The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1857-04-01
The African Slave Trade and Those who
Carry ir On.

The African Slave Trade and Those who
Carry IL On.
We publish this morning history of the Afri-
can slave trade, which will be found to be the
most complete and reliable yet presented to the
] public, and which corrects many Of the errors
| and misstatements OF previous accounts From
| the statistics which we present it will be seen
that the profits realized yearly from this traffic
| amounts to about eleven millions Of dollars,
| while the capital invested does not perhaps ex-
coed tour millions; that there is feet of forty YES
sells manned by total force of nearly thousand
| men, and that by means of this feet some thirty
thousand slaves are exported yearly from the
Coast Of Africa Since the year 1908, when the
traffic was declared by the laws of the United
States to be piracy, the trade with Africa has
been confined almost exclusively to Cuba and
Brazil The last named country entered into
| the compact which had been formed between
the United States, Spain, France, England, and
| Portugal, and by which each country bound
itself by every means in its power to put stop
to the expectation of slaves from the coast OF
Africa; but till within the last four or five years
she failed to comply with the terms of the COM
pact, and had it not been for the pressure upon
her would probably have been engaged in it up
to the present time. Had Spain manifested a
sincere desire to fulfil her part of the agreement
the importation of slaves into Cuba could no
longer have been carried on, and might certainly
have been as easily prevented by the Spanish
government as by the less powerful government
of Brazil There is no doubt either that if Eng
land were as ardent in her abolition
ism as her professions would seem to indicate, she
could alone almost wholly arrest the Cuban
slave trade. The fact is, notwithstanding the
parade made about the capture of q few slavers
every year off the coast of Africa by British
cruisers, that she has never displayed much
energy in the matter, and certainly not that
energy which her pretensions would naturally
lead us to expect. The Blue Book, which is pub
lished every year, and great part Of which is
made up of reports from the mixed commission
in Cuba, is perhaps the strongest proof that
could be presented in support Of this charge.
That the traffic is carried on with the consent
and connivsnce of the Spanish government there
is no reason to doubt; and 80 long as Cuba re-
mains dependency of the Spanish crown, 80
long will it be permitted and secretly encouraged
by the colonial and other officials Of that Power.
The only means. in fact, by which it can be sup
pressed is by the annexation Of that island to
the United States, when the slave trade would
at once be stopped, as it was at the time
our government entered into the compact to
which we have referred. But while the slave
trade between Africa and the United States has
been completely suppressed, large amount Of
the capital by means of which the slave feet is
fitted out for the traffic with Cuba is furnished by
portion Of our own citizens, and principally by
those who reside at the North. The greater part
of that feet, as it is sometimes loosely called,
the "Black Bird line" is fitted out in New York,
Boston and other eastern ports, while very few
slavers set out from Baltimore II is said, in re-
ply 10 this charge, that the vessels are purchased
by Spaniards; but If they are, those by whom th =
are sold are not ignorant Of the use for which
trey are intended. This is not all, however; for
the vessels are not only bought for this purpose,
with the knowledge aud consent Of the
seller but they are provisioned and
receive their outfit at those ports;
and 1t is even said that the officers Of the Law
are sometimes cognizant Of their departure,
their assumed Ignorance being handsomely re-
wsrdtd by the persons interested From thirty
TO forty vessels are despatched every year from
the ports named, and nearly all Of them succeed
in landing their human cargoes at their place of
destination in Cuba The profits realized from
this enterprise are enormous and the risk Is 30
trifiing in comparison that we can hardly be
astonshed when we know how unprncipled and
heartsss some men are, that there should be per-
sons found who are ready TO engage in il.
The idea of humanity never enters the head of
these Spectators in human flesh, and their ears
are deaf to the fearful accounts that are related
Of the tortures OF the middle passage. Thou.
sands Of human beings are sacrificed yearly
to their Unsuitable cupidity and while the coun-
try resounds with phillipics and Trades against
the South from Northern orators, and a
Northern press, for one negro who may have
been whipped to death at the hands Of brutal
taskmaster, we have nothing to say against the
heartless and fendish men by whom this traffic
is carried on, aud who live 10 our very midst
upon their ill-gotten gains. Slavery, as il exists
in the South at present is a patrisrchal institu
| ton, under which the condition of the slave is
far superior TO that Of large proportion Of the
pauPcrized iaboring classes Of the Old World
and the slave owners stand in the position Of men
whose interests as well as inclination lead them
to treat those who are dependent upon them with
a humanity 10 which the slave trader at the
! North j. total stranger.
Une successful voyage insures large fortune on
| the capital invested, and gives stimulus to the
trade which the apparent opposition of those
who have undertaken to suppress il utterly fails
TO check. Our own laws are so detective that
the persons engaged directly or indirectly in the
business have very little difficulty in evsding
them. Until such amendments are made, there
fore, ~ viii render il impossible to avoid the