The Sun.
London, England, 1845-03-18 00:00:00

AMERICAN NEWS.

ARRIVAL OF THE HIBERNIA.
LIVERPOOL, MONDAY MonNixo,
Six o'CLocx.
The American packet Hibernia arrived at Liverpool
this morning. She brings New York papers to the Ist
March.
The Bill for the annexation of Texas was still under
consideration in the Senate. The New York Tribune,
a paper adverse to annexation, says :—" It is close
work," and expresses its fears that the decision of the
Senate will be adverse to the interests of peace and
freedom; adding :—" The Pres', ent elect is the master-
spirit of the Texas intrigue, and is concentrating his
immense power and patronage wholly on this point."
It seems to be the general opinion that the Oregon
Bill cannot pass the Senate without material amendment.
It appears that the British Government bas offered to
leave the matter relating to the possession of the Oregon
territory to the arbitration of any disinterested European
power, to be named by the United States. The Wash-
ington correspondent of the Tribune says :—" I believe
Oregon will be allowed to lie over another summer. The
Bill has answered its purpose by helping Texas through.
It is quite likely that the Bill to make States of lowa and
Florida will likewise fail for want of time."
The papers contain the following message from Pre-
sident Tyler, to the House of Representatives, on the
subject of the trade in slaves by citizens of the United
States and British subjects, accompanied by several
communications. from Mr. Wise, the Minister at
Brazil :
"TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF
THE UNITED STATES.
"I transmit herewith, for the information of Congress,
copies of certain dispatches recently received from Mr. Wise,
our Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to
the Court of Brazil, upon the subject of the slave trade ; de-
veloping the means used, and the devices resorted to, in order
to evade existing enactments upon that subject.
" Anxiously desirous as are the United States to suppress
a traffic so revolting to humanity, in the effort to accomplish
which they have been the pioneers of civilised States, it can-
not but be a subject of the most profound regret that any
portion of our citizens should be found acting in co-operation
with the subjects of other Powers, in opposition to the policy
of their own Government ; thereby subjecting to suspicion
and to the hazard of disgrace the flag of their own country.
It is true that this traffic is carried on altogether in foreign
ports, and our own coasts are free from its pollution. But
the crime remains the same wherever perpetrated; and there
are many circumstances to warrant the belief that some of
our citizens are deeply involved in its guilt.
"The mode and manner of carrying on this trade arc clearly
and fearlessly set forth in the accompanying documents ; and
it would seem that a regular system has been adopted for the
purpose of thwarting the policy and evading the penalties of
our laws. American vessels, with the knowledge, as there
are good reasons to believe, of the owners and masters, are
chartered, or rather purchased, by notorious slave-dealers in
Brazil, aided by English brokers and capitalists with this
intent. The vessel is only nominally chartered at so much
per month, while, in truth, it is actually sold, to be delivered
on the coast of Africa, the charter-party binding the owners,
in the meantime, to take on board as passengers, a new crew
in Brazil, who, when delivered on the coast, are to navigate
her back to the ports of Brazil with her cargo of slaves.
Under this agreement, the vessel clears from the United
States for some port in Great Britain, where a cargo of mer-
chandise, known as " coast goods," and designed especially
for the African trade, is purchased, shipped, and consigned,
together with the vessel, either to the slave-dealer himself or
to his agents or accomplices in Brazil. On her arrival a crew
is put on board as passengers, and the vessel and cargo con-
signed to an equally guilty factor or agent on the coast of
Africa, where the unlawful purpose originally designed is
finally consummated. The merchandise is exchanged for
slaves—the vessel is delivered up—her name obliterated, her
papers destroyed, her American crew discharged, to be pro-
vided fur by the charterers, and the new or passenger crew
put in command to carry back its miserable freight to the
first contrivers of the voyage, or their employers in Brazil.
" Daring the whole progress of this tortuous enterprise it
is possible that neither the American crew originally en-
listed, nor the passenger crew put on board in the Brazilian
ports, are aware of the nature of the voyage, and yet it is on
these principally, ignorant, if not innocent, that the penalties
ti the law are inflicted ; while the guilty contrivers—char-
terers, brokers, owners, and masters—in short, all who are
most deeply concerned in the crime and its rewards, for the
most part escape unpunished.
" It will be seen, from the examinations which have re-
cently taken place at Rio, that the subjects of her Britannic
Majesty, as well as our own citizens, are deeply implicated
in this inhuman traffic. British factors and agents, while
they supply Africa with British fabrics in exchange for
slaves, are chiefly instrumental in the abuse of the American
flag ; and the suggestions contained in the letter of Mr.
Wise (whose judicious and zealous efforts in the matter can-
not be too highly commended), addressed to Mr. Hamilton,
the British Envoy, as to the best mode of suppressing the
evil, deserve your most deliberate consideration, as they will
receive, I doubt not, that of the British Government.
" It is also worthy of consideration whether any other
measures than those now existing are necessary to give
greater efficacy to the just and humane policy of onr laws,
which already provide for the restoration to Africa of slaves
captured at sea by American cruisers. From time to time
provision has been made by this Government for their com-
fortable support and maintenance during a limited period
after their restoration, and it is much to be regretted that
this liberal policy has not been adopted by Great Britain.
As it is, it seems to me that the policy it has adopted is cal-
culated rather to perpetuate than to suppress the trade, by
enlisting very large interests in its favour. Merchants and
capitalists furnish the means for carrying it on; manufac-
tures for which the negroes aro exchanged are the products
of her workshops; the slaves, when captured, instead of
being returned back to their homes, are transferred to her
colonial possessions in the West Indies, and made the means
of swelling the amount of their products by a system of ap-
prenticeship for a term of years; and the officers and crew
who capture the vessels receive, on the whole number of
slaves, so many pounds sterling per capita by way of bounty.
" It must be obvious that, while these large interests are
enlisted in favour of its continuance, it will be difficult, if not
impossible, to suppress the nefarious traffic, and that its
results would be, in effect, but a continuance of the slave
trade in another and more cruel form ; for it can be a matter
of little difference with the African whether he is torn from
his country and transported to the West Indies, as a slave, in
the regular course of the trade, or captured by a cruiser,
transported to the same place, and made to perform the same
labour under the name of an apprentice, which is at present
the practical operation of the policy adopted.
"It is to be hoped that her Britannic Majesty's Govern-
ment will, upon a review of all the circumstances stated in
these dispatches, adopt more efficient measures for the sup-
pression of the trade which she has so long attempted to put
down with, as yet, so little success, and more consonant with
the original policy of restoring the captured African to his
home. " JOHN TYLER.
" Washington, Feb. 19, 1845."
The President had also addressed a message to Con-
gress relative to the negotiations between England and
America on the Oregon territory, in which he states that
" considerable progression has been made in the discus-
sion, which has been carried on in a very amicable
spirit between the two Governments ; and that there is
reason to hope that it may be terminated, and the ne-
gotiation be brought to a close, within a short period."
The papers publish a correspondence between the
State Department and Mr. Everett, in reference to seven
fugitive criminals, who, it is alleged, committed rob-
bery, arson, and murder in East Florida, and afterwards
escaped to Nassau. Their surrender is claimed by the
General Government, under the provisions of the Wash-
ington treaty. The judges at Nassau decided that, ac•
cording to the treaty, the prisoners ought not to be given
up. Lord Aberdeen has taken the same view, and Mr.
Everett is instructed to call the attention of the British
Government to the question, and urge a speedy decision,
as the result is unsatisfactory.
There is no intelligence of the missing packet-ships
England and United States. On the other side they
were expecting that both vessels would be found to have
put back to Liverpool. The Hibernia brings news Of
the total loss of the ship Coromandel, from this to Bos-
ton—crew all saved.
The commercial intelligence from the United States is
somewhat encouraging. The spring trade was opening
with a good deal of activity. The Stock Market was
firm, and in Railway Securities an immense business was
doing.
Canadian accounts report that the Ministry had expe-
rienced two defeats—the first, on a local measure, by a
vote of 34 to 26 ; and the second, on a Bill reducing
the salaries of certain public officers and funding the
fees of office, by 35 to 23. With this exception, there
is not one item of news.
The fellow ing are extracts from the papers brought
by this arrival :
DP:ATI( OF ASIIER RODBINS.—We learn by the Providence
Journal that the honourable and venerable Asher Robbins
died at Newport, on Sunday evening last, at the advanced
age of eighty-eight. He was a most distinguished
citizen of Rhode Island, and was equally the ob-
ject of esteem and respect for the purity of his per-
sonal character and the eminent usefulness of his public ser-
vices. He was for fourteen years the representative a his
State in the Senate of the United States," of which body,"
as the Jour»al justly says, " Lis profound learaing, his i ipe
scholarship, and his classical eloquence, made him a dis-
tinguished member."
Finus—The alarm of fire last night, between ten and eleven
o'clock, proceeded from the steam-boat Gazelle, plying be-
tween this and Piermont, iu connexion with the Erie Rail •
road, lying at the foot of Duane-street, which was much da-
maged before the flames were extinguished.
The fire in Brooklyn last night, about eleven o'clock, was
No. 61, Fulton street, occupied below by John Herbert, as a
grocery, and up stairs by Mr. Shaw's tailor shop, and law-
yers' offices; the upper part was destroyed, and tho gro-
cery completely deluged by water. Mr. brazier's stove ma•
IlaaeterY, at 59, caught fire, but was put out without much
damage.