Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1844-12-13

/ humanity NAV have been one OF her leaains mo-
lives for the abolition OF the African slave trade
| and that il may have nad a cohsiaeia"ie ,iiiiu-
ence in abolishing slavery IN ner Ne>' iluia
possessions; aided indeed by the laiiacious Cdieu
iation. tina, the labor OF the negroes would De AT
least rs profitable. if not more 50, inconsequence
/ Of The measure She acted on the principle
! tina, tropical products can be produced cheaper
nv free African labor and East India labor, than
/ by slave labor She knew full well the value Oh
such products TO her commerce, navigation, ma
Wv, manufactures, revenue and power. she was
not ignorant, thatthe support and The maintenance
Of her political preponderance depended on her
tropical possessions, and had no intention OF ~
E; rninishng their productivcness, nor any antlci-
patton that such would I've the effect, when The
scheme OF abolishing slavery in her colonial pos
sessions was adopted On the contrary, she cal
cula,ed 10 combine philanthropy with Prohl and
power, as is not unusual with iana,icisIn. EX-
perienced has convinced her Of the tallacy other
calculations She has tailed in all her objects
The labor OF her negroes has proved far less pro-
durtive wilhou, aiioriing the consolation OF hav-
ing improved their condition.
The experiment has turned out TO be costly
one She expended nearly one hundred millions
of dollars in indemnifying the owners OF the
emancipa,ed slaves. Ii is estimated that the in
creased price paid since by the people of Great
Britain Tor sugar and other tropical productions,
in consequence Of the measure, Is equal to hall
that sum- and twice that sum has bcen expended
in the suppression Of the slave trade; making To-
sether two hundred and fifty millions Of dollars
as The cost of the experiment. Instead OF reaiz-
ing her hope, the result has been sad disap-
pointmeni Her tropical products have fallen OF
10 vas, amount Instead Of supplying her own
wants and those ol nearly all Europe with them,
as formerly, she has now, IN some OF The most
iInpoIian, articles, scarcely enough 10 supply her
own. What is worse, her own colonies are ac-
,ually consuming sugar produced BY slave labor,
| broush, direct 10 England or refined in bond, and
exported and sold in her colonies as cheap or
chea per than thew can be produced there: while
the slave trade, instead OF diminishing, has been
in fact carried On to greater extent Than ever:
So disastrous has been the result, that her hXed
capital vested in tropical possessions estimated
at the value oil near i've hundred millions OF dol
lars, is said 10 stand on the brink OF ruin.
But this is not the worst. While this costly
scheme has had such ruinous effects on the iropi-
cal productions of Great Britain, il has given
powerful stimulus, followed b. 4 corresponding
| increase Of products, 10 those countries which
have had the good sense 10 shun her example.
There has been vested, il is estimated by them,
in the production OF tropical products since lSs,
in fixed capital, nearly Sl,000,0 100000 wholly
dependent on slave labor. In the same period,
the value OF their products has been estimated 10
have risen from about 81, 100000 annually, 10
nearly S2220000,000; while the whole OF the fixed
capital Of Great Britain, vested in cutivating tro-
pical products, both in the East and West Indies,
is estimated al only about $3.50 0000 600, and the
/ value of the products annually, at about S50,-
100000. To present still more striking view
OF three articles OF tropical products, sugar, cot
fee and colion) the British possessions, including
the West and East Indies ard Maurius, pro-
duced in 1872 OF sugar, only 3,993,1l pounds
while Cuba BraZi! and the United States, cxclu-
ding other countries having tropical possessions
produced 100000 pounds; of coffee, the British
possessions produced only -, 393C03, while Gu
ba and Brazil produced 20l 500, l25 pounds; and
Of cotton, the British possessions, including ship
men,s to China, only 1877 ,443.iiG pounds. while
the United States alone produced 190.i79,275
pounds.
The above facts and estimates have all been
drawn from a British periodical OF high standing
and authority, and are believed 10 be entitled 10
credit.
This vast increase OF the capital and produc-
ton on the part Of those nations who have con-
,nued their former policy towards The negro race,
I, compared with thar of Great Britain. indicates a
corresponding relative increase OF the means Of
commerce, navigation, manufactures wealth and
power. Ii is no longer question Of doubt, thai
of the more civilized nations OF the temperate
zone, Especially Europe, where the arts have
made The greatest advance,) depends, in great
degree on the exchange oftheir products with those
Of the tropical regions. So great has been the adj
vance made in The arts, both chemical and me-
chanical within the few last generations, that
all The old civilized nations can, with but a
small part of their labor and capital supply their
respective wants; which tends 10 limit within
narrow bounds the amount Of The commerce be-
| tween them. and forces them all to seek for mar
kets in the tropical regions, and the more newly
settled portions Of the globe. Those who can best
succeed in commanding those markets have The
hest prospect Of outs;rippns the others in the ca
reer of commerce, navigation, manufactures
wealth and power
This is seen and felt by british statesmen and
has opened their eyes TO the errors which they
have committed. The question now with them
is how shall il he coun,eractcd? What has been
done cannot te nndone. The question is. by
what means can Great Britain regain and keep
a superiority in tropical cultivation, commerce
and influenced Or, Shall that be abandoned and
other nations be suffered 10 acquire the supremacy.
even 10 the extent OF supplying British markets
to the destruction of the capital already vested in
the production? These are the questions which
now profoundly occupy the attention OF her stales-
men and have the greatest influence over her
councils. !
In order TO regain her superiority, she not only
seeks 10 revive and increase her own capacity 10
produce tropical productions, bnt to diminish and
destroy The capacity ofthose who have so far out
stripped a'' n consequence OF her error lnpur-
suit of the former, She mas cast her eyes TO her
East India possessions-io central and eastern
Africa--with the view Of establishing colonies
there and even 10 restore substantially the slave
trade Itself, under the specious name transport
Ing free laborers from Africa 10 her West India
possessions, in order, if possible, TO compete sue
cessfully with those who have refused 10 follow
her suicidal policy. But these all afford but un-
certain and distant hopes OF recovering her lost
superiority Her main reliance is on the other al
tcrnativc-to cripple or destroy the productions of
her successful rivals There is but one way by
which il can be done, and that is By abolishing
African slavery throughout this continent; and
that she openly avows 10 be the constant object of
her policy and exeriions. Ii matters not how or
from what motive il mas lie donc-whc!hcr it be
BY diplomacy influence or force; by secret or open
/ means: and whether the motive be humane. or
selfish: without regard 10 manner, means, or mo-
tive The thing ITSELF, should il be accomplished,
would put down all rivalry, and give her undis-
pucd supremacy in supplying her own wants and
these of the rest OF the world; and thereby more
than fully retrieve what she has lost by her errors
1t would give her the monopoly of tropical pro-
auctions, which shall next proceed 10 show.
What would be the consequence of this object
of her unceasing soliciiude and exertons should
ii be effected by the abolition of negro slavery
throughout this continent, some idea may be
formed from the immense dminution of produc-
tons, as has been shown, which has followed
abolition in her West India possessions. But,
as great as that has been, it is nothing com
pared TO what wonld be the effect il she should
succeed in abolishing slavery in the United
States Cuba, Brazil, and throughout this con-
tnen,. The experiment in her own colonies, was
made under the mos; favorable circumstances
1t was brought abou, gradually and peaceably,
BY the steady and firm operation Of The parent
country, armed with complete power TO prevent
or crush at once all insuuecuonary movements
on the part OF The negroes and able and disposed