Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-07-20 00:00:00

AFRICAN INIIIIIGRATION

Adeputationof gentlemen waited upon Lord Pal-
merston onWednesday at Cambridge-house, for the
purpose of presenting a memorial from the com-
mittee of the British and Foreign Anti• Slavery
society on the subject of African immigration to
the West Indies. The deputation consisted of
the following persons :—J. I. Briscoe, Esq , M.P.,
the Rev. Dr. Carlile, and the Revs. H. Richards, W.
Owen, and J. Phillipps ; Messrs. T. H Gladstone,.
W. Ferguson, C. W. Gregory, L. A. Gregory, S.
Bourne, W. Miles, S. Cooper. R. Forrester, S.
Sturge, and L. A. Chamerovzow. 'His lordship
received the deputation with his usual courtesy,
and listened attentively to the memorial and to
the statements made in sppport of it, after which
he entered at some length upon the various points
that had been touched upon, assuring the deputa-
tion that her Majesty's government was quite alive
to the serious danger of an immigration from
Africa degenerating into a new kind of slave trade,.
and that no scheme would be sanctioned which.
was likely to lead to such an evil. The following
is the text of the memorial :

TO THE RIGHT HON. LORD PALMERSTON.
27, New Broad-street, July 6.
My Lord,—The committee of the British and Foreign
Anti-Slavery Society have observed, with considerable
anxiety and alarm, the movement set on foot for obtaining
an unlimited supply of immigrant labour for the British
West India colonies. The subject is one which has oc-
cupied
their attention for many years, and they, therefore,
feel themselves imperatively called upon to offerand extended
oydoeudr
lordship a few remarks upon it, which a long
experience suggests.
In the first place, the committee object to the principle
of importing foreign labour to supersede that of the creole,
as being contrary to sound politic .1 economy. The natural
equilibrium between demand and supply is thereby de-
stroyed, and a power of regulating and fixing the price of
• tee— . mn;eek teeeeeletent
with the free-labour system, and is, in fact, an element of
slavery.
In the second place, experience has proved that it is
hopeless to expect to preserve any proportion between
the sexes. The emigrations of Indian and Chinese women
is contrary to the social usnages of their country, sooner
than outrage which, and incur the consequences, they
would indure any amount of suffering, and even death.
On the other hand, an exclusively male immigration to the
Colonies, which, under the circumstances the committee
have adverted to, is the only kind that can take place, is
calculated to inflict great injury on the community, whilst
it directly tends to provoke to the commission of immo-
rality in its grossest and most hidepus form.
The committee do not think it needful to do more than
advert to the fearful mortality which has taken place under
the present system of immigration, amounting, according to
official returns, to 25 per cent. of the number of imigrants
originally removed from their homes, but feel it incumbent
upon them to dwell upon the fearful abuses incidental to
the obtaining of Coolies, especially from China. They
have the authority of Sir John Bowring, as published in
his correspondence with her Majesty's government, for
ascerting, that in its essential features this traffic of labour
does not differ from the old African slave trade in its worst
forms. It is notorious that kidnapping, fraud, and mis-
representation, are commonly prac ised to obtain Chinese
immigrants, the majority of wham are ignorant of the
nature of the contracts they are induced to sign, and often
of the country to which they are abont to be conveyed.
It is, however, chiefly to the proposed scheme of
obtaining labourers from Africa that the committee desire
to direct your lordship's serious attention. It is based
upon the idea of voluntary contracts, which the committee
venture to report will be found utterly impracticable.
Domestic slavery is unhappily at present an essential
feature of the social institutions of Africa. It may, as is
asserted, exist in a comparatively mild form, being what is
called patriarchal in its character. Neverthele4s, the
persons who are thus circumstanced are entirely under the
control of their masters, and therefore are not in a position
to enter into arrangements for quitting their country.
The extent to which this system of domestic slavery exists
may be judged of by a refererce to the narratives and
experience of African travellers and merchants, according
to which it would appear to embrace so large a proportion
of the labouring population that the number who are free
to leave their country is comparatively inaigaificant, while
very few even of that small number would consent to quit
under any circumstances. The idea of immigration treaties
with the native kings and chiefs is based upon the know-.
ledge of the exisience of this peculiar s cial system, and
of the power they possess of coercing and disposing nt,
their people. Such treaties, therefore, cannot be entered
into without violating the very principle upon which the
plan of free contracts is advocated, and which, it is obvious,
are uterly irreconcileable with the present state of native
society in Africa.
Another most serious objecticn to the scheme is, that by
expatriating the native population, a fatal cheque will be
given to the spirit of industry and enterprise, which, as
was anticipated, has happily sprung up on the coast, and is
rapidly diffusing itself, and which has operated so
beneficially, that a legitimate commerce in palm-oil alone,
to the extent of nearly two millions sterling, has super-
seded slave-trading in the very localities were it used to be
prosecuted most vigorously. There is no reason why, in
the course of time, the same labour and skill which are now
applied to produce and manufacture palm-oil, should not
be extended to the growth of sugar and cotton, for the
cheaper production of which immigrant labour to the
West Indies is sought to be obtained. The committee are
of opinion that this would be by far the most legitimate,
because the more natural mode of suppressing the slave
trade, assuming always that her Majesty's government
continues unsuccessful in its endeavours to induce Spain
to fulfil the treaties with this country which she has entered
into for that express purpose.
When so many objections exist to the principle of the
proposed plan, which it will be found indispensable to re-
move before it can be carried out, it is scarcely necessary to
dwell upon secondary points. To the principle of free
emigration the committee have never been opposed. It is
the result of a natural law, the operation of which no
legislation can stay, though it may the k it. Were the
Africans in a position to emigrate, as the Chinese have
done, to Californie, under regulations of their own, in
vessels chartered by themselves, under leaders of their own
selection, induced thereto by the prospect of greater advan-
tages in a foreign country than their own presents, the case
would be wholly different. Under such circumstances they
must incur the chances of the labour market, and be con-
tent to compete with the creole on his own ground. But
to promote a scheme which, though advocated ostensibly
for the interests of free labour, is directly subversive of its
primary condition, would, it appears to the committee, be
highly dangerous, and inevitably lead to the very gravest
abuses.

The committee feel that they should not he discharging
their duty, did they not, in conclusion, take this oppor-
tunity of protesting aglinst the assumed necessity for
immigrant labour to our West India colonies. It does not
agree with the accounts they have only quite recently
received from persons residentthere, whose long experience
and means of obtaining information entitle their statements
on this subject to implicit confidence. The population of
our West India colonies has largely increased since eman-
cipation, and the testimony is unanimous that, when fair
wages are given for a day's work, and those wages are
punctually and honourably paid there is little difficulty in
obtaining an abundance of labour.
The committee rejoice to perceive that her Majesty's
Government is alive to the danger of sanctioning the pro-
posed scheme, anti earnestly trust that your lordship will
not only steadfastly resist any attempt to prosecute it, but
will use your influence to discourage its promotion by foreign
governments.

Signed on behalf of the eommitte,
G. W. ALEXANDER, Treasurer.
Louts ALEXIS C lIAMEROVZOW, Secretary.

THE Swiss GUIDES' OPINION OF Ercontsi!mENt.--4 have
frequently observed that the best mountain-guides look
with great suspicion upon everybody except the English
and their own countrymen in a mountaineering point of
view ; they distrust them from the beginning, and always
seem maliciously glad when the grounds of their contempt
are justified by the subsequent collapse of the luckless
foreigner. They seldom race any trouble to cheer his
fainting spirits or offer him any assistance ; and take
delight in speaking of a difficult mountain as only good
for Switzers and Englishmen. Possibly this way be
partly " blarney," and possibly also because the English
pay better than other pe)ple, Americans excepted ; but
certain it is, that of the swarms of French and Germans
who frequent the main roads of Switzerland, and dawdle
about in such places as Interlaken, it is very rare to find
one willing to undertake a difficult day's work, and still
more uncommon to find one who succeeds in it. On the
only three occasions when I have been joined by Germans
or Frenchmen at their own request, and with all the
pretension of being able to do anything and everything,
they all gave in before the chief difficulties began. One of
these was a gigantic Frenchman, whom I met at Zermatt
1834:in he bragged the whole evening about an ascent
of the Wetterhorn, which I never heard of from any other
quarter, and then volunteered to join us next day in an
expedition to the Weiss Thor ; bat being frightened at
the first symptoms of a morning mist, he implored us to
return, and, finding us quite deaf to his remonstrances,
withdrew himself and his guides, leaving us to finish a
most pleasant and successful day by ourselves.—Hinchkrs
&owner Months among the