Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1860-09-28
THE AFRICAN SLAVE TRADE.


statement Of facts which are interesting =
"On the ID of May deputy marshals Theo-
dore Rynders and Henry Mum were sent to
overtake and capture the brig Storm King,
which had cleared from this port under cir.
cumstauces that led to the belief that she was
about to proceed on a slave voyage. The
marshals v ent in search of proper person TO
sign the document to enable them to seize or
detain the vessel Not finding the party they
were i'll search Of they procured the steam
tug Relief, and proceeded down the bay, when
they found the Storm King at the Narrows,
going to sea. The marshas boarded the
brig, and slight alteration took place be-
tween the captain of the brig and the United
States officers. AT last matters cooled down,
and, very singularly, the vessel was permitted
to depart, and more singular still, the marshas
returned and reported at headquarters to Mr..
Dwight, the assistant United States district
attorney, that the supposed SLAYER could not
be found"
We published these facts at the time, and
we refer to them again, at this time, because
brig, said to be the Storm King, has been seiz-
ed on the coast of Africa with GIG slaves on
board. She was taken by the San Jacinto, on
the 8th day of August, and is now at Norfolk.
The slaves were put ashore at Monrovia. The
Storm King furnishes one of those rare
instances in which the slave trader is not sue
cessful. These pirates go continually from
New York and other points on our coast and,
usually they make their voyages without be-
ing disturbed A business so extensive could
not go on against slavery, pin defiance Of law,
without bringing down upon it the whole pow
er of the government. AT Washington it is
considered national to work in the service
Of slavery and this view of the matter usually
makes it torbearing towards those who serve
slavery in violation of the law. Slave traders
know this, and therefore fit out their vessels in
American ports and use the American flag
Now and then we hear of the capture of a
SLAYER, but we never hear that such capture
has been followed by conviction and punish
ment of the pirates. They always escape,
shall always escape. If that bad business
and the government intends that they
found no support in this country,-if the
whole influence of our government were hon
esty and earnestly against tit would very
soon come to all end. 1t has heretofore been
supposed that all the slaves brought from Afri-
ca were taken to the Cuban market; but, this
delusion has been dispelled since it was so
ostentatiously made known to the country that
cargoes from Africa are frequently landed
on our southern coast. delegate in the
Charleston convention boosted that he had
on his plantation slaves that were recently
brought from Africa But the market is very
good in Cuba, at the present time-so good,
in fact as to draw most Of the new arrivals in
that direction. While planters i'll Cuba pay
the very highest prices for slaves, and give as
much or more for wild Africans, as the best
trained slaves will bring at Charleston or New
Orleans they are likely to get most O. the
"new negroes" But this condition of the
market will presently change. letter from
Cienfuegos, in Cuba, gives the following ac-
count of the trade in that quarter:
"Hayana is theagrand depot, or slave mart.
The cost of a negro by the time he arrives
b ere is, as near as can find out, six hundred
dollars, and this includes everything, first cost,
transportation, and "hush money!" the latter
being as much an item any other, and one
requiring the most prompt attention. | am
credibly informed that dot" was recently
brought here from Havana, and that they cost,
the above amount, and yet they received from
the planter, without any demurring on his
part, eleven hundred dollars per head. No
wonder that there are so many willing 10 risk
their money i'll the slave trade, when, if at all
successful the profits are SO enormous and
YET, in this instance, they must have been re-
duced a great deal by cost Of transportation
and extra brides to the officials of Balabano
and this place The trade is very active, and
prices range very high at this time, owing to
the supply not near reaching the demand.
Estates are being cleared up constantly, and
old ones are rapidly increasing their dimen.
sions, the consequence of which is a continual
cry for more negroes, not only by the plant
ers, but also by those merchants who are en-
gagged in the sugar business, all OF them having
large sums in the hands of the planters. |
know one firm in this place that at the present
time has no less than 81 200, 600 in the hands
of planters, while another has 100000, and
others sums in proportion to the business
they are doing and if the slave trade were to
be crushed at once they would not be able to
recover one halt of it. There are over $4,000
slaves needed here now, and that number
could be introduced without materially affect
ing the market price"
There are unmstakabe signs that the pro-
test of civilization is felt in Cuba,-not very
deeply, it may be, yet sufficiently to turn at.
tention TO other means Of supplying the want
of more labor in the island. We are told that
the captain general has approved plan for in
PRODUCING five thousand natives of Polynesia
not as slaves, but as hired laborers. That is
to say, they are to be "hired" as the Chinese
coolies are hired. This may not give them a
very high social position, but it is, like the
coolie system itself, confession that civilza-
ton requires something different from slavery.
Yet slavery and the slave trade are not likely
to die in Cuba while the policy that supports
them continues to be SO vigorous and defiant,
in this country. Make the sentiment of our
southern states like that of New England, on
the slavery question, and Cuba could not with
stand the influence. The African slave trade
would disappear new system OF labor would
grow up and new influence would spread
from Cuba into every community within the
tropics. The influence OF our government and
our southern states on Cuba is not of an ele-
waiting character. But another day will come
and wtlI il great change.
PENSsYLyANIA.-The republican papers in
PenneVyan seont the notinn flat 4I.;. 49,.