Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1861-12-16

Correspondence n. Y. Times.
Huron HAD, PORE ROYAL, 8. O., |

hAkANA AAAkH AaaA 49, ~ 1
Thursday, Dec. 8 1851.
/ have to-day the opportunity Of announc-
ing perhaps the most important news that has
been cent to the North from South Carolina
since the fall Of Sumter. l am not sure that
even the capture Of Port Royal was more of
an9svent than the orders now issued TO Col.
Mobiles, late Of the New York S~eventy-ninth
(Hlgnlanders) Regiment. Re l. 10 pick, col
fscL pack and store all he cotton on the desert
ed plantations IN Ibis ViciniH. In this work he
will be assisted by the negroes, who are 70
be paid for their services, on proper vouchers
the cotton to be turned over for shipment on
return vessels from this port, sent TO the
Deputy Quartermaster General at New York,
and by him sold on public account. It Is
needless, Of course, for me to comment on
this circumstance; It's results will reach be-
yond America Col. Mobiles, who resigned
his command only day or two ago, is Q
man who has lived in Georgia and Florida,
and q as familiar with the character Of the
black population, as we'll as with the me,h.
DDS Of preparing cotton for market, and is
/ consequently better fitted for his task than
many others would be. How much discre-
ton and energy will be required in the full
hllment of that task is obvious to all. he
will be escorted by g sufficient number of
troops to secure his actions against any at
tempt at interruption; and hopes to be able
very shortly to send from here at least a
million dollars worth of the present material.
The fact that the rebels all along the coast
have been destroying their cotton and cotton
houses, has doubtless fastened the action Of
Gen. Sherman in this matter; for amid the
multiplicity of purely military cares imposed
on that officer, considerations of political or
commercial necessity cannot seem Of para
mount importance. The cotton lands in the
Reighborhood have been pretty thoroughly
explored by Col. Mobiles, who thus knows
exactly where the lar~gestquantites and finest
qualities are stored.
The use Of the negroes contemplated by
this proceeding is quite as important as the
mere fact of the picking and storing, or even
the shipment of cotton. The crowded pop
ulation of the various plantations could hard
ly be expected to remain very long quiescent;
they still come trooping in, not, indeed,
within our lines, but far from the reach of
their masters, daily some have even reached
here from Savannah and Charleston, though
these are struggling cases. But all the vicin-
ity now exhibits this anomalous condition Of
affairs; slaves neither free nor em~ancipated
working people with nothing to do, living on
the abandoned estates of their former mas
ters, and between two hostile forces. OF
course, il we do not soon make some move
kment either to occupy or restrain them, they
will become FESTIVE. By employing them at
work with which Ley are familiar, and also
paying them, this 1anger will be lessened, il
not obviated. Perhaps what occurs here and
now may even suggest the solution of the
mighty problem imposed on the national
GoVernment-What to do with the entire
slave population when deserted by its own.
era. As for emancipation, there is not the
slightest need to declare that; the rebels dc
it themselves more e~Hectually than ten thou
sand Fremont p~roclamstiousi they make
f known their own weakness and at the same
time their OWE spite; they burn their cotton
/ houses; they refuse to stay beneath the pro-
) lection of a power whose might they yet con-
t fess by their fight; they FIRE on their slaves
/ and otherwise endeavor, but in vain, to en-
: force them to accompany them; they estsb'
: lish patrols, which the blacks elude; and st
last give up in despair, leaving the negroes,
as well as their other property, sui ject to the
: ordinary rules of war, or to be fairly confs-
= Gated, as the punishment of unsuccessful trea.
, son. Just so rapidly IS Federal armies ad.
vance on the soil OF South Carolina, just SC
! rapidly do the planters emancipate then
) slaves. They cannot blame US for using
what they throw away. We have thus fal
3 scrupulOusly refrained from turning on them,
except negatively, the tremendous weapon
but to neglect to avail ourselves of such 8
/ chance as now exists would be supreme folly,
: Is it, then, not possible to devise a plan
r whereby all this negro population, so fast as
: it falls into our hands during the war, shall
| be set to some work with which it is familiar
} work which can be made lucrative to the
Government, and yet afford sufficient returns
to pay the blacks. So the frightful possible
| tiles ola slave instruction might be avoided,
} and yet the rebels terribly shorn Of a greal
; element of their strength.