Alexandria Gazette & Daily Advertiser

Communicated for the Freeman's Journal
Extract of a letter, dated
St. Thomas, June 20.

Nothing new here—business much in the way as when I last wrote you. We have a great stock of flour on hand, at a moderate estimate, 25,000 bbls. in store and afloat, $4 75 to $5, have been the highest sales of late; if it continues to arrive as it has for some time past, it evidently will be much lower. Most of the vessels which have arrived recently from the U. States, have had long passages, some of them 38 to 40 days, having experienced calms the most of the voyage. We are swarming here with the Independent privateers; they are to be seen almost every hour in the day; the trade between this and Laguira has been completely cut up by them; nearly all the regular traders have been captured. The last prizes we have heard of their taking, were two Spanish Guineamen, from the coast of Africa, with about 250 slaves; these vessels have been sent to Margarita; for the poor slaves, it will be "out of the frying pan into the fire." There are ten vessels missing, that were bound here from Laguira, which are supposed to have fallen into their hands, the cargoes of which were very valuable.

It appears that neither the united efforts of England nor America, can put a stop to the inhuman traffic of slavery: It was understood the U. S. had stationed one or two vessels to cruize between this, Porto Rico and the Havanna, with a view to intercept slave vessels, but they have been already withdrawn, for what reason we are at a loss to conjecture. The British cruizers in this direction are half their time in port, so that between one being absent, and the other in port, these trading gentry elude all vigilance, except a chance one or so, that falls into the hands of the Patriots."