Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1844-07-02
POLITICAL.


/ would use no Eadac means. nor resort To any
! hing "Styli ~ naAlfiaad.' We have now how
ever certain ASSURANCE t.at these ist avernentS.
- Tar from being entitled 10 any weight are posi-
I iivey ialS. AT the very moment They were MADE
d system Of underhand espionage was al work
! throughout the Southern states olthis Union. car
| ricd on BIZ the commercial and other agents. and
under the authority ana direction Of the British
/ Crown.
I That this system of espionage was organized
/ and going on. We were assured last July hy the
/ N,w l0y& Huaid, in the following paragraph:
Tile cmSsaricS OF Britain were never more
active lhan now, We have III our hand circu-
| lar of the English Government, signed bv Lord
Aberdeen, and addressed 10 all lis commercial
and other agents in this country, requirin. the
most minGtc information in relation 10 slaves
and slavery in All lis ortaiis-,ie physical force
Of the aegrocs-ii.rir relations Ia their masters
,l.cir general treatment, general character and
| propcnsilcs, &c. Nc. Will! very full statements
a. to sources Of information meals Judging, &c.
The end ard object OF all this espionage has not
transpired; but il is pregnant Wiihmeaning, five
consider The many points in dispute between the
Two countries. The circulars appear 10 have
been issued Immediately on The PRONUNCIATION OF
tie threat in the United States Senate i'll relation
10 The Oregon question:
And again, on the | i.h Angus, last, b. the
I same paper a. follows:
''Un 4 late occasion. We mentioned the fact OF
( having within our grasp Il circular oi the English
government, directed 10 all is agents in this conn
lry and signed by Lord Aberdeen, requiring the
most minute and extensive information in relation
10 the blacks in the United States. The an
nounccmcnl has created 4 great deal of interest.
and We have been called upon 10 publish the cir
cular, which is very vouminouS. We arc moi al
liberty 10 do 50 Al present. but may mention, that
not only the circular bat many others pGln,in.
10 the same result are contained in slave Trade
Document Mo-. dated May 81, Is Is. forming
( part oil the instructions of Mr.. Fox The British
/ Minister Al Washington
! The people OF this country found il difficult al
that time, 10 believe tha; any thing audaciou>
! should bc undertaken even bv the in>olcnt and
/ crafty Government, Of Great Britain, and 80 these
I repeated a>ScvcrationS ol he Wf0}d received bnt
little cfcdence. For ourselves We expressed al
the time ourdoubls OF The correctness Ol the state
| mcni which Gogh,s we've confirmed by The slibSe-
quent silence otlc journal which brought the sub
lect 10 the public notice. Within Il short time.
/ however we have received Information which ena-
beS lis toslate rs rc do ta0i poafgeia that ncarlva
| year ago. circulars Of tie kind indicated i'll the
/ above paragraphs from the Ne,r Nor! HJ0!G, were
issued 10 the British Con>uls in ell the ports Of
I the Southern States directing minute inquiries
Z
relation of master and slave in the United States
/ These circulars. OF some of them nj least, have
been answered the inquiries made, the espionage
/ Instituted as directed. and the Home Govern
! ment' Qor 81 We suppose we ought 10 spcah) III
| formed OF the particulars. The late Charge 10
/ Texas, who passed the winter. il will be lccollec
/ ted in this city-,hc same gentleman who had
the adroimcss 10 pick the Opium quarrel with The
( Chinesc-was not idle during his >ol0um bui. We
are well assured. diligently prosecuted inquiries
! 10 The same end a. lie circulars.
These Inquiries have been made then. In
what way they were anSWerei-Wiia is The nature
OF amount OF The Information Obaincti-wc do
not know; neither do We care. The oJja,iS, the
mt.rior purposes of the inquircrs-thc clandeSlinc
and pcridious character oilhc procccdingS-thcse
( are what we have To deal with; these ale what
! ought To arouse the Indignation Of the country,
AMI excite the wachtnl jealousy of the South.
T'hcsr Inquire could not have been Instituted
/ tor ann s0od pRryc@, nor dictated an mn triefdy
syt1t. They are not OF a Kind proper 10 he made,
I by one country into another. either openly or Sc
cicllv and especially not secretly. II Is proper
and common for Governments 10 Instruct their
4 agents abroad TO acquire openly and with good
intent into the State OF the ans OF agriculture, oi
education, &c, in other countries. For example,
! Mr.. Webster. We think, oand il convenient 10 get
information from our foreign representatives Of
the tariff lists o! the countries IN which they resi-
/ dcd, so Mr. Kendall when Postmaster General
! CAUSED inquiries 10 be made ino The PoaolIlcc re-
| "ulalionS oI foreign states; AMI Mr.. Van Buren,
When his sub-reasnly scheme WAS before the peo
pie sent circulars lor information upon The modes
oikeepins aid discussing the public moneys in
/ other countries. So several 1.-THE State Govern
mcnts have sent agents 10 PrGssia ana other Eu-
.opcah countries III inquire into the mode oi pub
Z liz. instructions. and agents have rrpaatcdV been
sent from abroad into The United STATES 10 exam
! Inc and report upon The prison discipline, upon
| the internal improvements and state oil the me-
| chanc arts, in This country. These and similar
/ Inquiries are proper and commendablc and are
/ Away, made under open instructions, with the
/ knowlcd.c-oitcn with The aSSistancc-ofthc Co
! vernmenl in the limits III whic! they are ins'itu-
ted The objects OF them are 10 Introduce into
the country which seeks the information such
! amcioraions and advantages Is ii may hnd
4 adapted 10 it, institutions.
The espionage. however, which ha> been ii
rcoltd ty England. into The condition and rela-
tons Of the servc population ot This country,
cannot thus be explained or apolo"izcd ior To
say nothing of lis secret character. which stamps
il at once with guilt, ii cannot have been Tor any
purpose OF improvement al homc-ior any IN
formation which would advantage Britain or her
colonies The information cannot have been
SJlISE " III any ~ lti own II
must have been, then, ictH rt0eHt n mrs, and
. riH ulcr.oy hoSjh ric~s NJ one can reflect up
on the nature oi the inquiries Tie peculiar situa
lion Of the class oi persons about which they
were made. the secret character ~ the instructions,
the relations which exist between the United
States and England the frequent causes OF differ
cncc That al>c and the cherished, and, a. far as
the fact goes uriseuisct policy OF England with
regard 10 lie institution OF NEGRO slavery: 10 one,
...tI It..,tI
the espionage was directed il bad faith, in IN I'M
friendly spirit. and 10 he used should occasion
arise for hostile purposes. The bare Scndiag OF
such instructions, is an offence against national
courtesy and comfy hardly To bc explained
away. If il be not in fact of itself hostile demon
Stra:ion The time is passed, whsn Government, |
under :l.e character ofcommcrcial representatives
ami :.sen;s may fill friendly country with spies
and iniOrmcrs.
The system of secret espionage 10 which we
have alluded, instituted into the real or supposed
weak points OF this country, Is not The only recent
unwarran;ablr act of the British Government,
with reference 10 our domestic affairs An ac of
the last session of Parliament Is brought. by a
late advertisement Of The British Consul al Gal
weston. 10 the notice ni her naIestr's subjects re-
sidcn, In Texas. which silrpasseS in Impotence
any thing in the way of legislation that we have !
heard Of The act g and Vic, chap 9s,) is |
entitled can Act for the more enectual suppress |
sion of the Slave Trade 1t extends the pains
and penalties against >l2venoianIg KNOWN to the
laws Of England. moi only over all the British do
minions and settlements, but 10 her majcsly>
subjects IN iorcign tqads; that is il makes ii a
felony with penalty OF seven years transporta
tion for an Englishlnan to hold slave in Texas, or
the United States; subjects him 10 q fine and i'm
pr>onment for taking mortgage or other lien on
a slave. or being in any way, directly or indirect
IL concerned in tia! species OF property.
There would perhaps. be no great objection to
this law (>nce it affects NANNY British suhJec!s)
except that the ,,rcence on which it is based
viz iha. Great Britain MAJ follow her subjects
with her own municipal laws, into foreign coun-
,ries-is insuferablc arrogance and, except that,
il points, with unerring index 10 the same event
tni ssues that England is making up with this
country and others that refuse TO conform 10 the
British standard of morals and philanthropy:
- tropi.sal rnuonc into