Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1839-02-20
ERo,r rHE WEST INDIES.


merchant, connected with very respecta- Il
Die house at New Haven, CT. 1t can be
relied on.-N Y. Spectator. /
Letter from W. r. Hayes, Esq. BGrba-
does w. l., to Req G. LudLO,O, Of
Ne,o Haven. Is
BARBADOS, Dec. 90, 1888.
I gave you in my last some account of
the manner in which the first day OF
emancipation came and went in this ISL
and. We very soon afterward received
similar accounts from all the neighboring
islands. In all of them, the day was cele-
brated as an occasion "of devout thanks
giving and praise to God, for the happy
termination Of slavery" In all Of them,
the change took place in manner highly
credtable to the emancipated, and intense
w gratifying 10 the friends OF liberty
The quiet, good order, and solemnity of
the day, were every where remarkable.
Indeed, is it not fact worth remember
ing, that whereas, in former years, sim
gle DAVIS relaxation from labor was met
4 BY the slaves with shouting, and revelry,
and merry making, yet now, when the,
last link of slavery was broken, sobriety
aud decorum were especially the order of
the day? The perfect order and subordi-
nation to the laws, which marked the first
day of August are yet unbroken. We
have now nearly FIVE months experience
of entire emancipation and | venture to
say, that period Of more profound peace
never existed in the West Indies. There
have been disputes about wages, as in
New England and in other free countries !;
but no concert, no combination even here !;
I and.the only attempt at combination was
: among the planters, to keep down wages
$ and that but for shorttne only.
. / will not enter particularly into the
questions, whether or not the people will
continue to work for wages, whether they
will remain quiet-or on the other hand
/ whether the island will be suffered to be-
e come desolate, and the freed slaves rearse
IS into barbarism, &c. These things have
h been specuIated about and gloomy pre-
:, dictions have had their day; the time has
now come for the proof People do no
: buy land and houses, and rent propertie:
k, for long terms of years. in countries wher,
D life is insecure, or where labor cannot b,
,e had, and the tendency of things is to ruiz
=. and decay
-, In short men, in their senses, do no
: embark on board a sinking ship Conf
8 dence is the very soul of prosperity 0
IN the existence Of this confidence in this isl
is and, the immense operations in real estate
since the first of August, are ahundan
proof There are mulutudes Of instance
u in which estates have sold for $50, 90
~ more than was asked for them six month
y. ago, and vet at that time they were cor
:, sidered very high. A proprietor VIII
,sa was persuaded few weeks since to pal
90 with his estate for very large sum {
money, went and bought it.back again 3
70. an adraace of $4,000.
-. A great many long leases Of propert
-, have been entered into. An estate Gale
!. e g F.dgecumbe," mentioned by Thome
t.d Kimblll, has been rented for 81 years
TO- 1900 per annum Another called Il
o., Hope" has been rented for 10 years
:. $4,000 sterling equal to $4,000 per al
:, mum. Another, after being rented for
Of high price, was re-let by tie lessee, WI
became entirely absovled from the contra;
and took $4,000 for his bargain. If r
quired | could give you host of simil
cases with the names of the parties. B
pa it seems unnecessary. The mere impui
to given TO the value of property in this j:
lily, anG by emancipation, is thing as motor
the Gus here as the fact of emancipation.
tho But are not crimes more frequent thu
:, before? have now before me Barb
'lu' does newspaper. printed two weeks sine
'ih- in which the fact is stated, that in all 4
eo- country prisons, among population
Va $4,000, only two prisoners were confn
re- for any cause whatever!
nd But" says a believer in the hecessi
- of colonizalion, (" how will you get rid
'oi the negroes 2" | answer by advertng
10 the spectacle which is now seen in all t
eto islands. of the former proprletors of slav,
the now employers of free Iaborers using e,
ry endeavor to preceat emigration. Tr
etv idad, Demerara, and Berbice, acGnt
-. borers. The former has passed law
pay the passage money Of any labor
'ip- who comes to the island, leaving b
'rm free to choose his employment Den
hat rara and Berbice have sent emigrati
uld agents to this and other islands, to indu
Just the laborers to join those colonies, oat
b., ing high wages, good treatment, &c.
the other hanG, Barbados, Grenada,
'n' Vincent, and all the old and popuious i
ands, individually and collectively, by
,uld gisative resolves, legal enactments, s
ing &c.-loudly protest that they have not
,,5 man to spare
What is still better, the old island p1
'rea prietors are on every hand building NJ
not houses for the peasantry, and with grt
be forethought adding TO their comfort !;
- Innu,irnn that thar will thnrnh.. s,,