Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1849-02-09
JamaiCa---Cuba.

JamaiCa---Cuba.
The New York Evening Pos, ppblisbes
WIN prominence a long letter from an Amer
lean gentleman in Havana, Is on whose state.
ments oil facts" it says, "implicit reliance
may be Placed" from which we make two
very interesting extracts 81 Uronoiyps.
was present a few days ago at a CONVEX.
sa'on between two large sugar planters and
siaVeholders OF this Island, Cuba one of
whom was relating to the other the substance
Oh some communication recently received by
hlm from a friend of his in Jamaica, an En-.
giish planter, whose arrival he shortly ex.
pected on a visit to Cuba. The latter was
described as a highly intelligent man, a first.
rate planter, and the proprietor Of two sugar
estates in jamaica. This gentleman pru-
nounced wholly untrue the common impress
slcn that the emancipation was a disastrous
measure, and fatal to the proprietors. Its first
effects had indeed been such, but chiefly
through the fault Of the planters themselves,
and Tie wastelul and bad methods Of manage
ment which were incident TO the system Of
slave labor, and which remained after the
emancipation Of the slaves; but now it was
all working out 10 his entire satisfaction.-
Inc Inability 10 procure the amount Of labor
required for the culture and manufacture Of
the sugar (Which processes, You know, are
united In the same hands, the planter en-
ploying extensive and costly machinery 10
manufacture his sugar on the spot where he
gtows the cane,) had forced them 10 the adop-
ton of laborsaving Improvements and econ.
onies; and with the aid Of these, all the la,
Dor needed could be obtained from the ne
tgttes for moderate wages, batter in quality
TNsa-eheaper in expense TO the planter, thai
under the old system Of slavery. In pariicu'
lar, he stated that he had recently Introduced
on his estates certain Improvements by means
Of which the sugar-boiling process was per-
formed within twelve hours of the day, i'm
stead of occupying the whole tweniy-four,
as formerly, and as still praciised elsewhere /;
and that he was now able TO accomplish as
much within The twelve hours as before with
in the twenty-tour. He was able to have as
much labor as he wanted, at a shilling day,
costing him much less than the expeI Sc for
merly OF maintaining The requisite force Of
slaves.
To appreciate this, let me inform you that
on the Cuban estates, best and most humane
y managed, the negroes work eighteen hours
out OF the tweniy-tUur, during the crop sea-
son, or about half the year; and not much
less Than that during the rest of the year.
Remember the character and authority OF
the gentleman making this communication to
his friend and brother 10 Cuba. The COM
meniary of the two Cuban planters upon it
was, that II this was so, then there was moth
Ing for them 10 npprehend in the extension
OF emancipation TO Cuba also. One of them
was the owner Of two hundred slaves the
other, of a much larger humber.
In confirmation of this, | have also learned
from a very Intelligent and well-intoTned
merchant Of this city, an old resident, the fol.
lowing important fact, namely that very re-
Gently another Jamaica planter, a thoroughly
practical man, and thoroughly acquainted
with The subject, had visited Cuba for the
purpose of inspecting in detail the whole SUI
gar industry Of the island, with a view 10 de-
teTmine the question whether il was possible
for the planters OF Jamaica 10 produce sugar
In competition with those OF Cuba, without
the support of protection in the British mar
ket; the last remnant Of that protection, by
discrimination between free and slave grown
sugar, being on the eve Of being taken away.
After a full investigation, and visits to nu-
merous estates in different parts of the island,
the result of the mission of this gentleman
was that he departed satisfied that Jamaica
had nothing 10 fear 10 the competition; with
the mere exception of the superiority Of the
soil, which was an advantage in favor Of Gu
ba.
As for Cuba-let il become once well and
publicly established that slavery may be abol-
isied consistently with the interests Of the
planters and Of the general community. and
it will be done and more rapidly, ] think,
than in some of our own slave states, here
mems minds are in a high stale Of soreness
and irritation IN reference to this subject. In
Cuba, the number of slave owners is smaller
in proportion to the population, than even in
our southern states, the slaves being in large
masses, owned by a very wealthy few, and
being, for the most part, confined TO a limited
portion of the island. There is a great deal Of
anti. slavery sentiment in Cuba. A southern
gentleman, for a number of years resident
here, and himself a full-blooded South Caro-
l%inian, acknowledges that in general inter
course here he has found twenty "abolition-
lists for one TO be found in our own slave
states.
There are a large number Of industrious
and thriving free blacks in Cuba; men are
accustomed to employ and sea them employ
ed to mutual satisfaction as laborers. The
step would, therefore, be an easier, and with
few objections and prejndices of ~strangeness
10 be overcome, in the transition from slave.