Eastern times., 1853-10-20
A Novel Proposition.

The Duchess OF Sutherland NAV accom-
| plish something beneficial to the poor slave of
the United States, concerning whom she feels
so much sympathy. The way is opened for a
grand exhibition Of her philanthropy. A lady
OF South Carolina, who owns one hundred and
sixty slaves, in order to afford a practical IL
lustration of the extent and reality of the COM
misseration of the English ladies of Stafford
House for the American slave, has offered to
liberate them all, making such sacrifices her
self as the case requires, on condition that
the Duchess of Sutherland shall devote to the
object an amount Of money equal to one-ht-
teenth Of herannual income. The South Car
Gilman ladv, in her letter to the Duchess, says
"Mv ancestors became possessed, while
under British rule, of certain lands and slaves
which the then institutions of the country, en-
forced by British law, rendered the only form
in which could be invested the little proceeds
of their labor. The same land owned by those
ancestors, and the same slaves Tor rather the
descendants of the same slaves) have descend
ed to me by gift and inheritance, forming to-
gether the sole means OF support. for myself
and children
Your Grace has, | am Informed, in con-
Junction with your noble husband, an income
of some three hundred thousand pounds ster-
ling per annum One fifteenth part of this
your annual income would suffice for the liber-
alton Of some $50 negroes, who, as L have
said, form, with the land which they cultivate,
(and which without them becomes valueless,)
my whole property. Here then, stand wait
whom as the first fruits of your efforts, you
can easily free from those evils, real or sup
posed, with which you understand them to be
overwhelmed. One-ifteenth part of one year s
income will enable your grace to do this.
am, as you may perceive. ready to make
very much larger sacrifice in proportion to my
means, bv the loss which L may suffer from
the throwing out, as so much dead capital of
waste lands, which for want of negro labor
must become comparatively valueless to me,
and also by the inconviences resulting from an
entire and undesirable change of life and hab-
its. The sacrifice, am however, ready to
make in consideration of the tender conscience
es of the Stafford House Sisterhood and to
give YOU an opportunity first of personally ex-
perimenting upon the feasibility of your plans,
and next of proving to the world the sincerity
of your efforts to the cause which you under
take"
Now it cannot be that British philanthropy
will not avail itself of this rare opportunity Of
doing good. We shall hear soon, probably,
as the result Of this proposition, Of the fitting
out of vessel in Charleston to carry one hun
dred and fifty slaves to the Liberian Republic,
freed by the noble philanthropy and iberality
ofthe Duchess Of Sutherland If such agree
able information does not reach US, we shall
make up our mind that the English ladies de-
ceived Mrs. Stowe by an exhibition of inter-
est in the cause Of humanity over here which
they did not feel, and that they better save
their tears and sighs and handkerchiefs for
home use and let the negroes of this country
alone.