The Sun.
London, England, 1844-12-25 00:00:00

LABOUR IN THE IVLST INDIES.

In the early part of the present year, when the
question of obtaining a supply of labour from the
coast of Africa to the West Indies, became a para-
mount object, some of the colonies dispatched special
agents to Sierra Leone, in order to make the neces-
sary inquiries on the spot, and faciaate the operation.
In the file of papers received by the last mail, we
find the substance of the information collected by
air. Guppy, the gentleman who was sent for the
above purpose from the Island of Trinidad, which
being the latest authenticated account from the
African coast, we give at length, under the impres-
sion that it possesses considerable interest in the pre-
sent state of the sugar question. It is taken from the
Port of Spain Gazette.
" The population of Sierra Leone may be taken
to consist of two grand classes—the one, petty pro-
prietors or traders who have each one or more libe-
rated Africans apprenticed to them, and on whose
labours they are mainly dependent for subsistence ;
and the other, of these said liberated Africans. The
former class are, generally speaking, averse to emi-
/trate, because they can find no purchaser for their
huts and land, or their petty stock in trade. They
are not in a position to make money, but still they
can live with very little labour of their own hands,
and such a mode of life i 3 quite satisfactory to them.
.The class last above mentioned—the drudges of
the other class—would, no doubt, gladly emigrate,
if they could see matters in their true light ; there
are many thousands of them at. Sierra Leone,
merely earning their victuals, and the privilege of
sleeping in their employer's huts, but they are landed
from the slaver with a well-grounded horror of white
Men, as far as their own experience of that portion of
the human family goes ; their fellow-countrymen in-
terested in keeping up that feeling, and in acting on
their fears to obtain undivided command of their la-
bour, distort facts, and, if necessary, invent the
grossest fal ,ehoods for the purpose of keeping them
aloof from the white man—in the rural districts in
which they are located, there is hardly a white man
except the missionary, and his communicating with
them during the first few years after their introduction
into' Sierra Leone must naturally be very limited;
so that between their fears and their ignorance it be-
comes a most difficult matter to get them to view the
luestion of immigration in its proper light—black
delegates, it is evident, are the only parties suited for
communicating with this class ; and even they find
considerable opposition on the part of the employers
of these people, who are stated not only to follow
them with menaces to the office of the emigation
agent, but to try and force them away from on board
the.vessel in which they had taken passage.
" On the whole, as 'regards these two principal classes
of sierra Leone inhabitants, it is very difficult to
form any opinion as to the extent of immigration
Which may take place to the West Indies; the mis-
sionaries, both Churchmen and Wesleyans, are de-
cidedly opposed to immigration, and exert all their
influence to prevent any of their flock from joining
in it. They openly state that they prefer seeing them
return to their native slave state, to their proceeding

to ; and the influence of these parties,
especially on the upper of the two classes into which
lierra, Leone society seems to be divided, is very great.
"There remains, however, another distinct class to
Which we have not yet alluded, and who, though a
Portion of their tribe are to be found in Sierra Leone,
can hardly be said to be of Sierra Leone, their habits,
Manners, and feelings being so widely different
from all the other inhabitants of the co.
the Kroo
We allude to the Kroomen, or men of
Lne Kroo country, who are stated to exceed in
, Personal strength all the other tribes of Central
Africa. These people are remarkable for their patient
~durance of toil, and their eagerness of gain.
'hey would not, however, emigrate in any numbers
Without the approbation of their head man, whose
onsent must of course be bought, and a free pas-
sage must be ensured them whenever they wish
to return. Of these people, it is believed, many
thousand might be obtained—there are frequently
4everal thousands of them at Sierra Leone,
working at less than one bitt per day. The ad-
Zantage, on the one hand, is, that they are all effective
'labourers, 100 of them being considered at any time
Nual to 200 of any other description of African la-
nourers—the disadvantage, that they will not allow
their wives to immigrate with them, not even to
Sierra
Leone—thus tending to increase the dispropor-
tion
of sexes which will be consequent on the Coolie
-Mthigration.
" Such are the prospects of African immigration,
ati least, as far as Sierra Leone is concerned. The
7nator, on her next trip, is to try the Gambia like-
sZ.ise, where there is thought to be a better field for
;_r exertions. On a review of the whole circum-
`anees of the case, the question of African immi-
ton appears to be still a grand problem yet un-
veil;

-" ,aeerniogical table of statistics, relative to the
&ln of life of the animals at the Jardin des Plantes,
?Mains the following :—" The average length of
Ile of the panther, tiger, and lion, in a menagerie
at Paris is six or seven years. A lion, however, has
lived twenty-nine, and a lioness seventeen. Lions which
are carried about and exhibited are found to live
much longer, generally from 17 to 20 years. The white
bear of Siberia lives only three or four years, but the
slack bear, being of a more robust constitution, survives
the age of 7or 8. As to the family of bears known
by the name of Martin-monte-a-l'arbre, they live from
'7 to 20 years, and behold a long series of
!snerations. The hyena lives only four or five years ;
4rornedaries and camels 30 or 40 ; the elephant, which
'''hen free reaches the age of a century, only reaches a
quarter of that space of time ; the giraffe, which is now
44 the Jardin des Plantes, has been there seventeen
Sears, and still enjoys excellent health ; monkeys only
survive four or five years, and it is mentioned as a great
phenomenon, that one lived at Gibraltar for seventeen
-Years."—Gulignani.
DIED.—On Tuesday, the 3d inst., at Bishop's
tithato, Hants, very deeply regretted, Captain Charles
"iehards, R.N., C. 8., second son of the late Rev. W.
tichards of Little Chiverell, aged 47. He had been 33
ears in the navy, of which period not less than 30 years
Vad been spent in active service. He was present at the
ukttle of Algiers, and had been the constant companion
1%41%r Edward Parry in his expeditions to the North
and had been employed on every station except
We West Indies. His last service was in China, where
Was very actively engaged, being the commander of
her Majesty's ship Cornwallis, bearing the flag of Vice-
A:lttiral Sir W. Parker, Bart., by whom he was selected,
1,4 the termination of hostilities, to bring home the dis-
patcher, For these services he was promoted to the
o'arlk of Post Captain, and received the decoration of
1-2nt
1. In him 11:at. country has lost the services of a gal
and well-tried der.
NARROW
F ESCAPE Fito4 BURNING TO DEATH.—
named Jackson, Yesterday morning black- wozan,
nearly eighty years of age, who, for many years past,
bog resided in Butcher-row, Deptford, nearly opposite to
the
Pier, and who has carried on the lucrative business
e' a diviner of future events, was nearly burned !.0 death,
iiettsiN:l by a spark having flown from the fire, NThilst
aware
it, on to her dress, and of which she was nOt
proceeding
at the time. Having lighted her fire, she was
premises,
along the. passage. to the back part of the
muses, when coming in contact with the air, her
)-:(411ea suddenl burst out into a blaze. Her cries
reached a mannamed Freshwater, who, with his wife,
resided in one of the upper rooms in the same house, but
1„!1° Was so alarmed that, instead of endeavouring to
Ft out the flames, he called to his wife to bring him
eewn a knife for the purpose of cutting her clothes off
r back. The woman, however, with more presence of
mind
than her husband, snatched up his great coat, and
but it over the sufferer, extinguished the flames,
' not before the wretched creature was burned in a
'lst dreadful manner.
FOG IN GLASGOW.—On Friday we were
;sited blur one of the densest togs we have had for many
ell
ng the week the weather was rather broken,
tei Thursday night, when the frost set in with great in-
it,tlaitY, and on the day following the city was enveloped
te fog so dense that it was scarcely possible to see
r°BB some of the streets, and lights had to be used in
sill
. th.P Lees of business. In the evening the fog became
'ni4r, The traffic on the river was entirely sus•
trl,led--only one steamer, the Invincible, Captain
Aellar, was able to make way up, after a deten-
-1,(/it' of nearly five hours. Several vessels, including two
1441, one Stranraer, and three or four river steamers,
t the Broomielaw in the morning, but none of them,
1e believe, were able to make much progress. The
doNer vessels are aground near Govan, only two miles
thlvll the river, while two or three of the others found
their Way to Renfrew, only a few miles farther, where
th'Y deemed it prudent to remain. We regret to state
foitt three men were drowned at Port Dundas during the
il'', About six o'clock, as Alexander Buntine, master
tne Christian, belonging to Dumbarton, was proceed-
to his vessel, after having been in the city on busi-
ea as during the day, he unfortunately fell into the
thallal directly opposite the Track Boat station. Itnme-
st,,telY on the accident becoming known, a vigorous
og-t en was made, and in about 15 minutes thehody was got
ih °
,41Y and taken to the collector's office, where Dr. Adams
rh afterwards arrived, and tried every effort to
.01‘ure aniation, but most unfortunately without effect.
1141 deceased has left a wife and two children to lament
tes oss. He was long known about the port as a most
Peetable and industrious man, and his death is much
~,,Ar:tted. On the same evening, shortly after six
w4ro lc, as Robert Maitland and Colin Campbell, who
e in the employment of Messrs. M. Macfarlane and
distillers, Port Dundas, were leaving their work,
les had not proceeded many yards from the distillery
dr:la they stumbled and fell into the canal, and were
ruouw: ed.
The bodies of the two unfortunate men were
sh,uut up linked together, rather in a stooping posture,
the;lng that they had been cautiously walking toge-
the endeavouring to avoid the very danger into which
0,48_0 suddenly fell. Maitland has left a wife and two
retl• Colin Campbell was unmarried.—Glasgow
Qunaj.
THEat ; RivEn.--Yesterday the surface of the Thames
ke 00(1 and t!hb tide was partially covered with floating
but not such as to cause any material obstruction to
t,ll,ill4vigation. The docks are still clear of ice, but the
it`lss are partly frozen. Owing to the prevailing
ave.tetlY winds, which have now lasted upwards of three
w„_ts, there are no fewer than 120 sail of vessels, out-
bound, detained in various parts of the river.