The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1849-12-14

The SLAVE TRADE AND ITS PREVENTION For
the last 'hiry years England has been ~nd-avor-
Ing, al an annual expense of upwards If two mil
lions and half Of dollars, to put an end 10 the ex-
portation of slaves from Africa; and it will be re-:
collected that, on several OCCASIONS, there were
collisions between the Um,-d States and that
country growing out of the searching of American
vessels by British cruisers, with the view OF as
ce,tain,ng whether they eng, aged in the slave
trade or not, which were near leading To nd'ioaal
disputes. Finally, the United States, by treaty with
England agreed 10 keep a certain naval force on
the African coast, to cooperate with that of Eng
land, Spain, Portugal, and France, in suppressing
The traffic, and that force is m nlaned at the pre-.
tent time. Among them several prizes have
from time time been captured-all Of which
were provided with slaves TO greater or lesser
number
Notwithstanding all these preventive measures,
il appears, by report submitted to the British
Parliament on the subject that the slave trade has,
80 far from being diminished, actually been in
creased, and the horrors Of the middle passage
much aggravated. The measure has, il appears,
been complete failure While the slave traffic
was legal, winch 1t was in the year 1874 it wds
computed that the number of negroes who were
annually taken from Africa amouated to eighty
thousand. In the year 1920 the estimated number
WIS seventy thousand, and in The year 1917, while
all those preventive measures were IN opera
lion, 1t Is computed, from reliable data, that
rom sixty to sixiy-hve thousand were landed
in Brazil, from Africa Aud in consequence
Of those very preventive measures, the horrors OF
be trade have been much aggravated, bee luse
II Is stated good authority that to aud sixty or
siAiy five thousand slaves Brazil, some one hun
died thousand must be taken from Africa, the re-
naiIder dying from the sufi-rDgs endured by them
on the African coast, as well rs those of the middle
passage. All these facts have come GU: in such
manner as 10 leave no room Of doubt concern-
ing The m. 1t therefore follows that those preven-
tive me III ures have resulted in positive evil rather
than good and, instead of checking the traffic,
have increased The number Of negroes that have hi
th.i,o been exported from Africa. While the traffic
was legal, there WAS regular annual abstraction
Of negroes from Africa, To the number OF eighty
thousand whereas, in 1917, when il illegal,
aud " hen d strong naval force was stationed on the
African coast 10 prevent It, the importation from
that country into Brazil alone required drainage
OF az hundr, d thousand Of the population. This
is account, Tor by The proftablenrss OF the trade,
vi ch is 20 great as to induce men to embark IN
the business, and run Ill hazards that may attend
ifs prosecution. As long as negro can be pur-
chas, In Africa for thlrri-Gye or forty dollars
from the trader, and DIS Of for from three
hundred and fiiry 10 fou red dollars In the
Bbzil or any Other MAJ I'D the navies in the
world cannot slop The 1
Under these crcumst then, 1t IL apparent
MA, The maintenance of ID naval force the coast
oi Africa, for the purpose OF suppressng the slave
trade, is uscle-s. No better proof of the truth Of
the can be furnished, Than The statistics which
have given above. considerable portion Of
The Enghsh public have accordingly arrived
al The conclusion that the the force is
moved, the better IL will be for the African him-
Self for whose benefit it was pat on. We are de-
cidedly OF the same opinion. 1t produces not only
Il waste Of life among the Africans, in conse-
qpenoe Of requiring larger number To supply the
mand, than II did when the traffic was leg al, buta
waste OF money to no purpose. This remedy, then,
having failed, those IN England who repudiae the
plan OF keeping naval force on the African coast,
propose noer rene jy for the abolition Of the trade,
which certainly LIS worthy of at least trial. This
remedy is TO make slave labor AS productive in
Africa it is IN Brazil and the only way of ac-
complaining this, is TO create drmaud for labor
there, by developing the Resources Of that
vast and comparatively unknown quarter Of The
world, and by oyilzing the people 1t would Of
course require time and a great expenditure Of
money, to Effect this 4; but The sum annually ex-
pended by the nations who have naval forces
cruising in the African waters, wsuld g, a good
way towards Ell, citing the reform. AT all events,
The sooner the present system is abolished, the
better ii will be for all parties.
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