New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1846-02-14

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10 the former slaves aud their masters
Co,3;tjoa of the Slares 6etore Em0nc7Paf'on.
Trio s,,ves were regarded and used az aosou'e
property; their persons could De SON. 'ie"
| coerced and their family connexions SUI" 40 ~
wore broken up at discretion. Inc! hAu "o plo
.ccon IN lay against cruelty or oppresson' ~ "a'
ever extent it might be carried snort OF "iiul mann
; o- murder nor in cases OF this nature was their
evidence valid against their masters AND the same
,.,. y, hch reduced them 10 this degraded and help
loss sta subjected them 10 heavy penalties tor the
b,es, infrac,ion OF lis requirements and the most
ve,ial Of offences committed by them. were treated
40 heinous crimes Such was their legal condition
With respect to the actual treatment OF the slaves
Il sufficient TO state, generally tba. il was OF most
arocious character. cursory examination oil Official
records will fully prove this But one TACT IN partlcu
lar stands in all its frehtu enormy, TO show the
murdcrous cruelty OF the system, the accumulated
horrors of which they were exposed. In period OF
eleven wears ending in 5000, it was discovered
that the slave population OF the Colonies had de-
creased upward of 50 000 And this waste OF hu-
man life was found to have arisen from over-work'
ing undereeding and severity OF discipline! Their
condition, up to the period of emancipation, was, TO
usc the words OF Lord Stanley, one OF unredressed
justice, bitter oppression, and hopeless wrong
Condition of Planters before Emancipation.
We turn from the slaves 10 their masters, for the
purpose OF aacertanng what their situation un-
der the system of slavery If some OF the planters
fact. that the great bulk of them were in state OF
decay long before the abolition Of slavery, or even
Of the slave-trade though they had the entire mo-
nopoly of the British markets nj that time, and
were allowed large bOuntles. as well as dra"oacks
of duty on the surplus produce shipped from Great
Britain to foreign ports. Here Is the proof On
the 23d November 1892, a Report on the sugar,
trade Of Jamaica was prepared by Committee OF
the House of Assembly, which contains the follow
ing passage -" In tie course Of t'ce'Ry gears Ia
estates IN Jamaica hire Jeen sold for tie payment
Of debts 55 estates hare been tr0Nn up; and go
Gre St in the hands Of c,edstorS. And 1t appears.
from return made by the Provost Marshal referred
10 in the same Report. that " 80 l2l eTecataonS,
amountine to t22 563 7s6 sterling had teen lodged
IN his office IN the course OF tTenty gears
CLEAN of prosperity followed the revolution OF ST.
F., Domingo but in few years the sky was again
| overcast for we find in another Report OF the As
seYnblv issued in s04 and printed by order OF the
| House of Commons in 1905, the following state
neni - Every British merchant holding securities
on real estates is filing Bills in Chancery 10 lore
! close although when he has obtained his decree he
hestates 10 enforce il, because he must himself be-
come the proprietor of the plantations OF winch,
from fatal experience, he knows the consequence.
| No one will advance money TO relieve ihose whose
debts approach bali the value q. their property nor
even lend a moderate sum without judgment III
eiac,nent and release of errors, that al moments
| notice he NAV take out writ OF possession, and
enter on the plantation of bis unfortunate debtor
Sheriffs officers and collectors OF taxes are every
where offering for sale the property OF individuals
who have seen better days. and now must view
their effects purchased for halt their value and al
less than half their original Far from having
the reverson expected the creditor is not satisfied
a kind of credi, is at an end. II litigation IN The
court of common law has diminished II IS not from
increased ability to perform contracts 6ui from con-
fdence having ceased, and no man parting with
property but for an immediate payment OF the con
sidera,on. 4 faithfH detail acoVfd hare ne Gp-
peoroace of n trigbJui carlcatNre. In le01, the
House of Commons printed another report oil the
Jamaica Legislature, from which we learn, that
sacithia tie last fire or Sic gears, 65 estates had
been abGRd0ne3 80 sold nader DEGREES Of ChdAcery
and us more respecting 7chich Sp7ts az ChanceY
were d,pendiRg and many more Bills preparing.
= From these fdctS the reporters say, ne House
1c5lt be obie TO jUdge 10 ach0t ar 0ormanS ertent
the iiStresses IF he sugar planters hare dtreGdy
reached and aciH 7rhGt accelerated T0otd'ty hcY
are ,loag Increasing for tie sugar estates t0tely
brought Ia sale ettd IN the Court Of Chdncery
IN tbs Island ard In England. amount TO ABOUT
one t3uith of tie acdole number IN the coioay' In
1872, the OF the planters OF Jamaica was re-
commended in memorial 10 the king, IN "hch II
was stated that the1 ot tie original poSSessorS
has 5eeq completed Estate after estate has passed
into the hands of mortgages and creators d0SeHt
from the island until there arc large districts
uAole parishes trtich there as not q sarge pro
pyjetor OF q sugar plantation resident me dsS-
tyess, il is added cannot 'rcR be Gggr0cdted
| Noy il must not nc supposed that the foregoing
statements were applied 10 Jamaica alone; for we
have the testimony OF MIR Marryat gentleman
deeply interested in West India property, given IN
his place in the House OF Commons in lSl3 tnnt
there ,ceye romparatreiV fer estates IN me west
Indies that had not, during the preceding treniy
zeors been sold or nire1 gp 10 creditors One
quotation more will bring the history OF the W est
India distress up the year 1882 In the address
OF the West India body TO the British nation signed
of ire
Great Britain they say {" Ghe alarming and nRpFe-
cedented distress az 1rhich tie 'choie BRITISH VeS'
India interest rs iarolred' justified them in i'm
ploring Parliament TO adopt prompt ana cGectH0i
measures of relief l1 order to preserve mem from
ineritabIe rum" Viscount Goderich then Colonial
Secretary in commenting on this subject, In des-
| patch dated 5th November. 1881, observes, The
existence of severe commercial distress amongst nil
classes OF society connected with The W est Indies
is unhappily too evident; and in stating the great
cause bis Lordship said without denying the con-
currence of many is obvious that me great
and pern Gneat source of distress which almost
every page OF the West Indies records, is TO DE
FOUND IL TIE INSTITUTION OF SLAVERY. flsln
vain to hope for lons-continued prosperity IN any
country in which the people not dependent on
their own voluntary labor for supportin which la.
Dor is not prompted by legitimate motives and does
no, earn its natural reward And again e" con
not but regard the system 7tSeJ as ne perennial
spring of those 3istreSSes, Of rhtch. nor orig at
/ present mercy, pbt ubifNs IKE o'V'o y eN '''
! fttv gears, he complaints hare been so frequent
and SO .iust'
With these facts before us, we may now pass on
10 consider The results of emancipation.
The Slares after Emancipation
First in reference 10 Inc emancpated classes II
NAV be asserted without fear OF contradiction, thar
whatever opposing causes have obstructeG the full
development, Of The benefits of freedom in their
case. their moral and physical condition has been
wonderfully improved. and the first great object
aimed at by the abolition of slavery fully realized
If it were needlu we could addace in support of
this gratifying fact the unbroken testimony OF every
official person in the British Colonies. from those
who supernend the transition from slavery to free
dom, down 10 those who are now employed in ad-
rnis,ering their affairs. The dispute is not now
whether the emaucipa,ed slaves have been benefit
ed by freedom for the planters are inclined 10 sS
w5r,ber their late masters have been injured. Yet
it may be well to quote the deliberate opinion, OF
Lord Stanley founded upon The ample data IN his
possession as Colonial Secretary given 10 the Span
ish Minister in S42. His Lordship says; There
are some UNREASONABLE facts and some broad re-