New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1858-01-18
FROM WASHINGTON.

WASHINGTON, Thursday, Jan. IA, ls5s.
The provisions Of the Revised Code Of the Dis.
trict of Columbia concerning the importation Of
.l,v.s are contained in chapter ~, and are as fol-
lows:
District by liz owner by the authority consent
IL owner contrary 10 the provisions oil this chapter
such slave shall thereupon become liberated and free
SIC . IL shall not be- Lawful! to bring into this Dis
,ct any slave whatever for the purpose of being cold
or for the purpose of being placed in depot TO be sub
sequenty transferred to any State or place 10 be cold
So 4 II -hall not be lawful to bring into this Dis
;rct any slave whatever TO reside therein except so
far as may be allowed by this chapter.
SEC 5. Any citizen of the United States who shall
come into this District with bona fde intention of
settling may import bring into this District at the
zane time Of his removal into the same, within
year thereafter any slave the property of such citizen
al the time of his removal and the same to retain a.
slave; provided such slave, or the mother Of such
slnye shall have been resident of the United States
or of them, three whole years next preceding
such removal
SIC 6 No person removing to this District with the
bona tde intention Of settling therein shall sell or dis
pose Of any slave brought into this District by virtue
If any of the provisions of this chapter tie increase
Of such slave, unless such person has resided within
this District three whole years next preceding such
sale.
SEC. I. Nothing in this chapter contained shall be
construed taken to effect affect the right of any
person travelling or sQjourning with any slave within
this District such slave not being sold or otherwise
disposed Of in this District but carried by the
ont of this District, or attempted 10 be carried.
SEC. TO- Any citizen and resident of this District, or
of either Of the States OF Maryland or Virginia. seized
and possessed of state of inheritance in h own right
in right of his wife in land lying in this District, o.
i'll Mary land or in Virginia, aud being the owner OF
any slave employed or worked on said land, may
bring such slave within this District, on the land o.
such owner for the and benefit OF such owner and
.i,ay nd mot iIa1
that list of such slaves, containing their names,
sexes and ages signed by the owner or his agent b:
delivered 10 the Recorder within three months ate
such slave slaves shall have been brought into thi
District. This section only applies 10 such slaves
have been residents of the District or OF Maryland or
Virginia since l7S3 and to the descendants of such
slaves
SEC H. Any citizen of this District acquiring prop
ery in any slave, being resident in any one of the
United States before the DIST day of April 1888, in
any descendant of such slave, being a resident As
aforesaid by marriage, bequest in course OF ditrbu
ton, guardian may remove and bring such slave
into this District for the purpose only of employing or
working such slave within this District as herein be-
fore mentioned, and not for sae provided, that list
of such slave slaves be rendered. in the manner
auired by the 18th section of this chapter. The own
ers of slaves brought into this District under the pro-
visions of this section, may sell them after such slaves
have been residents for three years within this Dis
trict
Sections 3, 9, 8, II and Is, which have not
copied, are merely explanatory, or contain incl
dental provisions not affecting the general scope of
the chapter.
From the sections have cited, it appears that
the slave-trade is prohibited in the District, but
that the importation of slaves belonging to citizens
Of the United States who come here TO reside is
permitted, provided such slaves or their mothers
have been residents Of the United States for three
years previous to the removal into this District
the provision being intended, suppose, to guard
against the introduction of slaves from Africa. If
the present law be as you stated yesterday, that
slaves can now be legally introduced only from tho
State of Moyland the new Code will greatly facili1
tate the introduction of slaves into the metropolis.
Shut w in sick room, have no means at hand
to verify your statements but my impression is,
that if such be the law it has been practically dsre
gnrded, and that slaves have been brought here
from all parts of the South
The most Objectionable clause in the whole Code
is that one which you justly commented on yester-
day as a barbarous innovation borrowed from the
extreme South-that any person who has any negro
blood shall be deemed to be negro. In its prac-
teal operation this in connection with other clauses
of the Code, may lead to serious land perplexlng
results For instance, by a clause in chapter 10,
negro is prohibited from marrying white woman
in the District under severe penalties; and 1t Is fur
tber provided that
moving to this District, and cohabtng here as man
and wife, shall be punished by confinement IN jan not
over one wear and fine not exceeding $lOO.'
As in some of the States such marriages are per-
fectly legal and as persons 30 married may come 10
reside here, it is manfestly unjust to punish with
fine and imprisonment legally married couple
merely for c0habitng together. And if our mani
fest destiny shall lead, as it probably Will, TO the
annexation of Cuba, Mexico, Nicaragua and other
Spanish. American countries, the Republic VIII
number among her population millions OF free clti-
zens who BY the Code of this District, will be con-
sidered negroes, and who cannot bring their wives
to the national metropolis without being liable to
fine and imprisonment. There are plenty OF men
of the highest social and political class in Spanish
America who have negro blood in their veins, who
are married to white wives and who, if their States
should be admitted to the Union, would be prOba.
bly sent to Washington as Representatives and
Senators. Yet under this clause of the Code, they
ard their wives might be sent to jail for year. L
believe that one of the Presidents Of Mexico was
partly of negro descent, and if his African blood
did not prevent bis election to that office, it is very
probable that Senators and Representatives OF the
same stamp NAV be sent as delegates TO Congress.
II will not do to sacrifice every domestic institu-
tion including marriage, to the peculiar institution;
even although President Buchanan has pronounced
Slavery the only domestic institution which IL oil
any consequence to the public.
FILLIBUSTERISM IN NICARAGUA-lTS
RISE AND PROGRESS.
Correspondence Of The ". Y. Tribune.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 13, 1853.
~, ,.u -l:ot 7 sart 20 vou If the ultra