Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1859-01-28

SLAVE TRADE.-The condition Of the slave trade
seems to be of growing prosperity, as it long has
been of great profit to the English officers engaged in
its SUPPRESSION. Occasionally told of the great loss
of life and expenditure OF treasure by the British gov
ernment the Coast OF Africa, to carry out the phil
antropic IDEAS the hundreds of officers who sacrace
health and life in that service The truth is, however
that no service is so much coveted by the British off
that of the African coast since they divide the
profits with the slave dealers and the Spanish government
Those three parties viz the traders the Spanish gov
ernment including the Cuban authorities and the Brit
sh officers, all equally interested in the continuance
Of the trade which is conducted somewhat on this plan
suitable fassailing vessel is selected and prepara-
tons made to fit her out The next point is to find
oficers-and there hundreds of young officers who
have got their fortunes to make and who get $50 $50
per month subordinate officers of merchant vessels
These offered 500 per month to sail the vessel end
say from ten to fifteen thousand dollars cash the land
ing of the cargo in Cuba. An enterprising and adven
turous is found to take charge, and he
sails for the Coast to given point, with gold to
pay at the rate of about $40 per head for the blacks
on board He makes the land, and oberves the signal,
either to run in or lay eff If he runs H. he gets orders
to go to sea- and be back in given time, say fifteen to
twenty days at the end of that time he into
secluded creek, and finds the blacks all ready to ship
board If the British cruisers the alert, this is
the moment chosen for their capture Because the
sci will be seized with the negroes on board and before the
gold is sent ashore to pay for them The whole IS
red to Sierra Leone. All the gold in the vessel and all
the effects of the slave officers are seized as prize for
the British officers who also get 25 ahead for the
who very far from being freed that account, but
are let out as apprentices, to pay the prize money for
their capture. If the British officers seized the
sci before she got the blacks aboard they would only
have the gold if they seized her after tie blacks were
paid for, they would only have the negros. sharp Of
icer makes his prize udicously The officers and men
of the SLAYER being seized destroy all papers, and
fuse to give their names, The only alternative is then
to set them free, because the law is that they must be
sent TO their country for trial. In this respect the
captors very enent, because they hope that the
parties will furnish them with another HAUL
About onehalf the savers are so captured the re-
mander get Clear and make the landing in Cuba where
the CaptanG General gets his doubloon apiece for each
black landed, and savers divide the profits and renew
the operation.
The philanthropists denounce this traffic as an i'm
mense crime and they substitute the coolie trade. This
being legal vessels chartered in the United States
ports to proceed to the Asatic ports to which the
coolies brough down from the INTERIOR precisely
the blacks brought down to the gold coast. Being
down, the healthy selected, and the weakly
looking and sicky rejected What is to be done
with these The dealers cannot afford to keep them
carry them backthey destitute and rendless and
they pitched overheard The vessel proceeds on
her destination and arrives with her cargo to be hired
out" but meantime abuse and exposure have under
mined the constitution of many of them and will
hire them The difficulty presents itself, and again
the ocean swallows the refuse OF the cargo. This is
Christian and philanhropic trade compared with the
African trade in the eyes of the philanthropists
o. s. Economist.