New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1858-03-10

IL the slaye-trade anything 30 new or 30 aston
ishibg in this country that the whole worlds jaws
should stard agape OF the announcement that t has
been reopened al the South When was the slave
trade ever closed in this happy land There are
laws on the stat book against inporing negroes
from Africa; but what laws are there against ship
ping the same srtcle from the ports Of Baltimore
or Norfolk to Mobile, New Orleans or Galveston
None whatever. The slave trade is Just a. "open'
IN the Southern States az any other trade. IL
never was otherwise. And pray what is the vast
difference between shipping negroes BY sea, chained
for market, on twenty days voyage from Baltl-
more into the Gulf Of Mexico, and shipping them
for the same purposes in the same way on voyage
of forty DAYS from the GaboOn River to the lagoOns
of Florida? Isn't il six Of one and half dozen of
the other Slavery is slavery, and the saye-trade
the slave.trade, and nothing more and nothing less
can be made Of them wheresoeyer they exist.
They are horrible and disgusting wherever they
exist, ard whether near or remote, foreign or do
mestic, makes not particle of difference. That
men should be able TO wink at the dabOlcal efforts
to fix the cancer Of Slavery upon our Western Ter
ritores and yet profess horror at the intimatlon
that little traffic in flesh and bones was about be-
ing opened with the African Coast is only one more
instance of human weakness and human incon-
sistency.
Whether the traffic in negroes can be success
fully carried on between our Southern coast and
the coast of Africa we do not know and cannot con-
lecture, This trade would be against law. But
50 is the same traffic against law between Africa
and Cuba. But it is carried on in the markets of
the latter with great success. Why may not the
same thing be done on the opposite shores OF the
Gulf of Mexico? Are the planters of the Red River
ary more yirtuous than those of Cuba Have Ala
bama OF Mississippi conscientious scruples against
supplying the annual waste Of human life on their
plantations in the cheapest wayi And if they can
get African negroes at $500 or $500 by little con-
nyance ard little stealth, will they refuse and in
sist upon having Virginia or Maryland stock at
81. GOO or 81, 200 a head The whole case will
tuIn upon the question whether the ssye-buying or
the save-breeding interests dominate in the admin
istration of the Federal Government. Put Dir.
JEFF Davis at the head of it, and the slsye-trade
will flourish. Put Mr.. Hunter there and the in
tercsts of Virginia will put the boot on the other
leg. With Northern doughface in that position,
it is impossible to tell much about the case. 1t
will depend upon which of the great Southern in
terests gets him the fastest by the nose.
As We observed a day or two ago, The Richmond
Wig has lately undertaken the advocacy of tho
African traffic We showed the stupidity Of its
position and it will soon be found that all Virginia
will be camOrous against the African slave-trade
the moment it begins to flourish in tie Gulf, as, ac
corGing TO Tie n. o. Dcita, it speedily will. Viz
GINA will hold on to her present monopoly of this
business and The Wing viii be forced to take the
back track. Let it study the statistics of it's own
State or those Of the State of Mary land and it will
discover that the opening of the African slave
trade will make both of them Free Ststes in a
very short period There is no possibility of keep
ing Virginia Slave State but by keeping up the
price of negroes. This was forcseen and announced
by Mr.. Upshur as long ago az 1899 in Virginia
Convention, and made the ground Of an argument
at the time in favor of taking Texas. The amount
Of money received by Virginia for the sale of ne
groes at high prices is almost incredible. 1t Is
most extraordinary fact but one nevertheless true,
and demonstrated by the statistics of the census,
that since the time of that declaration OF Mr. up
sbur Virginia has received rs much money for the
sale of her population to other States, as all the
present taxable property of the State. real ana per-
sonal amounts to. In 1880, Virginia had 47O,OOO
slaves. In 1850, Az, 900. In 1855 it is estimated
the State has no more, and it is said not so many
The average increase of the slave population
Of the country is 80 per cent at every decade or
per cent. per annuIu. Since the average throughout
the country is 40 much, in Virginia, which is
breeding rather than working State, it is Of
course more-the waste Of life being greatest in
the sugar and rice States. But only estimating
the increase at per cent per annum, we find that
since lc29 Virginia has produced from her then
stock of slaves an increase of 81 per cent, or
400 600. OF this increase, none or next TO none
remain in the State. OF course, they have been
sold TO 60 elsewhere, and the census tables show
plainly enough where. They have gone to Ala
bama Mississippi Louisiana, TeXas and TO other
States south. The sales of slaves are like all
other stock sales those Of grown animals, adults.
Virginia adults have for many years averaged
in the market over ,0O0 head. At $1,000
apiece these 100 negroes would produce
S4G9. OOO,OOO. This is probably not far from the
sum Virginia has received from the sale of her
population since 1922 or in twenty -nine years.
The taxable value of the entire landed aud personal
estate of Virginia in 1850 according to the census
f that year, is S3S2, coo, coo, or some .fce-JHd-
,renfy millions less than the STATE has receired from