force, had nearly hoodwinked us to grant the boon. [ endeavoring to unrivet the chains of the suffering For thirteen years these two statesmen alone were Africans.* constantly importuning first one nation and then another for the right of search.

This brings us to a more attentive consideration of the conduct of England with regard to the slaveIf an English-man-of-war declined an engage- trade; and we shall show that though there have ment with a French force only twice as great, it been many, very many, honest, upright and holy was considered a disgrace; and the commander men, and much christian sympathy, enlisted in the was brought to a court-martial. And when those African's behalf-yet there have been those to di'fir things of the Yankees,' with their bits of stri-rect it, who, as we have already intimated, have ped bunting, met and made prizes of British ships only used the suppression of the slave-trade, and and fleets, in every respect of superior force, it the abolition of slavery, as a cloak for their designs was a source of the most bitter mortification to the upon us. English nation. When a single American frigate We have seen that England was humbled in the was captured by an English squadron, it was cause eyes of the world by the American war. She was for a national jubilee. The city of London was stung to the quick at our success and her reverses; illuminated, and the guns of the Tower were fired she found that our Navy and other elements of true in token of the rare joy, that the President frigate greatness increased under the pressure of her had been captured by some half dozen English arms upon them,'-that she was fighting us into an frigates and 74s. That war brought down the important Naval power, and forcing us, by the war, pride of England, as it had never before been to become a great commercial and manufacturing humbled, and the feeling sunk deep into her aris-people-and therefore she concluded to make peace tocratic heart. She has not forgiven us for it, to this day. The recollection of these things is what the malignant spirit of which we spoke, feeds on. Though she was not asked to make a formal surrender of her claims to impressment, she could not make peace with a good grace; for she would not forgive, and will never forget us, on account of our success in that war.

with the lips; for she had not gained a single poat about which she had taken up arms; but on the contrary, had practically—though not avowedly— yielded every one. While one set of Negotiators were stipulating for peace in the West, another set were in the East, preparing a train by which, in her far-reaching sagacity, she hoped to compass her rival, and sap the foundations of his greatness Peace is usually proclaimed in England by he- The abolition of slavery was popular with a large ralds, who with a grand display accompanied by and respectable class of her subjects; some were troops in gay attire and bands of music, parade Christians, and some were fanatics; many were through the streets proclaiming the glad tidings; purely philanthropic, and hated slavery for its carand stopping at the corners and public places, they ses and its name; and many others arrayed themread the royal proclamation. But when peace with selves against it, some from motives of personal America was proclaimed, there was no procession interest, and others from feelings of enmity against at all, and none of the usual ceremonies, but only a us-these last were the master-spirits of the er paragraph in one of the London papers, simply to sade, or at any rate they were the designing mea the effect: "Peace with America was proclaimed of it, who, under the popular cry of freedom to the to-day by reading the proclamation at the door of oppressed, sought the commercial ruin of a rival the office at White Hall." This was done in so In one hand at Ghent, England held out to as 3 informal a manner, we are told, that even the pas-treaty of peace; and in the other, a protocol to the sers by did not know what was going on.*

Congress of Vienna, proposing the terms of a pledge This marked a sullen feeling in the master spir- by which each of the high powers there represen its of the land, which from that day to this, has ted, should be bound to exclude from his dominiers, not failed to manifest itself against Republican the products of all countries where the slave-trate America and her institutions, seeking occasion for was lawful, receiving only "those," as quoted by revenge. As soon as peace was concluded, the Mr. Wheaton, "of the vast regions of the globe, freeholders of Somersetshire petitioned parliament which furnish the same productions by the laber of for the repeal of the income tax. Mr. Hunt then their own inhabitants:" p. 30. These “vast re proposed a vote of thanks "to those by whose ex-gions," says Scholl, in his History of the Treaues ertions peace with the Americans, the only remain- of Peace "refer to the British possessions in the ing free people in the world, has been restored to East Indies; the interest of which was found to this country." conform to the principles of humanity and re

Sir J. Hippisley opposed the resolution, for he ha-gion." ted the Americans. Mr. Dickinson could not join Spain and Portugal rejected this proposal at once, in it, for he had considerable reason to believe that reminding Great Britain that it might suit her de the Congress of Vienna was then employed in

* Cobbett's letter to Earl of Liverpool, 29th May, 1815.

signs, now that her own colonies were well stocked with slaves, while those of her neighbors were al

* Cobbett's Letters.

to cry out against the trade. All she obtained from slave trade. That they should furnish it with the this Amphyctionic council of nations,' was a dec-requisite means for this--that it should be preserlaration denunciatory of the African slave-trade, on ved neutral in all wars, and its sole object should the score of morality: p. 39. be directed to the suppression of that guilty trafWhile these things were going on, the Duke of fic: (p. 44.) Neither was this acceptable to EngWellington was instructed to lay before the French land; for the right of search and not the suppresCabinet a proposition for the mutual concession of sion of the slave-trade, was what she really desithe right of search, with a view to the suppression red. All that she obtained from this Congress was of the slave-trade. Prince Talleyrand replied that an anathema of the trade itself. This was imporFrance would never grant it. And the English tant to the successful prosecution of her designs, negotiator reported, "that it was too disagreeable because, in pressing the right of search in future to the French Government and nation to admit of treaties, she could remind crowned heads of their a hope of its being urged with success:" p. 33. solemn declarations; and ask, if it became national The motives of England, when she proposed to dignity, that royal resolves should end in empty prohunt down the commerce of slave-trading colonies, fessions. were suspected at the outset therefore she tried Two years afterwards, with the moral wedge back immediately, and aimed all her efforts at the thus tipped, Lord Castlereagh renewed, for the right of search; for one attempt, though a failure, second time, his efforts to obtain the assent of the often suggests a resort to others. The office of United States to the right of search. The British HIGH CONSTABLE OF THE SEAS, now began to dance Minister at Washington was directed by him in before her keen imagination. In that office, she | 1820, to call the attention of the American governcould regulate the commerce of her rivals. There- ment to the aggravated suffering with which the fore the right of search must be obtained from slave-trade was then carried on--that it was genesome nation, for effect; and she purchased it rally acknowledged that nothing but a combined from Spain at a great price: also from Portugal system of maritime police, by which was meant and the Netherlands-all of them skeleton sove- the right of search, could suppress it. He was reigns, from whose wasted carcasses the great spi-directed moreover to hold up for our example the rit of nations had long since fled. manner in which the three skeleton nations, had And, in 1818,-Spain, Portugal and the Nether-conceded the right of search to the English golands having conceded the right in the meantime-vernment; if he found that we were not disposed the proposition was again renewed by England to to follow such exemplars, he was further instructFrance--and again rejected on the ground, that ed to ask the American Cabinet to propose some "the offer of reciprocity would prove illusory, and plan by which the United States would coöperate that disputes must arise from the abuse of the right, with G. Britain. By seeming sincere, it was hoped which would prove more prejudicial to the interests the confidence of this country might be won, and the of the two governments, than the commerce they right of search be secured. The President, in reply, desired to suppress :" p. 36. proposed that as both Great Britain and the United With these Peninsula grants, however, in her States had a Naval force on the coast of Africa hand, she hastened to invite France, Austria, Rus- for the suppression of the slave-trade, the vessels sia and Prussia to the Congress of Aix-la-Chapelle; so employed should be instructed to coöperate-where Lord Castlereagh in her behalf, again renew-those of one nation with the other, and to render ed her proposition for the mutual right of search, and each other mutual assistance by acting in concert pleaded, as precedent, the grants of helpless Spain and Portugal. Clarkson, the real friend of Africa, presented a memorial to the Congress, showing that the mutual right of search, so far, had produced no beneficial results whatever: (p. 42.) The proposal to concede, was unanimously rejected by all the continental powers. "France," says Mr. Wheaton," proposed the establishment of a police for the surveillance of the trade, by which the several the right of search, or nothing. powers would be immediately informed of all abu- In 1822, Great Britain was represented in anoses practised within the limits of their respec- ther Congress of nations at Verona--and Mr. Cantive jurisdiction:" p. 43. But this plan required ning, upon whom Lord Castlereagh had let fall the each one to be his own HIGH CONSTABLE, and black mantle, called the attention of the British reit was rejected by the great maritime aspirant. presentative to the fact, "that the slave-trade, so The Russian Cabinet proposed in lieu of the far from being diminished in extent by the exact British projet, that the European powers should amount of what was in former times the British unite and establish at some point on the coast of demand, was, upon the whole, perhaps greater then Africa, an institution for the suppression of the than at the period when the demand was highest ;

VOL. VIII-50

and communicating all intelligence that might prove useful for their common object. When the British Minister communicated this excellent plan to his government, Lord Castlereagh expressed in reply, his disappointment that the counter-proposal of the American government fell so far short of the object which the British government had in view: p. 81. We need not say this object was

and the aggregate of human sufferings, and the to Great Britain; which gave her the control waste of human life in the transportation of slaves over the vessels of all nations, except the United from the coast of Africa, were increased in a ratio States, whose citizens engage to any extent, in enormously greater than the increase of positive the slave-trade. The friends of Africa expected numbers. Unhappily, it could not be denied, their now to see some progress made towards the obvery attempts at prevention, under the treaties which then authorised their interference, tended to the augmentation of the evil :" p. 46.

ject of their wishes. But, by having yielded to her, this partial right of search, England was accomplishing her designs; for the control of the maritime With these confessions as to the practical effect police of other nations, and not the suppression of the of the right of search, the concession of it to Great slave-trade, was her main object. What was one Britain was again proposed and rejected in this the business of every nation, was now the business of Congress. But anticipating this result, the British no nation. So long as the different powers refused the Ambassador was directed to obtain at any rate, right of search to Great Britain, they felt in duty as a renewed denunciation against the traffic, on in honor bound, to keep a force on the coast of Africa the ground that its moral influence might ma- to prevent the abuse of their own flag. But hav terially aid the British Cabinet in its negotia-ing yielded jurisdiction over their vessels, they, for tions with other maritime States:' (p. 48.) And the most part, withdrew their forces, and left the accordingly, the next year, this 'moral influence' field to that power which had manifested so much was brought to bear upon the U. States; for it was zeal and sympathy in the cause. And the trade again proposed by the British Cabinet, that we should increased. grant British cruisers the right to search our vessels In 1840-'41, Sir Thomas Buxton published his for slaves. But our former objections still re-work on the abolition of slavery. He shows that. mained in force. And the British Minister, after notwithstanding the right of search exercised by again expressing it as the opinion of his govern- Great Britain, the slave-trade had reached the ment, that the concession of this right of search enormous rate of 150,000 souls in a year; whereas was the only means by which the suppression of before any of these rights had been granted. the slave-trade could be accomplished, asked for scarcely amounted to half that number. He fully another counter-proposal on our part. Mr. Adams establishes the fact that articles for carrying en offered it in a law, making it piracy for foreigners this trade, are extensively manufactured in Great in American ships to engage in the slave-trade, and Britain;-that, in consequence of the plan pursued for American citizens who should carry it on in by her for its suppression, the mortality and the foreign bottoms. This counter-proposal, says our horrors of the middle passage had frightfully inauthor, was received in the most ungracious man-creased; that, while the number of human victus ner; and instead of replying to it, the British Min- to this traffic is now twice as great as it was when ister again urged the so often rejected right of Clarkson and Wilberforce commenced their labers, search: p. 85. each individual suffers ten fold more now than he did then. He considers the right of search, thong all nations should surrender it, illusory, and by no means adequate to the end proposed.

6

But Great Britain had not yet been appointed Captain of the Seas; nor had she secured the right to enter our vessels, and by consequence, the right to take people out of them. Notwithstanding these awful results, she still persists; for the boon she had

Finally, in 1824, the preliminaries of a convention, for the reciprocal right of search on the coasts of America, Africa, and the West Indies, with many restrictions, was agreed on between the U. States and Great Britain. When the agreement was submitted to the Senate for consideration, a clause was inserted giving either of the contracting parties right to renounce the convention at any time after six months' notice; and the coast of America so long and so eagerly craved, was not yet with was stricken out-confining the privilege of search her grasp. The right to search her neighbors' vesto the other two regions, where alone the traffic sels, must be secured, and with bleeding Africa te existed. But the erasure and insertion deprived cloak her designs, she persuaded them into the Ho the treaty of all that, in the eyes of Great Britain, Alliance' of 1841. Thus girded about with power w was worth having; and she receded; thereby show-the States of Christendom,' she was on the eve of ing that she was not seeking really to suppress the proclaiming herself HIGH CONSTABLE OF THE SEAS slave-trade, but to gain some advantage by which But she was thwarted by her rival, whose Minis she hoped to head-reach her rival in the commer-ters now too well understood her designs. The cial race. She has invariably rejected the sugges- United States were not invited to participate tions of all other nations, and constantly refused to this treaty, nor were they advised of it, until the precoöperate in any plan which did not give her the liminaries were all arranged. France was treated right to search the vessels of other States. in a similar manner at the settlement of the East

France, worn out by the oft-repeated solicita- ern question; she was not consulted as to the term tions, was out-manœuvred, and at length yielded of that treaty, neither were we as to the terms of at the treaties of 1831-34, the right of search this-and she construed the secrecy observed wit

regard to her, into a blow aimed at her African inte- that no vessel shall be searched in the Mediterrarests; much more significant to us, is the manner in nean sea; while on the other hand, the limits to which the Quintuple Alliance was managed. Her the suspicious latitudes,' were stretched along national dignity was highly offended, and she talked the very shores of the United States, where slaof war. Is the dignity of the American republic vers are never known to come. less vulnerable than French honor? Lord Aberdeen in his letter to Mr. Stevenson, thought it dulce et decorum for the American Republic to follow such a noble exemplar as France.

We have the authority of M. Barreyer of the French Chamber, who stated it in a recent speech, that in June of last year, the British government issued an Order in Council,' to authorize the imGreat Britain early espoused the cause of Africa,portation into Demerara of one hundred thousand and has, for years, made efforts, avowedly, for the hired negroes from Africa. And, in confirmation suppression of the slave-trade. But, since we will of this statement, late arrivals bring us, in the 'Senot give her full credit for her motives in obtaining maphore de Marseilles,' the report of the master the right of search, let us see if her dealings with of a French merchantman, who, not four months the African himself, will justify the claims of her ago, saw, in the river Gambia, an English vessel friends, to motives on her part, of pure philan- of 500 tons, take in a cargo of 500 Africans for thropy. What, we will ask the reader, who sup- the English colonies. These poor, ignorant creaposes that nation to be sincere in her professions of tures engage for they know not what, and ship for humanity, what does she do with the poor Africans they know not where. Charmed with a hawk's who are taken in the Slavers captured by her crui-bell, and dazzled with a string of glass beads, they sers! She sells them in bondage to pay the expen-are enticed away beyond the seas, and the ties ses of the Capture. A few are liberated at her colo- which bind them to kindred and to country are as ay on the coast of Africa. But the lion's share of effectually severed, though perhaps not as rudely them is taken to the Brazils and West Indies, and broken, as if they had fallen into the hands of there they are bound, for a price, in slavery for eight the kidnapper. Being ignorant of their rights or ten years, with an agreement, it is true, that at in a civilized land, they are liable to the most cruel he expiration of that time, they shall be surren-wrongs: as slaves, their owner would have the lered to the government-and this operates as ef- inducement of self-interest to preserve them, his ectually to bind the persons, so let out, in perpet-property, from wanton injury,-nay more, with the ual bondage, as though they had been bought of master, who, in his conduct to his slaves, is governthe slaver himself. They are strangers when let; ed by no higher motive, there are inducements there is no one to recognize them at the end of a pecuniary nature to secure that consideraof the term; they are often carried away hundreds tion in the treatment of slaves, which will preserve of miles in the interior; and when called on for their health so as not to impair their efficiency as hem, as he sometimes is, the owner falsely reports laborers. But as bondmen and apprentices, the hem as dead; or returns upon the hands of the go-object of such an one-and there are many such—vernment, a number of his own decrepid and worn- obedient to the mercenary disposition of man, is to but slaves, who are an expense to him and a bur-get out of them all he can. What then is the conlen to themselves; retaining in their stead, and as dition of the hired savage during his long and is own, those who were bound to him. The tracks cruel apprenticeship? Many times worse than that of the captured African conducted into Rio or the of the slave. And, when he has cancelled his Havana, by the British cruiser, are like the beasts' indentures, wherein is he better off? He has then to the lion's den-all going one way. but just made the last payment for the privilege of The fact is notorious that slave-fairs are regu-being brought over for hire, in a ship crowded to larly held in the regencies of Tripoli and Morocco, suffocation. Our laws will not allow a ship to and that vessels under the flags of Greece and Tur- bring into the country, more passengers than two key are as regularly employed in transporting them for every five tons; and the laws of England forthence up the Levant, where they are again ex-bid vessels to crowd her own subjects on their pasposed for sale, like cattle in the market. Greece sage hither more closely than in the proportion of owes her political being to England; and the Sub- three souls to every five tons of measurement. lime Porte is also greatly her debtor; for she has But the humane Orders in Council' can find in a but just 'covered the mountains of Syria with vessel of 500 tons, with more than half her room corpses, and drenched the valleys with blood,' to monopolized by her officers and crew, ample acsecure “the independence and integrity of the Ot-commodation for five hundred wild Africans who toman Empire." Being alike omnipotent with have never known restraint. Tell us not that it is Otho and the Grand Turk, a word from her, and man's inhumanity to man' that moves that governthese slavers would have been committed to the ment to action. tender mercies of British cruisers. But so far To shew that the motives which operate with from caring for them, or any Eastern slave, the officers, are no better than those ascribed to Art. II of the Quintuple Treaty, expressly provides their government, we subjoin an extract from a paper

between this case and that of a slaver consisted in having rice on board, and rice is used by the slavers for feeding their slaves, and a cargo of rice with other circumstances would be sufficient to condemn a Spanish or Portuguese vessel.

for

"We mention these facts to show how liable to abuse

published in the last Maryland Colonization Journal. finally decided that there was not a sufficient quantity of It is from the pen of Dr. Hall, an eminent philan-rice on board to warrant a capture. Now the only analogy thropist, who has been much on the African coast in connection with the business of the Colonization Societies of this country. He tells what he saw. "The late commandant of the station, Lord George Russell, was most of the time in a state of intoxication, con: the right of search must necesssarily be, from incomp-tensequently unfit for the transaction of any business; and with such a head it cannot be supposed that the under offi-cy of the officers, or too great inducements being held out cers would deport themselves over correctly. The prize money received by the officers and crew, in case of a suc. cessful capture, operated as a strong inducement to seize whatever came in their way. The apparent object of all the officers of the squadron under Lord Russell, was the There is in England, as there is in the U. States, making successful and rich captures, rather than suppres- much pure philanthropy enlisted in the cause of Afsion of the slave-trade. An instance in proof came under rica. By far, far the greatest portion of those who our own observation. The commandant of a cruiser (either the Forester or the Wanderer) boarded a small schooner cry out against the slave-trade, are operated upon which lay at anchor near our vessel, and afterwards board-by the purest motives. But there are fanaties and ed us. He stated that the schooner had enough on board bad men on both sides of the Atlantic, who have to condemn her, but she was old and would not pay him for joined in this cause; and no one will deny it. It taking her to Sierra Leone: he would wait and watch her has been our aim to show, what we believe we ca

until she had taken on board her slaves, which would much

capture, as promotion or prize money, and how gearded any privileges of this kind ought to be, in order that our merchant vessels may not be subjected to vexatious seaxaings and injurious detentions."

hate our Republic and dread the influence upon the world of our free institutions, have used this notand generous feeling on the part of the many, as an instrument, with which they have secretly and systematically aimed a blow at America.

increase their prize money, and then capture her. She lay prove, if indeed we have not done this already, off for a day or two for that purpose, but in the night the that these, leagued with a few designing men of schooner took on board her slaves and went to sca. Our the aristocracy and government of England, who brig, the Trafalgar of this port, was boarded by a boat from the Forester, our papers examined, and a permit demanded for having on board oil casks which might be converted into water casks. We informed him that our port regulations required no such permit. He disputed and said, when the Forester came up, the brig should be captured and taken to Sierra Leone. It was thought best to leave the cruising In 1832, when the cause of African Colonizaground of the Forester before she came up, and we accord- tion-the only sure means of humanizing the coingly put out. A few weeks after, on visiting that section merce of that land, whose staple article of trace, of the coast again, we discovered a vessel early in the from remote ages down to the present time, has morning, close in shore, getting under weigh. She soon made sail, headed for us, and fired a gun. There being ever been 'MAN'-then, when this cause was so many vessels in sight, we were not sure the gun was for prosperous, and before abolition societies bad pasus, and being within three miles of our anchorage ground, sessed the North, or firebrands, in the shape and the light land breeze gradually dying away, thought best abolition petitions, had been hurled into our leg to keep under weigh, having hoisted our ensign. The ves-lative halls, there was a committee raised by the sel then passed an 18 pound shot directly under our main

British Parliament on the subject of slavery. We

quote a few of the questions proposed by the committee to Mr. Ogden, the American Consulat Liverpool, and to Mr. Meir, formerly a resident and

To MR. OGDEN:

yard, within a few feet of the man at the helm. We then lay to until the officer boarded us. He again examined our papers, demanded the same permit for the casks which we had before informed him we were not required to obtain. He examined the hold, found 100 bushels of rice, and de-slave-holder in Georgia. clared the brig a prize, and the rice a sufficient evidence of her character as a slaver. The Forester came up, and the commander came on board, examined papers and hold like"If you could suppose that the slaves of Loand a council was held whether or not to declare the isiana were generally able to read, and that any whole a prize. We stated to them the abundant evidence discussions perpetually took place in Congress, on before them that we were the owners of the vessel, that we the subject of their liberation, which discussions, were well known as a regular American trader, that we had been in an important public station on the coast to their by means of reading, were made known to the slaves of Louisiana, do you think, that with safety, knowledge, and they well knew from many sources other than the papers of the vessel, that she was bona fide Ame- the state of slavery could endure there? rican property and engaged in lawful traffic. The answer

wise,

*On account of the rice. By Article IX of the Quintuple Alliance, if an extraordinary number of water-casks, or quantity of rice, or of maize, or of Indian corn, or of any

article of food, was found on board a vessel, she was to be

considered as a slaver; and though she might not be condemned as such, yet by Art. XI, if one of these articles were found on board, or if it could be made to appear that it had been on board any time during the voyage, all claims to indemnity for illegal capture, were forfeited.

"Does there take place in the United States a free circulation of publications on the subject of slavery?

"Have the friends of the slave ever proposed the immediate abolition of slavery? "Has that subject ever been warmly advocated TM* Mr. Ogden then said 'never.'

To MR. MEIR.

"Are there any publications circulated among them, encouraging the hope or wish for freedom