The Sun.
London, England, 1860-06-13 00:00:00

but that, on the contrary, these colonies might, in
reason and in manliness, be able by this time to
defend themselves.

There is no subject on which Englishmen of all
parties, politics, and sects feel more at one than on

,hat of the African Slave Trade. Sometimes it has

appeared to be almost made out to the satisfaction
of philanthropists like the late Mr. BUXTON, that
our money was thrown away in attempting its
suppression by cruisers ; at least that the sufferings
of the negroes were greatly increased by the
means employed by slavers to escape detection and
capture. Yet never could either we or our gover-
nors bring ourselves to resign this horrid trade to
its natural development. We could not stand by
and see a set of the vilest pirates on earth pursue
their accursed traffic without restraint on the high-
ways of the ocean. _

Hitherto, however, between America and Spain
we have succeeded but imperfectly. American
Governments have been willing to see the trade

suppressed, and of late have co-operated more ac-
tively with us to attain that object. But a sensi-
tiveness on the question of the right of search, the
remains of an old misunderstanding, have enabled
slavers to use the American flag, and to defy our
commanders. Spain, on her part, is guilty of the
most unblushing fraud as well as cruelty. By
treaty she is bound to suppress the traffic ; and
she has already received money, amounting now,
we believe, to nearly half a million, from us for

that purpose. Yet her colonies—Cuba especially
and Porto Rico are now the great remaining
marts for slavers. Could we but coerce them, the
slave trade would ceas;. We Live a iktfect
moral right to do it ; and Americans have more
than hinted that we ought to act on that right,
and compel the fulfilment of the treaty. Assuredly,
were they in our position, and did they feel in
the subject the interest universally felt here,
they would soon find a short cut to complete sup-
pression of the traffic ; and they would have, what
we should, the applause of the civilised world.
Just at the present time, however, the Americans
have a special reason of their own why they should
wish to put an end to the slave trade. It is
likely to become an annual charge on their na-
tional treasury. Their cruisers have, for de-
cency's sake, been increased, and they seem not
to like that we should monopolise the naval
credit of all the captures. The consequence has
been that many cargoes of negroes have been
brought in by the American vessels, which at no
little cost had to be maintained, and reconveyed
across the Atlantic to the colony of Liberia—the
American Act on the slave trade not permitting
captured slaves to remain in the states, but
requiring that they should be conveyed to
some part of the coast of Africa. A
cargo captured by the Echo in 1858 had been sent
across in this way, at a coat of 150 dollars each, to
Liberia, under an engagement by Mr. BUCHANAN
with the American Colonisation Society. The
expenditure on another cargo brought by the
Wildfire will amount to more than 100,000 dollars,
and now the Mohawk has brought them a third,
of 507 African negroes. The President has there-
fore been compelled to ask for a permanent appro-
priation of money for the purpose of providing for
the captured negroes ; and has suggested legislation
enabling the captains to take the negroes at once
to Africa when practicable, and place them in
charge of the agent of the society. This bill, we
learned on Friday, had passed.; and, at a cost of
50,000 dollars the negroes last captured were placed
in charge of the Colonisation Society. The States
have therefore to incur considerable expense, in
addition to that of maintaining the cruising
squadron.

We are not surprised, therefore, that Mr.
BUCHANAN begins to rub his eyes, and that he
should close his Message to the Congress on the
subject with the observation which gave occasion
to Mr. CAVE'S question on Friday night—" It is:
truly lamentable that Great Britain and the United
States should be obliged to expend such a vast
amount of blood and treasure for the suppression
of the African slave trade, and this when the only
portions of the civilised world where it is tolerated
and encouraged are the Spanish Islands of Cuba
and Porto Rico." There is reason to think that
the American Government is sincere in wishing to
put down the slave trade. It can hardly desire to
be put to the expense now incurred in capturing
negroes, and maintaining them for a year after-
wards through the agency of the Colonisation
Society—the object of that society having been to
get rid of the negroes from America, not to pro-
vide for captured ones. Neither can we conceive
that from considerations of domestic policy, Ame-
rican statesmen can be otherwise than opposed to
the introduction of a mass of barbarous negroes
amongst those long resident in, indeed born in the
the country, and arc as truly Americans as
Mr. BUCIIANAN himself and every member of Con-
gress. The demands of some of the Southern
States for the abolition of the penal laws against
the slave trade will never be complied with will-
ingly by American statesmen. They must there-
fore on every ground regard the traffic with hos-
tility.

It seems strange, then, that effectual co-operation
should not be possible ; bulthe truth is, Ame-
rican Democracy is a stiff-necked animal. A law
is wanted to remedy a confessed deficiency in the
American law on the subject, which that perverse
Democracy would not consent to. An American
cruiser may seize a vessel under the American flag
with sla•Zres on board ; but, if she have neither flag-
nor papers, although filled with slaves —or if she
be fitted up as a slaver, although with the Ameri-
can flag flying—in either case an American captain
dare not meddle with her. Hence a slaver waiting
for a cargo off the coast of Africa under the
American
_flag can be touched by neither our
cruisers nor those of her own country ; and if she
throw overboard her flag and papers off Cuba, she
would be safe from American cruisers, though not
from ours. Mr. BUCHANIN will not be a candi-
date for re-election ; he sees the interest of his
country on this qnestion. Can he not leave them
as his parting legacy an earnest appeal to give up
all old jealousies on this subject, and for the sake
of his country and of humanity to enact complete
laws and to co operate by interchange of conces-
sions with England to blot this accursed traffic from
the earth.