The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-10-20
BY DANIEL R. GooDLoE OF NORTH CAROLINA.

ne DtOutC I'D INC fHglltu LegtNuIuTe II
1892; nth Uarious letters, judicial DECISIONS 81
BY DANIEL R. COOLIDGE OF NORTH CAROLINA
on THE STATE OF SLAVERY IN VIRGINIA
CONTINUED.
Such is the rise, progress and present found
alton Of Slavery in Virginia, 80 far as | hav
been able TO trace it. The present number G
slaves in Virginia is immense, as appears b
the census taken in 1871, amounting to no les
than 292,i27 sOuls-nearly two ffths OF tn
whole population of the Common wealth, I'll.
We may console ourselves with the hope tina
this proportion will not increase, the furthe
importation of slaves being prohibited, willis
The free IN grafton of white people hither
encouraged. But this hope affords no Othe
relief from the evil Of Slavery than diminu
ton Of those apprehensions which are natural
" excited by detention of 80 large q number
Of oppressed individuals among us, and thu
possibility that they may one day be rOuseC
to an attempt to shake off their chains
Whatever inclination the first inhabitants o
Virginia might have 10 encourage Slavery
disposition to check its progress and ncreas,
manifested itself in the Legislature even before
the close Of the last century. SO long ago a,
the year 699 VIC fad the title of an act l22
laying an imposition upon servants and sldUe
imported into this country, which was either
continued revived, or increased, by variety Of
temporary acts, passed between that period
and the Revolution, in 1875, (23) One of these
acts, passed in 1928, by marginal note ap-
pears TO have been repealed by proclamation,
October oath, 1924. In 1882 a duty of five
per cent. was laid on slaves imported, to be
paid by the buyers--a measure calculated to
render it as little obnoxious as possible to the
English merchants trading to Africa, and not
'mprObably suggested by them t. the Privy
Council in England The preamble to this act
is in these remarkable words
" We your Majesty's most dutiful and loyal
subjects, &t" taking into our serious consider
alton the exigencies of your Government here,
and that the duty laid upon liquors will not be
sufficient to delray the necessary expenses
thereof do humbly represent to your Majesty
that no other duty can be laid upon our mpori
OF export, without expressing your subjects
than duty upon StdUeS imported to be paid
by the buyers, agreeable to your Mojesty's IN.
drucit0ns to your Lieutenant Governor
This act was only for the short period of four
years, but seems to have been continued from
time to time TIL The year 1851, when the duty
expired, but was revived the next year. In the
year l7i0, an additional duty Of five per cent
was imposed for four years for the purpose of
an expedition against the Spaniards, &c, to be
Likewise paid by the buyers; and in l742. the
whole duty was continued till July /, l747.
The act Of 1852 by which these duties were
revived and continued, las well as several
former acts takes notice that the duty had
been found no rags burdenSoBle 10 the traders
IN slaves In l754, an additional duty of five
W. Igot,.od C,r 10 r -
years, by an act for encouraging and protect
ing the settlers on the Mississippi This duty.
Ike all the former, was to be paid by the buy.
ers. In 1859, duty of twenty per cent. was
imposed upon all slaves imported into Virginia,
from Maryland, North Carolina, or other
places in America to continue for seven yeara
In 1869, the same duty was further continued
In the same session the duty Of five per cent
was continued for three years, and an additional
duty Of ten per cent, to be likewise paid by
the buyers, was imposed for seven years; and
further duty Of five per cent was by sep
arate act Of the same session, imposed for the
better support Of the contingent charges Of
Government, to be paid by the buyers In !
l772 all these duties were further continued |
for the torn of five years from the expiration |
Of the acts then in force The Assembly al
the same time pe'itioned the Throne (2l) 10 re- |
more Gii those restraints uhich inhibILd his
MaJeSty'5 Governors asserting to such iawS rs
m'gh chcct SO uery perHiciOuS a commerce az
that OF Slavery.
In the course Of this inquiry it is easy to
trace the desire of the Legislature to put stop
TO the further importation of slaves and had .
not this desire been uniformly opposed on the !
part of tho Crown, it is highly probable that |
event would have taken effect at much earlier |
period than it did A duty of fvo per cent,
TO be paid by the buyers, at first with difficulty
obtained the royal assent. acquisitions from
the Crown for aids, on particular occasions
afforded pretcxt from time to time for in
creaslng the duty from five to ten, and finally
to twenty per cent with which the Jttuer was
uniformly made chargeable The wishes Of
the people OF this colony were not sufficient to
cOuntcrbalance the interest of the English
merchants trading to Africa and it il proba-
bic that however disposed to put a stop to SO
Infamous II traffic by law, we should never have
been able TO effect it, no long AZ we might have
continued dependent on the British Govern
ment--an object sufficient of itself 10 Justify a
revolution. That the Legislature of Virginia
were sincerity disposed to put stop to it. can.
not be doubled; for, even during the tumult
and confusion OF the Revolution we have seen
that they awaited themselves of the earliest on
portunty to crush forever so pernicous and
infamous commerce, by an act passed in De
tober, l17S. the penalties of which. though nm
parently lessencd by the act of 1892 are still
equal to the value of the slave-beiny tvn
hundred dollars upon tho importer. and one
hundred dollars upon every person buying OF
selling IN imported slave (25)
A system uniformly persisted in for nearly A
whole century. and finally carried into effect so
soon rs the Legislature was unrestrained by
the lnhuman exercise of the royal negative
eylnccs the sincerity Of that disposition, which
tho Legislature had shown during 70 long a
period, to put n check to the growing evil.
From the time that the duty was raised above
i've per cent, IT il probable that tho importa.
ton of slaves into THE colony decreased. Tho
demand for them in the more southern colo
niea probably contributed also to lessen tho
numbers imported into this For some wears
immediately preceding the Revolution, the i'm.
poratlon OF slaves into Virginia might almo.t
be considered as at an end, and probably would
have been entirely So if the ingenuity of tho
merchant had not found out the means of
eyadng the heavy duty by pretended sales, Mt
winch the slaves were bought in by some
friend, AT quarter Of their real value.
Tedious and unentcrtaining as this detail
may appear to all others citizen of Virginia
Will feel some satisfaction in reading q vindica.
ton OF hIs country from the opprobrum, but
too lav'hly bestowed upon her, of fostering
slavery IN her bosom, whilst she boas pacred
regard to the liberty of her ctizeny,,nnd of
mankind IN general. The acrimony of such
eensures must abatc, at least in the breasts of
the candid, upon an impartial review of the
subject here brought before them; and if, in
addition 70 what We have already advanced.
they consider the difficulties attendant on any
plan Tor the abolition of Slavery in country
where 20 large proportion of the inhabitants
are slaves and where a still larger proportion
OF tie cultyatogs Of the earth are OF that de.
scrpton OF men, they will probably feel emo
flpus pi H. 81 r.