The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-01-10

Having received n file Of the Morning Journal
TO November 30th, CLEAN the following partio.-
lars, TINT may interest all who are looking TO that
island watching the workings of emancipation
That the state of things there is untoward in
many respects il very true, but intelligent resi-
dents do not impute it TO emancipation, hut TO
the cxactons and bad policy of the Home Gov
ernment the want of the social condition which
is insured by marriage and it's holy obligations
| mt the island (the offshoot Of slavery.1 and the
| lack Of conforming TO the new state of things on
the part Of the proprictors
The editor remarks" We need hardly say we
are glad to find the sugar crop OK ported in SAG
20 nearly equal to that Of lsiS and still more 70
TO witness the increase in the minor productions
exported during the last 10 comparison with the
previous year. The small settler or
andholder, ought to devote more attention than
has been devoted hitherto 10 the culture Of the
| minor articles Of export. The large
number of individuals who possess and cultivate
land on their own account, induce us TO conclude
that II the prudence and propriety Of doing 80
could be impressed upon them they would devote
more time and attention to articles Of export than
they have hitherto done Parties be-
gin to find that IL tcorn) may even, Mt present
prices be raised proftably The small
holders Of land are sufficiently intelligent 10 know
when one article has ceased to be profitable, or
another has become more so, and are by no means
unwilling 10 abandon the cultivation of one and
to commence that of another, eithe' wholly or In
partn
A writer in the Journal, in speaking Of the
supposed injury done the Colonies by the admis-
sion Of sugar from slave countries at the same
duty as from free countries by the British act,
says:
Let us reflect that If free trade brings down
the price Of sugar, it also brings down the price
Of all the necessaries Of life that we now get a
coat for GO for which we used to pay IS, (fs
old currency pair Of shoes for 6S when we
used TO pay rs. and with all other articles of
dress and food And let US further remainder
that Jamaica was not made for the welfare and
happiness Of six or seven hundred proprietors of
sugar estates alone, but TO bring the Injuries
and neccssaries Of human existence within the
reach Of alp
Another writer, while imputing the present
bad state things in Jamaica in part to the clumsy
and wasteful mode of cutivating the SOIL which,
owing to the ohstinacy and prejudices Of proprie-
tors has undergone hu' few changes since the
termination OF slavery and which Is peculiar to
all slave countries, undertakes to point out differ
ent modes OF cultivating the staple products of
the island lie says:
90" fvoi only DO fnfifm That Inc niahnar OF oui-
nva'nIg TIM cane nereioIurt pnrsGei and now
prevailing in this island need not to be adopted,
but even confidently assert, that II Is an errone-
ous method and one which, like the great system
itself, to which il belongs might be advantage
oosly superseded by another, Inter anil far more
simple and mtrpensire mthod Of culmt.p
The intelligent editor, in speaking Of the meas
ures necessary for the regeneration of the dis
tracied island and for the recovery of it's aban-
doned acres, dismanted mills its pens and plant
atons says
What we want is better prices for our com
modities for the articles we raise for expectation
The moment these prices are obtained the com
plants will cease, and the suerings Of many with
them Agricultural prosperity must be followed
by commercial prosperity; md, these attained,
the political condition of the island will be thought
M II has been, on the whole satisfactory. a
Our only safety, therefore, consists in our redu-
cling the cost Of production, or what is still bet
ter producing NJ the same rate othqS. Can
we do this Our acres must remain abandoned,
our mills dsmantled, and our pens and planta-
tions must be gone forever-ay, eforever--unless
we can produce as cheaply rs others, or turn our
attention TO other articles, which will yield
larger or better return than those hitherto onli-
waited. The island has been exposed TO one of
those changes which are experienced in every
country in the world at some time or another.
Commercial aud agricultural distress are common
TO all civilized communities. The rem
edy in all such cases il increased exertions and
the exercise OF the most rigid economy on the
part Of individuals The time which
ought to be devoted, and in other countries would
be devoted, to the consideration Of the means
whereby our ruined fortunes may be repaired, IL
here spent In useless complaining and lamenting