Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1853-06-24

ately or unfortunately, as we may happen to view
them, have not come down to these times, and are
to be looked on as exploded usages or as lost arts
They are gainful and profitable colonies.
war, aud even colony, may be ultimately and in
directly advantageous to mother country for they
NAV secure peace, confirm possession, extend terri
tory, deyelope commerce, and increase private IN
comes But these objects are almost invariably OBJ
tanned at the cost of public expenditure large
that it almost hopeless to expect that it should
ever be reimbursed by mere indirect results In an
cient times however, in medieval ages and to
this day, in barbarOus countries sovereign makes
war as a merchant would send out his ship or a
farmer till his land and if he conducts the opera
ton with proper economy-that is, it he quarters
his troops the enemy sacks sufficient quantity
of spoils, and can exact good ransom-he will
show you good balance at the end OF the campaign.
1t has been much the with colonies or planta-
tons. The early Spanish and Portuguese colonists
were thought nothing of unless they brought back
twenty times much gold and silver as it cost to
equip them. 1t required many generations and a
frightful amount of disastrous experience to impress
the States of Europe the exact difference between
colonizing and buccaneerns, piracy. kidnapping,
and other empoyments. which once, as Thucydides
says, were gentlemanIy employments and now are
But of the most obsolete traditions there will
often remain an almost miraculous relic. AS the
cd propheSy tells US L" Pau:a tamen Suberrent prs
ca Uestigia frauds > and really we have in the
world grand specimen of an old colony. 1t is no
skeleton. dusty, rotten bones. of Il megatherium
dug out Of the earth, no mastodon iced up on top of
mountain. no questionable dodo, or unapproacha-
bic bird of Madagascar. but living, vigorous
ample. familiar, not to say obtrusive. This famous
old colony, in what may be called, with little
stretch of chronology the cnque cento STYLE is the
island of Cuba. Yes Her Most Catholic Majesty
still does the thing in right royal style. There is
good annual surplus on the Cuba account and
pleasant little oasis it is in the prevailing serty of
a Spanish budget. We may be sure there is no
mincing modern ways in the management of such
colony. But that is not all. The bold and able
man who is so fortunate as to be selected for the
Captain Generalship of Cuba, knows the duties of
his position. His first duty is to pay good round
sum to somebody, no doubt in returl for the value
received. His second d:.ty is to get reimbursed as
speedily and as amply as lie can. So besides other
of official income, we'll known to students of
history, he has good round sum of dollars. in the
way of hush-money, for every negro landed in Gu
ha The whole administration of the island is in
keeping with this and thus in Cuba we have q
living instance of the " farm monopoly" so
common in former days, and so little understood in
! this degenerate age.
There are so many difficulties TO be encountered
that really it by the force of weakness only that
Cuba survives to this day in its antique character as
Il huge slave entrepot In the first place Spain is
under treaty not to allow the slave trade, or the
introduction of slaves into Cuba and though trea-
ties waste paper in Spain-if there is such a
thing as waste paper IN country where there are
neither books nor newspapers nor letter writing
vet certain British cruisers sa j or steam with copy
Of the treaty on board, and give no end of trouble
to her most Catholic Majesty's slave catchers On
ly within the present year we have captured six of
these gentry returning home-that is, to Cuba
with cargoes of slaves; and the importation is not
half what it was twenty years ago. Then kept
an ambassador at Madrid and Consul General at
Havana, always agitating about slaves, and keeping
up sort of . Uncle Toms Cabin close to the ears
of her most Catholic Majesty and the Captain Gen.
eral of Cuba But Spain could easily laugh at all
this talk as easily as she laughs at her creditors
but for one awkward circumstance, which gives ar
adventurous gravity to circumstances. Hard by
Cuba, almost within sight, there lies certain pow
er not quite so given to Intervention are but
quite as sharp at annexation. The United State:
are opened mouthed to swallow their beautiful
neighbOr. Young Bacchus lying the green swarC
and opening his mouth to receive the flowing grape
that some nymph is squeezing into it: He'll in me
. diaval pictures, gaping to receive the downward
throng of damned souls, does not show greater
appetancy for its food than Brother Jonathan
stretched out at his ease and guessing" the neal
approach of Cuban annexation. When will the rip
t pear drop into his mouth New Orleans will posi-
lively die of thirst ennui if the contamination
delayed much longer. The contemporaries of Gen
Jackson grieve to think that they should die an,
leave so great deed to their children. Twice ha
it been attempted lately, and twice has cowardl
public opinion, assisted by our busy tongues, Grip
pied the expedition and checked the instincts of
generous revenge. But this is rather warm wOrl
~
l. al of strength with the lords of Florida and Texas
5 1t knows that nothing whatever prevents Cuba fror
g being absorbed in the States tomorrow, except til
public opinion of mankind, chiefly as represented o
e England and the other great naval powers 1t
d forced to weigh the consequences of policy whic
s. may forfeit this protection
y We have not heard much lately of the e Lon
n Star order, the future conquerors of Cuba ca
# themselves; but the incident lately mentioned j
" commercial intelligence. and commented on i
: the Lords Monday night, leaves little doubt i
our minds that we shall soon heor of it again.
- vessel of 400 tons the other day aged in spite
~ the British cruisers, to land LOO slaves in Cuba
- open day, and with the cOgnzance of all the Spar
sh authorities. They only the remains of
large cargo for 200 had persisted in the attempt
liberate themselves. These poor creatures were N
even captives in war; they were not purchased fro
native princes or flying from misery at home bt
they had been invited an shipboard on the pretend
" ofsome festivity made drunk and carried off to sc
of in the night. Our Consul General at Havana hea
ing of the mportatons, made every effort to reese,
them, and did actually recover 800; but more
u could not DO; as II appears the laws" of Cuba
So not permit the estate of planter to be entered
quest OF newly imported negroes purchased slave
a, The negro once sold and hurried away from Il
adj mart or the open beach where the sale is held al
he safe over the limits of plantation, is beyond tt
nd reach of laws mortal sympathy. Such is the S
called = law, of Cuba and at this moment we,knO,
ar the Queen OF Spain knows, and all the world know
at that 800 free Africans the other day trepa
" ned by Spanish subjects on shipboard, that 200
a them were murdered and that 800 of them are nc
hit undergoing slavery in Cuba in spite of treaties al
n IN spite of all our costly efforts to prevent the
al barbarles. Now should such incidents be repeate
til the British public will certainly make up its mil
i'll to incur no expense to 10 her most Catho
Majesty the possession of island of which she al
% her officers make this abominabe use. They W
it's not pay large fleet to prevent Spanish slaves fro