The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-09-26

We find the following Ia the National Iatelli-
gsncer Of yesterday, aud We have other intorma-
ton which confirms it:
CUDA.--The following is an extract OF let
a from gentleman in New York, whose cor
,pondence in England ia from the most re-
pectable and well Uniformed sources. He says
al have letter by the last British steamer,
which states that Spain, France. and England
negotiating treaty respecting the guarantee Of
Cuba. The conditions that Cuba shall have
a local egislature-a representation in ths Cortes
at Madrd--and that provision shall be made for
the gradual abolition of slavery in the island
consider the information very reliable"
The late glorious compromise provides free
soil limits to the South on this continents
and now two or three Kingdoms of Europe un-
dertake To establish a free negro limitation
along the coast Of the South Atlantic.
This 10 the political development of the cru
ade against slavery which has been going on
! so many years in the Northern States of this
Mon, ard in Europe. We find coincidence
Of policy at length established between the gov
ernmen.s of the United States and of England,
France and Spain, to circumscribe tho area of
slavery on land and sea.
Now, it 80 happens, as it seems to us, that this
movement is decidedly overdone. And we think
this last attempt will recoil.
The island of IIayti contains free black popu-
laton of seven or eight hundred thousand.
The British West Indies have about the same
number. The French, Danish, and Spanish
islands contain about half million more And
if slavery were abolished in Cuba, there would
be half million more-making altogether in
the West India islands, a total free negro popu-
lation almost equal in number to the slaves of the
South.
England, France, and Denmark have already
abolished slavery, and destroyed the commercial
value Of their West India possessions. But
they have political and military value. And
that value has been vastly augmented by the dis
covery of gold in California for these islands
occupy position to command our communca-
tions with California by the Isthmus, and to cut
of, in case of war, our entire receipts of gold
from that State.
England and France are the only formidable
naval powers of the world besides ourselves
So long as they hold their present possessions
in the West Indies, they command the trade Of
Cuba, the trade of the Pacific, the trade of Cali
fornia and of Mexico, and of the mouth of the
Mississippi, and of the Southern Atlantic coast
England and France are jealous of the terri
torial extension of the United States-but Eng
land annexes provinces in India, and France in
Africa, at pleasure--and they consider the Medi-
terranean as their own. If we were to interfere
with their projects In Europe, Asia, or Africa, i
would be considered the height of impotence
But they have heretofore assumed the right o
intervention on this side of the world at pleas
ure. They blockade the La Plata-they domi
neer in the Sandwich Islands, and on the coas
ofNicaraugud, And now they combine to guar
antee Cuba to SpiIn--against whom! Against
lleUnted States.
This new intervention amounts TO an admis
sion either that they suspect the government OF
the United States of design to acquire that
Island, or they fear some portion Of the Ameri-
can people will do l. II the latter then it is
admitted that the peoptepf Cuba are favorable
to such a movement otherwise, it would be
next to impossible for mere unorganized expe-
dition from this country 10 wrest it from the
Spanish government.
But the terms of this Intervention deserve pc
culiar attention. Cuba is to be reduced ulti
mately to the condition of .Hsyti and Jamaica
And then, the whole West Indies will, il is
thought, be rendered so desoate and ruaous as
to be totally unnviting and repulsive to the ge
MUS of American annexation. More than that
Two or three millions of free negroes are the
very sort Of neighbors that Europe would like
to give to the slaveboIding States of this Union.
In case Of war, these free negroes would be the
material for military forces to act against the
Southern States And thus the institution of
slavery would be completely surrounded and
confined and menaced-and thus the West In
dies would be forever secured to European pow
err, and thus the trade Of the Mississippi, of the
Gulf Of Mexico, Of the Pacific, of California, OF
South America, would forever have to pass be-
fore the guns OF West India Notifications and
European naval stations Besides all this, II hap
pens that the West Indies have the finest eli
mate and soil for tropical productions, and are
the best adapted TO slave labor of any region
Of the world England and France have already
doomed their own islands to sterility. by aboli-
ton, but hope to indemnify themselves by sup.
plying Europe with tropical productions from
Algiers and the East indies If the West In.
dies were to pass into the hands of America,
and were cultivated by slavery, IL would result
that the two great slaveholding countries Of this
continent the United States and Brazil would
monopolize the production ofsugarc otton, coffee
and tobacco, and as the share of the United
States, combined with her gold regions would
be overwhelming, we would become too great
Now, II seems TO us that in this hemisphere
al least these European governments are a lit
tie too busy. And If they can interfere to pre-
scribe the destiny Of American territory and
people. and that too, in such a manner az to Sc
cure the command Of our communications with
Il