Star.
London, England, 1831-07-26 00:00:00

THE ANTI-SLAVERY

view of the interior economy of Demerara plants-
tions. The horrific revelations of the Fiscal of

Berbice, in 1825, served to sharpen our curiosity,
which was still further excited by the apparent
reluctance of the public functionaries in the ad-
joining Colony to disclose the secrets of the
prison-house, end thus to open the eyes of the
public, and even of Government itself, to the real
condition of its slave population. The appoint-
ment of a Protector of slaves, in Demerara, bound
to make periodical returns of all matters incident
to his office, led us to hope for a full elucidation of
their state. Enough was told to excite suspicions
that the flattering generalities conveyed by the
Protector respecting the contented appearance and
happy state of the slaves of Demerara, could not
be perfectly consistent, at least according to our
European notions of happiness and content, with
some broad facts of the case. The punishments,
for example, of a single year, inflicted on this
happy peasantry, when they came to be added
up, amounted to about 20,500, the whole number

of plantation slaves—men, women, and children,
being under 62,000. We learn, too, from the new
law of Demerara, so much vaunted by the forty-one
authors of the West India Manifesto, that the legal
weekly sustenance of each adult labourer is fixed
at what is equivalent to two pounds of herrings
and eight pounds of raw flour, and the yearly
amount of clothing is one hat, one shirt, one jacket,
and one pair of trowsers, for the men ; and one
bat, one gown, one shift, and one petticoat, for
the women ; of which quantities, boys and girls of
fifteen years of age and under, are allowed two
thirds, and boys and girls of ten years and under,
one-half.

Case of Rosey.—May 1829, appeared Rosey ;
says, she belongs to Plantation Grove, on the East
coast; that on Tuesday last, the 12th of May, she
got a pain in her bowels while at work in the field ;
I that she lay down, and that Mr. Henry Chapman,
the manager, saw her, and asked wkat ailed her ?
She told him ; but he ordered her to go on with
her work, and struck her with a small stick and
then with his fist, which knocked her down. „Ale
then had her hands tied behind her and sent her
home, and kept her in the stocks three days and
three nights, and kept her sucking child from her
during• that time, and that in consequence of her
child not being given her to give it suck, her
breasts swelled very much. The doctor saw her
and gave her some medicine for the bowel com-
plaint. The manager afterwards wanted to confine
her at night, but she hid herself. She left the
estate last night, but did not ask for a pass.
The Protector summoned Mr. H. Chapman to
appear, and sent complainant to gaol. On the 23d
both attended at the office.

Mr. Chapman (the party accused) admitted,
that he came to the field and saw the woman sit-
ting down. On asking what was the matter, she
would give no answer. He gave her a slap in the
face in consequence of her great impertinence.
'She was not confined in the stocks, but in one of
the rooms of the hospital; her child is sixteen
mouths old, and had previously been in the yaws
house : it had been thought fit to be weaned before
it was sent thither with the yaws.
Case of George.—The complaint is that of
George against Mr. Thierens, for detaining him
in slavery, he being free from birth. His state-
ment is, " that his mother, Laura, wasthe daughter
of the Indian woman Urine, of the Harno tribe;
that his father was a slave of Mr. Trotts, and
bead driver on Plantation Laurencia, where his
mother lived, and was always considered a free
woman • that after her death, which happened
while George was a child, Mr. Trotts took him and
his sister as slaves, his sister having now alive a
'son named Remy ; that after Mr. Trotts died,
they were retained in slavery by his wife, and at
her death became the property of her nephew, Mr.
Thierens, in whose possession they still are.
George referred to two persons who can prove his
descent from the free Indian woman Laura; and
said, that five years ago they had claimed their
liberty, and were assisted in doing so by the Crown
Advocate, Mr. Gordon, ho told them to return
to the estate, and at ;.he end of six months they
should be manumitted; but the promise had not
been fulfilled."
Mr. Thierens maintained that the claim of
George to freedom was unfounded ; that he only
thought of it when in liquor ; that at all oiher
times the whole family had declared themselves
contented and satisfied with their lot, and had even
disclaimed any pretensions to their freedom, and
this before two witnesses, who certified the same
in writing, but without giving the names of the
disclaiming slaves.
Case of Janet.—Jame's story was to this effect :
On Friday be bad been throwing green megans,
(the sugar cane after the juice had been expressed
by grinding and which is used as fuel when dry)
out of doors, the megass houses being full. On
Saturday he was ordered to the field, leaving the
green megass of the preceding day out of door.
His Saturday's task not having been finished he
was ordered to finish it on Sunday morning before
receiving his allowance. It occupied him till II
o'clock. He was then obliged to put into the
l,house the megass which had been left out on Fri-
day, and which occupied him tiU six at night,

when he went with the rest of tie people to throw
grass for the cattle. The driver, however, charged
him with not having housed his full share of the
megass, and ordered him to the stocks on Sunday
night. He denied the charge and got away, and
did not go the stocks. On Monday, however, he
was put into the stocks, and next day was flogged.
The complaint of James was for having been un-
justly flogged, not for having been made to work
all Sunday. Of this last circumstance the .pro
teeter took no notice and dismissed the complaint of
injustice as .unproved.
Lowe.--irbe facts
case were to the