American Republican and Baltimore daily clipper. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1844-1846, 1846-03-14

adouted to induce the officers to retain their
commissions, and the uniformed companies
their organization, until the next session Of the
Legislature, when it may be expected that an
adequate law will be granted.
The SLAVE TRADE. The capture by the
American sloop Of war Yorktown, of the bar
que Pons and the ship Panther, loaded with
slaves from Africa, proves that Americans yet
engage in that horrible traffic in violation of
the laws of the land. 1t will be recolected
that the British Government endeavored to
effect an arrangement with the Americans,
by which the vessels suspected of being en-
gagged in the slave trade, should be subjected
to visitation by the cruzers ofeither power so
as to ascertain the true character of the vessel
suspected; and if a SLAYER, that she should be
transferred to the power to which she belonged
to undergo trial THIS was resisted on the
pretext that it would put in the power of Brit
ish cruizers greatly to annoy the commerce of
the United States. Both governments no
doubt sincerely desire to suppress the slave
trade, as both have, by agreement, placed CRUZ
GERS on the coast of Africa for that purpose
and we think that an error was committed in
not acceding to the arrangement proposed by
the English government. 1t appears that one
of the vessels taken by the Yorktown, (the
Pons,) had 9l3 slaves on board, $50 of whom
died before the vessel could be got into Libe
ria. This vessel installing the Yorktown for
British sloop of war, hoisted American colors,
thus seeking to make the stars and stripes pro-
tect her in the infamous and inhuman traffic
in which she was engaged; and she would pro-
baby have succeeded in this design had it been
a British instead of an American cruiZer. This
would have been one of the precious fruits of
our denial of the privilege Of reciprocal visi-
tation
The slave trade has been declared piracy by
America, England, France, Sc, and the YES
sells of any power engaged in it should be sub
jected to capture. We can see no reason why
the Portuguese flag should afford protection to
the trade. The moral sense of mankind has
denounced it, and the combined energies OF
the civilized world should be eXerted for its
extinguishment.
For long period of time the Barbary pow
ers sent out Corsairs to plumber the commerce
of all nations, and the captives taken were
made slaves. England, France and the United
States, had to brbe these pirates by paying tri'
butte for permission to pass up the Mediterra,
mean unmolested Commodore Banbridge
commanding one of our frigates, was sent &c
Alqiers with tribute, and there subjected to the
humiliation of being compelled to bear the tri'
butte Of the Dey of that place to the Sultan at
Constantinople, or to become, with his crew,
slaves in Algiers. But the United States first
and England afterwards, taught the pirates to
respect the flags of their governments, and COM
peIled them to release their slaves, and to dis
continue the practice of enslaving prisoners
The progress of civilization required that the
Barbary powers should be chastised into better
behaviour, and it was CALAMITY inflicted by our
little navy, and by the vessels of Englan under
Lord Ermouth. And where are these Barbary
powers now? Algiers has been conquered by
France, ana the otner plEdtlCal hdtloils arc Sldu
to be permitted to remain in quiet.
Now the conduct of the AIgerines, TIpol-
tans. SC. was not more abhorrent to humanity,
than that of the persons engaged in the slave
trade-and the same determination which III
duced the suppression of the piratical prac-
tees of the Barbary powers, should lead every
civilized nation to put forth strong hand TO
abolish the African slave trade. Let any man
picture to himself upwards Of 900 human be-
incs thrust into small vessel-packed toge-
Their so as not to have room to move, and de-
prived of the free air of Heaven, with the
thermometer at 100. 1t is not in the human
mind to conceive more horrible condition, oil
more barbarous act, and yet Americans-ci
tzens of this free government, whose boast il
is that "all men are created free and equal,
engage in this viIlianous business to make
few dollars by their baseness and inhumanty
and, unless detected in the nefarious traffic by
an American vessel of war, they are to escape
with IMMUNITY.
PUBLIC DOCUMENTS. We return our thanks
n the Hon. w. F. Giles, Of the House of Re
x,~Ea al