Washington telegraph., 1851-07-23

A COOP LETTER.-Ihe Boston fOst
,ontains a correspondence between Mar.
Hastings. of Massachusetts. and DR..
Robert Collins of Georgia, in regard to
4he sale of the two fugitive slaves. Will
lam and Ellen Crafts. whose arrest in
Bostou it will be Eecoliected, created SO
mich excitement. i appears that. on
The 22d of March, Mr.. Hastings wrote
20 DIR. Collins proposing TO purchase the
sOoitives. To This letter DR.. c.. replies
n The able letter which will be found
below.
The report had been circulated through
Georgia, with the view of prejudicing
the Union cause. that the owner. Of these
slaves had sold them for $1,000, and had
1sce;ved the money. What truth there
;s in the report may be inferred from the
able and manly letter which follows:
Macon, GA, APRIL 6th. 1851.
+ S. HAsrlNGs-Dear Sw:-Your
letter of the 22d was received. and its
cou,euts have been duly considered
Won inquire of me wha; sum l would
have taken for the fugitive slaves, Will
liam aud Ellen, if | had known that
they would be restored to me. iu prefer
once to recovering them; aud further,
whether or not attn willing to take that
sum at present, provided the money can
he raised by public subscription in Bos-
,on." Your inquiries and suggestions
were fairly made, and candidly stated
NV reply to them will be equally free
and frank. The inquiries which you
make were made by others of your city,
while the fugitives were there, and while
nv agent, Mr. w. H. Hughes, was there
10 recover them. | did not then. nor do
I now think proper, TO receive any sum
of money for The purchase of my servants
from any citizen or citizens OF Boston. Ii
7 had originally intended only recover the
value of these servants. or II my present
desire was only to obtain indemnity for
their loss, your implied proposition might
be entertained But the object which
I have had in view, and which will app
near from all that | have written TO legal
counsel, private individuals. aud official
nefsons in Boston and Washington city,
precIudes any such arrangement. The
object has been TO test the public sense
OF the Boston people in regard TO the
fugitive slave law, and 10 learn, if posi-
bic, frs. whether fugitive slave could
be arrested in your city by the proper
olticers-and second, whether after arrest,
aud the causes being IN court, the ludIcl-
ary would give Judgment thereupon ac-
cordiur to the law and the testimony; in
other words, whether the judiciary and
cirizeus of Boston would sustain the
fugitive slave law i'll its integrity. My
impression was that The law could be,
and would be, faithfully executed accord.
ing 10 its letter and spirit, Ill that city,
and in the above case. 1t is not material
GERS of the court did perform their duty,
since the public judgment has been given
from Texas to Maine. Again, sir, have
had no particular desire i'll securing the
persons and services of the fugltives, be-
yond lha, which is cc.mmon among Free
solers of the Nor,h. il regard to well
tired aud faithful servant. Ellen has
been, from her youth, the most trusted,
and The most faithful Of my house SER
yants; and, in consequence, my family
were much attached 20 her. My object
has been, not so much to enslave her
again, as by recovering her to deter
others from following the example. l
am not more opposed to her freedom than
those who would buy her liberty. L am
less opposed than those who purchased
it at The price Of violated law. l prefer,
as tar as practicable, 10 exercise, my own
discretion i'll regard to bettering the con-
dlton OF my slaves. As to William, no
charge Of his having committed crime
has been preferred 10y me in any court.
but he is amenable 10 the laws OF Geor-
gla for abducting the slave Ellen.
Does it Eo: appear obvious to you. Sir,
that every Southern Shareholder has
deep interest at stake, both in the recap
ture and recovery by law. of his fugitive
slave! Every slave who gains his freedom
by flight from the South. and by protection
from the North, presents his fellow slaves
the temptation TO follow in his footsteps,
and tiud the same freedom. Aud here l
must express my dissent with your opln-
ION as to the best policy TO be pursued
by every good man Of the South whose
slaves escape to the North. You say
that sit would be better to receive the
value of the slave, or indemnity tor his
loss, i'll preference to reclamation, or re-
covery by law, of the slaves person. =
II We OF the South considered slavery
IA moral, social and political evil, 1t
would be easy for US to lessen the num-
Der OF our slaves, 10y system of gradual
emancipation which would comport more
With our own interest, and humanity to
them, than the policy you propose. But
We are satisfied that there is no system
OF servllude Oh the globe, attended with
less evil to master and servant, and to
society," than that Of slavery in the South
ern States. We also observe that the
tree negroes of the South are in far