The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1845-03-07
LETTER FROM JAMAICA.
NEW CASTLE, (Island Of Jamaica,)3
,.f January 8, I845. :

To he Ed. Ohio Sfatesman:
DEAR SIa-I hasten to seize the OPP
portunity ofthe glorious 9th of Janua-
ry. to write you my frst,letter. have
ben upon this Island about a month,
waiting for the tedious movements of
the Packet company who own the line
between this and the Isthmus of Pana-
ma. They have failed in, every arr
rangement so far, and have delayed the
departure two weeks longer than was
advertised. Blu. | cannot say that |
have lost anything by it in the long
run, as ! have improved upon the time
Of my delay, in making myself acquain-
ted more intimately with the West In
dia Isles. The Island of Jamaica, by
far, the most important Of the British
West India possessions. is. in a most
miserable State, Of decline. In 1890 it
was the richest Of all the Islands. 1t
was then the centre of the wealth
and plunder Of tho Spanish main. Its
nearness to the ports on both sides Of
the lsthmus of Darien, made tia no ost
desirable point for the operations of
the buccaneers in their expeditions a.
gainst the Spanish settlements. All
Of the great expeditions fitted out a
gainst the Spaniards, started from this
Island. The plunder of Porto BeIlo,
Of Panama, and Curacao was all bro't
to, and spent in jamaica. The vast
treasures accumulated by the Spaniards
from the mines of Peru, were intercept
ted by those hardy pirates on their
way to Old Spain and deposited in this
Island. Those were the palmy days
of Jamaica--since that time it has been
continually on the decline, until by the
emancipation Of the slaves on the part
OF Great Britain, the Island has been
reduced to the very verge of bankrupt-
cy and ruin. The blacks, owing to the
extreme profusion of fruits 10 tropi-
cal climate, are able TO support them
selves, | ana credibly info rmed, by la
boring one or t,oo DAYS out of the week
when this fact is stated, those who
know anything about the, Incidence
which is natural to the African, will
not be as,onished at the. universal ruin
of the planting interest in the Island.
No money will persuade the negro TO
work beyond the immediate pressure
of his own wants. Hence it is that
you witness every where the most
abundant crops of sugar and coffee ac-
tually rotting for want of hands to
gather them. The Islanders are not
so squeamish as the phiIanthropists of
the m other country, in the expression
of opinion as to the causes aud results
of this state Of things. They boldly
tell you that the emancipation has
brought ruin upon every planter and
land owner in the country, and at the
same time has made the blacks much
more dissolute and depraved than they
were formerly. The whites five in
continual fear Of them, from their
known cruelty and love of riot. Indeed
,tis commonly admitted in English cir
cIes, that if the experiment Of trans
porting lab.rers from the East Indies
tails, the Island must be given up TO the
blacks. The revenue annually derived
from the Island is not sufficient to sup
port the colonial government-thus
throwing the immense expense of sup
porting an army,a fleet Of ships of war,
and salaried civil functionaries upon
the home government.
| venture to assert that no man in
his senses can visit the West Indies,
aud see the awful effects of negro e.
Emancipation here, and then 60 home
with the deliberate intention OF aiding
in the liberation of three millions of
people Of the same race and color in
his own country. If there IS any such
man, should regard him as a worse
enemy to his country than he who
burns our towns, and devastates our
territories. The latter can be repair
ed, but the former cannot. | am cilm-
ly of the opinion that were the slaves
of the southern country to be immedi-
ately emancipated, in less than fifty
years the entire white population will
have left that district of the United
States. The most Of our aboIitionists
are honest, virtuous men, and are NOV
ed from pure motives in their mistaken
notions. The fault is, that they will
not take the trouble to inform them
selves Of the pRAcTIcABILlTY of eman-
cipation, from the examples we have
in the British West Indies. fhe ques-
ton has been tried here, and the blacks
have been treated with most singular
indulgence. What is the result? 1t is
this. that the whites are ia daily dread
for their lives, and literally sleep upon
then arms. The result is seen in the
drunkenness, indolence, and licen,ious-