Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1854-04-22
Corraspon6enta.

-
tenn IN Cuba--O Opinions ofa Cuban Refugee
The Late Dread FIJI Storms, and the A.ctul
Shipaorecks along the Coast Of Jersey--Fdte
ofhe Steamship City Of Glasgow.
New YORK, April 20, 1854.
The European war is now the great Mael
strom which absorbs everything within the
worldwide sphere of its action. This morning,
in expectation of the steamer Asia, Wall street
was dormant, the bulls were quiet, and even
the bears were anxousiy waiting the news.
The whole city appeared to be in a sort OF sus-
pense, awaiting the intelligence by the steam
er. Happening to be at the corner Of Full
ton and Nassau streets, between the Herald
and Sun Offices, about twelve o'clock, OBJ
| served that there were groups of newsboys at
both corners IN anxious conversation. Pres
| emily the heavy report of piece of artillery
came booming up from the North FLYER; It
was the Asia's gun, announcing her arrival
Instantly the newsboys took off their caps and
gave three cheers and an hour later, although
the steamer brings very little news, the streets
are musical with the cries of g. Extra Herald,'
Extra Sun," GOT the arrival Of the ASIA"
and all the town is astir. And thus the inter.
| est will continue to increase as the nations of
Europe become more deeply engaged in the
awful horrors of the struggle before them.
What the end may be, God only knows; but
| the believers in republican principles and the
prospects OF " manifest destiny" are full of hope
and confidence, and think that there is " a good
time" very near at hand for what Kossuth was
! in the habit of styling :" the solidarity of the
| peoples" No doubt the old rotten despotisms
of Europe will be terribly shaken, if not utterly
destroyed, before this tremendous convulsion is
| over. Shall we entirely escape the contagion
| Who can answer the question?
You will see, by the last advices from Ha-
vana, that the apprenticeship system is fairly in
operation in the Island of Cuba, under the Off
cial sanction of the government. This is,
therefore, the practical beginning of "the Afri-
canization Of Cuba" / have seen this morn
| ing an intelligent Cuban refugee, and man of
wealth and influence among the Creoles Of The
island, who says that the Question is now fairly
presented, upon which. the future destiny Of
Cuba is to determined. If the United States
pause now, said he, the permanent establish.
ment Of the emancipado system, comprehend
ing the rapid abolition Of slavery, will render
Cuba as repulsive to the south as Jamaica
What can we do with an island of free negroes
except to make it refuge for the fugitves of the
Gulf States, and the centre of future insurrec-
tons among the ignorant blacks of Alabama
/ Louisiana, Florida, and Georgia? Without
/
that the commercial interests of this city be-
ing identified with the Cuban question in its
southern aspects, we are very anxious to know
| whether our government intend to appropriate
the golden opportunity, or to let it pass away,
never to return. Can you, gentlemen of the
Sentinel, give us any light upon the subject?
! The late dreadful storm has left the most
heart-rending evidences of its violence along
our sea-coast. The wreck Of the ship Pow.
hatan, with upwards of two hundred souls on
board, every soul lost, of the Manhattan the
Underwater and others, between Sandy Hook
and Cape May, render in fearful account of
the ravages OF the wild sea along the Jersey
| breakers, in the number of dead bodies washed
ashore. There are men in town from the
scenes of these dsaters whose reports of the
wreck, and of their observations among the
dead bodies, give us the most painful ideas Of the
sufferings and horrors which the doomed pas.
sengers and seamen must have undergone, be-
fore their suferings were ended among the
merciless waves. Think of a stout ship lying
for two days among the breakers, with over two
hundred souls on board, and then broken TO
pieces by the rush of the devouring pillows,
with not a soul from the wreck left alive to tell
| the tale, and nothing of the wreck itself to be
seen but few broken fragments of the ship
carried to the shore upon the surf. How pain
! ful the reflection that here were hundreds of
emigrants, who, after weathering in safety the
| tempestous Atlantic, were wrecked and swal-
lowed up within astone sthrow of their promised
land of deliverance from bondage!
Now, what should our government do to
guard against these disasters? The duties of
humanity are paramount. Between Sandy
Hook and Cape May, along the coast of New
Jersey, TIE sea il shallow and here, when
storm is driving towards the land, the ocean
waves run over the smooth sand with irresist.
ible violence. Nothing but strong steamer
or lile-boat can live in them. The Treasury
Department, therefore, should have one or two
steam revenue-cutters, adapted to the duty of
rescung the people from ships that'are driven
upon the shoals before they are torn to pieces;
and they should be located between New York
and the mouth of Delaware bay, to meet such
emergencies as those of the late storm. Prop
erly provided with Efe-boats and the necessary
appliances, a good stout steamer, if she had
failed in towing the Powhatan out into deep
water again, might have rescued every soul on
board.
After the most stormy and disastrous winter
within the memory of living man in these lati-
tudes, we had hoped that with the late savage
snow-storm Of nearly four days duration there
would follow glmmering Of spring. We had
such a gimmering yesterday, but it was
nothing more.
In the afternoon the sky was overcast, and
to-day we have cold and dismal rain, good
to all appearances for two or three days dura-
ton. This continuous outpouring ofsnow, hail,
and rain, must seriously embarrass the spring
work of our farmers, and at a period, too,
when their extra exertons will be required on
a large scale, tosupply the extraordinary wants
in breadstuffs and provisions of the European
belgerents during the coming summer.
The Asia brings no lidings of the steamship
Getty Of Glasgow" which left Liverpool for Phil.
adelphia, on the lst of March, with four hun
dred passengers on board. Where is she
Gone down, perhaps, among the icebergs, or
blown up, or sunk from leak; or, it may be,
driven eff her track, and safely moored in
some distant port This last supposition is the
last hope for her. Nothing has been heard from
her-nothing seen of her upon the sea. Let
us hope that the story of the President" Of