Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1853-07-09
From the Friend of India, Feb. 10.
Slavery In TravancOre.

Among the many subjects which will not
he pressed upon the attention of Parliament
III the inquiry now proceeding, is the extent
to which Slavery still exists in India. IL np-
pears TO he taken for granted, that because the
institution is not recognized within the Brit
lsh dominlons, ard no one can pursue n
runaway, il has ceased 10 exist in all the
countries under our control, aud that our
duty in this respect hus been performed. The
| Bombay Guardian has called attention to the
extent 10 which il exists, even within the
regulation Provinces, but in those districts il
Is not recognized by the authorities, and il
wOnld appear TO he n rather lInrsler form of
pauper servitIde thnn actual Slavery. The
case is widely different in some of tie rrilmI-
tnry Provinces of Southern Indin, where
Slavery exists in form, only 10 be disrin-
guislied from that of North Americn, by The
fact that instead of food and tlothing, n nit
iancC, the maximum of which is euiIal 10
one-ilird the wages OF freeman, is given
TO the slave, aud that his sufierings nre not
aggravated by communion with powerful
aud civilized race. We publish the details
which have reached us, in the hope that they
will produce communications displaying the
whole eXteht of the evil.
In Travhncorc, especially, the Paradise
OF the Holy" under the immediate eye of
Gen. Cullen, Slavery assumes It's most re-
pulsive form. The population of that State
in 1896, the date Of the last census taken,
amounted to $50, ,G6S, of whom rather more
than twelve per cent, or l6l.S6l were slaves
in every sense Of the word. They nre di-
yided into four cnstcs: Parnh, 3S,625; Pull
iyar, 90,596 Corawar, 81 ,S9l; Pallar 1850
These are ngain divided into three classes :
house slaves, private field slaves, and Gov
eminent slaves, of these, the first class, as
matter of course, are the most lenienily treat
ed, they nre generally of the same caste ms
their masters, who purchase them in infancy
and their bondage though hereditary, is ale
yated by the prospect of freedom under
certain conditions. This class, however, is
much more limited than the field slaves, who,
especially in the rice-growing districts, are
exceedingly numerous. They ure worked
harder than the free luborers, receive n nit.
tance which Is barely sufficient to preserve
animal life, and ore frequently cruelly treated I;
for although the law nominnlly protects their
persons, il Is almost impossible for them.
from ignorance, extreme poverty, aud the
intrigues Of their masters, 10 set il in action.
Even their degraded condition, however, is
hetter than that OF the Government slaves,
for they are permitted TO purchase their free
DOM Should they, however, loose The war
rant of niannmission, they are NJ any moment
liable TO be seized by The agents OF the Gov
eminent and again reduced to bondage, with
all their descendants. II il, therefore, tie
custom for the sale to he made 10 some third
party, in whom the slave can cOnfde, aud
who will allow him perfect liberty, while by
retaining tho nominal rights of u master, he
DreVents the Government from exercising
Them. lf n slave OF this class marrics a free
woman, as sometimes occurs, the children
aro free, but ii II freeman nlarries slave,
the children belong TO the proprietor OF the
mother The Government slaves, on the
contrary, il would appear cannot purchase
their freedom, though, like The serfs in Rus
sia, they are occasionally allowed permission
TO work for themselves upon payment of a