Union, whose
head-quarters are in Manchester, was held yes'
terday ; but the only matter which gave the
semblance of importance to the proceedings, 105
the presence of Mr. John Bright, who was wartalf
received by his supporters. Mr. Bright, as usual►
enlarged on the importance of a great extension
of the electoral franchise; and indulged in a high
eulogium upon the Emperor of the French for the
free-trade tendencies of his recently-published
commercial treaty with Great Britain, at the same
time awarding a very large measure of comma'
dation to his friend and compatriot, Mr. Cobden•

THE idea may startle some of our readers, but it ifir
notwithstanding, one which has a large amount,
of fact to support it, that in certain park of the
United States of America the free negro popals'
tion is likely to be cast into slavery, by special
decrees of the State Legislatures. One of the
most northern of the Slave States at present i 5
Maryland, which is contiguous to Pennsylvania,
—the latter a Free State, but one where slavery
principles have lately been manifested under
very suspicious circumstances. The slave pope'
lation of Maryland is nearly double that of the
white ; while there is a community of free
groes which has increased so largely of late, 05
now to be computed at not much below a fifth Of
the white population. And now it is said to be
seriously contemplated to make all these free
negroes slaves, simply because they are negroes,
We hardly know," says the Times in an article
upon the subject, "how to introduce the propos '
tion which has actually been made with respect
to this large class of citizens, but it is literally
the truth that the Legislature of Maryland has
been moved to reduce all these free people t 0
slavery by an organic law, and to divide them rate
ably among the white inhabitants of the State!
The memorial to this effect makes no pretension
to scruple or .disguise. There is, indeed, a passing
allusion to the recent crisis, but in the main the
petition is founded on the general interest
social and industrial,' of the State, the man'
fest destinies of the negro race, and the 1113.
lienable rights of the white citizen. In fact'
the proposal to seize upon these free negroes re-
sembles the propoials for enclosing common lands
in England,—the country would be improved, ere"
sores would be. taken out of the way, and the allot;
ments would be very convenient to proprietors'
Now, if Maryland can do this, so, of course, CO
any other State. And such examples in tile.
United States, and especially in the present state.
of that question, are apt to be very infectious'
There is very little doubt, indeed, it is to be
feared, that should Maryland carry into effect'
that object, it would gradually be adopted byille
rest of the Slave States; and, judging by the
vey retrograderims Cutollicresen, which the
stillthe gtaing, we should
question 0
really begin to be apprehensive that, even in,ithe
Free States, slavery, in some form or other,
would soon be re-enacted.

At present, indeed, a negro, though free, is not
a citizen in any State. This was ruled the other
day by the American authorities in this countrYr
when an American lady of colour was refused $
visa for her passport. And the next step
doubtless regarded as not a very unnatural one.
They are not citizens, we repeat, under any cif"
cumstances. They are, therefore, it is pretended'
in an anomalous position. That is to say, all
are neither one thing nor another, either politi:
tally or socially ; and there is a political 04
social inconvenience in this, it is felt. Hence the
proposition, monstrous though it be, proceeds
almost as a matter of course, in a Slave State;
The idea, we say, of their being freemen but 10. t
citizens, and negroes but not slaves, is one that/1
is evident, cannot much longer be tolerated where
slavery prevails. It constitutes a difficulty ; 111:11
the wisest way, and they think the most nattirP
and reasonable one, of getting out of it, is hf
making the free negro population, like all tilt
rest in those States, slaves.

Now the worst of it is, that even in the Free-
States there is apparently no voice raised—.°
voice, at least, of any beneficial influence."'
against such a monstrous idea as this. The sub-
ject of slavery appears now to be regarded, if not
with favour and approval, yet certainly not with
aversion. It is true there is still a body of
Abolitionists to be found in every Free State
but they have dwindled down into comparatively
insignificant bodies, and the great bulk of tbe.
people are either indifferent to the question of
abolition, or look upon it as one which it is both'
politic and proper to avoid. It is said, in the'
article of our influential contemporary to willeb
we have referred, that the critical test of plibh6
opinion has been a threatened dissolution of dirt
Union,—that " the South was prepared to accept
this extremity rather than yield ; and the North?.
not unwisely, drew back from so destructive 01'
issue,"—and that this left the victory with the
slaveholders, who no doubt " encouraged at onc,„
by the triumph they have gained, and exasperr
ated by the dangers they have incurred, Prefer

FRANCE.

PATCIS, Jan. 20.

M. Thouvonel is expected to arrive here to-day.
Ile will assume his ministerial duties on Monday
next. The Pays of this evening says it is asserted
that the Emperor has terminated the inquiry on
the questions contained in the letter of sth Jan.,
addressed by his Majesty to M. Fould.
The Debt* now praises, in the most unquali-
fied manner, the proposed modifications of the
Imperial plan, which, it observes, has nothing in
common with those hasty projects which are
called into existence by political necessities, but
are the fruit of long and patient .examination ;
and remarks that although the importation o f
machines for agricultural purposes, and of tools,
has always been strongly favoured by the
Emperor, the severity of the Customs' regula-
tions has completely neutralised the boon.
A Paris letter in the Nord says., the Emperor
replied as follows to certain observations which
have been made:—“The manufacturers who exist
Solely because they are protected, have been
aware of my intentions for five years past, and
they have had plenty of time to prepare for the
change. The system of prohibitions has had its
day, and I have not the. ower to raise the dead."
The Daily .Neivs, Herald, Times, Globe, and
other minor ;journals, were yesterday confiscated
at Paris.
,The Echo l'Avignon has been warned ; and
.'e Gironde has also received a second warning.
The Times' -correspondent affirms that the com-
mercial treaty with England will be signed
before the end of this week. Lord Cowley, he
adds, has returned to Paris with full Tower to do
SO.

The French rfieet returned to Toulon on the
16th from Algesiras, to pass the winter.

THE FRENCH FUNDS.
12 12 P.M.—The market opened dull,,but steady.
Rentes, 68f. 85c.
3 25 P.M.—More animation was apparent at
the close of the Bourse, and prices impro-Ted. The
last quotation of .Rentes was 69, being .a rise of
nearly since yesterday.