LONDON, C. W., April 21, 1856.

MR. FREDERICK DOUGLASS: SIR:—In your paper of March 28th, which I have just had the pleasure of reading the following remarks from the "" appear. "In our recent article we took the position, and briefly sustained it by argument, that, the Law of Nature forbids the political equality of the White and Negro Races. Now, the Law of Nature is the Law of God," &c. It would be difficult to express a greater absurdity in fewer words.—Does this latter Daniel of the free press, come to judgment with no better authority for his theory than his hatred of "the Negro?" According to his stupendous wisdom, God has interdicted the political equality of the "white" and negro races. I marvel at the modesty of this Jeremy Diddler for not further imposing upon the credulity of the prejudiced, and assigned to himself the character and authority of an especial messenger, to declare to the impatient and aspiring negro, the Divine will.—The free, high minded majority of New York instituted the present order of conditional "Negro suffrage," preparatory to the advent of the Law of Nature, which is to disfranchise forever the man of African origin. It seems that the "" Law of Nature has met with some geographical difficulties, unforseen by his Omnipotence, (our devil,) entirely defeating the general application of its . In several of the States, the "Negro" possesses political equality with the "White" man, and the "firm set earth", trembles not; nor do "the signs of the times" indicate the wrath of heaven for the offence.—What will be the next absurd declaration of these self-constituted heralds of the Divine will? It is indeed sufficiently ridiculous for a sane man—though prejudice maketh the fool mad—to merely, entertain such unmeaning and brainless nonsense, as so frequently defiles the press of the U. S.; but what ought to be said of the bloated egotism which presumes to give it publicity.

The "" asserts it to be an unnatural proposition to claim for the Negro political equality. So do the slave-owners in the assert it to be an unnatural proposition to claim liberty for the slave; they with the of the North are influenced by their interests and malignant prejudices. The opinion of Natural Law, reminds me of an assertion published some time ago by friend (?) Rush Plumly, the coinage however of another's brain. He assumed that "men gravitate to their true position, by the divine right of fitness;" a quotation () from a speech of the Right Hon. Mr. Windham, M. P., on the Treaty of Amiens, "men gravitate to their proper centre by the natural law of fitness." Our friend Plumly might have adopted also the Hon. gentleman's view, which unravels the metaphysics of the sentiment; that "this fundamental and unerring principle concludes the equality of man under all forms of civil law." That is: man must be free, before the law of nature can indicate to him his " position." With the slaveholder, the "true position" of the negro is slavery; and when to the slave the law of nature impels liberty, he finds it to check his "flying madly from his sphere." Is it morally certain, that whatever position man occupies, is his position by "the divine right of fitness," or by the Law of Nature? If so, then "the riddle's unraveled," why many who did assume the contra opinion, and declared the position of the negro a false one, and in violation of the law of nature, have comparatively ceased to urge his

right to political and social equality. Their opposition to prejudice has stopped with their new notions of Natural law, or "fitness," and the inconvenience attending resistance. The Laws of Nature, becoming important before the of freedom, are by the tyrant, demagogue and knave, supplanted by positive enactments authorizing the application of thongs, scourges, and manacles, to control the saucy sons of Africa, who are daily escaping from "their true position" by the divine aid of . It would be decent, wise, and just, for men to acknowledge the authority of conscience as well as law, and who, on the exercise of the power which opportunity, wealth and education afford them, should display honesty and moderation.

I believe that the principles of the philosophy of universal law, may be established on an unmovable basis. But to effect this, there must be first established equality for all men under the civil law. The is determined from the ability to . How can we determine man's ability for self-government under proscription, chains, and scourges? As well may we conclude the imprisoned eagle's inability to sore heavenward. We do not half test the general application of a principle in morals, or in politics, when we attempt to confine its operations to certain classes only, and thereby mistake classification for natural law. The "white" man's sordidness of soul, his utter disregard for all law and principle, when the rights or the interests of the "colored" man are

concerned, renders him inhuman; his very baseness becomes the ghost of his constant apprehension, and he learns to despise the object of his cruelty, just in proportion as his victim submits.

But, truth's high will has graciously designed, That strong remorse with infamy should dwell, And placed an awful censor in the mind, Which damns the tyrant to an instant hell.

It is said that self-interest is a law unto all men; so is the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. "The Law of Nature is the Law of God," truly. Its general application stamps upon it the divine origin. Prejudice and proscription are the edicts of the devil and their origin may be traced through the actions of every traitor to liberty and republicanism, be he the editor of a daily newspaper, or the occupant of the Presidential chair.

The laws of nature are universal, and comprise not only the sciences of ethics and politics, but all that immense portion of jurisprudence, depending upon immutable principles and susceptible of moral demonstration. There is an active energy, as well as an inert force in the societies, which resists the establishment of laws and governments wholly unfit for them which consigns to absolute power the hazard of revolution—

"The strong antipathy of good to evil."

The precepts of natural law are as certain as the nature of things and relations on which it is founded; in a word, our Maker is our Legislator, and the notion of Minos and Rhadaman—thus, and other ancient law givers, that laws were originally communicated to man from heaven, is only fable, beautifully supporting and illustrating philosophy.

The Law of Nature, of the Divine original of which I now write, bears no resemblance to the code, which emanates from a heart blackened by long familiarity with prejudice, and hardened by a hot desire for gain, and can be readily distinguished from those local ordinances arising out of selfishness, pride, statistical circumstances, ignorance, violence, and from those general regulations which the different forms of government and various wants of society diversify.

The Law of Nature is that which support civil rights and immunities, legal justice and liberty, the sacred institutions of marriage and property, on which the preservation, the order and happiness of society and of governments entirely depend; and those which fix the force of and obligations of contracts maintaining among mankind, in their ordinary transactions, regularity and security.

The Law of Nature, left to its regular and certain operation, would convert the selfish as well as the social passions of our nature into the sublime principle of peace and good will to all men; bind the black and the "white" man in bonds of fraternity and discipline the most ungovernable hatred of the , to common sense, and common honesty. Just in proportion as we depart from natural law, we dissolve the followship of the human race, and plunge it into ferocity, and make the right subservient to might. Why is this sovereign law denominated the Law of Nature? Because it is a supreme, invariable, and uncontrolable rule of conduct to men, the violation of which is revenged by natural punishments upon nations and individuals, necessarily flowing from the constitution of things and equally fixed, and invariable with the order of nature itself.

The of the on this subject are but sparks elicited from an over heated desire to pander to slaveholding dictation, and patronage. It is the American to plunder the "colored man" of his rights and labor, and he no doubt would as leave be out of the world as out of the FASHION.

Yours, for the Right,

R. B. FORTEN.