Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1852-03-06
Slave Trade and Slavery in Brazil.
RIO DE JASEIRo, Oct. l, 1851.

" Ntt h<uHtOH ttt sNuttOHut
my arrival in this country, have heard ant
read so much that is interesting on the sub
ject of slavery and the slave trnde, that some
account of it may not be without value tt
you nt nome. The position of Brazil and th,
state of public sentiment in relation TO thes;
: questions, is tolernbly well understood il
England, MS shown by the tone of anti-sla
very publications there, aud 10y recent state
incnts OF Lord Pamcrston and others in the
House of Commons. But in the u. States
we have given bit little attention among ouI
slnveholding rivals in this hemisphere. Some
knowledge Of il, therefore, may be as rure to
yon MS il has been to me.
With about the same number of Slaves
that we hare-sumcwhcrc between three
and three aud n half millions-the question
of tie pcrpctuation or tho extinction of sla-
very is becoming one of paramount import
niice IN this country, as in ours. Here, too,
as there, the real question is often disguised
under inlse aud plausible issues, aud in va
rious respects there is n considerable likeness
| between the circumstances attending the an-
ti-slavcry move ments in Brazil aud those oc-
curing in the United States.
From the period when (lS22-ll the scpa-
ration of Brazil from Portugal, and the cs-
tablishlncnt of n liberal constitution, first
! opened tie door TO free thought and discus
{ siOn, there have not been wanting sngacious,
! honest BraZilians who have raised their voices
/ against The slave trade and slavery. As car
~ as lo23, u most eloquent essay upon the
subject accompanied by n well digestcd pro-
jrct for the gradual abolition of slavery, aud
for the protection of slaves during its con
tinlance was prepared for the Constituent
Assembly 10y Jose l}oniucio de Andrada-
elm euIi,,I ,,II
nan whose requirements, enlightened views,
and high character would have done honor
to any age or nation. In this document, il
is curious to see, the whole system of Slavery
is attacked with the selfsame arguments and
illustrations drawn from its social, cconom-
cal, aud political evils, aud from its Inherent
wickcdness and injustice, which are even
row, at n distance Of twenty-eight years,
most current with us. But the humane An
drnda was too much in advance of his time
and his countrymcn, turning n deaf ear to
his stirring appeal, went OH importing Afri-
cais aud laying out Office, and sugar estates,
rs before.
Nevertheless, Brazil was induced TO agree,
by treaty with England, 10 put an end to the
slave trade from aud after the year lS3l.-
so potent, however, was the influence of the
sayc-dealers, aud so avvrse were tho plant
ers to any check to their supply of demands,
that the Government was never fuirly enlist
ed TO support of the treaty; aud the laws
passed in conformity with it were allowed
TO remain dead letter. Thus passed long
years, during which an average of same forty
or fifty thousand Africans were annually im-
ported while the perseyering efforts Of Great
Britain to obtain from the Government n
fair compliance with the terms of the treaty
proved utterly unavnilng. Tho last general
election, in 1878, was carried by the money
aud influence Of the saye-dealers and their
allies, the traders of the city and the planters
Of the country, and new four years lease
of power WAS thereby given TO their creG-
lures and friends.
At length, in 1850, Great Britain efIectual-
ly took the staff into her own hands, aud
while Brazil, under one pretense and anotll-
cr, had failed to stop the trade as she had
nineteen years before agreed to do, the Brit
sh cruisers on this coast were TO do II for
her. Short time sufficcd for this. a few
seizures, burnings, and sinkings, even with
in the waters Of Brazil, aud under the very
guns of her forts, brought the question OF
"trailic," as it is called, TO a speedy aud sats-
factory solution. For the first time the eyes
of the Government were opened To its own
duties as party TO the treaty. The nntiOn-
al flag outraged and national property dcs
troyed within sight of the capital itself, the
men in power must needs do somethlng,an
they were too well aware of the real aspect
Of their cause, rs respects Great Britain, not
to know that, us the first step towards n sls-
pension of British aggression, decisive mea-
surcs must at length be taken to make good
the pliglited faith of Brazil. To the existing
Administration this had now become a mat
ter of life aud death there was no other al
tentative for them. Their pnst iriends-lho
slnve-dealcrs-were accordingly obliged TO
fly the country, t0 escape prosecution under
laws long disregarded aud II new and Wig
orous law was passed, nrming the Govern
ment with full power 10 ferret out seize, and
confiscate or punish every vessel mud indivi-
dual implicated in any manner in the slave
trade. This was in September of last year,
and from that time to this the Government
has not relaxed its suppressive efforts, so that
the ruflic may he considered for the time
being, rs entirely at an end. And strange to
say, this sudden revolution in the national
policy, imposing disgrace and exile, and n
heavy loss of property, upon some OF the
most wealthy aud influential men In tho
country, finds not only cordial support in
the nation at large, but not even voice is
raised against il. The conservative party
now in power seem actually strengthened by
the energy of their measures, while the llber-
al party, defeated at the last election mainly
through the influence of the slave-dealers,
are even more strongly committed by all
their antecedents to hostility TO the traffic.
! This happy consummation would seem
thus far to have been owing solely to the nc
/ ton of the British Government by means of
its steam cruisers. But this cause alone
would not account for the practical submis-
sion of the Government to acts of violence
not even yet discontinued, nor for the entire
aequiescene of the nation in the vigorous
measures adopted for the extinction of the
traffic. To understand how this result hos