The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1860-01-19

.''S~ '>r being compelled TO gght with Wild boass>
great beast himself and on one occasion susrsd
onT hundred slaves TO be put 10 death because ono o
their number bad aasassinated his owner Do
mitan forbade their mutlation, and Hadrian
their confinement IN private prisons, and their
sale for Infamous purposes. Anonnus Plus prohibited
their cruel treatment severus forbade their being so
brothe Ike spers and the Christian Emperors from Cu-
santine down the final division fall Of the cmpvo
interested themselves the ameloraton of the condition
of the slaves Constantine would not permit the sepa.
ration Of families Theodosius allowed them The pro.
lection Of legal tribunal whenever they took refuge In
church. and the church itself powerfully interfered for
their protection though singular to say for whole oenu-
res attempting overthrow the institution Of sla-
very ITSELF In the early periods OF the vsgohic kings
the practice existed in Spain Of the putting death q
slaves by their masters Ht
During the Middle Ages the Northern tribes which hAA
invaded the Western Empire held slaves Of their own
e1vonAn captves, finally merging into sers, the form
y. 1'o"an slavery becoming obiterated." An autho-
riy from which We quote this circumstance says thu
pe"u ooheraton cannot be fixed for occurred
Vasous umes IN different countries, and rem aned a
we nave FOUND II In Russia, for many generations
From this period emerge to ts modern aspects one
OF the great exporters Of slaves Britain which ssrA
large numbers 10 be sold the Continent Tbe An,lo
saxons sold their female and even their chndrs
to strangers especially " the rh and tho practice on
unued even after the Norman conquest. THIS fact =
stated in various English histories and has never been
denied At Council Of the Church, held in Loudon how
ever in 11o2 canon was adopted in these words:Iet
no one for presume carry that wick tra
hc by which men in England have hitherto been sold Ike
brute beasts" The slave trade having after ceased
among the Christian nations Of Northern Europe the
Unv.tt A..
Gems with slaves purchased from Slovenian tribes border
ing upon the Adriac The Musselmans continued largely
in the traffic, particularly OF Christian capives, which
were disposed Of in the mars OF Asia and Northern A-
ca as has been done to our own day. One OF
the objects Of war with Morocco aud naval con-
tests In the Mediterranean where Decatur and his asso-
cates 30 distinguished themselves prevent fur
thcr capture and retention OF a slaves
By hese MEANS and adopted by the leading Chris
tan Powers, Christian captivity has been abolished n,
Barbary Egypt and the Ottoman empire The emancips.
ton Of Greece and the French occupation Of Ages pro-
duced further similar results
But here we must 60 back again some hundreds or
years. The discovery Of the New World with lis mines
and productive SOIL led the spanish discovercrs To the
conclusion that these could be would be worked
advantageousy by the natives themselves, who died ID
great numbers under the exacons Of their tssk
masters TWAS accordingly suggested TO the Court Of
SPAIN that as slavery had existed from the earliest times
in Africa and as the mars Of Egypt had been always
supplied by dealers in negroes was best change the
direction of the rafHc and send them TO America Tho
Portuguese who then possession Of great part Of
the coast Of Africa and familiar with atoms In
the Interior readily came into the plan, and In 1908
the first cargo OF blacks carried by them To the West
Indies In 1911 Ferdinand the Catholic permitted fur.
Their and larger private specuatons
Tn fhof r,7Ar ~ raorYo fuo
continuance Of the African slave trade On the hand
there great and immediate demand for labor in the
newly discovered colonies, and the other, urgent
protest OF Las Casas against the cruees pracsed upon
the natives In order TO quiet both parties he granted 70
one Of bis Flemish couters by the of Labress al
most IAbree) the exclusive privilege Of importing four
thousand negroes into the West Indies This privilege was
sold for Is 600 ducas company Of Genoese merchants
who organized regular traffic between Africa and Ameri.
ca has been said that Las Casas himself favored tho
substitute Of negro labor for that Of the natives on the
authority Of Herrera but this assertion has been fully
futed by the Able Gregoe his paper addressed to tho
French Institute Az the demand for labor continued 70
increase In lbl7 the slave trade fully established
The French, under Louis Kill, and the English. under
Queen Elizabeth, formally assented~to 1t, the
ground not only Of necessity and humanity, bat becaure
to save them from misery aud destruction in their
own country and convert them TO Christianity in the
New World This idea, according to Montesquieu nuuced
former to sign the law declaring all the negroes in the
French colonies to be slaves It must not be fogoen
however, that the first opening Of the trade the coast
by English captain, Sir John Hawkins assisted by
wealthy countrymen, who In 1893 fitted out three
ships purchased negroes, and sold them in Hspaniola Al
an immsase profit returning home laden with the pro-
ducts OF he country This led to other enterprises Of III
same character, and they henceiorwAd prosecute
with but little interruption throughout that century.
Out Of this finally tho celebrated Tratada del Asent
arose, beginning ~ early as 1882 by which the Spa
nsh government treated with other European Powers
for the supply Of negroes for It's colonies and the Por
guese ana French parties treaty. They were
70 pay Spain for the monopoly, piece for every
negro they carried there. The contract both cases. &C.
cording 70 authority taken by oommerc asso-
citation in France ompagne de rAsiento) but II failed a.
q commercial speculation. Az the English colonies in
in number and extent slaves were introduced by
the mother country then her merchants and the South
Sea Company to whom the Asento contract was trans
ferred, became the foremost tra1ckers In slaves Tho
French had held since 1702, and transferred Ia
the English by the treaty Of Utrecht In 17l3 and they
were furnish the Spanish colonies with 1000 negroes
annually for term Of thirty years. In 1899 the war
which then broke prevented the further performance
Of this contract and in 17lS the furthsr claim TO s wal
surrendered to Spain Nevertheless the English merchant
conunue0 IN the Dusine6e anu AZ iA1or period LIVERPOOL
much engaged in It that 10 believed laid the
foundation Of its commercial prosperity
The Of the French revolution effected con.
siderable change in the trade much that the King Of
Dahoney, in 1876, sent embassy 10 Lisbon Offering
Portugal monopoly against other nations if would
continue the business But early 17ss tho subject
began 70 interest European phianthropists and most
active opposition TO the continuance Of the slave trade
arose in England. Indeed, previously to that time,
Thomas Garrison, distinguished QUAKER began It's agts-
on In that year The famous Mr. wberforce FIRST brought
the subject before Parliament and after years Of
animated discussion . bill passed, brought in by
member Of the Of Sir VIM. Dolben, mitigating III
character and bringing the trade within certain humane
regulations. In 1904 Mr.. Wherefore carried repeal blu
through the House Of Commons which was lost in the
House Of Lords. Meantime the capture Of the foreign