Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1843-02-16


| A well informed Correspondent at Washington
writes u.s. the 18th instant, 1.-The prospect of liar
,nony is better now than at any time during the SEES
sion, and hope all will be we'll with US end with the
Republic"
FOR TIE ENQUIRER.
TIE NEW YORK AND VIRGINIA CONTROVERSY.
THE INSPECTION LAW.
When the Governor Of New York refused 10 surren
der upon the demand Of the Executive Of Virginia,
three persons regularly charged with the commission
of felony, in stealing slave from his owner, in Nor
folk, and carrying him to New York, upon The ground
that could not be the property of another il
was predicted as the effect of his course that this
crime would become Of everyday occurrence
And, when the Legislature Of New York responded to
the renonsrance of Virginia, against The course of
Gov. Seward, by passing the act entitled, ''an act 10
tend the right OF talby asy, by which the e.capture
of fugitive slaves is rendered impossible, it pre-
dcted that the number of them who would desert their
masters would iearfully increase II was oreseen that
evil disposed persons would aid and ubet slaves
ming away, when they found that they nigh, do it with
impunity, if they succeeded in escaping to New York;
and that the number of slaves disposed 10 run away
would increase when they found that they could lot be
re captured The obvious effect Of the Of the Go
and Legislature of ~ York was, augment the
means and create the disposition i'm the slaves run
away On this head, the report of the Special Com
mttee of the House Of Delegates of Virginia Of 1910,
| holds this language:
| 1.-THE positions Of the Governor of New York, when
carried 10 their legitimate results lead 10 consequences
of most frsht!ul character, and which, il
your committee, could not have been duly weighed by
him. The Governor of New York says, it is offence
TO steal slave, because one cannot be- the pre-
perry Of another and cannot therefore, be the subject
of theft IL, for these reasons, " I've offence TO
steal slave and carry him TO New York, it would be
none to steal him and carry him 10 Louisiana Surely,
in such case, it would make difference whether
the thief seered North South after committing his
robbery The consequence is if citizen of n. York
were to come into this State, inveige cargo of our
slaves board his vessel, under the pretext that he
meant TO take them 10 some land OF liberty, and
should carry them TO Louisiana and sell them the
New Orleans MARKET and should thereafter take refuge
in New York. he would be free from arrest and could
not be made to expiate his crime. And without wish.
ing make any uniustable attack upon the citizens
Of any State of this Union, your committee would be
wanting in candor, II they expressed doubt tina,
such case, if The course Of the Governor Of ~ York
should be persevered in, would be of probable and
frequent occurrence. There bad in every coun.
try who will commit Offences when they profit by
it, and do it with impuniiy. BIT achdt IS still
probabic IF the Of tie G0cerRor of Nc,c York
be acqueseed n) is that those deludcd enthusiasts al
tic North, uho In pursuit Of something Mey kn0o moi
,rhat spending thousands and thousands in Efforts
,chich they mast see, IF they be not binder than any one
ercep fanatic get ,cas accomplish their
object, actU attempt TO make those efforts practically
Efficient By coming into State and making labor
of rirtue steal s'aces and conrey them TO more
calling bondage than they noto suffer, in the Northern
States"
Never have predictions been literally fulfilled.
In October last, the following paragraph appeared in
/ the Georgetown Advocate
"RusAwAY NEGRors.-We hear reports from all
parts of the district and surrounding country, Of very
numerous cases of negroes abscondlng. Perhaps,
within the last month"; least one hundred slaves ha We
candeslpely left their owners, and fled Northward.
Georgetown has a large proportion-hve absconded on
one single night, last week. This is the first fruit Of
ne,o scheme entered into by the negroes Of the NORTH,
and their 5retren the 4JoiitioniSs, of ,ohch ace hare
before noc heard description Societies formed the
enbers of ,ohich pay reeky subscription for the pur-
nose of raising funds assist the liberation Of sares
paying much head fur ecery successfully got off,
is 6eered that in some instances, negrscs hare been
carried or to the North from this district by ,oay Of The
| Potomac and The Ocean; Tie Captain, oaenerS Of The
resstis engaged, rcceteing from their employers
reeuiar price on dsttrery
"These facts should put the community more than
ever on their guard against The nefarous designs oil
miscbevous Fanatics. "-Gcorgetomn .3drocate.
Upon seeing this, friend informs u.s. he had the curl
osi,y TO test lis accuracy by referring to the adver
mens of the National Inellgencer of the 4lh of Nov,
1.-The No. which happened OF that time to be before him.
and to his surprise he found, that twenty six fugtyes
were advertised in that single paper for whom rewards
were offered to the amount of S3,500-of whom
twelve went off between the 23d and 9th of Septem-
her, eiph between the 23d and 9th of October; and
the rest not far from the time Showing that
they escaped in gangs at intervals of month; the
time il takes vessel trading TO New York to make a
trim. These facts prove that the inference of the
Georgetown Editor, that the iugtves had escaped by
the way of the Potomac and the Ocean, well found
ed The information conveyed IN the following para
graph which appeared in the Northern papers in De-
! cember last confirms that Inference:
"EscApE OF SLAvEs.-The New York Evening Post
states that Vigilance Committee OF the Abolitioniss
of Albany, have aided about three hundred and fifty
way negroes tie opening Of tho navigation in
last spring OF these fugitives, about one hundred
and fifty were men, one hundred and nifty women, and
fifty children Most of them came from Virginia
MARYLAND, and the District of Columbia, and nearly
Or oo;te hundred from Washington and Georgetown.
These fugitiyes have gone chiefly to Canada, and ht
sum of fine hundred dollars has been expended for their
board, passage, and other expenses "-Ph'l Inquirer
| But while The number of slaves who have run away
from The District of Columbia, Maryland and that por
ton of virginia bordering the Potomac, (whcre our
inspection law did not reach, or was not executed
have been unusually great very lew indeed have es-
ped from the tide water portion OF Eastern Virginia
This fact we learn from gentleman who has the best
means of information, and who has taken great pains
In collect il To what is this to be attributed but to
! the operation Of our Inspection law? And yet we
learn there are some who say 1t has been inehi
Gent II ia almost impossible 1t should be SO,
for 1t precisely met the m'sch'ef' against when
as we have already said endangered our slave property
BY affordinp the means and creating the disposition IN
the slaves 10 run away II was known, That Their prn'
cpal Of escape was IN vessels ny way OF Inc
Ocean This was the wrong An Inspection law, which
designed as The remedy requires that
vessel ow ned in whole in part in New York arrives
in the waters Of Virginia, the captain or owner or some
person for Them shall give bono IN .ne penay OF one
thousand dollars with condition, that no slave should be
taken from the State in the vessel, without the consent
of his master; and that she should not depart without
undergoing inspection. a.,
(The Legislature made the 18th section Of the Jury
law Of n York its criterion IN hxlng upon The amour