The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1849-09-12
State or enc Wess lnai. Isi.nd..

IA.
Our correspondents IN The West Indies, differ
ing MS they do ON many points, all agree as To the
existence Of one great fact. About the rum of
those ine islands they entertain no doubt whatever.
Nearly every estate In Jsmacia is either aba ndoned
or IN process oil abandonment. No hurricane was
ever go fatal IN s de vastatpg effects as the recent
cOrse Of imperial Legislation towards these possess
SONS hns ALREADY proved 10 be Some future his
torisn Of England will record how the conflict Of
parties, and the alternate tiiumphs Of hum tnity-
msBgeIs aud treetIadrrs, ruined tlrose once Hour
ishing islands Some unborn Macaul-y will mar
rate. for The edifcsIion of poserity that brtween
British COM ass,on for the African race, and Bril-
tish affection tor cheap sugar, the West Indian
properties sunk into annihaten aud ruin.
The course that has been pursued il about the
most Inconsistent IN the annals Of leylsl ttion.
Wilberturce, the man of black renOwn. Byron
somewhere says or sings, was a man Of one idea,
champion OF the sable childreu OF Ham He
soubtless thought, with Tom Moore, that natures
dfess was loneliness; Y proposition which we
wi. NOT undertake III the present moment to dis
putr. Costume Is matter ot taste, and go, tor
that matter, rs complexion. We have always held
that there was much sense In the lines in the Mer-
Misl,ke not for my complexion,
The shndow,d livery of the FURNISHED sun,
To whom am n De'ghbor, and near bred"
l, Is NOT, then, of Wilbeforc- and his friends that
We conceive we have a right 10 compliin We
THINK indeed, that they took matters far toe coOlly
the admission in 1876 OF the slave sugars Of
Cnha and Brazil. But we admit that they wtsh-d
honor of II tn those 10 whom 1t Is due. Lord John
Russell is the puIativ- father Of that illegitimate
politico omica offspring. We wish hts lord
shp JOY OF bIs paternity, and rejoice to perceive
that he wears his blushing honors with meekn-s
and humility. His noble ancestor died for the
cause OF liberty. Lord John probably thinks It
better 10 eviuce his patriotism by Introducing
cheap sugars, the produce of slave labor, for the
cons umprIon Of II grateful country. His ideas are
not sublime or sentimental, but they suit your
practical men. Humanity and philanthropy are
quite OUT of date in this The Nineteenth century.
Nous 0rons change tout ceLa
This is not question at free trade. IL Is one
affecting cur national honor and reputation. At
present we resemble the Pharisres, who thank I'd
G., d they not as other men. Our conduct
towards our West Indian colonies wears aspect
Of transparent hypocrisy, by which nothing /,
gained and u,body is deceived. The continental
nations only laugh at us for pains in affecting
a virtue that we de- not really pc ssess Our vir-
tue, il must be confessed, went out of us in the
year oi grace, 1916, when we first admitted slave
produce on terms Hpproximdting to equality. Pre-
viousy TO that period, sugars rasrd by slave labor
we've, practically, prohibited in England. Siuce
that time we have been purisfs IN profession. but
pronigafrs in our daily practices We still nomi-
pslly sbhor slavery and the slave trade. but We
pstronise both one and the other TO n considerable
extent AT Jamaica the human animal il as free
az air; but at Cuba. the produce Of which we buy,
the institution of slavery exists in all Its enornity.
We, ourselves, no longer steal; but we
ceivers Of stolen goods. Such is the progress of
our national virtue IN this enlightened generation.