Star.
London, England, 1824-10-25 00:00:00

.`

• WEST INDIA SLAVERY.

•• •

LH4'Tsl!'• VY

Ti) THE EDITorOF THE STARI
sow* will suns, me for remarking that the
more carefully I examine his critieistne on the Quar..
reply Revieta, the more I am compelled' to consider him
as' involved in one of these two alternatives—either
that he does not understand his subject, — or that,
understanding it, he thinks it expedient to perplex
the question.
The leading argument in the Review appears to me
to be em extremely simple one,—the staple production
of the West Indies is sugar. ugar is cultivated there
by means of Slave-labonr, end if the state of Slavery
were abolished without the. substitution of other certain
means of cultivation, the the,
of sugar might be
exposed to the most ruinans consequences.—lf it could
be shewn that the oely:effect of the emancipation of
the Slaves would he td furnish the Proprietor with free
labourers to be paid by hire, instead of Slaves to be
sustained at the master's expense, themselves and their
families, in sickness and in health, in infancy and in
age,—in such a case, the only demonstration of injury
would be on the side of a master objecting to so bene-
ficial a change. The simple argument, therefore, of the
Review is this—and ANGLUS cannot but comprehend
it, that it is inevitable that a considerable time must elapse
before this substitution of flee labourers for Slaves can
be practically effected ; that certain progressive changes,
which are described by the Reviewer, may ultimately
produce this desirable effect ; and that if the course if
these progressive and natural changes be accelerated
by.direct legislation,—that is, in other words, if Slavery
be abolished before free labourers, willing and able to
work, a!e forthcoming at the call of the Proprietor of
Sugar Estates,—a claim will exist on the part of the
Proprietor, for compensation, in proportion to the rate
of loss arising from the _acceleration with which those
changes have been brought on.
The practical question then turns on the fact, whether
such facilities of free labour do at present exist? The
Review expresses no scepticism as to the possibility of
such a substitution at a future period, but avows its
' entire ignorance of any precedent, sufficiently direct to
justify the assertion that it has ever, as yet, been success-
fully made in the West Indies.
ANGLUS says, " If we look round the West Indies,
44 we shall find many thousands of emancipated slaves
" and their descendants, toiling industriously, accumu-
" lating property, acquiring knowledge, fulfilling the
" relative duties of life, rising into moral distinction,
44 and striving manfully and perseveringly, hut sub-
missively, against the civil and political evils which
" tend to crush their efforts ;" and then he proceeds with
this sentence, " 4 Oh, but,' says the Reviewer, they will'
" not cultivate sugar collectively:" My observation on
this is, that the Reviewer says no such thing ; but if lie
did, of what practical value would all these high moral
qualifications be to the Planter, who, having lost the ser-
vices of his Slave, is seeking the services of a free labourer?
I call upon ANGLUS to inform the Public (for he may
be satisfied that these letters will sooner or later he read
and compared, and examined,) where exist these " many
" thousands of emancipated slaves and their de.l
" scendants ?" how many acres of land do they cultivate?
how many hours in the day do they work in their fields ?
how many days do they labour in the year? what is the
result of their productive industry in agricultural la-
bour, either in wages or in crops having an exchangeable
value in Europe, and particularly in sugar ? A clear
detailed statement on such points as these is precisely
the sort of information which the Reviewer considers as
so valuable, and which would, if supplied with accuracy
and good faith, give such inestimable advantage to the
side of the question for which ANomis is retained, in
comparison with that which can be derived from de-
Clamation unsupported by detail.
AsoLus supposes the case of a sugar estate in Ja-
maica, cultivated by free negroes in small farms, the
canes growing on which are to be manufactured in the
Sugar-works retained in the hands of the Proprietor of
the estate; and he asks the Reviewer, why should not
such a plan succeed ? But he must be aware that the
question is not a hypothetical one (whether with relation
to that or to any other system) but a practical one;—
h 4. such a plan ever succeeded in Janvaica, or in any other
'West India island it—And is it not desirable to have
something more than hypothesis for your basis, when
you propose to remove, by the legislation of an hour, a
'system which has existed for centuries ?
. But then ANGLUS triumphantly informs the Reviewer,
that in the East Indies, sugar has for many years past
been produced by hired labour, and that, consequently,
his argument as to the present inefficiency of hired la-.
bour for the purpose of sugar cultivation in the West
Indies, is utterly absurd and irrelevant. Now, I would
beg to inquire what possible healing can the made of
manufacturing sugar in Java or in the East Indies by
hired labour have on the question of slavery in the West
Indies, that would not equally apply if sugar were raised
in the West Indies by the means of free Blacks? The
question, therefore, of East India sugar, is at least a
compound one, and ought not to be introduced as a main
argument into an inquiry as to the best means of dealing
with West India slavery. It is a question which could, as
I have already said, be as conveniently entertained if the.
West India Slaves were emancipated, or had been so a
century age. It is one of pure political economy. If it
can be demonstrated that the English consumer can
buy his sugar cheaper from the Ea. t than from the West
Indian, it may be a reason for abolishing any monopoly
which the West Indian may enjoy. provided that no
counter-considerations i»terptme to limit the application of
a sound general principle. The same observation would
'apply strictly to the Corn question, and may be stated
inexactly the same words. If it can be demonstrated
(that the English consumer can buy his corn cheaper
from the foreign than from the domestic producer,
3t may be a reason for abolishing any monopoly
which the domestic producer (that is, the British far-
mer,) may enjoy, provided that no counter-considera-
tions interpose to limit the application of a sonud
general principle. But ANOLUS is well aware that the
counter considerations, in both these instances, are so
numerous and important as to require the most minute
and extensive separate examination. But what real
orpiment is there in the whole doctrine of Anotus on
this point ? Has he succeeded in shewing that the Re-
viewer is absurd in doubting the immediate efficacy of
free labonr in the West Indies, because free labour pro-
duces sugar in the East Indies or in Java ? Is he not'
aware, that to prove his argument, he must shew that
the impulses is hell influence productive industry in those
respective countries are similar, whether arising from
local laws and usages, the institution of Castes, or, above
all, from equal density cif population. In Cole-
'smoke's " Bergal llusbandry (written in 1794, and