T*rn #382 Duke University Libraries Providential as Conf Pam 12mo #388 D'mosias A TIMEL.Y PUBLICATION. At the principal Literary Depots, and, by the quaul Magazlvk STRErsr, cm be procured a pamphlet, eu- ! 'i:ovmK\TiAL A.spKtr a.m. Saictary Tkxdkxcy ok thk Crisis.'" Tbe author— an old citizen— designed this work >s the means of contributing to Hvo result.-;, conducive to the interest of our Republic, viz : I. and chiefly, to correct public opinion in Europe, con- cerning the character of our people, the practical opera- tion oi our prominent institution and -the magnitude of our national resources :or, as an antidote to the libelous P'lblicatious which have so 1-.: abroad : nd, to demonstrate to our Cotton Plaxtskb the pripablv expediency of retaining their cotton during the existing blockade, and of burning any portion thereof. tie tureof which may be menaced : I, to augument. if possible, the confidence of our people and especially our troops, in our ultimate triumph. thus rendering the latter still more formidable : I 'ulh. to guard against a return to that literary, comtt* and financial vassalage to our euemi.v-;, which has hith- erto so deplorably retarded the development of our boundless resource profound bigotry and fatuity of zens of K.'ntucky. Missouri, Maryland, and small poi - lions of Virginia and Tei .ling to the suicidal idea of continued polii malignant enemies. 1 1 the author has been to some extent successful in accon Og the contemplated design, th.re can be but one opinion . intelligent persons relative to the expediency of giving mphJet a wide circulation, e?pociaIly in Europe and ; cotton planters. N T ew Orleans. October, 1861. PROVIDENTIAL ASPECT SALUTARY TENDENCY EXISTING CRISIS 1 In each event of life, how clear Thy ruling hand I see!" NEW ORLEANS: Picayuns OffC3 Print, 6-3 Camp street >;>?B*K» «ceordi»t; Co Act of Congress, iu th« year 1861', by Isa.ao Kmnwsr, in &je C!«rk'* Offe* «f *h« C. S. District Court of Lo\u»i«H*. PROVIDENTIAL ASPECT fT3*$> SALUTARY TENDENCY EXISTING CRISIS In ordinary times, it becomes those whose aversion to the responsi- bility of public office has served to restrict their acquaintance with national and state affairs, and who can make no pretensions to ripe scholarship, to leave with men whose taste] 'thus leads them, the sole management of such matters. But when great political exigencies arise, every patriotic citizen, however humble his ability, should feel • y^ ^ Impelled to contribute his migfcL towards a salutary solution of the gigantic issues rising up in their sublime proportions, and severely tax- ing the vast resources of even the most experiencedjand profound states- man. To deny that such a demand for individual effort now confronts and perplexes us, would bo to plead ignorance 1 ] of the multitudinous events which throng the present era, and will render it memorable on the historic page. The captivating rhetoric and brilliant imagery "of the gifted and cul- tivated orator will enchant the developed intellect, while the homely phrases of the unlettered stump-speaker, are far better adapted to the comprehension of the masses. I therefore j venture to hope that in striving to expose fallacies, the inculcation of which has culminated so disastrously, I may, to a very limited extent, subserve the public good. Being aware of the impenetrability of bigoted minds, I solicit the candid and unprejudiced attention of those only who are sufficiently devel- oped, mentally, to appreciate the importance of attaining philosophical knowledge oUjall momentous subjects, never accepting, second-hand, abstract and superficial interpretations thereof. [4] None of the latter will, I presume, question the fact that Truth is eternal and Error temporal — consequently that all indulging the latter, will, sooner or later, here or hereafter, be compelled to abandon it and accept the former, despite the mortification of confessing their previous delusion, and its deplorable hindrance to their intellectual advance- ment. Neither can any enlightened person assume that both truth and error, on a given subject, can occupy one's mind at the same time. It therefore follows that so long as one continues to cherish error, he thus precludes progress in knowledge: hence the expediency of rigidly scru- tinizing and carefully analyzing arguments adverse to our own opinions. One shrinking from such an ordeal, lacks the capacity to understand his own interest. Practically claiming self-infallibility, he closes every avenue through which light could reach his mind and develope its resources. This obtuseness nowise disparages those striving to dispel the fallacies which obstruct his mental growth, but simply injures him- self by prolonging his intellectual infancy. No intelligent person can respect one so bigoted and narrow-minded : such must necessarily de- plore and pity his ignorance and infatuation. I once knew a man who denounced and repudiated the Copernican System because if our o-lobe revolved, as that claimed, its undermost inhabitants would fall off. Had he permitted me to explain % the law of gravitation, and the * overwhelming testimony furnished oy a lunar eclipse, the truth would have been fully elucidated. But, having assumed a gross fallacy, lie vehemently rejected all arguments incompatible therewith. Did be injure any one save himself? Wishing to reach a given locality, but being too self-wise to examine the guide-boards erected for the con- venience of travellers, I find after performing a wearisome journey, that I am as far from that locality as I was when starting. This road will not change its position because I would fain have it appear that one so wise as myself cannot err, but I must abandon my fallacy and accept inflexible truth. The time and strength expended in consequence of rejecting the guidance kindly proffered by those better informed than myself, has been squandered. I have merely punished myself, without in any manner disparaging those who strove to prevent such deplorable self-stultification. One who has not ascertained that he seriously retards his intellectual development by listening to, and reading, the arguments of those only who concur in his own views, has not yet learned even the primary lessons of wisdom. It is only by constant and severe conflict [5 ]. with antagonistic elements, that ::.-'.- mental resources can be -developed and expanded. To question this would be no less absurd than would be the supposition that his muscles could be strengthed, by pulling a rope offering no resistance at the other end. So far from deprecating a searching criticism of the arguments I may at any time present, I earnestly desire it as a test of their validity, being anxious to facilitate my progress in knowledge by abandoning any views I may have formed, the moment their fallacy can be clearly demonstrated. Thus only can I purge my mind of worthless and cumbersome trash, making room for vigorous and progressive ideas. This system has led to the repudiation of many opinions 1 had previously deemed sound. He who indolently leans upon others, accepting, untested by exhaustive individual analysis, such opinions, on any subject whatever, as they shall pronounce reliable, will never attain adult intellectuality, since no human faculty can be fully developed, otherwise than by constant and active exercise. Readers recognizing the validity of the foregoing propositions, will estimate the opinions and arguments ] am about to offer, by their in- trinsic merits or demerits, rather than by any conclusions on the same topics they may have previously formed. Among those who inaugurated the late American Union, the opinion that slavery was abstractly wrong was very general, if not universal. Under this conviction, Washington and many other Virginians organ- ized a project for its prosn^tiv.* extinction in that State. Fanatics in the non-slave-holding States, deeming this undertaking too tardy in its operation, strove to expedite the proposed consummation, by demand- ing a modification of the programme. Indignant at such unsolicited in- terference, the former fortunately abandoned their scheme, permitting the institution to proceed, unmolested, in the development of its mis- sion. Thus did those professing intense sympathy lor the negro, although he was ten-fold more comfortable than the poor, struggling beings daily, thronging their path, entirely defeat the first effort towards his emanci- pation in the United States, and materially contribute to the Subse- quent expansion of slavery. Their gratuitous meddling with the moral duties of slave-owners, so excited and stimulated the minds of the latter, that they were enabled to detect the fallacy of the prevalent sentiment. Grasping a more comprehensive view of the subject, they discovered that slavery was eminently ameliorative of the African race — that ne- [6 ] groes in a state of bondage were vastly more respectable, contented and happy than they were when free. The mora! deterioration of that race in the non-slave-holding States, ami in St. Domingo, consequent upon their escape from the wholesome restraint which had previously kept them in comparative civilization, overwhelmingly demonstrated their incapacity for self-government. The deplorable consequences of eman- cipation in the British and French Colonies, subsequently confirmed the conviction that enlightened and genuine philanthropy counselled the perpetuation of our prominent institution, under humane regula- tions, such as had always been deemed obligatory both by law and by public opinion, and were clearly conducive to our self-interest. A de- cline in the aggregate agricultural productions of a given locality, un- less caused by emigration, as it was not in the case under considera- tion, is always indicative of the deterioration of either the soil or the morality of the cultivators thereof. The immense falling-qff in the productions of these West India Islands, which followed emancipation, was not owing to the former, and was therefore attributable to the lat- ter cause. This conclusion is rendered inevitable by a comparison of the miserable, lazy, degraded and impudent beings now infesting those Islands, with the industrious, orderly, contented and happy slaves there seen prior to the suicidal subversion of the unerring decrees of Nature. I learn from one of our citizens — a native of one of these Colonies — that a relative residing in Jamaica, recently purchased for fifty '-four thousand dollars, deeming it a rare bargain, a plantation which, with the slaves upon it, was once worth a million dollars. •' Having employ- ed, at stipulated wages, the requisite number of " freemen" to cultivate it, he anticipated a handsome interest upon the investment. Subse- quently, however, the negroes demanded dmihle the stipulated toages. Perceiving that the loss of the promised crop would prove economical compared to a compliance with their atrocious exactions, he chose the former. Having squandered no inconsiderable sum in a futile attempt to render this estate remunerative, he was anxious, but unable, to part with his imaginary bargain at five' thousand dollars less than it cost a few months previous. Historical facts like these, are impregnable. The paltry calibre of sophistry may forever assail them with its harm- less missiles, but their eternal foundation cannot be shaken. They de- monstrate, beyond cavil, the tendency of the negro race to relapse into its natural barbarism, when released from salutary discipline. Such an overwhelming practical refutation of the absurd and childish abolition theory , r must prove irresistible to all possessing sufficient moral courage • [ 7 1 to confront it manfully, and estimate the magnitude of its significance. Let sncfa avail themselves of all reliable sources of information, and they can reach but one conclusion, viz: that negroes must inevitably be either the slaves of a« superior race, or the vassals of their own de- moralizing and degrading animal propensities. I, of course, admit that there are exceptions — we have all seen many such exceptions — but no unprejudiced person, being conversant with the characteristics cf that yace, will pretend that this disability is not manifest in the mass of them. To which of these two kinds of servitude should they be sub- jected, by those upon whom devolves the duty of protecting them and promoting their welfare? Conclusive as is the evidence already ex- amined, it is corroborated by other developments, superinduced by the short-sighted and pernicious policy of the British and French Govern- ments. Having extinguished uotwX'i slavery in their Colonies, thus paralyzing their agricultural resources, those Government* were induced to resort to a system of artificial slavery, vastly more objectionable, in the hope of neutralizing the egregious, blunder they had committed in obedience to the senseless clamor of narrow-minded and bigoted ab- stractionists. While spending millions in a philanthropic effort to sup-, press an illicit African slave trade, they furnished a pernicious example to those pursuing thai traffic, by themselves legalizing the cooly slave trade, attended with even greater cruelty to its victims than was the former. An anecdote 1 have heard aptly illustrates such amusing in- consistency : "^stress O'Xail," whispered the gentlemanly and digni- fied Mr. Murphy,*" I shall prisantly rail for a glass of limonade ; and, when me back is turned — unbeknown to meself — slip in a gill of whis- key, if you plaise : I'm a timperaiice mam." And why did these de- luded Governments have to call for "a glass of limonade," forthwith turning their backs to the bar { Simply because their doubly ruinous experiment had rendered the negro "freemen*' in their Colonies wholly unreliable as tillers of the soil, and transformed them into a disgusting gang of loafers — a nuisance to the white population, many of the latter being consequently compelled to emigrate. But the Cooly system of dodging the name of slavery while inaugurating actual slavery, deci- dedly more objectionable than the normal servile institution which pre- ceded it, proved successful only to a limited extent, since it did not prevent a material decline in the productiveness of those Colonies, and in the value of real estate there. Thus will it. ever be when man pre- sumptuously essays to subvert the laws of Nature — when the finite un- dtrtakes to remedy the practically alleged blunders of the Infinite. t 8 ] And shall we reject this instructive historical testimony- table logic of facts — because it does not harmonize with the visionary theories of self-righteous and ignorant bigots, whose contracted minds cannot grasp a comprehensive view of a subject — men whose opinions lff~> are based upon such unmitigated lies as those fomenting and festering on the pages of " Uncle Tom's Cabin," and kindred atrocious libels upon the people of our Republic 2 One detailing his experience at a degraded brothel, as illustrative of refined society, would not more grossly and willfully pervert truth, than do such stratagems for picking the pockets of the credulous. To permit such literary felons to remain outside of the penitentiary, is to defraud justice of her due. The time will come when such avaricious and unprincipled beings as those whose vocation it has been to fill their own pockets by pandering to the de- praved appetites of the ignorant and'the intolerant, will be despised and execrated by all intelligent and high-minded persons. The people of the South having, as here proved, ascertained that sla- very was the condition most conducive to the welfare of the negro, per- ceived that duty prompted them to facilitate the extension of it — that it would be criminal not to counteract the designs of those striving to abolish that salutary and beneficent institution — as criminal as would be acquiescence in a project for the subversion of the wholesome influ- ence of parental discipline. White children, generally, having attained the age of twelve and upward, are better qualified for self-control than are the mass of adult negroes. To those possessing individual know- ledge on the subject, this is self-evident. The fallacies originally in- A dulged by slave-owners having, as shown, been super^ded' by broader and more enlightened views, in consequence of the impudent interfer- ence of their fanatical enemies, it is evident that the latter have been instrumental in augmenting the magnitude of our prominent institution. Had such busy-bodies been content to guard the integrity of their owji .consciences, instead of assuming a gratuitous supervision over those far more developed, morally, the slave population would not so soon have attained the prodigious aggregate of four millions, and slavery would, ere this, have been abolished in at least three of the States which still, and doubtless will for centuries, retain it. Thus has Providence ren- dered our malignant enemies and unscrupulous libelers subservient both to our good and to the perpetuation of an instrumentality unsurpassed in its capacity to enhance the prosperity and the well being of mankind. Those denouncing slavery and yet consuming the products of slave la- bor, are as hypocritical and knavish as I should be, should -I- denounce [9 ] theft and yet purchase, because it. was cheap, an article which I knew had been stolen. They practically encourage slavery precisely as I should thus practically encourage theft. Nay, many of them are far more criminal than I should be in the supposed case, since theft is only one crime, while they denominate slavery " the sum of all villainy." Such insane bigots are admirably qualified to correct the consciences of others ! Would they not better evince their sincerity, consistencv and integrity by removing the huge beam, before searching abroad for a little mote? Can intelligent and high minded persons entertain anv respect for such hypocrites and pharisees \ Impossible ! Any hypothesis which does not clearly explain the result proposed to be attained, is undeserving serious notice, save for the purpose of exposing its absurdity. A man asks -permission to demolish the edifice which comfortably shelters my family. On inquiry, I perceive that he has devised no plan for re-construction, lie is capable of reducing to a shapeless mass of ruins a structure combining many conveniences, but can offer no suggestion touching subsequent proceedings. This is pre- cisely the position of those who have wrought such wide-spread mis- chief — a thousand fold greater mischief to themselves and their dupes, than to us — by inculcating their crude and disjointed theories. They clamor for the abolition of slavery, but remain silent concerning subse- quent arrangements. Suppose we were idiotic enough to heed their .clamor and gratify their childish whims. What have they to propose relative to the disposal of the adult children thus magically transformed into nominal " freemen" ! Quixotic and shallow as are their views on the negro question, they can hardly be such consummate fools as to suppose that we would permit our existence to be rendered intolerable, by the presence of such semi-barbarians. A policy so suicidal as that would be universally condemned, and our only alternative would be -either the expulsion or the extermination of the hapless victims of bogus " philanthropy.*' In the language of the first fratricide — Cain — the poor outcasts would exclaim, " behold thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth, and from thy face shall I be hid ; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth ; and it shall come to pass that every one that findeth me shall slay me." And would "phi- lanthropic" New England open her arms to receive these four millions of ruined beings who, by her despicable machinations, had been depri- ved of comfortable homes ? Far from it. Those professing profound sympathy for the slave have none whatever for the free negro. The 2 [ io] • latter may starve in their midst for aught they care. But the disas- trous consequences of such prodigious folly — such wild infatuation, would not stop here, as I shall proceed to demonstrate. No well in- formed person will assume that white laborers, could an adequate num- ber be procured, and at wages low enough to render the cultivation of cotton remunerative, could endure the intense heat of our climate, in the field. Hence it follows that this staple must be raised by negroc ;, or not at all. Experience having demonstrated the unreliability of the latter when free, an adequate supply of cotton depends upon the per- petuation of slavery. Emancipate the negroes, and, even should they be permitted to remain among us, our annual crop of more than four million bales would speedily dwindle to less than half a million — per- haps to a half or even a quarter of the latter. What would follow I Ten millions of white people now depending entirely upon that staple for the means of support, would be reduced to starvation, while hun- dreds of millions would be rendered destitute of the fabrics required to clothe them : blood-shed and revolution would devastate Great Britain,, and probably France and New England. Thus would culminate the most atrocious and infamous crusade ever planned by men or demons, did not the South confront and drive back to their foul dens the van- dalic legions that audaciously presume to profane her sacred soil by their polluting tread. Such would be the consequences were finite ani- mosity and fiendish malice capable of defeating a stupendous design of the Almighty. " Tis well the sun is placed bo high : Else some reforming ass Would rudely snatch it from the sky, And light the world with gas." Since the emancipation of our slaves would, by exhausting the sup- ply of cotton, subvert the British Government, it would, were such a calamity imminent, be compelled to take the steps requisite to avert it. True, the inconsistency of theoretically condemning slavery while practically interposing obstacles to its overthrow, might be somewhat embarrassing to those upon whom devolved that duty : true, the act would serve to throw wide-open the sluices of criticism, and to elicit a deafening howl from the abolition kennel; but the existence of their cherished political fabric being at stake, British statesmen would suc- cumb to the inexorable demands of necessity. This view of a subject, the magnitude of which has been appreciated by few persons outside of our Confederacy, may seem startling to those who have long been deluded by some of the most stupendous fallacies ever concocted by [ 11 ] human ingenuity — who have permitted sophistries floating upon the surface, to assume exiomatic characteristics, simply because, until re- cently, no great political tornado has agitated the elements of public opinion, bringing to view profound truths slumbering in its unexplored depths. But since these momentous truths have at length become visi- ble, no intelligent reader will struggle to sustain cherished prejudices, the deformity of which has been thus rendered conspicuous. Men of ample mental resources will accept inflexible facts as they are, rather than vainly strive to bend them into harmony with preconceived opinions, based upon an inadequate conception of the great principles upon which they rest. My solution of the great problem which now presents itself and de- mands investigation, is this : I premise that the slaves of America are a hundred-fold more comfortable, contented and happy, than they would have been had they been born and remained in Africa ; fifty -fold more so than the free negroes in the North and the "West India Islands ; twenty-fold more so than the indigent laboring class in Great Britain, and ten-fold more so than that class in the Northern States. The sub- joined selection from the columns of the Bee, is strikingly corroborative of this opinion : WHITE SLAVES. Editors of the Bee : More despicable hypocrites than the professed " philanthropists 1 ' at the North, who pretend to sympathize so sincerely with our negro slaves,* never existed. The admonition to cast out the beam from one's own eye, before searching for a mote in a brother's eye, is eminently .applicable to these self-righteous fanatics. If they were genuine phil- anthropists, they would strive to abolish slavery in their own locality. All the negro slaves in the fifteen slaveholding States suffer less priva- tion and hardship than do the slaves to destitution in the single State of Massachusetts. The Boston Banner of Light reports the remarks at a Conference held there 30th of April last, the subject being " Woman's Sphere." Dr. Gardner said : I lately met the case of a poor woman, sixty years of age, and who was in great want. I asked her why she didn't get sewing to do, for such labor was much in demand, now. while the soldiers are being fitted out for the South. She said all the shops paid was six cents^ for making a pair of drawers, or a shirt, and out of that she must find her own needles and thread ! Christianity should blush at such things, even if it does not. Women must be drawn into legis- lation. If the laws of the nation become what they should be, wo- man's voice must be heard in the Capitol, and her judgment should be blended with her brothers, everywhere.' 1 [ 12 ] "Mrs. Cooley said : It is a burning shame that woman should be imposed upon by employers as she is. During the present revival of the needlewoman's trade, military caps are made at twelve cents apiece + and if the girl works as fast as she can, night and day, she can just about pay her board at this rate. I have lived in many spheres, andj feel I am now contented with what I have to do. As Dr. Gardner has said, the advantage taken of weak woman by the stronger sex, is a thin^ Christianity should blush for ; but, after all, it is not Christianity's fault." The Picayune of the 7th instant published the following : " Starvation Prices. — A wealthy manufacturer at Newark, N. J.^ has been grinding the face of the poor most cruelly. He recently compelled a poor woman with a family of eight children, to make heavy military pants by hand, for twenty cents a pair. The womas succeeded in making four pairs in a week, and received therefor eighty cents ! Other cases of a similar character have occurred, in which advantage has been taken of the necessities of poor working men and women." Will any one pretend that the hapless victims of such oppression and robbery are not literally "slaves for life?" Is it possible for them, ever to better their situation, while held in the grasp of such avaricious miscreants ? If a Southern slave owner should compel his servant to work " as hard as she can, day and night," his brutality would meet the reproba- tion of the entire community ; and any person who should offer white women such inadequate compensation for their services as the knaves above named do, would be indignantly expelled from our midst. These abject slaves to penury are not permitted to name the rate of remuneration they shall receive, their remorseless task master prescribing the pittance for which they shall toil incessantly to swell his ample accumulations. Yet the States in which such cruel bondage is tolerated are absurdly denominated " free." Thank God we are at length relieved from the degradation of an alliance with people so destitute of the common instincts of humanity I If negro slaves here were subjected to a tithe of the hardships that are endured by the white slaves at the North, we should deserve the oppro- brium that is heaped upon us by the miscreants who themselves practice the heartlessness of wdiich they falsely accuse us. But swift retribution awaits those who have long been amassing wealth by starving their servants. Having cut off their source of pros- perity by compelling the South to withdraw from their embrace, these rapacious wretches will themselves be reduced to penury, becoming the fellow slaves of those upon the rights of whom they have audaciously trampled. Their professed reverence for the "stars and stripes" is all gammon ; every discerning person knows that it is reverence for their dollars that prompts them to participate in the outcry against the South. They well know that without the South every thing they own will steadily sink in value, reducing them to hopeless bankruptcy; hence their absurd effort to bring back by force their chief customer. This experiment will end in disgraceful and humiliating defeat, fearfully [ 13 j augmenting, by the crushing expenses of war, the impoverishment that would otherwise have been inevitable. They and their successors will continue to groan under this self-inflicted burden more than a half century, the Confederate States in the meantime marching onward in a career of prosperity unequaled in the history of mankind. The lat- ter is, and will continue to be a strictly Constitutional Republic. The fag-end of the late United States has become a military despotism, recognizing no constitutional obligations whatever. The Empire of Austria and the Empire of " the United States" now stand, practically, on the same level. I am impatient to read the comments of the pro- minent foreign journals upon the high-handed usurpations practiced by the caricature of humanity — the despicable tool of Greeley, Webb, and other knaves, who is desecrating an office, once the most elevated known among mankind. Some three .months since, Lincoln swore to obey the Constitution of the United States; but already has he pros- trated its barriers and usurped powers unsurpassed by those of the most absolute monarch in Christendom. Such atrocious perjury will meet the unqualified reprobation of foreign statesmen and editors, eliciting rebukes which will attach to his name a depth of infamy suf- ficient to excite the jealousy ot his brother despot of Dahomey. It is not improbable that ere long foreign Governments will with- draw their representatives from Washington, deeming it disreputable to recognize the existence of an alleged nation, so self-degraded and infamous. From the premises already given, T reach the following conclusion, viz : That the Creator designed the institution of slavery, as the means of accomplishing four momentous results: Fjrst, the partial civilization of a race that in its native country has, through successive centuries, remaiued in utter and stationary barbarism, and would there have forever resisted all efforts to ameliorate its deplorable condition : Second, the instrumentality for affording employment and support to many millions of white people : Third, the only source whence a large majority of the human family could procure the fabrics needed to clothe them : Fourth, an irresistible weapon — more potent than armies, navies, and treasures combined — wherewith the Confederate States are destined to sustain the independence they have achieved, thus per- petuating the glorious institutions founded by Washington and his compatriots, and which, in the fag-end of the late United States, have already been superseded by a Military Despotism. Slavery has already accomplished, though to a very limited extent compared to its future availability, three branches of its comprehensive mission, and those exercising a little patience will witness its triumphant consummation of tl'.e fourth. Our land forces are adequate to the de- L 14 J fense of our soil : the evidence thereof already exhibited, is prophetic of that yet to be furnished. We neither solicit, nor would we accept, if proffered, aid from external sources in the task of expelling our mercenary invaders : but, as our enemies retain possession of our share of the vessels constituting the navy of the late Union — which, however, they will have to surrender, ere we shall permit them to escape from the awkward predicament into which they have stupidly plunged — we are at present unprepared to purge our waters of the interloping craft that now infest them. Being thus situated, we need, tempora- rily, the co-operation of nations possessing ample naval resources : not so. much, however, as such nations need our great staple, and we are therefore under no necessity of craving their aid. The precautionary measures we have adopted, preclude the exportation of any cotton so long as obstructions to unrestricted commerce shall continue to annoy any portion of our coast, situated either on the Atlantic or the Gulf. Should those desiring our great staple — the atmosphere without which their political existence cannot be prolonged — deem it expedient — not by any means -as a favor to us, but in obedience to the promptings of self-interest — to expel from our waters all interlopers now prowling therein, we shall, of course, acquiesce in the proceeding and facilitate the attainment of the result they seek. We shall be glad to furnish all the cotton they need, to purchase their fabrics and give employment to their shipping, to the exclusion of that owned by our enemies, and their most formidable rival. Pursuant to an agreement among our Planters, Factors and Insurance Companies, the entire crop is to remain on the plantations until all our ports shall have been entirely and permanently relieved •from exist- ing encumbrance. The cotton being thus scattered, the Lincoln con- spirators would encounter perplexing obstacles to the consummation of their brilliant project — brilliant, like all their other ingenius devices — on paper, viz: that of seizing it, should we permit them to invade our principal commercial marts in sufficient force to do so, and were it sent to market as heretofore. Any attempt, however, to practically illustrate this admirable programme of theirs, would provoke a finale, eclipsing that which has immortalized the achievements of the late " Grand Army." But admitting, notwithstanding its absurdity, for the sake of illustration, that there could be precipitated upon us hordes of Philis- tines numerous enough to overrun our territory — would our enemies thus possess themselves of the coveted staple ? Not a bale of it, for our planters are unanimously pledged to burn any cotton, anywhere, r 15 j the seizure of which shall be seriously 'menaced. The expediency of this step is obvious, since they would not only " gire aid and comfort to the enemy" by permitting him to steal their cotton, but would also lose its entire value themselves; while by destroying it they would enhance the value of that remaining for sale, thus throwing the loss upon their customers. Did not humane, considerations — the consequent distress among the laboring classes — forbid such a stratagem, our plan- ters could largely advance their pecuniary interest by each committing to the flames half of his crop. How ? Assuming the aggregate of the maturing crop to be four million bales, all of which is needed, the destruction of two million bales would produce such a vacuum in the supply, as compared to the demand, that the remaining two mil- lions would attain a value, nearly or quite equal to that which the four millions would have represented had nothing happened to interrupt the equilibrium between supply and demand. And as this equilibrium could not be subsequently restored for years, if ever, several successive crops would command prices materially higher than they would have attained had it remained undisturbed. Thus would these planters be over and over again remunerated for their nominal sacrifice, and thus would the cost of conducting the war illegally and atrociously precipi- tated upon us 03- the miscreants now infesting Washington, be twice or thrice refunded bv our customers. Those familiar with the laws of trade may perhaps question the entire accuracy of this estimate, but they cannot dispute its approximate reliability. There is but one opinion among our people concerning the expedi- ency of withholding our cotton from Yankeedom during the existing war, be it long or short. None of Abraham's subjects will be permitted to procure a bale of it which has not been previously lauded in some foreign port, and is therefore burdened with extra freight, insurance and other onerous expenses, so augmenting its cost as to render the manufacture of it unremunerative. "But," says one of those prostitute sheets that have won such celebrity by promulgating pompous and bar- barous, but ridiculous and abortive projects for our speedy annihilation, u we can evade your vigilance by stratagem : vessels can clear for one of the British Provinces, and steer for one of our ports:" No they cannot, for we shall exact security from every craft suspected of such a design, obligating her to land her entire cargo at the alleged port of destination. The "starving out" experiment of the mock-government has disgracefully failed, inflicting upon its own people ten fold the damage it did upon ours, and in many ways contributing to the devel- [ 16 ] oprnent of our own resources. A proposition to ruin us by bailing out the Mississippi, would not have been more absurd and impracticable than that. But our plan for starving them out, by either paralyzing their factories, or precluding their remunerative operation, will vindi- cate its feasibility. They will not, of course, pretend that we are not if* fully justifiable in following theife own example. Although our Republic is a mere infant — counting its existence not by centuries or years, but by weeks — it is in truth the most potent Government in Christendom ; being, unlike any other nation, capable of subverting the gigantic political fabric of Great Britain, and proba- bly that of France also, by denying them the sole means of averting starvation, and consequent revolution. The late Republic of the Uni- ted States has already been subverted ; but we can likewise subvert the Military Despotism now existiug there, by silencing its cotton mills. And this is the concern that has essa} 7 ed to subjugate the people of the Confederate States, promising also to punish and humble the two chief maritime nations of Europe, should they presume to countenance the existing " rebellion." What ridiculous and disgusting bombast ! It has, as a Canadian Journal recently remarked, " made the United States the laughing-stock of all Europe." While sinking that sham government, it has correspondingly, by contrast, elevated our genuine Government, in the estimation of all worthy and intelligent men. I contend that the political tornado in America, which is now con- vulsing a large part of Christendom, is destined to achieve for us, if seconded by our own energetic co-operation, salutary results defying finite computation, by producing a revolution in the popular sentiment abroad, which could not have been wrought by instrumentalities less stupendous and overwhelming. The mass of Europeans are profoundly ignorant of the magnitude of our natural resources and the character of our people, as well as of the practical operation and the comprehen- sive mission of our prominent institution, because {heir views on these subjects are based, almost exclusively, upon the infamous libels which have for more than a quarter of a century been assiduously thrust upon them by our unprincipled and malignant enemies. Had affairs on this side of the Atlantic remained quiescent, the vile sophisms of these calumniators would not have been detected and rebuked by those they had deluded as they are now certain to be, because the existing excite- ment will prompt all intelligent minds to seek a philosophical solution of experience so astounding. Providence having, by the wholesome L 17 ] instrumentalities of frost, snow, rain, sun-shine,