The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1849-10-27

fully jusii6es the wisdom of those eminent
British pkilanthropists to whose zeal the world
is indebted for that most splendid tribute to the
cause Of Freedom
The exports Of some Of these islands are not
as great as they were under slavery, and beyond
this fact there is absolutely nothing to justify
any unfsvorable assumption in relation to the
influence Of emancipation. The abstraction Of
the female negroes from the fields, and the at
tention which the negroes give to their own
little tracts Of land sufficiently explain the fall
ing of in the experts Of sugar, Euni, and mo-
lasses. The negro men have procured homes
Of their own, and their wives are occupied with
their domestic concerns while their children 20
to school, In this way the negro familiea are
much better off than they were while they were
slaves. They, for the most part, consume what
they produce, whereas under slavery their pro.
auctions went to swell the exports of the islands
Thus the falling of In the amount Of exports
instead of proving the ruin and desolatiou Of
the islands, is proof that the condition Of the
negroes is far better than IL was when their
backs were familiar with the lash Of the ruth
less and unprincipled oyersesr.
Our attention has been called to this subject
by reading some remarks containe In The King
ston Journal, a newspaper published at King
ston, in the ruined island of Jamaica, the island
which has been wept over by so many slavery
Jeremiahs. The editor Of that paper is com.
menting on the address adopted BY the slave
holding members of Congress in the City of
Washington last winter. II will be recolle.ted
that the slavery address asserts most unq uali-
hedly that emancipation has cursed and RUNE
the British West Indies. On this part of that
famous address the Kingston journal lays:
"The allusion to the British West Indies is
most unfortunate, inasmuch as the condition of
those colonies falsi6es all the statements and
predictions OF these Southern members. Who
wall look at this island. for example, and say
"the existing relation between the free and SER
vile races cannot be separated" and The races
''cannot live together In peace, or harmony, or
to their mutual advantagef" Where Is the
man, however favoradly Inclined toward the
much-loved system of the Southern States of
America, or prejudiced against the dark hued
Inhabitants Of that portion Of The Unien or of
this colony, who will be bold enough 10 assert
that "wretchedness and misery and des d alton
has BEEN the result Of emsncipation7 But the
Southern members appeared to feel that their
GROUND was not safe under them. Hence they
tell their constituents, that "since the enamel.
patton, the British government "has kept no
sufficient military and naval force to keep the
"a In "a nd L..
trates, constables, and other civil ofcerp 10 keen
order in the towns and on plantations, and en-
force respect TO their former owners" IL is
very evident from this observation that thew
know nothing OF the true state of affairs In the
West Indies, and, il they do. have purposely
misrepresented them. There has beer a very
large dimnution of both the military ard naval
forces In the West Indies since the abolition of
slavery. Some years ago the regular troop. in
this island alone amounted to from eight to ten
thousand men. Now, we believe, there are NOT
two thousand in IL.
AS to the naval forces, those who knew Port
Royal during the palmy days Of Slavery, and
look at II at present, can say whether there has
been falling off in this departme Mt of our de.
fence During slavery, every rural parish had
four or i've constabss, and the towns larger
number, the total Of which, we have nc, doubt,
would I've found fully equal 10 the number Of
police now employed for the preservation of the
peace. Some three hundred and fifty of these
are divided among twenty-five parishes, and a
population upward Of 1000 souls, $40 keep
order" as these Southern members say, "in the
towns and on the plantations, and enforce re.
sPect to former owners" But there is no
police on the plantations, nor any necessity for
them; and what will appear most astonishing 20
Southern alarmists, "the social and political
superiority of education and TALENT is still pre-.
served. The Southern members of Congress.
after crowding lot of mistatements in.o very
nearly az many lines. Thss Winds up their alta.
sions TO the West Indies: "I3ut Notwithstanding
all this, the British West India possession ms are
ruined, Impoverished, miserable, wretched, and
destined probably to be abandoned TO tho black
race. This, many Of our readers will think,
is going ahead rather too fast-ruuning TO a
conclusion much toe rapidly. Our reply is
II is not true; there never was a period In the
history Of the British West Indies, in which life
and property we've more secure, and peace and
quiet more universal, or better feeling existed
between all classes Of the community.