Year: 1859




of calamity, impoyerishment ard desoistion, by
the idea Of tie establish men. Of Yankee conmu-
piiy IN the territory Of Virginia, Mr.. Rufiin does
not address him self but to those who regard, as
be does the existing Institution Of Slavery as
blessing to Virginia, and its removal By any means
whatever an unmxed coil.


But not only does Mr. Ruffn regard the with
drawsl now going oD BY means Of the domestic
slaye-trsde, of the slave population, as terrible
clog to the progress of agriculture and as threat
enibg the overthrow Of the existing social system
Of the State, be denies that the Shareholders, con-
sidered Individually, are really PrOfted BY it, or
that, as general rule, they have any interest in
the high nominal value Of slaves by which it ia at
tended. 1t may be in many particular cases.
looking solely to the immediate interest aud gaIa
Of the individual seller and 10 that particular
transaction and time only. It may be so Perns-
nently in other particular cases in which the
seller, by early emigration otherwise. shall have
escaped being involved in the later and con'e-
quebt ruin Of the State. But all such cases form
mere exceptions to the general rule. The greatest
private gains of individual sellers, at the highest
prices, will in general be more than counter
balanced in the end by their share of the remote
loss and damage inflicted on the community by the
system of extensive sale and deportation or at
all events the greatest gains made BY individual
sellers will be far more than coGnterbalsnced by
the loss and depreciation Of profits occssioned BY
that system to a much larger number. The sellers
of slaves are generally those-for Mr. Rufhn denies
emphstically that slaves are raised in Virginia with
d view TO selling them-who are compelled TO sell
by nproyideBce or bad management resulting in
debt To them and to them only the high price of
slaves is benefit. To the stakeholder of ordinary
and average industry and thrift, who neither
chooses nor expects to sell or to buy slaves, but
only to bequeath thoee whom he possesses and their
increase to his children, it is Of no consequence,
whatever, whether the market price of slaves be
high or low. They are worth to him the actual
value of the net profits of their labor (Which
he cannot dispense with, and there Is
no difference to bis income or his
interests whether his best slaves would
sell for fifteen hundred or for five hundred
dollars But while the high price Of slaves is thus
q benefit only to the unthrifiy aud improvident
clsss-who still would be unthrifty aud mprovident
Whether slaves were high or low-there is smother
class of enterprising and industrious men on whom
the progress of the community mainly depends,
who work constantly to extend their operations,
and to whom the high price of slaves is great
obstacle. If slaves could be bought at lower aud
remuneratiye prices, these men alone would buy
as many as the improyident and necessitous are
compelled to sell; and instead of being carried out
of the State as they now are, they would be re-
tanned in it, only they would be transferred to the
possession of those who know how to put them to
a profitable use Mr.. Rutfn estimates the number
Of slaves which Virginia sells annually to the South
AS twenty thousand, which, being mostly of the
more valuable class, may be averaged at eight
hundred dollars each But he denies that the
sixteen millions thus annually received are thing
like clear gain. They are in fact drawn out of
the needed agricultural capital Of the State.


TIE conclusion 10 which all this tends is obvious
enough, and to those who look at the matter from
Mr. Rufins point of view not easily to be avoided.
How is this expectation of slaves-such draft
upon the agricultural capital Of Virgins, and SO
iriurous in all its tendencies-to be put stop 10
How, except by opening the African market to the
cottos- growing States Whatever troubles or in.
conyeniences might grow out of the introduction OF
wild Africans, those troubles and Inconvenience
would not fall upon Virginia She might easily
shift them all off upon the purchasing States con-
tent to keep her own native-born slaves at home,
secure thus of sufficient supply without resortlng
herself TO Africa. Mr.. Raffn has not yet drawn
this conclusion from his premises, bst probably
will in the continuation which he promises unless
indeed he may think it better policy to leave his
readers TO draw il for themselves. There Is, also
apparent in his article the rudiment of argument
in favor of reyiying the African slave trade based
on bumsnitary considerations Las Casas, it is
well known recommended or assented TO the Afri-
can saye-trade as a means of putting stop to the
enslavement Of the Indians. Mr.. Rufhn gently
hints at the objection TO the domestic slave trade
on the score of feeling and humanity and the dis
rp,on of So many ties of affection By which 1t is
ATTENDED. Undoubtedly there is room for the argu-
ment that, whatever evils may be inflicted by the
African slaye.trade q fair counerbalance for them
may be found in the stcPpage Of the trade from
Virginia.


RUSSIA AND TURKEY.


The Count De Gurowski has lately appeared ia