The weekly Mississippian. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1859-1864, 1860-06-13
The African Slate Trade.

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On the 25th Of April last, as we have pre-
yiously published, the United States steamer
: Moha,cE captured the SLAYER Hildfre, of the
. coast of Cuba. with five hundred and sever
negroes on board, and towed her into Key
West where the negroes were delivered into
CUSTODY of the United States Marshal for the
district. A temporary shed to afford them
accommodation was built, at cost OF sou
and they have been boarded at the expense OF
Uncle Samuel. at the rate of 81, COOS month
So far, facts.
1.-The question that now demands deels-
ion.u saws Mr.. Buchanan, q is what disposi-
ton shall be made of these Africans :" Al
| ter an elaborate review of the Mr.. President
Mouroe's construction, in 1919, of the act
for the suppressionof the African slave trade
when he president Monroe) "beliesed 1t to
be his duty under that act, to follow THESE
Door unfortunates into Afri;a, and make pro-
vision for themselves" Mr.. Buchanan adopts
the construction of Mr. Monroe, and decides
that these five hundred and seven negroes
are to be carried back into africa, and provision
made for them there to the amount OF one
hundred thousand dollars! Surely we have
no specimen Of Exeter Hall philanthropy
that can compare in the remotest degree With
this 1! Mr.. Buchanan is doubtless right IN
his construction of the act, and it being the
law. he is bound to see it duly executed, but
we think it is time that law was changed,
and one more consistent with the intelligence
and requirements of the age adopted in its
stead. Our attempts at the suppression OF
the slave trade have been a notorious failure.
They have neither "srppre Ssed" it nor
checked it, although they have cost us mil
lions upon millions of dollars in money. and
who can estimate their cost in the life-blood
of our citizens. The whole theory is wrong,
and its practice, the extreme of cruelty
Dictated, we have no doubt, in the beginning
by feelings of philanthropy. its result has heen
the very reverse of what it was intended to
effect
Like all other branches of commercial enter
prise-for so long as it exists, and is carried
on to the extent and profit ofits present posi-
ton, we must look upon it as branch ofcom-
mercial industry, however wrong and i'm
moral Acts of Congress declare it to be, the !
African slave trade is regulated by the laws
Of supply and demand So long as a sohoon-
er can go to the coast of Africa, take in a small
cargo of say 1000 slaves, return to Cuba or
Porto Rico, sell them, and realize, over and
above all expenses, the snug little sum of fifty
thousand dollars, within four months time,
adventurous captains and crews will be found
ready and willing to embark in the enterprise,
however closely watched the shores of Africa
and Cuba may be. All profitable trade will
be carried on so long as it continues to be
profitable, whatever restrictions may be placed
upon it and when the trade becomes forced,
as the slave trade now is, under the humane
restrictionsof America and England, the result
is inperiling, in proportion, the life of the
cargo.
In former times, before the very humane
laws which are now the order of the day, be-
fore it was declared by treaties that the slave
traffic was piracy the taking in of cargo of
negroes, and their landing were conducted as
comfortably as the landing of cargo of cotton
or sugar, or any other article of legitimate
commerce. But now it is quite different the
enterprise must be conducted with secresy in
proportion to the hazard that is run. As
cruisers bearing the Stars and Stripes or the
Union Jack at their gaf-rial, are now constant.
" on the look out for those long, sharp,
rakish- looking schooners," the object of build
ers of those schooners being to make them stcif
sailers, so that they may escape by their su-
periof0sailing qualities, they are discovered
and pursued, they are therefore, built long
sharp and rakish." Capacity for the stowage
of an ample supply of provisions for the /" car
CO." for exercise for them on board, even for
ventilation, is sacrificed for superior feetness
in sailing, and untold misery to the poor crea-
lures taken in, is the result Four times as
many as there is room or provision 'or, are ia
ken on board. as few expect to land more
than half the number they take in they are
huddled together in one-fourth the space they
ought to have, and all sail set for Havana
not direct for Havana, but for some wild, I'M
inhabited portion of the coast where some lit
tie bay sheltering nook exists, and the vessel
10 Hr7va or IN he 81 Il
the cargo is then taken into the boats and
landed, and the schooner quickly dismantled,
to avoid detection from sea or land. In an
hour or two afterwards, the cargo is safe on
the nearest plantation and if the "shining
ounces" are not forthcoming, vouleau1 on
Havana, New York or Philadelphia do just
as well, and the business transaction is
then ended. The papers" obtained in New
York or Boston when the schooner started,
are now dated, and having completely changed
her appearance, she takes in cargo offruit or
sugar, and proceeds hack on her return voy-
age.
But to go back to the return of those
slaves of the HIldfre to Africa, and provide for
them 100000 after they get there. We
have said it Is time that the law which sane
tons or requires this should he changed, and
we repeat it. Even England, with all her hor-
ror of slavery, her canting hypocracy in rela-
ton to that subject whenever it is preached,
and her philanthropic "noble lords" and
honorable ladies' who turn up the white of
their eyes when Sambo is the subject on the
tapis-we say even in England must laugh
at us, when they see US taking those captured
negroes back to ica-Philanihropic Eng
land will not be found playing such game
She endeavors to make the suppressing of
the slave trade pay her something in return
for what it costs her. Let US illustrate If
the Ritd6re had been captured by Her Bri-
tanic Majestys steam frigate Styr, instead of
the Mohawk, would $500 be PAID for the
building ofa house for these negroes Would
the British Government pay ZOO month
for their board Would they be returned to
africa, and provision of 100000 made for
them ? The emphatic answer to these ques-
tons is no. Not a bit of it The HTEdfre
would lave been taken into Trinidad or An
tigua, or Demerara, or Jamaica, and the ne
groes " indentured" out to the planters of that
colony for seven years. In other words they
would be sold as slaues for the next seven
wears. and the "indenture svstem,' of the