New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-08-31

supporters Of Slavery, as an eternal insti-
tuition, can deny or evade the facts which
they furnish. Those facts we find set
forth in recent number of the Rerue des
deur Mondes, in IN article by Capt. Bowel
Willaumez, former Governor Of Senegal
With treasury reports and other official
documents at hand, he reviews in all the
French Colonies the result of three years
and upward of emancipation, and shows
that, Judging by the amount Of exports, the
great test of the opponents of the measure,
it must be pronounced anything but fail
ure. Let US look at the facts:
The Island of Martinique is small, with
a circumference of 100 to $50 miles, and
a surface of about 100000 acres. The
population, like that of most of the French
colonies, is composed of whites, or creoles,
who are Europeans by de scent, of blacks
of African origin, and of colored men de-
rived from both these races. The first
number about 1000, and own the greater
part of the lands and capital, and have in
their OssessiOn all the wholesale trade, as
well rs the most productive branches Of
industry. The colored men, or mulattoes
about 900 in number, inhabt mostly the
towns, where they live either by trade or
by mechanical or manufacturing labor, OF
as fishermen, cooks, &c. They were main
w free before the Revolution of 1349, be-
ing either fee born or set free by their
masters, or having purchased their free
dom themselves. Tue blacks, on the con-
trary, who constitute the main body of the
population Of Martinique, were almost all
slaves before 1913; they number about
$4,000, the whole population of the island
being about 100000.
The products of Martinique are derived
first from the culture of sugar; next come
coffee, cocoa, and little cotton, tOo but the
three last branches do not equal in value
even a quarter of the sugar crop, so that
we may consider only this last product,
and leave the others out of the account.
Emancipation, as is known, took place
during the excitement of 1913. During
the ten years previous, the export of sugar
had averaged about 60,000,000 lbs. yearly;
at the end of 1913, owing to the distdr-
banses of the year, the documents Of the
Custom House exhibit only result Of
$4,000, 900 lbs. the end Of the year 1919
exhibits a still further decrease, for the
sum total descends to 43,OOO,000 lbs. In
1850 the product remained about the
same, but in 1851 there was a gratifying
increase; at the end Of that year the ex
port had risen to 5l,50O,0OO lbs. and the
first three months Of 1852 present still
more happy prospect for the current year;
for during these three months there was
m export of 12,500,O00 lbs, while the
same period OF 1901 exported only 5000
600 lbs. At this rate there is every reason
to hope that for this year the export will
reach the average Of GO,OOO,OOO lbs, which
it had before the act Of emancipation.
The annual importations of Martinique
present just the same aspect. Thus, from
22,841,O89 francs, which they reached in
I847, they had fallen at the end of 1913 to
13,753,734 francs in 1849 they reascend-
ed 16,524,306 francs; in 1850 toll, 930,O76
francs, and as to the year 1851 it presents
still more satisfactory results for the first
three quarters of that year, which alone
are yet ascertained, exhibit in merchandise
imported into the colony, a figure Of
15,445,933 francs, while the correspond
ing period of 1850 furnishes only total OF
1912 093 francs.
In view Of these results, says Mr.. Bouet-
WlllaumeZ. is there no reason to rejoice
at the social transformation Of Martinique!
We leave the question to our friends who
seek to render bondage eternal.
SO much for Martinique but Guada-
loupe is no less instructive. That island
is situated IS miles north of Martinique
from which it does not greatly differ, either
in products or local manners and customs.
The results of emancipation are very much
the same in both, and it is only in order
to leave no doubt a. TO the facts that we
give the exact figures. The population of
Guadalupe and its dependencies number
Ing about 10000, is like that of Mantin-
ique, composed of 1000 to 1900 whites,
about 30, 600 colored men, and the rest of
blacks, free since 1648. During the ten
years preceding the revolution of Febru-