Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1845-05-20

the Constitution, within their borders, ana DID tfeh
pause, ere the match is applied 10 our whole
beautiful system Of Government. II The aooli-
tionisls should, in their furious onslaught upon
Southern institutions force dissolution Oh Inc
Union, they will find, 10 their cost that Mty VIII
lose more by Tie change than their Southerh
neighbors Their own welfare is in their hands
Let them beware, lest they lose their advantages
by their own insane folly
But 10 The letter. We ask our kind and MEL
ligenl correspondent for continuance Of his IN
teresting communications
TO Tic Editors Of The Enquirer:
KINGSTON, JAMAICA, April q
Having for some time past resided IN inc BLUSH
West Indies, trust that brief relation OF their
past and present state and condition. ana OF inc
effect produced upon them BY the late emanciPa-
tion OF their slaves, together with lew remarks
which may wish 10 make, will not prove unac-
cepabc 10 your many readers.
Asis well known, these islands are situated IN
the urrd Zone, and mos. Of them have SOL WIN
productive powers as great as any on earlh.-
Fen years ago when The natural fertility OF lheif
soil was improved By proper cultivation, inc
amount and value oil their produce was very
great.
But whatever The British tropical colonies may
have been, previous 10 The emancipation OF lheil
slaves, lei us take glance al their present slale,
and we shall behold striking contrast. were
one, knowing their former prosperity, 10 WISH
them now, and look at their present r'linous con-
dilion, he would naturally ask, what monster
had laid waste their once beautiful and pro.
dnclive estates, s;ihed all their energy, reduced
10 poverty their once wealthy and enlerpfi,lns
inhabitants, and caused the great mass OF lheir
people 10 lead a life OF incidence, beggaTy ana
Starvation! Lei us look abroad over this lano,
and what do we behold? Plantations formerly
producing annually !, 1000 hogsheads OF sugar, that
are now depopnated-lying with their tieds I'M
cultivated and grown over with weeds-thelr
honses dilapidated-a desoaie waste;-and
naught can now be heard 10 break The dealh-ike
stiffness and melancholy that reisns around many
OF lhem save The hooting OF some Struggling, un-
employed Africans or the blealing OF once do
mcs,cated goat ieeding again in original Wild
ness upon lis native hills.
Notwithstanding The natural capabllily OF The
British tropical colonies would suffice for The pro-
duciion ofsugar enough for all Europe, five times
over, they cannot nor produce sufficient Tor The
consumption OF the empire. Whoever has
visited Them, will al once perceive that this
inability does mol arise from natural causes
BuI, il we look into their social stale, We
need moi long examine, 10 learn the immc-
diale cause OF all the embarrassment and ener-
WALTON. Ten years ago was ompleled-abTupt-
~ and inconsideraicly-a great social revolution,
from which they never iorc nor never ran rcco-
yer.
What though The West Indian proprietors re-
ceved len millions Of dollars as The compensa-
lion Tor their slaves! Twenty times go 000, 600
could not replace, in its former condition, large
territory, the most fertile on earth, stripped Of eve
r. meals oil cullivating It's soil say stripped
of crcfy means Tor, the blacks, who compose
nineteen-twen,ieths Of the population, now that
they are free, will not labor even for cXorbitant
wages. Their main characteristic here, is indo
lcnce; in Which, a in many other respects they
heara striking resemblance to that species OF an
imals which were 50 unfortunate As 10 become
possessed of the seven devils of Mary MaSda-
lene. What though these sable gentlemen live in
the "Sunny South, where conS,an, sunshine ever
smiles" and where they could >irh>i>t hy laborng
one day in sevens it avail> nolhing-lhese
swell head daIkies" say they will not wnrk-lhat
they "nebba larn" 10 use Tie hoe and he majori-
" of item would rather perish hy famine than
perform any labor whatever.
Ii wurli, perhaps, be gratifying 20 one OF your
Northern humane gentlemen, who style them
selves Abolilionsl>- phianlropi>s-l say, ii
might be gratifying ID one OF those gentlemen 10
visit these Islands, and examine the present con-
dilun ui his free cu,ored brethren. Here, where
once The African, " performing an amount Of
labor By no means beyond his capacity, could
have enough 10 cat, drink and wear he is at
present actually s;alying. All could The Adolf
lon>ts OF Your Eastern States hut behold the thou
sands Of negroes hele,-who were, when slaves,
vel! provided with all the necessaries OF lile,-
that are now rowing about, garmeness, from
place TO place. begging for InorSel OF food, me
thinks he would "abate The strength of his dis
pleasure" and would forever withhold the pt,laA-
Mropy OF emancipation; for, he could not open his
eyes without observing facts, that give The lie 10
his assertion, chat the African is happier in
state Of freedom lban oil slavery"
And. moreover, we have visible proof that the
negro is incapable Of receiving an education, or
Of governing himself The experiment Of cdu-
eating him has been repeatedly tried, and IS Of
len proved futile Whoever endeavors 10 en-
Tighten his understanding, will find that he IS
the same at college or in lie cane field; end 10
palo.>e Burns) that "a ioo is fool Tor a that
Again, since the emancipation OF slaves The IN
crease Of crime has been enormous, and assassi-
nation murder and rapinc have, alas! IN many
places, been 'thc order of The day
Great Britain, feeling no. the bruni of The evil
produced nv The abolition OF slavery in Ter lro-
pcal colonies pleads, in justification OF lhe mise
rs brouoh, urOn them by that act, tina. il was one
Of mercy and Of Justice But the West India
citizen knows and admits, that the act has brought
ruin upon himself and his fruitful country; and
he looks with just Indignation upon that con>cl-
enliousness Of England. which STRAINS at snal
and swallows d camel" And who can look but
with disdain upon The pretended Scfupl:s oil Greal
Britain, who will not permit Brazilian sugar 10
be landed upon her shores, because II IS the pro-
duce Of Stare labor, while she annually imports
and consumes millions of dollars worth OF slave
grown sugar from Cuba
''oh consistency, thou al q Jewell"
An English bard has sung
"That where Britain's power Is felt,
'sMankind may feel her mercy too.'
But, in the name of humanity, lei us ASK whe-
lher itie mercy 10 ruin The white population OF her
tropical colonies, by depriving them Of he means
of cnllivaling the soil, and 10 Jet The helpless ne
gro slarve, by permltllnghlm 10 I'VE li'eoi lsh"-
bic Incidence and vice.
Ensands mercy Far from me, and lar from
my friends be both herp o1rcr and her mcrtA
That The people OF the United States may learn
wisdom from the experience OF Others and by
guarding with visilanl eye and protecting their
institutions, avoid the rock upon which others
have split, and that they may long preserve the
present peace and prosperity of their country, is
The earnest prayer and desire Of their lellow-citl-
zen, and yonr friend and humble servant,
LIVINGSTON.
NEW BOOKS.
To Ball & Perkins we owe our thanks lor
zoe The history of Two lives" BY Geraldin End