Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1857-09-13

U. S. SQUADRON ON THE COAST OF AFRICA
FOR THE SUPPRESSION OF THE SLAVE
TRADE.
Ex-President Tyler has written letter giving
the for the article of the Treaty Of Washing
ton requiring United States squadron carrying so
guns to be stationed the coast of Africa for the
purpose of suppressing the slave trade.
SulJoied is En- President Tlers letter to the editors
Of the Richmond Enquirer.
really thought and often declared that the South
ern States were more opposed to the slave trade
than any other portion Of people They had
voted with singular unanimity for the act of Con-
gress which declared that all citizens of the United
States engaging in that trade should be regarded,
and, if convicted, punished pirates How it hap
pens, then that provision introduced into treaty
to enforce law, for which the South had voted,
be rightly regarded insult to the South must
say passes my comprehension. Certainly such an
idea never entered into my head or heart.
My principal desire, however is, to call the at
tention of the country, in BRIEF to the facts they
existed Immediately antecedent to the treaty Of
Washington. The British Government had insisted
upon the right, in virtue of various treaties with
other nations to visit ships the coast Of Africa,
sailing under the American flag, for the purpose of
ascertaining the true nationality of the ships. Eng
land had even ventured to put their claim into
practice. This called forth strong remonstrances
| from Mr. Stevenson, who then minister at
London, and most able argument in pamphlet form
appeared after, from the pen of Gen. Cass, who
was our minister to Paris.
The conduct of our representatives at London and
Paris in this particular fully approved by the
| administration and in my annual message to Con-
| gress, i took decided ground against the claim
preferred by Great Britain, and made the occasion
to say, that as the United States Government was
the first to declare the slave trade piracy so far as
the citizens of the United States were concerned so
it was fully able to enforce its own laws without the
aid of British cruisers.
| Thus the two governments remained for time an
tagOnized the question. Great Britain urged that
she meant no insults TO the American flag but that
II was impossible, without visit to the ship to
| certain whether she belonged TO the nation whose
! flag she bore, or had assumed that flag merely 10
deceive, thus seeking immunity, under the Ameri-
can flag, when the vessel officers andrew might be
French, Portuguese Spanish or some other nation
intent the slave trade whose treaty engagements
had given to Great Britain the right of visit and
search.
| Great Britain also urged on our government, as
consideration for quiescency part in the mat
ter, that if the vessel visited should out to be
truly American, bound on peaceful mercantile voy-
! age, she would indemnify all loss, and every dam
| age sustained, had been honorably done in all
precee ling cases. Lord AshburtOn vas possessed
power 10 ildIe Oh InlS, as on OlutT SUP
jects-and upon conference reiterated my declara-
! ion made in my annual message, that the United
States Government able to enforce its own laws
and that should see their enforcement treaty or
no treaty, under the obligations of paramount duty.
l then suggested, by way of discharging this duty,
| on my part that we should keep upon the African
coast naval armament sufficiently great to visit all
ships that ght hoist the U States flag, and fall IN
der suspicion; but that could not permit another
nation to do so. Upon this basis the stipulation in
the treaty has, in my mind, always rested Certain
il is that for the aftertime Of my service, visit,
much less search, of an American vessel, occurred
! on the part of a British cruiser.
What has taken place since, will not undertake
to say. have nothing 10 do with what the Govern
of my country may deem it proper to do in re-
gard to that stipulation but this will venture to
say, that repeal when peases that provision of the
treaty. 1t will still find it necessary for the enforce
ment of the laws Of the United States well for
the protection of the traffic of merchant vessels
that cOas-a traffic every year increasing in value,
| and destined, in the end, to be of vast magnitude
to maintain feet of at least eighty guns on the
coast of Africa. 1t might be worthy Of cOnsidera-
ton, by the next Commercial Convention, whether,
before they advise the csnceling of the provision in
question, and denOunce it insult to the South,
they should not first repeal thelaw relative piracy
| in regard to the slave trade
Very respectfully, your obd't servt,
August 81, 1857. JOHN TYLER.