The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1847-10-30

Tunis was speaking the language of humanity
and freedom, President Tyler, through his c abb.
net. was arguing in favor of human bondage
and deprcca,ing emancipation in neighboring
Republic evil of the most serious magni-
tude. While the guards Of the Bey, clothed
with his authority, have razed to their fou nta-
tons the horrible slave-markels of Tuns, the
Presidents Of our Republics have pledged them
selves TO prevent the passage of bill for the
+ abolition of the slave jails in it, capital.
In the debate on the reception Of petitions for
the abolition Of slavery and the slave trade in
the District of Columbia, in le36, the present
Secretary Of the Treasury declared, that il sla-
very should be abolished in ihe District, no
Southern. man could legislate there. Fairly
overwhelmed with the enormity of the measure
proposed by the Abolitionists, he exclaimed, in
tones of tragic solemnity, "Oh, my country
Are we American Senators, and is this the SEN
ate Chamber Of the American Union in which
we compelled 10 debate such a proposition as
this" Is the Crescent TO be the symbol offree-
dom, and the Cross OF slavery Shall the priests
Of the Bible defend and saaciiali oppresssjn and
no longer justify
Once more we ask, in all earnestness and
leinnity,a question of the gravest import. Let il
ring in the ears Of Christendom.
SHALL rHE BRLE ESsiavE rHr WoRIDl
j. q. w.
The same writer dscoursing on West India
Emancipation says:
Our travellers state, as a general fact, that,
whenever the negro class obtain land by rent
or actual purchase at a fair rate, they eagerly
embrace the opportunity, and are found TO in
crease in wealth and the appearances Of oomes-
tic comfort. Many thousand of them are en-
Ployed on tls large sugar estates part Of the
season, and are, at the same time enjoy ng their
own comfortable little frcehol6s. Nearly TWEEN
! ty thousand ofthese small estates have been pur-
chased in Jamaica alone, since 1898. Ii is not
| 10 be denied that this vast improvement in the
temporal condition Of the laborers has undoubt-
edly diminished the number OF those who
willing TO work field hands on the sugar
plantations. In consequence of the excessive
drought for several seasons, some of the plant
ers have been unable TO pay their hands pune
tuaily, and these have preferred 20 trust 10 their
own skill and industry hereafter, in procuring
a livelihood from their provision grounds.
This is one Of the causes Of the diminution Of
the sugar crop Of the island. In respect TO the
effect of this dininution upoa the planters
themselves, the authors of the Notes before
us remarks:
The quantity of sugar produced in our West
India Islands must not be used as the standard
by which 10 Judge Of the happiness Of their in
!
display of wealth has been redlced in some cases.
but take a view of the aggregate, and we shall
mud that the comforts, IL not the luxuTies cf
life, are far more difused; that display CT wealth
was fictitious, the comforts are real; the one
was frequently obtained by money borrowed on
mOrtgaged estates, the other is earned by frugaly
saving the excess of income over expend-
ture"
Ii is doubtless true that the great measure OF
emancipation has in some cases borne heavily
upon proprietors, whose habits prejudices, and
false notions Of economy, have not accoinmo-
Gated themselves 10 the new state of things.
As at every important, step, by which a commu-
nifty advances towards higher civilization, in
dividusls, unprepared for the change, are
found suffering aud lamenting amiGst the
general nmelioration--the victims of past error,
rather than OF the new movement which dis
places h-so in the mighty stride Of the British
West Indies from feudalisn and seriism to the
condition of equal and impartial freedom--there
have not been wanting instances of apparent
hardship and disaster among the proprie'ors of
the islands The evils Of the great social wrong
Of Slavery had taken too deep hold of master
and slave TO be altogether eradicated by the dis
solution of the unnatural connection. The
present generation Of both classes must pass
away, before the beautiful order of Freedom can
fully establish itself upon territory cursed for
weary centuries WIN slrtctH rtVim-
ed the one into luxurious despots, and the other
intoreckless and ignora nj slaves.
And the editor of this Journal, commenting
on the negotiations in Mexico, writes as fol-
lows
On what points, then, were the negotiations
broken Off TIE report made by the Mexican
Commissioners 10 their Government, explains:
Doint m aon N hirh a result of the dis /
cussion, the negotiation stopped, was this: Mr..
Trist showed himself disposed TO abandon his
first pretension 10 Lower California, and 10
part Of Upper California, by which the former
might communicate BY land with Sonora. He
offered. that IL there remained no other point OF
difference for the conclusion Of peace than that
relative TO the territory which is comprised be-
tween the Bravo and the Nueces, he would con-
suit his Government upon it, with some hope Of a
good result. although this step must occasion
delay of forty odd days i'm the negotiation. But
the cession Of New Mexico on our part was
condition which could not be yielded; nor would
he refer IL anew TO Washington, as he was quite /
certain his Government deemed il a condition
sine qua non of peace. The other points refer
red 10 in the draft seemed to US attanable by
adopting on both sides terms Of accommodation.
Such, at least, was the opinion which we formed
at the conferences"
II must be borne in mind that We have not
vet fan accounts of the course Of the negotia-
tons. The intelligent correspondent OF the
New Orleans paper, writing from Vera Cruz,
September 2lst, says:
~ think have already mentioned to you that
the Mexican Government, in attempting to treat
with Mr. Trist, offered us nine miles up the Del
Norte from the mouth; and from thence 10
certain point, the land between the Bravo and
Eueces should remain neutral; and, from That
point line parallel with 81 deg. las.--tbus
giving us the Bay Of San Francisco, aud lit |
tie to the SOUTH so / think, let the scattered
Government be where il will, they will now be
glad to save their country By giving us reason
able slice"
Surprising this TO be true. the first essential
difference between the two Governments was re- |
duced 10 very narrow compass. The strip OF
territory in dispute between the Nueces and the
Rio rande del orte, is not degree in width,
and lies along between 81 deg. and l02 deg. west
longitude. This narrow, worthless bit OF land
Mexico wishes for boundary, and was willing
to bind herself 70 plant new colonies upon IL.
We do not wonder, therefore, that Mr.. Inst
who was in the State Department when the Ad. 1
mnisiration, after having positively siiirriei
and clearly demonstrated the title CT the I nifed
States TO the Oregon Territory mp 10 d deg. ~
min at last, TO avoid the horrors ef war, gave
up its claim to FIVE degrees forty minutes, bring,
ing down the boundary Of the Territory to ~
deg.-should entertain some hope that the same
Administration. for the sake ofstaying the rava-
ges of actual war, would be willing to yield lis
claims over an insignificant strip Of territory,
not one tenth as large. The Washington Union
cannot think he would be guilty Of such an alb
surdity, forgetting that Mr. Trist could not sup