Mr. Gladstone very often brings embarrassment upon his colleagues, but by his Italian speech he has rendered them a service which may be reckoned as a set-off for many offences.
There is the demonstration at Warsaw—there is this matter of Italy, which may be taken as two of the chief events of Last Week. If we cast about for a third, we have not far to seek. The turn which affairs are taking just now on the other side of the Atlantic is of as much importance, not only to the States—we must no longer speak of the United States—of North America, but to the inhabitants of these islands. Within the last few days we have received the manifesto of Mr. Jefferson Davis, who seems to be accepted as the President of the new Southern Confederation, and the counter declarations of Abraham Lincoln, the new President, as delivered at the various towns through which he passed on his way to Washington, to take his place in succession to Mr. Buchanan. Never did American Ruler have a thornier seat. In his declaration we do not find any suggestions of surrender. He will have nothing to do with invasion, or coercion; but he will only despatch forces to keep possession of the property of the Confederation—as forts, custom-houses, &c., situated in the Southern States. Like the quaker on board the frigate in action, he will not bear arms, but only take an enemy by the collar and hurl him into the sea, with the courteous remark, “Friend, what doest thou here?” Mr. Lincoln will only retain possession of the strong places in the seceding States, and cut them off from all the benefits of the united government until they come to terms—that is all. Of coercion he will not hear one word. Heaven forbid that anybody should ever make use of such a term in connection with Mr. President’s policy towards the free and independent citizens of the confederated States. On the other hand, the manifesto of Mr. Jefferson Davis tells us not much directly; but from its terms we may infer that the Southern States are resolved to go on with the matter they have taken in hand. The manifesto has all the twang of those remarkable State Papers which were put forward by the leaders of the first French Revolution when they were bent upon doing an act of peculiar violence and atrocity. It is full of high-sounding phrases about political independence and pure morality. Ethics are freely discussed in it, but of slavery there is not a word. This is an omission of some importance. It must be confessed at the same time that the Northern States have chosen a most awkward moment for adding complications to their actual position by bringing forward a High Protection Tariff, which, if carried out according to its terms, would shut up the States against the European manufacturer and producer, as far as such a result can be accomplished by tariffs and fiscal regulations. No thought of the per contra appears to have entered into the minds of its framers. It would be superfluous here to discuss again the principles at issue in the two great questions of Negro Slavery and Commercial Protection—but it has been considered that the following figures may assist the reader’s judgment in arriving at some conclusion with regard to the probable results of the present American difficulties. The tables have been very carefully collected, and revised by Mr. Wyld, of Charing Cross, in illustration of a little map of the United States which he has just published, and may be depended upon.
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Real and Personal Property in the Free States 4,102,172,108
Ditto in the Slave States, including Slaves 2,936,081,731
Ditto in the Slave States, not including Slaves 1,336,090,737
The Value of the slaves is computed for the whole Slave Population at 500 dollars per head.
Persons holding 1 Slave 68,820
2 to 9 || 105,683
5 to 9 || 60,765
10 to 19 || 54,595
50 to 99 || 6,196
100 to 199 || 1,479
200 to 299 || 187
300 to 499 || 56
500 to 999 || 9
1000 and upwards || 2
The total number of Persons holding Slaves 347,525
FREE STATES.
POPULATION.
States. || White. || Free Colored. || Total Populatn. || Militia.
California || 91,685 || 962 || 507,067 || 207,730
Connecticut || 363,699 || 7,693 || 370,792 || 51,605
Illinois || 846,034 || 5,436 || l,306,574 || 257,420
Indiana 977,154 || 11,262 || 988, 416 || 53,913
Iowa || 191,881 || 333 || 633,549 ||
Maine || 581,813 || 1,356 || 583,169 || 73,552
Massachusetts || 985,450 || 9,064 || 1,132,369 || 153,453
Michigan || 395,071 || 2,583 || 511,672 || 97,094
Minnesota || 150,000 || 42 || 150,042 || 2,003
New Hampshire || 317,456 520 317,976 33,538
New York || 3,048,325 || 49,069 || 3,466,212 || 337, 35
New Jersey || 465,509 || 23,810 || 489,555 || 81,984
Ohio || 1,955,050 || 25,279 || 2,368,0 0 || 176,455
Pennsylvania || 2,258,160 || 83,626 || 2,311,786 || 147,973
Rhode Island || 143,875 || 3,670 || 147,545 || 16,711
Vermont || 313,402 || 718 || 814,120 || 23,915
Wisconsin || 304,756 || 635 || 552,451 || 51,321
SLAVE STATES.
POPULATION.
States. || White. || Free Clord. || Slaves. || Total Poplatn. || Militia.
Alabama || 464,456 || 2,466 || 374,782 || 841,704 || 76,662
Arkansas || 247,131 || 748 || 83,334 || 331,213 || 36,054
Delaware || 71,169 || 18,073 || 2,290 || 91,532 || 9,229
Florida || 60,493 || 804 || 49,526 || 110,823 || 12,122
Georgia || 571,534 || 3,292 || 439,592 || 1,014,418 || 78,699
Kentucky || 761,413 || 10,011 || 210,981 || 982,405 || 88,979
Louisiana 325,007 18,164 303,800 646,971 91,284
Maryland || 417,943 || 74,723 || 90,368 || 583,034 || 46,864
Mississippi || 295,718 || 930 || 309,878 || 606,526 || 36,084
Missouri || 592,004 || 2,618 || 87,422 || 682,044 || 118,047
North Carolina || 553,028 || 27,463 || 288,548 || 869,039 || 79,448
South Carolina || 274,563 || 8,960 || 384,984 || 668,507 || 36,072
Tennessee || 756,836 || 6,422 || 239,459 || 1,005,717 || 71,252
Texas || 154,034 || 397 || 58,161 || 212,592 || 19,766
Virginia || 1,087,918 || 59,118 || 511,154 || 1,658,190 || 150,000
Dist. of Columbia || 51,687 || 10,059 || 3,687 || 65,433 || 8,201
The whole population of the 33 States, then, according to the above tables, is 27,112,000; the number of the slaves is 3,878,000; the population of the territories, including Kanzas, 384,856. Grand total, 31,374,856.
A careful consideration of the above figures will give a better idea of the relative strength of the parties to this great dispute than pages of comment. The Slave States are mainly for Free Trade—the Free States for Protection. It is difficult for an Englishman to have hearty sympathy with either side.