The Sun.
London, England, 1838-07-19 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

A correspondent has handed us a letter, dated " Pest,
June IS," which will be found in another column, and to
which we invite the attention of our readers. It relates to
the prosecution by the Austrian Go; ernment of Baron
Wesselenyi, a Huogarien noblemen, whose name is not
unknown in this esuntry. The case of this nobleman, as
it has been detei'ed to us, is certainly one of very great
hardship. It is notorious that Austria bad for many years
uniformly vieleterl ;he contract of union (Diploma Leo-
poldittutn). between herself and Tiansylvania. By that
contract it was stipulated that Diets should be held at
least once every three years, and that they should assist in
the Government. For twenty years this contract was a
dead letter. No D:et was held. The people were left,
It is needless to add, without redress for those abuses
which are sure to flood in upon an unrepresented
Country- Under these circumstances, Baron Wesse-
ley' refused to allow the Government to take his
peasantry for the army. His example was immediately
Followed througheut Transylvania, awl a Diet was at
length held. In this assembly Wessclenyi led an Opposi-
tion that prose(' itself too powerful for the Government.
Amongst the means to which the leader had recourse to
strengthen the power of his party, was the publication of
the reports of the Diet. • For this purpose he had brought
with toe) from Eneland a lithographic apparatus, which he
presented tom` the Diet. They immediately resolved regu-
lady to publish their proceedings. The next day the
j)iet was dissolved ! A trumpery accusation was got up
against Baron Wesselenyi, the character of which may be
estimated from the fact that one of the charges against
him was that he had " educated his illegitimate children."
This specie' of persecution obliged Baron Wesselenyi to
escape from th© jurisdiction of the authorities, by whom
judgment was gieen against him. He soon became
a leading member in the Diet of Hungary, which
Lad already passed laws in favour of the peasantry,
though aeithout being able to obtain the royal
assent to them. In the meantime the Government was
busy fomenting die-se-awe; between the peasantry and the
nobles. Baron Wesselens4 felt it his duty to denounce
the tools they had employed. At a public meeting he
cautioned the peasantry against being misled by agents
who were amongst them, and whose object was to incense
them against the nobles. In consequence of this conduct,
proceedings were instituted against him, and as they are
now drawing to a tardy termination—they were com-
menced, we believe, in 1835—apprehensions are enter-
tained that the result may be unfavourable. We do hope
that the Austrian Government will pause before it pur-
sues this prosecution to the unfortunate issue of a con-
viction. The very same sentiments for which it is
sought to punish this nobleman have been repeated
again and again in the Diet, the members of which
have more than once protested against the perse-
cution of their brother. It is well known that the nobles,
who are the constituency of the Diet, and who constitute
about one-twelfth of the population of Hungary, are almost
unanimously against the proceeding. Surely it would be
impolitic to follow up even a just prosecution against the
convictions and strong feelings of a class so large and so
powerful. It would be no very difficult matter to excite
amongst the enthusiastic Hungarians a movement that
might prove troublesome, if not dangerous ; while, upon the
other hand, much discontent may be allayed by a slight
concession to strict justice. Going amongst his Italian sub-
jects, the Emperor of Austria will find the gratitude of the
Hungarians a safer as well as a more becoming herald to
his coronation festivities than the dissatisfaction. that is
sure to be created by a perseverance in this most unpopular
prosecution.—Morning Chronicle.
In endeavouring to expose the deceptive and vicious
character of " the East India Labourers Bill," we showed
the day before yesterday that it formally legalizes an inde-
finite prolongation of the colonial apprenticeship system, of
Which -it is a mischievous modification ; and secondly, that
the protection it affects to provide for the Hill Coolies can-
not possibly prevent the enormities which their systematic
transmigration is fitted to engender. To appoint a body
of protective officers who shall take care that no kidnapped
Cooly be permitted to emigate without being furnished with
a copy of his conditions of servitude written in his own
vernacular tongue, and duly explained to him—that his
sweat-money shall be paid at least once a month—that in
case of certified debility on his part, or non-fulfilment of
contract on the part of his gang-master, lie shall be released
from his five years' bondage, and sent back to India at the
latter's expense—all this, we allow, may be made to look spe-
cious enough upon paper, though not without the help of such
picked and plausible words as effectually disguise the reali-
ties of which they falsely profess to be the symbols. But
when these provisions are looked at with a searching eye,
we are much mistaken if they be not found wholly inope-
raSive for any useful purpose. The Cooly broker, be it
remembered, does not lime his twigs in the presence of a
protectis e officer. His birds are all caught, crammed, and
virtually ceeed before the authorities hear any thing of the
matter. That the decoy notes of the fowler will be so
unskilfully whistled, or his bait so clumsily set, as, whostile
ile
otherwise attractive to his prey, shall provoke the h
interposition of the individual whom lie wishes to make an
accessory of, were a supposition too discreditable to his art
io be entertained for a moment. Only let the trap-setting
be, fairly licensed, as by the proposed Bill, and not an ob-
stacle will arise to prevent the captivity of a single come-
at-able Cook, we answer for it. All the negotiations
will ha so cleverly managed, that, aithout either_ un-
hooding or scaring the victim, the inspecting functionary
shall be perfectly satisfied—nor, as long as the ignorant
and inexperienced Coolies are necessarily incompetent
to
realize either the oppressive drudgery or the wretched
requital they are about to be fettered for, can we view
the protective clause, requiring them to be thoroughly
instructed io the nature or their contract, as anything bet-
ter than a mere legislative farce. 3. Our third objection
to the proposed transmigration of these tribes is, that it
must inevitably prove highly injurious to the existing.
emamenated negroes in the West India islands. Not-
withstarufne; the expense of their passage and of brokerage
in the Eastern markets, the effecting of crowding the colo-
ries with Hill Coolies (who are notoriously able to main-
tit; themselves at a much cheaper rate than the old class
of slaves) must necessarily be to lower the wages of the
free blacks. With the exception of such of the latter
as havpen to be coopers, coppersmiths, or carpenters,
the labour of the Africans and Creoles generally
will not be referred to that of their new rivals, who
nag, without difficulty, become expert workmen in a
week or two. The consequence will be, thkt vast
Lumbers of the black population must either subm't
to wages 50 insuN;ient as to subject them to priva-
tions which even in slavery they were strangers to,
e. they must be thrown c ue of employment altogether, and
left to actual starvation. In this way it is easy to see that
the few provident planers with whom this Cooly business
h‘rs originated are likely to obtain a to!eriably sweet revenee
f'or the Einanc"pation Act. by living to see the freo blacks in
a worse condition than duri e•eir bondage, mil do prived
of those sufficient means of self-support which, at best,
would be bat a pitiful recempense fir their oast indignities
tin I sufferings. These unrortimate beings
ir seam to
li ss b
been
e per-
stauted by a relentless f etc. Fur as
nee
subjected to the lash end chain. At b ngtb their redemp-
tion has been nominally accomplished ; but no sooner Are
they set free and tbro:vn upon their own resources by en
act of the British Legislature, than an arrangement is
made by the same holy to cashier them out of the labour-
market, or to render their subsistence both precarious and
miserable. This is " out of the frying-pan into the fire"
with a witness ; nr, to speak more gravely, it is an unlooked-
for ultimatum, of which we know not whether the cruelty
or inconsistency be the more revolting and reprehen-
sible. 4. And lastly, for the present, the whole experiment
is alike unnecessary and uncalled for. From the latest
intelligence, it appears that nearly all our Crown and char-
tered colonies are taking active measures to bring even
the apprenticeship system to a premature end. Ohjcctions
of various kinds are no doubt urged against it by individual
local proprietors ; but not one word do we Lear of any
numerical insufficiency of free labourers. What are the
grounds, then, on which the introduction of Hill Coolies
to these colonies is insisted on? Have the West India
proprietors, as a body, presented any clamorous importu-
nities in favour of the measure ? With the exception of a
few, and especially an eminent proprietor connected with
British Guiace, to whose good intentions we are willing to
give all credit, the West India proprietors generally, (as
we learn from the best authority) have not only made no
movement in the matter, but are even opposed to it, because,
to use the ords of our respectable informant, "besides the
w
crime and suffering which may possibly be introduced, it %aid
be most. injurious to the colonies." But if the measure
be uncalled for by those who ought to bo the best judges
of its necessity, neither can it be pretended that the trans-
mieration of Hill Coolies is rendered expedient by their
liability to obtain work and subsistence in their natite
lanJ. This point was clearly and successfully adverted to
by Sit' C. Forbes at the late specie, general Court of the
East Ind;:' Company : nor was there a single gentleman
then present who ventured to impugn the statements of
the Honourable Baronet, whose intimate acquaintance
with Indian affairs ''enders him a high authority-en all such
matters. For these reasons, we hold that the 7else/e
scheme is one of the most idle and gratuitous specimens,
official impertinence that we have recently heard of. We
arc glad to observe that the sound head of his Grace the
Duke of Wellington is reverting to the support which lie
inadvertently gave this measure with divers unequivocal
symptoms of distrust : nor :ire we without a sanguine hope
that if even it should reach the House of Common!, it will
be so entirely changed in its character and object, that the
crafty cupidity of the Hill Cooly dealers will be balked
effectually and for ever.—Times.