The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-06-27
THE BLACK LAW OF SOUTH CAROLINA.

The subject of the Imprisonment Of colored
seamen in the port Of Charleston has been brought
before the attention Of the English Government,
the part Of the steward Of British bark, for his
wages, payment of which the master of the bark
, refused, pp IRE ground ~ - - -
penses of the steward for two months in the COM
mon Jail at Charleston. The master stated that
the steward, respectable British subject, was
taken out Of his vessel, by the constables Of
Charleston, and dragged TO the JAIL from whence
he would have been sold as slave had not he
the master) paid 500 expenses
Lord Pslmerston, on being questioned in re-
spect to the matter In Parliament, stated that in
ls47, her Majestys Government had directed the
British Minister at Washington to remonstrate
against the Imprisonment of British seamep, and
the violation of the British flag, but that Mr..
Buchanan had verbally replied that the Federal
Government could not induce the Legislature of
South Carolina to repeal the law, and if pressed on
the ground Of the treaty Of 1915, under which all
subjects and citizens of the two countries were to
be permitted freely to enter, freely reside in and
freely quit the territories Of each, would be COM
PEELED to put an end to that treaty, by giving the
twelve months notice required for that purpose
t 1;-. sr-aahip said that it had thsn ke~~ Isemed
unsdyisable to press the matter to such an ex,
tremity. The outrage was spoken oaby the mem,
Der who called Lord P's attention to it, as "a
scandalous violation Of the principles which reg
ulated the intercourse of civilized nationsn Lord
Palmerston said that the law grew out of the I'M
fortunate institution of slavery and it was quite
unnecessary for him to express the opinion which
all who heard him must entertain with respect
TO it.
The matter will not, we think, end here A
case similar to the one under consideration was
Foreign Minister; and, from the correspondence
which followed, it was understood that in future
the personal freedom of British subjects secured
by the treaty Of 1915 would be respected in
American ports. In the case Of two colored Brit
ish subjects from the Bahamas, who were thus
seized and imprisoned some years ago, their Jail
fees not being paid they were sold as slaves. A
formal demand for them was made by the British
Government-one of them was found and restored,
the other could not be discovered.
The London Anti-Slavery Reporter of the LIST
ultimo calls upon the British press and public to
demand from Government immediate measures to
prevent future outrages Of this kind. awe do
not say the editors, intend that this case shall
pass over lightly; it is too important to be shut
fed out of sight, to suit the convenience of any
parties; and the question must receive defni-
tive answer, whether the colored population be-
longing to this country and its various DEEPEN
denotes are to be treated as felons and slaves in
any ports of the United States; and whether the
British Government is unable unwillinl d
prot ect them, when going thither on their lawful
business ~
As Massachusetts, and the free States generally
have stake in this controversy in common with
Great Britain, we shall look with some degree of
interest for its result. J. G. w.