The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1842-04-02

channels of trade be formed, ii will be found
that, with forecaste that does the greatest
credit to the sagacty of the government, the
'meteor flag of England" has been raised at
such points as shall give to British subjects the
first fruits of the alteration. There Is not
barren rock in the ocean on which a colony has
not been planted, whenever there has been the
most remote probability of its being servlceable
to the trade of people, whose proud boast 1t Is
that the sun never sets on their empire. VI
the justice of the above remarks, we have
proof in the settlements established near the
Columbia river, which threaten to monopolse
the trade Of the fertile country through which It
flows, and thus interfere most materially with
the interests Of the United States in that quar-
ter. Another evidence of the same spirit, Is to
be found in the activity of British cruisers on
the coast of Africa, professedly for the sup
preston of the slave trade, but, in truth, for the
protection and extension of British traffic on
that continent.
1t is only necessary to look back to the time,
when English colonies were first established In
North America, to be convinced that this won
derful sympathy for the African race is plant
of modern growth. Surprisingly altered must
have been the dispositions of people who, at
the period of which we speak, were the fore
most in trading in human flesh, when we find
them in our day the most Jealous advocates OF
universal emancipation. The simple truth Is,
that whatever may be the professions OF nation
which has, in its Indian possessions, more
slaues, in the strongest sense of the term, than
any other people on the globe, its real object is
to spread discomfort and anarchy under the
plausible pretext of philanthropy. In Asia, the
Briton is slare driuer and a tyrdnt, whilst IN
America his nature is entirely changed, and we
find him the bitter opposer Of slave labor
Why is this the case? Simply because in the
East, his government has colonies in which
cotton and other articles are cultivated by Brl-
tish subjects, whilst in the West, the benefit OF
slave labor enures to the American citizen
We shall probably be asked, what objection can a
Brton have, on the score ofinterest to slavery in
America, when it furnishes the raw material, by
the manufacture of which, Britain Is enriched.
Simply this objection-that in America, while
the South grows this material, the North is
ready to make it up, and thus, at least, divide
the market with the English manufacturer, for
which reason it is desirable to put down slare Ia
Dor in the Southern States, and thus cripple the
manufacturing enterprise of the Northern. 1t
is easy to see that if England, by means finer
slave population in Asia, can furnish her own
Ioo III fho rioI at
same time, destroy the American producer by
depriving him of the same kind of labor, she
must have under her control the supply Of the
rest of the civilized world with cotton goods.
We do not desire to be thought invidious in
this matter, or to attribute improper motive un-
necessarily, but if there was ever a nation that
professed one thing and practised another, that
nation is Great Britain. Advocating free trade,
she carries the exclusive or protecting system
to the utmost eXtent-pretending to be the enc
my Of slarery in all its shapes, she has more
slaves than all the world beside. Free trade
forsooth! When was it heard that product
of any other country was admitted into Eng
land when its introduction would interfere with
the Interest of the English producer? or when
was it known that the skill Of other countries
was encouraged, when its encouragement ope-
rated an injury to the skill of British subjects ?
Let English corn laws and English prohibtory
duties answer these questions. With reference
to slavery, it may be asked how far the emanci-
ration of tie slaves in the British West India
islands agrees with the opinions here expressed?
Admirably well. The British West India
islands, and their American possessions, have
always been at best a dead weight on the
Government. costing, if we be correctly inform
ed, seven millions sterling, per annum whilst
emancipation of the West India slaves caused a
loss to the British nation by limiting the pro-
duction ofsome articles, is it not plain that this
loss must ultimately produce an immense gain,
if it can bring about the destruction of slave
labor in America, and thus put an end to the
cotton culture in which this country is the sue
cessfu riv, of her East Indian possessions? If |
by losing one dollar, we can gain five, are we
not making money-certainly and so II is with
England. She loses one dollar by the enamel |
patton scheme, and at the same time hopes to
gain five by doing away all rivalry in the pro
ducton Of cotton on the part of The United
States.
Before we conclude we will mention another
feature in the grand scheme Of commercial
Of which we speak. We alude to
the establishment of steam packet communica-
ton with the whole world. 1t is almo unne-
cessary here to mention the fact that every Br |
fish Government steam packet, is in fact a yes
sci Of war built to carry heavy and most efec-
tive armament, and forms part of the regular
naval establishment These packets are more
over the universal letter carriers, and as such
gain access without objection to ports into