The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-05-10

"Neie no' ealsiy jury In court OF law. The
information on which these proceedings are
founded is hat too frequently furnished by
persons whose conduct and anteceden.s would
disen'itle them to belief before airy regular
legal tribunal Without going SO far back az
the capture of the bark Jones at 81 Helena,
some twelve years since, we may say that of this
character was the evidence on which the Thomas
Watson, the Queen Of the South, the Mary Var.
ney, and within the last few weeks the schooner
Cortez-ail American vesseis-werc taken pos
session of. To show on what slender evidence
vessels are condemned for alleged participation
In this traffic, we baye to state that out of the
eighteen American vessels captured and for
feitedla year ofthe African coast, five only con-
tanned slaves In addition to these there were Of
course many which were overhauled aud delayed
on the @cst frivolous pretexts, the object being
in many cases to intimdate the American cap
tain into destroying the evidences Of the nation
aliiy Of his vessel.
These are severe imputations to bring against
body OF men bearing in otter respects so high
Character as the officers Of the British navy
bat there is but too much reason to believe that
they are well founded When We examine the
motives which influence their proceedings, we
can hardly wonder at their conduct In the
first place. the prize money resulting from these
captures is, in itself a strong temptation--an
active officer employed in this service, il he is
at all lucky, being able to make very good
thing out Of it. In the next, he knows that he
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by what otherwise might be considered an
excess of zeal. All the slaves captured by him
arc transferred to the British West India colo
nies, nominally as free laborers, at the small
cost Of S2j o head, and thus Great Britain
sustains her character for philanthropy, re
pairs the mistake that she has made
in emancipating her colonial slave population,
throws every sort of impediment aud obstruc-
ton in the way Of American commerce, and then
coolly sets herself to lecturing Us on our indif.
ference to the interests of humanity in not
keeping stricter watch over the slavers built
or lifted out in our ports.
Now, without stopping TO establish the fact
that the majority of the vessels engaged in this
trade are built in the Northern and not in the
Southern States, that they are owned principally
by foreigners, and that we are not responsible
for the practices of the persons to whom we
sell our ships, it will be permitted TO lis to say
that if England and France were as much in
earnest to put down this traffic as we are, il
would long since have been cltinguished. The
only country by which tits in reality carried on
is Spain, and as there is special convcn-
ton on the subject with that government,
all that would he necessary would be for
the nations interested in putting stop
to it to insist on Spain shutting her Cuban
ports against the admission of negroes.
Where there is no demand there will be no sup
ply, and the expectation If slaves will speedily
cease when the stimulus supplied by Cuban ne
cessities is withdrawn.
1t is not the policy of England. however, to
do this. Neither does France desire to put a
stop to The traffic. The governments of both
counties. fully alive 81 the mistake which they
made in making concessions to the abolition
sentiment are stealthily endeavoring to retracc
their steps-that is. as far as they can do 30
without shocking the rciinements of modern
humanitarian ideas. Whilst. therefore. the
English government ostensibly protests against
the French scheme Of African free labor as Of
dangerous tendency, ii secretly encourages ii to
proceed with it, inasmuch as il affords counte.
nance to its own plans Of cocle immigration
The correspondence which has passed between
the two governments on tbe former subject IL,
therefore, a mere deluhicn. intended to keep
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and the French republicans on the other.
In point Of fact, the views Of the
leading statesmen Of both countries arc known
to have undergone considerable modification on
the subject Of slave labor This IL not TO
be wondered at, considering the ruinous con
reduced by the withdrawal Of this fruitful
source Of production. When We examine the
actual results Of slave and other labor in tro-
picai climates. even under ihis altered state Of
things, il is the less surprising that philan-
thropc considerations should have lost GROUND
with the practical minds Of Europe. In three
years-lSjj. sc. and i've lind that the whole
av.iagc yield or production Of the world in
staple tropical articles was by slave labor.
s236,IZl 900: by other labor. $Si2. 900. As
with the RAP 0creasc Of The white population
OF the dilorc uuirics. We must either oslcu-
late upon a IL, increase Of slave labor or an
enormous rise he ncccs.aries OF life. IL is as
clear as the su. al MONDAY that the phian-
thropic theories entertained on this subject must
give place TO the memorable conditions Of our
material wants.
But IN the meanwhile, until natural laws
decide this question and reduce insinccrc
professions to positive tests, Is this coun-
try to submit to have its commerce oh
structed, il, Tag insulted, and its citizens
plundcrcd 10 satisfy the pride and repair the
damaged interests Of another Power: As il has
l.c... L.n..a lnr.- In ~ fnlnlr.nrA II