Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1853-10-21
THE DESIGNS OF ENGLAND RELA-
TIVE TO CUBAN SLAVERY.


TIVE TO CUBAN SLAVERY.
The success that wins the admiration of in.
feriors is, alas, for the fraity of human nature,
just rs sure to excite the jealousy of equals.
The nnexampled progress of the United States,
which has drawn praise from small countries
that cannot compete with rs and from large
countries whose interests are diverse and with.
out rivalry, has only excited the jealousy and
increased the ill-will Of England. Afraid of
| being outstripped by Us, she sedulously labors
with a circumspection that does more credit to
| her head than her heart, to arrest our growth
and obstruct our progress
The importance to us of the acquisition of
| Cuba is as manifest to her statesmen as it is to
ours. They see that the natural tendency of
affairs is to that result. To prevent ii, they
have employed one eSpedient after another
They first manifested disposition to claim it
under mortgage from Spain. Not being able to
impose upon the shrewd good sense of Amer
lea with that himsv pretext, they next, in con-
| junction with France. tried 10 eutrap US into
that better conceived device, the tripartte trea-
rv. But that. like the former failing to hum
bug us they set about the connection of another
scheme to prevent US from acquiring Cuba, by
rendering it valueless to us. This latter being
an imitation Of the trick of naval commanders
of blowing up or disabling vessels to render
them valueless to their captors.
But to be forewarned is TO be forearmed, and
having good grounds to suspect, if not fully to
believe i'll the existence of a scheme so to
NEEDLE with the institution of slavery in that
island as to impair its value and usefulness to
US. il becomes the duty of our statesmen to
meet her efforts promptly and render them abor-
tive The plan to which We refer is to induce
| Spain to manumit the slaves on the island of
| Cuba. Rumors of such a plan have for some
time been in circulation. We have heard them
as well from private letters as from the press
! They have not yet, however, come in SO authori-
| tative and well authenticated form as to be
assumed as facts, and to justify any decisive
action by our government. From the Union
Of yesterday, we extract the following para
graph, containing distinct references to this
subject that seem to be predicated on reliable
private communications. The Union says:
.The rumors which have prevailed for some
time as 10 the interference of Great Britain in the
slavery question in Cuba revived, with cir
cumstances of corroboration so strong that there
is but little room left for doubt 10 their truth. II
has been about twelve years, if our memory is not
| at fault since Sir Robert Peel justified the propo-
| siton To indemnity the owners OF slaves in jana
| lea tor their cmanc patton. upon the ground that
the measure of aboishng slavery. in that island
| would exert an influence upon this continent, and
| that twenty millions OF pounds sterling would be
well spent for such an object That policy, as we
believe, has been steadily pursued by the British
government and is now actually contaminated,
| or is about being contaminated, IN the scheme OF
| Introducing apprentices from Africa INTO Cuba,
| with the consent of Spain and under the protec-
| ton Of British ships-ot-war, 10. be worked for ten
years as slaves, with the further agreement that
slavery shall cease 10 exist in the island nj the end
! of fifty years We have reason to believe, from
| our private advces from Havana, that wealthy
Spaniards in Cuba are now negotiating Tor the sale
of African apprentices at fixed prices in antcipa-
ton Of importations, for which arrangements have
been made with the government OF Madrid, and
sanctioned and guaranteed by the British govern
| mcnt.,
| This affair begins to assume an Importance
that ii has not hitherto been invested with.
But one opinion, believe, exists in this
country in reference to such foreign interfer-
ence in the affairs Of this continent. Our high
functionares and our people have both mani
tested, in the most decided manner, their stern
purpose to check and to punish such unwar
rantabe intermeddling.
There is no need of vociferous and excited
defamation about it. All that is needed is
prompt and decisive action, so soon as the facts
are established. That the government will be on
the alert to detect the scheme and to arrest it.
we presume no citizen Of this country for a
moment doubts. To the hands Of our rulers we
commit it, knowing their fidelity to American
interests and their determination to enforce a
due regard TO them.