The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1850-10-01

present ihs lance, hithough so severe a catastroo
might not await them as fell upon those WIN
quarter of century ago, committed a simIar
discretion, when the madness of specusfion W.
universal, and when the Gala mites occas;onad
II were aggravated by such state Of the currenJ
as necessita,ed The paying of Commissioners FOR gs
Ting bank notes into circulation, and the GIVING
champagne breakfasts 10 those who fayoreJ la hs
by accepting its discounts.
The Brazilian Empire aud the Slave IRA,
The Ensiish Policy.
lfrem the London Globe Government organ) Be
TENDER IL
IL we may rely on report IN the RIO Jo..rnal
Commerce Of the 10th Of July last, the Brazilis
Minister of Foreign Afi.irs is convinced IN
sooner or later, and at latest within the next ten
fifteen years, the Brazilians will be compelled
Great Britain perseyeTes) 10 abandon the sa
trade. He even thinks the sooner the trade
given up the better; and that ''as 10000 arrobas
coffee, well prepared for the market, are more pr
titabe of sale than 2O,0o0 in an imperfect cond
lion, they should, for their own sakes, turn the
attention TO improving the quality, rather than
increasing the quantity of their labor-to maxim
skiinl the hands they have, 10 merely multiplyin
their numbers. IL is said that these sentiment
were loudly sppauded, ami that the deputi,
pledged themselves to support the government
any measures II might take tor the better enforcd
nent Of the treaty OF November, 1876.
Similar pre- misses have been made so often, an
to go little purpose, that we cannot place in th
nearly so much faith as we should like Nobod
IN his senses who has examined, ever so cursor
ly, The position and powers Of the Brazilian 60
veTnmenf, has hitherto believed il to be serious
these promises Its treaty stipulations are worde
precisely ss though II welded such authority owe
the inhabitants OF its dominions as is seen to b
exercised by the most powerful governments
Europe; while its actual coalition obviously pre-
cludes The exercise OF any such authority. TIL
forms Of command are easily maintained. Bu
their substantial effect il limited by the power
enforcing them. The so-caIlrd chad Faith" Of tn
government of Brazil is after all for the most part
an indirect confession that the Executive power
mol, al home, what, TO foreign natio3s, and in it
diplomatic intercourse, II processes 10 De. Nor
the farce limited TO external demonstration. Thu
sane language, but slightly snbdned by he IRE |
consciousness OF its hoownrss, appears 10 be use
whenever the same topics are broached IN tn I
central legislature.
to look at the country and The people as they are
and are best known to be. We see the nomina U
empire ct Brazil extended over about half of tn :
entire surface of South Amerca--a space nearly
equal TO that OF the United States, including Ore
gon and Califoruia-with coast line Of about so
miles. Crossed by vast mounlain.ranges, inter
seeted by the finest rivers in the world, enjoying
in a tropical climate end an elevation OF surface
Infinitely varied, from the rich alluvial Hats Of Tho
river banks and coast margins 10 the vast plateau
Of the in'ericr all he conditions of exuberant vel
eetston-the occupation If this great natural gar}
den is divided between dense and almost impcne@
trable forests, through which the mount Ain sream
find their way, but whose borders man can yet but
nitble at with lire and the axe-grassy prairie@
feeding millions of wild catle--a few Indian trbe4
still viIg the scattered, wild, and wasteful life Of
the mere hunter but not posse -sing bone and mus}
Gle enough 10 make them worth ensaving-and
come six or seven millions Of mingled white and,
black inhabitants of the maritime dstr, cts aroun :
Rio, Bahe, Pernambuco, san Paulo, Maranhaml
and three or four other popuous centres OF tho
foreign trade-aimost the only tradc-of the coun1
try.
AS rule, all the labor of the country is done by
eiGves, down 10 what horses or mules would else \
where be put TO. The only prominent exception
we believe, is experimental The Emperor hai
lately got over some l, 500 Germans from the bank
oil the Rhine 10 form an agricultural colony on ar
estate OF his own, about forty miles from Rio The
number of slaves in the country-all African, cd
nearly so-is, Of course, not very exactly known
probable estimate mak.e :. ,,.,vvr|
Bu' .srvufu &c observed that the black ano white
races are not kept SO distinct here in the United
States. The Spaniards and Portuguese have never
in this respect, sdoped the course common with
the English end American planters. There is fre I
quent mixture Of blood and the issue is not for
ever cut off-ds in the United States-from the
hope OF ultimate emalgamaton with the white race j
The slaves also appear TO be rather more humane
ly treated in Brazil than is common under the sys
u m they taken there to he cultivation o
virgin soil by excessive and protructed labor. The
cruelty seems to be all in the labor not in its in
ciden;s, or in the manner Of executing it-unlcss
We put down, as al item OF oppression, the almost
eniire exclusion Of females, Of late years, from the
cargoes OF imported slaves; resulting in corres-
.
nestle enjoyments Ms may be supposed to be COM
patible with the hard labor and long hours OF 4
Brszilien slave.
But what is especially remarkable is the consti-
tuition Of the saveholding body; and in this desig
nation il Is necessary TO include all the capitalists OF
the couDuy-ior capital in Brazil may be said TO-
meet labor in only one form. very important, be-
cause very active and influential section of this
body are rather Portuguese than Braxilians. As
Lord Howden remarked, in the course of his ex-
animation before the Lords Committee of last
ytar-"Ihe Portuguese are The only persons OF
white skin who DO nythipp at Rio." They are the
overeers, the clerks, the commission agents the
merchants, the bankers, the money. lenders the
great capitalists end the great shave holders Of the
empire. They ere the only people who have ready
money; and as almost every Braxilan is in want of
that, they possess great deal 81 indirect influence
How this influence is used Lord Howden, who
learnt what he knows while residing in the conn
try as British Minister, and Ia that capacity doing
all be could to discover how IL IL that our dplomi-
cy u OF no avail at Rio, has expained:-
The Ministers and the Deputies almost all In ps-
want Of money, almost immediately 20 TO the capital
LET, who IL ten TO ons slave dealer. besides which
sl.'.s OF being paid for By rssay money, but BY
dit the slave dealers hold mortgages least one
half cftbe whole real property In Brasil 90 that one
way or another they have thrown net the whole
notw ithrsnding their po~cr and innaeucs. perhaps
because Of It, are the objects OF profound dislike tAey
are the victims Of almost ell tbs whom
ever there Is en- iosnrrection. the rrs cry aivsys
estthe throa.s Of the Portuguese h Is these people
Who very often prevent the executive governnlsn Mt
fIcm coming TO terms with our govrpmsut
The government Is poor, and these people ara
rich. They are but seldom permane ntly settled
in the country; end, while they are in IT, whether
temporarily or otherwise, they live only in the
towns on the coss'. and are constantly and exclu-
svely under the influence OF the stimulus 10 ex-
tensive and raTii use Of slave labor afforded By
the boundless trects OF treming tropical soil around
them. Sugar aud coffee are TO be had in any
quantity, provided only human muscles are ~
commend To fulfil this single condition . to get
On the road 10 fortune; and the returns are such a.
TO enable the planting sp-cu-tor TO pay largely foe
maritime aid. A yssrcl fitted out a, a cost Of
lo,U0-i she escapes the cruisers, and comes
home with an average cargo Of slavrs-will cast
anchor on the brazilian coast worth i've unes a.
much as when she lsft IT,
As creditors, and foreigners, the Portuguese capi-
nsts ore dis iked. But they ale numcrous-say
i0,CO0 in al-lhey rest upon the Law OF debtor and
creditor, which cannot b. aboli shed without dis
clynt society: End they are strong in poosrssiou