New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1864-05-24

gled out Of sight among eager, slavchOdine
planters, through the purchased connivancc o.
corrupt officials. 1t is currently understood
that tho Governor General (for the time being,
Of the island receives a doubloon per head a
hush-money for every slave so landed, averaging
$4,000 gross for each year of his administra
ton. And this completely Of Spanish officials
including their chief, has been subject of fire..
quent and just complaint from the Governments
earnestly seeking to extinguiSh the Slave-Trade.
w. The late Governor General, Jose Concha
VIGOROUSLY held at least one hand constantly
behind his back for these brides; his successor in
Office, Gen. Dulcc, endeavors to maintain @
better reputation. And so great is the profit on
buying slaves in Africa at less than $50 pei
head, and selling them in Cuba at $3.50, that
the trade can never be broken up while it shall
continue to be countenanced and connivcd at by
the Spanish officials ruling that island.
" Late last year, large British-built steam
ship was taken to Cadiz there transferred To
Spanish owners, put under the Spanish flag, and
cleared for the Spanish isle of Fernando Pc. on
tho African coast, Ostensibly for lawful COM
mercc. But at Fernando Po she was rapidly
cleared of her cargo and crowded with slaves,
some twelve hundred in number, with which
she made all speed for Cuba, landing them last
November on tho coast of the district whereof
Col Jose Augustin Arguelles was Lieut.. Gov
ernOr.
VI Col Don jose Augustin Argucles appears
TO have had turn for business which would have
distinguished the most unprinciplcd Yankee ever
heard of. Unqucstonably tho save-traders
supposed they had "made the thing all right
with him. or they would have landed their cargo
in some other distrct-the range for selection
being by no means narrow. But he first cheated
them by Selling their negroes and dcnouncing
their entry to the G0vern0r-Genera, whereby
he earned and received gratuity OF fifteen thou
sand hard dollars. Next, he sold to planters one
hundred and forty -one of the negroes at 800 to
$3.50 per head, whereby he cleared over 800,
600 more-not greenbacks, but real, hard Span
ish dollars And next he cleared himself, OBJ
, tanning leave of absence for twenty days in or
der to visit this city, whittier he pretended that
he was coming with intent to buy tho Spanish
journal, La Croniod.
VII ArguelcS had covered his tracks pretty
well, though not well enough. He had bribed
the priest OF Colon 10 sell him the official re-
gister of his parish, which he brought away or
destroyed, and TO substitute for it a forged one,
recording the death and burial of the one humid
red and forty-One Africans whom he had sold.
But he had not been long gone when the fraud
was somehow exploded; there was general
row and diplomatic tanglo; the upshot Of all
which was the tracking him 70 this city and his
surrender and extraditon, by order Of President
Lincoln and Secretary Seward, by whose di-
rcctiOn Marshal Murray arrested and conveyed
him to a Spanish vessel in the harbor which at
once put off for Cuba. And there Col. Jose
Augustan Arguelles is very certain to DO treated
to a new and striking lesson in the Art OF SELL
ing officially dead negroes at tho rate Of 800
to $3.50 per head.
of course. we are glad the rascal il sure Of
his deserts, and especially glad that other exotic
scoundrels have received warning that q mere
escape to this country will not secure them i'm.
punty in their crimes. We have good many
more gentlemen of his class sojourning among
us already than We want, and would be happy
TO see the number safely diminished. And yet
and yet-we should greatly prefer TO see
these matters regulated by law than by c1ecu-
tive dctum. We hold IN both hands for law
authorizing the President to extrude and sur
render fugitive iclons at his discretion; but doing
Gov. Seward happen to remember the case Of
the Bambers