The Sun.
London, England, 1848-02-08 00:00:00

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4-le
be tempted, even by the increased wages, to . ' teso hard
as before.--(Hear, hear.) Then the compel` ijlesleveen -ov
the landowners in letting their patches of IL would be',_.,
sure to enable the negroes to obtain it talen'eChettply., 7.-
another motive for slackening their exoriiQs. .. Attdi,:e
without some legislative measure for increatiittg thelieicei.Li4
of land to the negroes, he had expressed his Yon‘idipuj
that the quantity of sugar produced must suffer a con-'..~
siderable decrease. This objection had also been enter-
tained by another Noble Lord (Eerl Ripon). Still, he
had felt that it was a less evil for the production of
sugar to be decreased than that the great measure then
under discussion should be perilled. On this point
only had he differed from his excellent friends who
supported that measure, and who thought that, to a
great extent, whatever was bad for the planters was good
for the negroes. He had entertained a very different
opinion, believing that the interest of the one was strictly
dependent on the other, and that opinion he still held.—
(Hear.) The system of apprenticeship which the Eman-
cipation Act established was in the course of a few years
abolished, not by direct legislation, but by a measure
which had necessarily the effect of putting an end to it.
So little had the colonies themselves desired the appren-
ticeship, that Antigua had dispensed with it altogether;
and even in Jamaica it was not looked upon with favour.
The termination of the apprenticeship in 1838 was perhaps
a more dangerous crisis for the colonies than the eman-
cipation itself. The negroes had been told for five years
that they were freemen, and had enjoyed none of the ad-
vantages they expected. The planters, on the other hand,
had not derived advantage from the change, and there
was a general want of confidence in the permanence of
the system. Many planters were anxious to make all
they could of the compensation during the continuance
of the apprenticeship, and then give the concern up.
The consequence was that the estates were not properly
attended to, nor was the compensation applied in the
best way that it might have been.—(Hear, hear.) lie
would have had it applied, to a large extent, in loans
for the extension of drainage and other improvements
of the estates. None of these things had been done ;
and the consequence was that, in 1838, the change to
complete freedom took place under the most un-
favourable circumstances that it was possible to imagine.
It also took place without any attempt by any descrip-
tion of legislation by the colonies to subject the negroes
to that moral restraint by which they would bo com-
pelled, like the English labourers, to work for their
living. Such being the csse, it was to him matter
of astonishment not that the consequences had been so
disastrous, but that, on 'the whole, the system had
worked so well. These matters had exposed ;1 s
planters to all sorts of difficulties—one arose froz
the system of taxation, so contrived as to make it th
interest of the negro to devote his labour to his owl
provision ground, instead of working for hire. Another
circumstance was one which to some might appear para-
doxical—namely, the existence in this country of pro-
tective duties in favour of the produce of the colonies.
Those duties, he contended, had materially aggravated
the difficulties of the planters. The effect of those duties
had been to limit an adequate supply of labour, which
was one of the greatest evils to which the planter was
exposed. The higher the price obtained in this country,
the higher wages the planter was enabled to pay; and
the higher the wages, the less was the amount of labour
the negroes need perform in order to live as well as,
according to their notions, was necessary. This was
not mere inference, because positive facts showed that
the higher the wages the less was the amount of labour
performed, and, consequently, the less was the amount of
produce. A deputation had waited the other day uponhis
Noble Friend at the head of the Government in Down-
ing-street, which deputation he (Earl Grey) had at-
tended. One of the gentlemen present made a statement
as to the cost at which produce had been obtained in St.
Kitt's, which had struck him as remarkable. That
statement Jae had since been furnished with, and it
showed, that for four: years, commencing eight years
ego, a cost of 6,5601. had produced 13.965 cwt. of sugar;
while during the last four years, 8,663 L was the cost of
producing 14,800 cwt. of sugar; so that while labour
cost 2,0001. more in the last four years, the quantity
produced had fallen by upwards of 1,000 val. This
proved that as wages rose, the labourer became inde-
pendent of his master, and hence the amount of labour
done was reduced. Similar facts were stated by Gover-
nor Higginson of Antigua, and by the Governor of
British Guiana, dated Ist of January, 1848. Under
such circumstances, would anybody tell him that the
system of protection had been beneficial to the
planters? On the contrary, he held it to bo the interest
of the planters that the Legislature should adhere to
the wise determination at which it arrived in 1846.
' Would it be just that the hard-worked and over-
taxed people of this country should pay 3,000,0001.
per annum by the renewal of protection in order
to keep up the wagenjin Demerara to that point which
gave the negroes 2s. Id. for about four or five hours'
labour? Without protection the planters would have a
greater amount of produce at a cheaper cost, whileat;the
same time there was secured to them a market free from
those changes and vicissitudes in price which existed
under the protection system. For these reasons ho
could not concur with the Noble Lord opposite in think-
ing ;that the measures of 1846 were to be charged with
all the dificulties in the West India colonies. Still less
did he think that Parliament ought now to retrace its
stops. Even the West India interest itself admitted that
it would be in vain to do so. It was beyond the power
of any Parliament to create the slightest confidence as to
the permanence of any system of protective duties; but
it was certainly right that whatever the legislatuere
could do should be attempted. He would now shortly
advert to some of the other topics touched upon
by the Noble Lord opposite, and contained in the peti-
tion which the Noble Lord had presented. In the first
place with regard to emigration from Africa, the opinions
expressed by the Noble Lord were precisely those which
he (Earl Grey) entertained with respect to that sub-
ject, trtul he thought the measures that the Government
had adopted were as much as they could be in that
direction. Following the views of the Noble Lord, he
(Earl Grey) :had endeavoured to extend to the West
Indies all the Africans taken on board slave ships.
These men not only soon improved in civilization when
in the colonies, but also contributed to the advancement
of the colonies, while on the other hand, if they were
left at Sierra Leone, their case would be very different.
It was impossible to contemplate the feature which
Sierra Leone presented, without the most melancholy
feelings—all attempts to improve the negroes there had
' most lamentably failed. Its local ;disadvantages were
so great—the want of sufficient good land was so mani-
fest, and above all its dreadful climate operated against
its advancement and improvement. To him (Earl Grey)
it was absolutely painful when he was call upon to fill
up the vacancies which so often occurred in the civil
establishment necessary to be kept up there, and he
could not bear to send out officers and missionaries to a
place whore he knew their deaths would be almost certain.
—(Hear.) On all grounds it was of vast importance that
all captured slaves should be sent to the West. Indies. The
colonies hitherto had been able and willing to pay the
expenses of their transit, but, looking to the distress
which now prevailed among them, he thought it but fair
that this expense should iu future be borne by the British
instead of the colonial treasuries.—(Hear, hear.) These
captured negroes would only ho sent from British settle-
ments on the African coast, or from the Kroo coast,
where the slave trade did not exist, and in order to pre-
elude the possibility of abuse, it had been provided that
they could only be conveyed to the West Indies under
the superintending control of a British naval officer.
From such a system of immigration he (Earl Grey) en-
tertained great hopes. It was proposed to give a return
passage to a certain number after serving a (Pertain time
in the colonies, and from this it was anticipated that
those who returned would report to their countrymen in
Africa the high wages they had obtained, and thus an
encouragement would be given to others to go out. As
an instance of the success of this system, he would men-
tion that on the first voyage of the Growler, she took
intobackthe hands of the Crown,
their arrival in Africa, no less a sum than 5711.
15. 10d., which they had accumulated by their in-
industry in that colony. This showed not only the high
rate of wages, but that the Kroo men, whose affection
for their native land was most extraordinary, bad a
great desire speedily to acquire a sum of money to take
back with them on their return to Africa. The return
of such men must have a considerable effect in stimulat-
ing emigration, and in introducing civilization and
knowledge among their countrymen. But to save the
expense of maintaining steamers to convey them the
Government had found it was possible to make arrange-
ments by which merchant vessels bound to the West
Indies would at a moderate cost take Africa on their
way, and convey immigrants to the colonies. In case of
' a failure to obtain such passengers, her Majesty's
Goverment had made arrangements to compensate the
owners by a moderate payment. Under this arrange-
ment two ships had gone out to Jamaica, four to British
Guiana, and two to Trinidad. There was another point
which, however, only referred to two of the colonies. Her
Majesty's Government proposed to ask the sanction of
Parliament for a grant of 200,000/. to British Guiana.
and Trinidad. The reasons for that proposition were
these. In 1834 the Noble Lord opposite (Lord Stanley)
gave his sanction to the adoption by these colonies of a
plan for raising money by loans, for the purpose of
Indian immigration. Ho (Earl Grey) confessed that
looking at:the cost of that h
temporary advantages which I
was of far too costly a charac
case, he did not think it wise
expense of it on the present
He therefore lamented that the
duced (reluctantly, he believed
of proceeding. In the last ‘
raised on terms not disadvan
ago an attempt had been mad(
the expenses of the irumigr
b(a,,,
no offers on any terms had
circumstances, the Governme
however strong the objections,
the col
loan to
of loan to
this extentommendto
proposed to_ ies
should—a s I
the colonies
loanses w h i
call
canes, earthquakes, and other
' ponod. The first of these low
ptoaYsommenet:f of
St. Vincent, St. Lucie, and a
948,1504 ; and it was propot
ment for a further period of
stpheoci,fineedxitnrt,heiAiecht
had
df 1840
said, 1
uandpma iidt —ni I.o' il za .`s,s
molasses
for the
utsreh The
done with respect to the boat
Montserrat, and Nevis, of w
paid. The next measure
would be one for the admissi,
distillers in this country.
Lord opposite (Lord Stanley.
said, " How was it possible
when the Legislature did on'
t lated the duty on rum ; am

A. I

J.

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immigration, and the very
it afforded, he thought it
lcter ; and, that being the
or prudent to charge the
t resources of the country.
he Noble Lord had been in-
two• t sanction that course
years loans had been.
ntagcous, but some weeks
le to raise further loans for
-ati )11 now in progress, but
been made. Under these
lent were of opinion that
s to advance money by way
system liable to abuse—a
be granted. It was also
Parliament that the ro-
Idvanced some years ago
3h had suffered from hurri-
✓ disasters, should be post-
ans had been to Barbadoes,
Jominica, and amounted to
)sed to postpone the repay- •
' five years from the time
)1' tbeamount now remaining
o same was proposed to be
an of 135,0001. to Antigua,
which 102,0001. remain un-
which would be proposed
[on of molasses for the use of
On this subject the Noble
F) had been very severe, and
e any trade could flourish
le thing ono year to undo it
" Last year you refused to
of distillers, and you regu-
id this year you intend to
• kit ••-•