Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1858-05-04
The RICHMOND ENQUIRER.
BY RITCHIE g. DUNNAvANT.
TUESDAY MORNING, MAY 1, 1855.

BY RITCIIE & DUNSAvANT.
TUESDAY MORNING, MAY 1, 1858.
THE SLAVE TRADE AND THE APPRENTICE
TRADE.
The official despatch Of our Minister at Psrs suiIi
cently indicates that the French Government ha,
fully determined to persevere in the policy of supply
ing French colonies with apprentices exported from
Africa.
This adds new feature to the question of the sup
| preston of the slave trade. The British system o
apprenticeship which has hitherto prevailed is re-
stricted to the spprencing of negroes captured on
board save.trading vessels and hence it affords no
necessary obstacle to the suppression of the slave
trade. and, indeed if properly employed, would tend
rather to aid In such suppression. Whether it has
not been SO exercised as to diminish the penalties
attaching to the traffic. rather to afford frequent
opportunities for the evasion OF such penalties, may
offer grounds for serious consideration, in view of the
facts revealed by the comprehensive letter lately ad
dressed to Lord Napier by the Secretary OF State.
But the French system of apprenticeship is entire.
y different and, if psrservered ,in must operate as
serious obstruction to the suppression Of the slave
trade. II negroes are to be procured the coast OF
Africa, and shipped under the sanction Of Imperial
authority, it will certainly be difficult to distinguish
between apprentice ships and slave ships. In short
time, the French Gag will slaves than ap.
prentioes provided market for African slaves shall
be left open. Even under the present system the
trade offers suoh profits that desperadoes
can easily be induced to venture life and liberty in
its service, and every opportunity offered for an
nf nj mill in
oruits.
Already, as Mr.. Secretary Cass remarks, the com
bined African squudrons are insufficient 10 prevent
large illegal traffic. The profits 80 large and The
chances of inpuniy frequent, that the squadrons
operate as q mere Intellectual check. We must, in
good faith, keep up our own African squadron, so
long as We are bound by treaty to do SO. But, re.
garded as experiment for the suppression of the
slave trade, the African squadron must be pro-
nounced failure 1t offers no induoement to our
Government to extend her treaty obligations in this
respect but rather TO seize any opportunity which
may honoraby offer for release from our present
conventions to that effect.
The charge that large number Of our own ci,i.
zens are implicated in aiding and abettng the slave
trade, is unfortunately true. The manner in which
ship owners and ship builders; end ship.owners in
our Northern cities are generally the guilty parties
These have principally been connected with the Bia
zilianAfrican trade. of which they have reaped
large share Of the profits, without any commensurate
share of it's risks aud dangers The operation simple
Brazilian slavetrsder purchases sn American ves-
sci deliverable at certain point the coast OF Afr
ca; he then charters her for the voyage from Bra
lillian to an African port. At the Brazilian port she
is fitted up for SLAYER slave deck is constructed,
usually by covering water casks with several layers
of coarse mating, and she is freghted with mana
css muskes, cotton cloth aud variety of trnkets
for the purchase of slaves from African chiefs. The
vessel thus equipped proceeds to the coast of A'ri-
ca under the American flag This generally secures
her from search by any cruisers, except our own-
Our flag s more carefully exempted from search, than
is any other. Even II search is instituted, the car
60 can be disguised and concealed in manner which
will frequently avoid detection. On arriving at the
African port the formal delivery Of the vessel is ef
fected, and the Brazilian nag hoisted. The American
ahipowners and crew have thus legally incurred the
| penalties prescribed by our stsutes but they have
done 30 with comparatively small risk of conviction
The receive high wages, and an inferior ship ii
sold for an enormous price,
| This species Of assistance 10 the slave trade, al
though within the scope of our laws, ia almost be
yond the reach of detection by the officers of our
| Government. So long the Brazilian laws against
The importation of slaves fail TO be eGsctually en-
forced our Government cannot control the compiled.
! ty OF United States citizens.
1t nigh, be inferred from Mr.. CsSss letter that the
4 ~ oI,,l;
rey suppressing the slave trade between their own
coast and that Of Africa This, however, cannot be
the real meaning, or if it H. must hs attributed to
some misapprehenson. 1t Ia true that the legislative
bodies have for many years been employed in the en-.
actment of statutes with this intent. The present
Emperor has also given much attention TO the sub.
sct aud faithfully endsavored to execute the laws
Notwithstanding all which, it il we'll known that men
of the highest positions in the Empire, some OF them
officials have been covertly engaged i'll the slave
| trade. The mass Of the people have never become
seriously opposed to it, and the insufficient naval
mamsnts Of the Empire, assisted by foreign squad.
rons, are entirely insufficient to protect the large
| tent OF coast open to the landing Of slaves.
We are happy to infer however, from Mr. Casss let.
| ter, that the prsse-worthy efforts of Don Pedro
II are not altogether without snccess II he has
ceeded even in the partial suppression of the slave
trade he s doing much for the best interests Of his
| Empire To no country is the slave trade fraught
with 80 great prospective injury as it ia to Brazil.
1t encourages emancipation, already too highly fa'
vored by the laws of the country, and among peo
pie where the free negro under no ban ofpocal or
social inequality; indeed the slave trade does the
work in Brazil Of the a,nagamaton Of races and
the Afrieanizaton OF the country.
To our own mind, the importation Of African ap.
prentices far than the importation of African
slaves Ifthese apprentices are ultimately to be re-
duoed to slavery the movement evasion OF treaty
obligation, to say nothing If they are 10 be
thrown upon the charity Of the community or tarned
out to shift for themselves, after period of sppren-
ticeship they will inevitably become pest and bur-
den. Itneed scarcely be explained, that any scheme
for their reexportaon to Africa will be found entire
y imprac,icable.
Every feature of the question goes ia prove that
the African slave trade cannot be suppressed either
by the apprentice system, or by African squadrons.
When the people and governments OF those countries
which furnish markets for the traffic, shall cooperate
/ az faithfully as the Government and people of the
United States have done for the maintenance Of sta
ue laws and treaty stpuations, then, aud not until
then may we expect the entire discontinusnoe Of the
| African slave trade.
Hls56.'
This member or ex.member Of the Legislature
1--we shrewdly opne that he is stll member.l re-