The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-11-12

}5y.
providing reserve cut Of which to man our
navy In case Of war.
A proper consideration, therefore, of the
value Of the reciprocity treaty must include a
| review Of all these questions. II, when they
| are examined, it is found that the advantages
are not what is claimed-that we have been, in
| fact, Overreached- II il is shown the legis-
lation of Canada has since been unfriendly
and contrary to the spirit Of the convention,
there will be no difficulty in constitutionally
putting an end to it at once, Notwithstanding
| the opinions Of our provincial Pudendor&-
There Is no doubt the subject will be fully dis
cussed in Congress during the next session.
British Slave r, AIDE I'm the mauritius.
! In work which has just mlde its appear
ance in Philadelphia, under the title Of Four
Years Aboard the Whaleship," there are some
curious revelations concerning tho existence
and active prosecution of the slave traffic under
| British rule in the Mauritius. The author, Mr..
| Whltecar, though common sailor, appears
| from the internal evidence Of his book TO be
trustworthy and intelligent observer, and, until
his statements receive an authoritative contra
diotion, we see no reason for questioning their
| correctness.
| In describing the motley population Of the
island, Mr.. Whitecar accounts for the presence
| of the Malabar and Madagascar natives In suoh
large numbers by the fact that they are pur-
chased from the native chiefs by English or
French traders In exchange for old muskets,
kegs of powder, jack knives, hoop iron, trim
kets beads, calico, and such other articles as
are held in esteem amongst the savages They
are sold ostensibly for term of years, but in
reality for as long as their owners choose to
detain them. Tho Governor of the Mauritius,
receiving so much per head as o perquisite
for each one that is imported into the
colony, holds out every inducement for
their introduction into the island, and
from the crowded state of the ships that arrived
during Mr.. Whitecar's stay, he was led to con-
| clude that the trade must be thriving one.
| AS soon as the slaves reach the colony they are
disposed of to the highest bidder, and our au-
| thor was justly surprised to see two English
| auctioneers mounted on their rostrums, en-
| gagged in selling them as they would any other
| merchandise. The poor creatures, he says,
were gathered and arranged in groups, and
neither sex had any other covering than the
breech cloth, in order that their muscular sys
tenn might be displayed to the best advantage
! The purchasers, who we're for the most part
French planters, walked in amongst them, ex-
| amined their muscles, teeth and joints, made
| them leap to show their activity, and, in every
| way that their experience suggested satisfied
| themselves in regard to their availability. The
only saving clause in the whole transaction was
that, in case any Of the slaves had family, the
purchaser was compelled to buy them all to-
| gether or not at all.
| OF the treatment OF these unfortunates on
the plantations, Mr.. Whitecar gives anything
but favorable account The overseers ap-
ply the whip without remorse, and there
| Ia this worse feature than the punishment
| by lashes on the back in vogue in our
| Southern States that the blows are generally
bestowed on the sculL The gross brutality to
which the poor wretches are in general sub
| jected may be judged Of from the fact that he
saw policeman calmly looking on whilst a
slave was knocked down and dragged by the
waistband over the sharp points Of the maca-
damised street, with nothing to preserve his
was wound round his loins. This scene occur
| red, not in an obscure or out Of the way place
but in public street, where people were con-
| stantly passing, and who, if any feeling at all
| were expressed by them, only laughed at the
righteousness of the scene.
| Here, then, we have IN a British colony
under British laws and under British COVER
nor, slave traffic not only of internal exchange
and Of great practical cruelty, but traffic that
is constantly being fed by Importation. And
whilst in our Southern States there is the justi-
fication Of pre- existent and present necessity
which can only be dispensed with by time, and
to tho extension of which the laws offer an
effectual barrier, in the Mauritius, where no
plea Of expediency can be urged in opposition
to positive enactment, the fullest latitude is &C.
corded to it. These facts will not surprise
those who know anything about John Bulls
career in tropical countries, where his true ma
ture can display itself unchecked by Exeter
Hall fanaticism. The objection that we make
sless to his owning slaves himself, than to his
affecting such virtuous horror Of the same
practice in others.
The CONDITION OF THE STREETs.-Ever since
the appointment of Mr.. Delavan to the Office Of
City Inspector the streets have been kept in a
clearly condition, such as New York could not
boast of for years before Tho pestiiential at
mosphere Of many of the narrow streets and
lanes has been purified and the great thorough
fares rendered psssable; but it is manifest that
| the hest disnnsnd official cannot narfnrn his