There will be found in an...
There will be foand in another column, a decree of the Government antl Legislature of the UJnited States of ,Mexico abolishing the slave-trade. It may cerf2inly appear a work of little merit in this rieing republic to extinguish by law a traffic which, in fact, has fbr some time ceased to exist, anid vhich must seem rnore dangerous to its political insti- tutions thbai usePul to its commercial prosperity. Besides, leaving humanity orjustice out of the question, it must, at the first sight, appearan al}bfurd andI ridiculous incongruity in a nlew comnlolwealtl,; boasting of its recent emancipation feom] a foreign yoke, 'and pirod4p i of the fresh glories of its independence, to see its shivs f)eighted withecaptives, and its feast of hbcerty ;servLtt,by 'daves. Bat what a strong addiioala 'n .tind does- thjis coidtict 'of 'Mexico, and the litra, systeii- pusue4 ,ty- tOle, other provinces ,vhicih vc izly1u opean coloniest 'oitd to. the frieadls of huiranity and of Africa to callfor a recog- flition of the, independence of the new Southi American States! We allrernembea the stand which the Governments. of Spafi and Portugal made in favonr of the African slave- trade at a time that wc were f9ghting their battles against BUONAPARTE, anti at the Congresses of Paris, Vienna, and Aix-la-Chapelle, after we had secured thein the victory, ald coiiferred iipon them the power of continuiing their infa- mous practices. Thd pretenee which they offered on. all t1ese occasions wvas, tliat their colonies cbiild not exist under a system of free labour, and thatAinericamust remain uncul- tivated iitheslave-marketofAmericawas closead. HencethMir higglinig for a fewv more mnonths of delay, or a few. more degrees of latitude for continuing or 'extendinig the traffic which they had altimately stipulated to reliniquish. But, no sooner have these colonies declared their independence,! than they f{id that they can exist and prosper without an importation of slaves as well as witholit foreign yoke. Co- lumbia lias not oily aolisihed the slave-trade, but has taken imeans to abolishi slavery. In Buenos-Ayres slavery can searcely be sai(l to exist, andtl all the new States are fol- lowing the example. It therefore gives us pleasiure to pub- lisli this Mexican dlectee on various grounds, but on nolne more than that of its affording a new argument in favour of recognizing the independence 6f States whicil use thieir| nCew rights anil privileges witih so much humainity and wisdiom.