The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-02-02

the trade OF the Western coast. Her manufactures,
generally are not Of kind that would meet with a
| market there.
| The designs Of Great Britain upon Western Az
rca in accordance with her usual commercial poilcy,
not oLscuIely indicated We refer to them not IN
the way of censure but matters OF fact her ire
quent attempts TO explore that country, TO establish
settlements the coast her recent Niger exped'io'
the partial introduction of her manufactures Already
achieved tend TO show that England is looking stea
Oily To Western A frica with the view Of extending
and establishing there great market tor hef mer-
chandse
This is all well enough. But when philanthropy
Is put in the foreground OF an enterprise IN winch
policy has important share il may be proper to see
how far consistency preserved in the union OF both
One clause of the British law in reference to the slave
trade, quoted above, enacts, "that any one VINO
shall knowingly embark capital, or lend other AID Oh
any kind to the traffic although not personally en-,
gagged in it, shall be held to be guilty OF felony and
punished accordingly" This law has been on the
statute book for years How has II been execu-
ted II is notorious thing that great proportion
of the trade goods used the African coast by slave
dealers of British manufacture, and that they are
prepared exclusively for that purpose
We published in November last an extract from
Rio Janeiro letter to a merchant OF this city, saying
"Ihe English supplying, as wanted, goods ior Al
RIGA Any slave dealer can get as many goods sent
direct from England to Angola, on order hence, AS
he would pay forn To the same effect and still more
COMPREHENSIVE the following extracts tend, from
Memorial submitted to Parliament not long since by
the Association at the head OF which is Sir Thomas
Powell Buxton:
That your petitioners would call the attention of
your Right Hon. House to the fact, that there have
been formed at different periods during the last nj
teen years various Mining Companies in this country,
with large capitals at their disposal, who carry on
their operations in the empire OF Brazil, or IN Inc
Spanish Island of Cuba that their mines are worked
principally by slaves purchased by the agents of the
Companies that the greater part il not the whole OF
these victims of oppression have been illlclty I'M
ported into these countries since the period when
such imporatons were declared contraband, ielonl-
os or pratical and as your petitioners inform
ed and believe, still contrive TO purchase newly I'M
ported Africans supply the wastes of mortality or
to the other exigencies OF their establishment
Your petitioners lament say that officers of her
Majesty's army and navy as well as iunconaries IN
the civil service, have accepted engagements III con-
nection with these Companies and they are informed
and believe that such persons have been the agents
EMPLOYED in the purchase of slaves OH account OF the
same. .
your petitioners call the attention Of your Right
HonorableIouse to the fact that banking companies,
with large funds at their disposal, have also been
formed in this country, and that they either have al
ready formed, or in process OF forming, branch
establishments in countries where the slave trade Is
carried on where slavery IN all It's horrors sun
exists.
Your petitioners grieye to say that there are man
ufactured in this country in enormous quantities. ar
ticles which are known by the name OF coast goods,
which are employed exclusively IN the African slave
trade IN barter for human beings and that these form
A considerable branch of the export trade Of this
country to Brazil and Cuba, and le western coast OF
Africa
sThe consignees of British merchants and manu-
facurers or branch houses of their establishments IN
Brazil and Cuba; dispose of such goods to persons
well known as tratickers IN human beings, ana mol
untreaueny have if not direct yet an indirect m
tor Inv
fc itself; and that in all cases they Nend such goods
well knowing the dsgracctul and lnhumafl OBJECT TO
which they are to be applied" %
But we had intended to speak of this Convention
among the European powers IN connection WIN It's
bearing upon the United States. Our law against
the slave trade is as direct and positive as that OF
Great Britain and it was enacted hrst But TINS
Republic does not choose to nrust the execution oil
it to any foreign power And here arises tfe Plausi-
bic ground on which monarchcal Europe takes issue
with republican America. The crowned heads can
upon the world to look at them as the champions OF
freedom they invite attention to the solemn com
pact which they have entered into for the suppress
sion of the slave trade and then point to the United
States as democratical Government, which refuses
to Join in so humane an enterprise.
This is false issue. We are not prepared to yield
to Great Britain privilege of an irresponsible ma
ture which may be abused for her own purposes OF
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.
Lord Aberdeen said in substance to our Minister
/" Your Government cannot consider II Illuminating
to grant the reciprocal right of search which asked
for in this affair France has yielded it, and if you
stand on punctlo after the concession of France,
you throw an implied insult upon that chivarous ma
ton With all due respect to his Lordship, this Is
nothing to the purpose. The American Republic
will take care of its own rights and dignity and leave
to other nations like freedom of action
But there is one thing of imperative obligation up
on our country if we would maintain with honor and
consistency the position we have thus assumed Our
naval force in the African must be entirely ade-
auate to protect our flag from abuse and our name
from disgracc-to chastIse the outlawcd reprobaes
who are prosttuting coors TO the vile uses OF an
abominable traffic, and TO relieve British philanhro-
Nv from the anxious socitude which 1t processes as
an excuse for interposing in our behalf