The Sun.
London, England, 1848-09-04 00:00:00

THE WEST INDIA MAIL.

SOUTHAMPTON, SEPT. 2.—The Royal Mail steam-ship
Tay, Captain Sharp, arrived this morning at ten
o'clock, from the West Indies, with filo usual mails.
The Tay brings on freight 60,144 silver dollars,
69,632 gold dollars, 83,578 dollars gold dust, 61,458
dollars gold in bars and melted, 2,008 dollars of platina,
9,696/. 4s. 2d. British coin, 293,178 dollars in bars and
melted silver, 2,880 dollars in French coin, 5,600 dollars
in pearls, 102,429 dollars in plata pura, 10 Dutch
guilders and 73 rupees, and a general cargo consisting
of 15 barrels of coffee, 173 bags of coffee, 1 case of cigars,
28 bales of sarsaparilla, 13 cases of succades, and 85
packages sundries.
The Jamaica Assembly met on the 3d of August. It
was fully expected that a majority would be found,
though a very small one, perhaps two at roost, for stop-
ping the supplies. The Ist of August had passod off
quietly, and the negroes were getting rid of their fear of
being again made slaves, which had been the cause of
considerable disturbances in the island.

Weather had been fine at Trinidad, but some com-
plaints were making of the continued drought. The
Spanish troops were being withdrawn from Santa Cruz,
both it and St. Thomas being perfectly quiet. Business
very dull.
A court-martial was sitting at Nassau upon Lieute-
nant Gardner, of the 2d West India Regiment, on charges
of conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman
making two mis-statements, and contracting a disgrace
ful marriage tending to bring the regiment into dis
repute.

REVIEW OF MARKETS.
(From De Cordova's Mcrcanttle Intelligencer.)
The news received from home by the last packet is of
a most unsatisfactory character—it leaves us just as
much as ever in doubt as to the destiny of the British
colonies. While Ministers are debating on the policy of
a concession of justice, matters are growing worse and
worse in these islands, without the smallest possible
hope or chance of improvement. We have for some
time anxiously looked forward to the speech of Sir R.
Peel on the sugar question, being sensibly aware how
much weight his vote carries with it in the House of
Commons. His dictum beset length been delivered, and he
appears to be against us. We say appears, because we can-
not hazard a direct opinion on the drift and meaning of the
mass of contradictions contained in the extraordinary
speech spoken on the night of the ?sth of June by the
ex-Premier. Sir Robert Peel would do all in his power
to abolish the slave trade, but he would deny protection
to free labour, by which he virtually nourishes and en-
courages the abominable traffic which he desires to
abolish. We confess we cannot understand this sophism,
and we have too much respect for the talent of Sir Robert
Peel to attribute so grossly absurd an argument to the
want of common sense rather than to a deficiency of
honest sincerity. The case is too simple to be misunder-
stood—without protection wo cannot sell our produce in
England, because the Cuban and Brazilian, who do not
pay for the labour they obtain by cruel and horrible
compulsion,
can afford to undersell us. While our sugar
is thus excluded from the home market, a demand is
created for a great quantity of the article at the low
price, and the Cuban and Brazilian obtain more slaves
to supply it. This is not mere hypothesis and suppo-
sition, but facts gathered from the most sure test—expe-
rience. It is being done more and more every year.
Every official return shows that the import of British
plantation produce falls off in quantity while that of
foreign produce increases—and consequent upon
such increase is the continued and excessive im-
portation into the slave-holding countries of thou•
sands of unfortunate Africans. As for the blockade on
the coast of Africa, it is a mockery that, were it not for
the dreadful crowding of the poor negroes which is now
resorted to on board slave ships, and of which the
blockade is the cause, might well be called a farce. But
all this is nothing to the British Government and to Sir
Robert Peel—the people want cheap sugar. They are
willing to pay the annual expense of the blockading
force—they will even lend half a million to the colonies,
but they must have cheap sugar, even though d
slavetheir
trade which they are so "desirous to abolish." free-trade
An
trade all
impartially dealt out? If we are to suffe
morbid policy should redouble the horrors of the
e
this is done for free trade; why. then, is not
suffer all the in-
jury resulting from this new philosophy, why are we
denied our chance of obtaining some of its benefits?
of
Why is the produce of British soil, planted by the aid
to be taxed in the
British capital, fostered by British ingenuity, manufac-
tured by the toil of British subjects,
British market merely because the ocean rolls between us
and our home. There is not a county in England whose
produce is taxed—why then is not our sugar admitted
duty free? The colonies of England could supply
her with more cheap sugar than she could consume ;
but the objection to such a step is the old cry, "The
Revenue." If, then, the revenue is the grand considera-
tion, the great cause why slavery must be upheld, let it
be boldly avowed, and let us hear no more of the hypo-
critical cant that there is a " desire to abolish slavery."
It is too plain that for the purpose of seeking a market
in Brazil for the Manchester tree-traders, the accursed
that every feeling
system of slavery is to be fostered by England, and
honourable end. of justice will be sacrificed to this dis-