CHAPTER XI.

ANTI-SLAVERY CONSPIRACY.

HER OWN PROJECTS IN EUROPE, with a total disregard of the resentments of the DEMOCRATS of this country."

THE identity of names, and of the de-reader to the following extract from clared purposes of the radical lead- one of Henry's letters. He said: "It ers, with men who are thus proved to should therefore be the peculiar care of be a British party in America-their Great Britain to foster division between warfare upon the South-their unscru- the North and the South, and by succeedpulous abuse of power- and their ing in this, she may carry into effect avowed purpose to subvert the previous government, by so changing the Constitution as to make it conform to the monarchy which they prefer, iden- We are at no loss to determine what tify them as the traitors who were in were the "PROJECTS," which it was then treaty with the British agent Henry. the purpose of England to carry into, He said, in 1809, that "The legislature effect in Europe. Their purpose was of Massachusetts will give the tone to to establish the maritime and comthe neighboring states, will declare mercial supremacy of England, and to itself permanent until a new election of make the Boston monarchists aid in members, invite a congress to be com- the accomplishment of that purpose, posed of delegates from the federal by stimulating them to make war upon states, and erect a separate govern- the interests and welfare of the South. ment for their common defence and

SLAVERY.

By the 16th article of the treaty of Utrecht, in 1713, England confirmed

common interest," and in proof of the WHY ENGLAND WAS OPPOSED TO AFRICAN truth of what he wrote, and of the treasonable purposes of his Boston associates, we need do no more than refer to the Hartford convention, and the contract between the English the warfare they waged upon Mr. Mad- Guinea Company and the king of ison, the Constitution and the Union in Spain, whereby that company gave to 1814-their plan was then, as the rad- Spain two hundred thousand crowns, ical plan now is, to declare themselves and to Spain and England, each, one permanently in power. Then they quarter share of the profits for the were allied with England, and their privilege of importing slaves into measures and principles were so much the Spanish American provinces, and identified with the purposes and in- yet, in 1817, she gave to Spain two terests of England, that Henry, the millions of dollars to abolish the slave confidential agent of England, called trade! The motive for this change of them "the English party in the United policy was explained by Wilberforce, States." who, in the debate in the House of I would call the attention of the Commons on this treaty, said: "I can

We must look to the inhabits the North There we are met by our corn laws, and, until we alter these, we will be crippled in our commercial intercourse. We must also look to South Amer

not but think that the grant to Spain and Germany were closed to British will be more than repaid to Great manfactures, said: Britain in commercial advantages, by "I therefore look to more distant regions the opening of a great continent to British for future prosperity. industry-an object which will be en-rising nation which tirely defeated if the slave trade is to American continent. be carried on by Spain. Our commercial connection with Africa will much more than repay us for any ica. There again we are met by heavy dupecuniary sacrifices of this kind. I ties on sugar, and, until these are modified, myself will live to see Great Britain we cannot expect to carry on commerce deriving the greatest advantages from with South America to the extent it is posits intercourse with Africa."

THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON,

In the debate on the corn laws in 1842, said:

"I am sure no man regrets more than I do that commerce or manufactures should

sible. We must look again to AFRICA, and we must look especially to INDIA and to CHINA."

And why must Great Britain look to AFRICA, and especially to INDIA and to CHINA, for her future prosperity? Is it not because, to use the words of the Duke of Wellington, Africa, and India, and China, are under the "control” of England? And how has she exercised her control? Let us see. I quote

from the Edinburgh Review of 1825 :

BRITISH COLONIAL POLICY.

"The act of 1650, passed by the Republican Parliament, laid the foundation of the monopoly system, by confining the import and export trade to the colonies exclusively to British or colony-built ships. But the famous Navigation Act of 1660 (12 Charles II., cap. 18) went much farther. It enacted that certain specified articles, the produce of the colonies, and since well known in

be depressed; but I believe, if the corn laws were repealed to-morrow not a yard of cloth or a pound of iron more would be sold in any part of Europe, or of the world, over which this country does not exercise a control. My lords, the greatest number of European nations, and of the nations of the globe, have adopted measures for the encouragement of home manufactures. These measures were not taken, as stated by some, in consequence of the English corn laws. They are attributable to the example of this country. They had their rise in the spectacle which this country exhibited during the late war, and in the great and noble exertions by which her power and strength were displayed on every occasion. Those commerce as enumerated articles, should who contemplated those exertions, as well as those who were relieved and assisted by them, thought they might as well follow the example of our power, of our industry and our system of commerce. They have followed our example, and have established among themselves manufactures, and given a stimulus to their commerce."

not be exported directly from the colonies to any foreign country; but that they should first be sent to Britain, and there unladen (the words are, laid upon the shore), before they could be forwarded to their final destination. Sugar, molasses, ginger, fustic, tobacco, cotton, and indigo, were originally enumerated; and the list was subsequently enlarged by the addition of coffee, hides and skins, iron, corn, &c. . . . . But the insatiable rapacity of monopoly was not to be satisfied with compelling the colonists to sell their produce exclusively in the English markets. It was next thought advisable

....

that they should be obliged to buy such Indies and South America to the same leve! foreign articles as they might stand in need with those laid on West India sugar, would of, exclusively from the merchants and enable us to obtain as good sugar for 41⁄2d ̧ manufacturers of England. For this pur- per pound as now costs 6d.; but taking the pose it was enacted, in 1663, that no com- difference at only 1d. per pound, it would modity of the growth, production, or manu-make, on the above-mentioned quantity, a facture of Europe shall be imported into saving of no less than £1,588,000 ($7,915,the plantations, but such as are laden and [ 000) a year. . . . . Not only, however, do put on board in England, Wales, or Berwick- we exclude the sugars of the Dutch coloupon-Tweed, and in English-built shipping, nies, Brazil, and Louisiana, but we actually whereof the master and three fourths of the lay 10s. a cwt. of higher duties on the crew are English. . . . . It was also a lead-sugar imported from our own dominions in ing principle in the system of colonial poli- the East Indies than on that which is imcy, adopted as well by England as by the ported from the West. Not satisfied with other European nations, to discourage all giving the West India planters a monopoly attempts to manufacture such articles in the of the home market against foreigners, wo colonies as could be provided for them by have given them a monopoly against our the mother-country. The history of our own subjects in the East. It is impossible colonial system is full of attempts of this to speak too strongly in condemnation of sort; and so essential was the principle this arrangement-not that we mean to indeemed, to the idea of a colony, that even sinuate that the East Indies have any right Lord Chatham did not hesitate to declare, in whatever to be more favorably treated than his place in Parliament, that the British the West Indies; but we contend that they colonists in North America, had NO RIGHT have as clear and undoubted right to be as to manufacture even a nail for a horseshoe! favorably treated. To attempt to enrich the And when such were the enactments made latter, by preventing the former from bringby the legislature, and such the avowed ing their produce to our market, or by loadsentiments of a great parliamentary leader ing it with higher duties, is not only to and a friend to the colonies, we need not be prefer the interests of one million, and surprised at a declaration of a late Lord those-we do not say it disparagingly of the Sheffield, who did no more indeed than ex-planters-mostly slaves, to the interests of press the decided opinion of all the mer- one hundred millions of subjects; but it is chants and politicians of his time, when he totally inconsistent with, and subversive of, affirmed thus: The ONLY use of American every principle of impartial justice and colonies or West India islands is the MONOPO- sound policy. It is said, however, that LY of their consumption and of the carriage slavery exists in Hindostan as well as in of their produce.' . . . . Were it not for the Jamaica, and that by reducing the duties on perverse and most injurious. regulations to East India sugar and facilitating its cultiva which this system has given rise, we might tion, by allowing Europeans to purchase supply ourselves with sugar from the East and farm lands, we should not get rid of the Indies or South America for a great deal evils of slavery, but would be merely subless than it now costs to buy it from the stituting the produce of one species of West India planters. This is a much more slave labor for another. Now, admitting serious loss than is generally supposed. for a moment that this statement is well Sugar has become a necessary, equally in- founded, still it is certain, from the cheapdispensable to the poor and the rich. The ness of free labor in Hindostan, no slaves quantity of West India sugar annually con- ever have been, or ever can be, imported sumed in Great Britain may, we believe, be into that country. And hence it is obvious taken on an average at about three hundred that by substituting the sugars of the East and eighty million pounds weight. And it for those of the West, we should neither has been repeatedly shown, that a reduc-add to the number, nor deteriorate the contion of the duties on sugar from the East dition of the existing slave population in

our dominions, while we should save above a million and a half in the purchase of one of the principal necessaries of life, at the same time that we subverted a system of monopoly and laid the foundation of a new and extensive intercourse with India-a market which may be enlarged to almost any conceivable extent." (See Edinburgh Review for 1825.)

India, and China, to use the words of Lord Palmerston, for "future prosperity." And the fact that having the same power to emancipate her slaves in Hindostan, that she had to emancipate the slaves in the West Indies, and that she has not yet, and does not propose, to emancipate her East India slaves, is conclusive to show that the I would entreat the reader to note one hundred millions of dollars, which and consider the facts disclosed by the she gave to the West India proprietors, extracts given above, as connected under pretence of compensating them with other known facts. The Duke of for the emancipation of their slaves, Wellington tells us that the repeal of was, in truth, given as compensation the corn laws would not enable Great for the repeal of the discriminating Britain to sell a yard of cloth or a duties which gave them a monopoly of pound of iron more in any part of the supply of the home market with Europe or of the world, over which West India produce; and no one can Great Britain does not exercise a control, believe otherwise than that the induceand why? Because the greatest num-ment was, as in the case of the sum ber of European nations, and of the paid to Spain for abolishing the African nations of the globe, have adopted slave trade, the "commercial advanmeasures for the encouragement of tages" to be obtained by exchanging a home manufactures. And Lord Pal-market of one million, mostly slaves of merston told us, that being no longer West India consumers, for the markets able to sell to the other European of Africa, India, and China, where nations, they were compelled to look there are more than seven hundred to Africa, and especially to India and millions of consumers, over the greater to China, for a market for their surplus part of whom Great Britain exercises manufactures. a control, more or less direct.

EFFECT OF EMANCIPATION IN THE WEST
INDIES.

The extract from the Edinburgh Review shows us the purpose and the manner in which England has used her power in the countries over which she In confirmation of this view, I again has had a "control," and explains why refer to the debates in the British Parshe emancipated her West India slaves. liament. In the debate on the condiWhen England was engaged in the tion of the West Indies in 1842, Lord slave trade, with a view to increase Stanley, then a member of the governthe profits, and thus stimulate the trade ment, said, that on sixty-two sugar in African slaves, she gave to the estates, from the 1st January, 1841, to West India proprietors a monopoly of December, the actual loss was nine hunthe supply of the home market in the dred and eighty-three thousand dollars shape of discriminating duties favor- on an outlay of twelve hundred and fifty ing West India produce, and that mo- thousand, and the London Times, comnopoly was continued until the compe- menting on this speech, said that the tition of the other European nations result of abolition in the West Indies compelled England to look to Africa, was the ruin or approaching ruin of

the planter, who was thus compelled petition addressed to the House of to incur a clear loss of three fourths Commons in 1842, praying for an of the sum expended in the cultiva- equalization of the duties on foreign tion of his estate; and added: "The and colonial sugars, which asserted abolition act is fairly sweeping away that, by comparing the average gaa whole class of men who thought zette price of Muscovado sugar with themselves in possession of comforta- Brazilian in 1840, the people of the ble, perhaps handsome incomes; anni-United Kingdom paid the sum of hilating, or at least rendering unavail- $24,789,365 more for colonial than the ing to its owners, the whole mass of average price of Brazilian sugar. Sir the English West India Islands, and Robert Peel, then the head of the govcompelling them to hand over their en-ernment, said: tire property, on the most ruinous terms, to another race-a race, too, which has obtained its purchase money out of the pockets of the present owners during the two or three last years, which will have completed their ruin," and then admitted that the inevitable consequence of the abolition act was to convert the West India Islands into "black colonies, because the white man is not suited to labor in that climate, and cannot resist its terrible dis

eases."

And the London Courier of April 23, 1842, said:

"To open our markets to the sugars of Cuba and Brazil will detract from the high character which this country [England] has acquired, in its efforts and sacrifices to put down the slave trade. I hold

in my hand a letter from an intelligent naval officer, who, speaking of the state of feeling in Cuba, says that he understands there is a strong feeling prevailing on the subject of emancipation, and that the consequence is much embarrassment and mistrust among the proprietors. This is in Cuba where slavery exists in its most unmitigated form; and when we consider that such feelings exist in that island, let us ask ourselves, if they are not likely to prevail also in the Brazils, where the system is less rigid? And more than all, are they not likely to prevail with great, very great force among the intelligent and enlightened people of the United States?

"The Tay steamer brought an immense quantity of correspondence and papers which have been long accumulating at the various islands. Jamaica apparently continues in a disturbed state, which is mainly We are in peculiar circumstanattributable to the growing demoralization of ces. Our efforts on the coast of Africa may be described as failures. [Oh, oh !] I refer to those two vessels which were sent out last year, and whose expedition has closed without success. [An ironical hear hear!] Yes, but great importance has been attached to that expedition."

the negro population. The attention of the enlightened portion of the inhabitants had been drawn to this fact, and means were being devised to ameliorate the evil if possible. Commercial affairs continued in a very embarrassed condition; and it was doubted if some property, which was advertised for sale under a late bankruptcy, would find purchasers. It is mentioned, with regret, that the event had been caused by keeping up these very estates."

SIR ROBERT PEEL ON EMANCIPATION.

He then referred to the position of France, the refusal, under the protest of General Cass, to ratify the Quintu

ple treaty, and of the importance of preserving a high character for disinterestedness (?), urged that this could not be done if they repealed the duty

Such were the inducements to, and such were the results of, British West on Cuban and Brazilian sugar, and India emancipation; and yet, on a proceeded: