The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1853-04-21
From the New York Courier and Enquirer
Negro Emancipation.

The ruin brought upon the French colony Of Cayenne
by the emancipation act Of the French republic OF ls4s
set forth VIVID coloTs ~ sketch published BY us
month SINCE from the hands OF j. W. Fabens. late Uni
ted States consul in that county. II was there shown
that colony with twice much territory as the State
OF New York, with healthy and agreeable climate,
capable OF producing in the greatest protuson many OF
the most valuable articles Of commerce, lying at the
mouth Of the largest river IN the world, and possessing
singular advantages for extensive and most profitable
trade, bad been completely beggaed by legislative act
OF mistaken philanthropy lis sugar plantations, which
yielded five millions OF pounds It's cotton pania-
tons, yielding nearly half a million OF pounds its
Glove plantalons yielding nall million OF pounds; It's
anatto plantations, furnishing for export a million OF
pounds aud all lis other fields OF industry are fast re-
lapsng into unwhoesome wds; and It's once well order
ed prosperous, and happy society has been converted
into a motley, squalid, vicious work-hating, poverty
stricken, reckless rabhe.
We have now before a manuscript copy OF me.
mortal from OF the first OF the few remaining colo
nists from which, 10 show the miserable condition to
which the colony reduced we translate The following
soar fris dsssots occasioned only by the OF
workmen, and OF an original system OF labor. What We
would propose France is this-that she shall exparae
all the iuhabant, Of French GUIANA and indemnify the
unfortunate popretors ior their possessions haset Of ne
entire county she may thus with hand deal
dy justice 10 these colonisso unfortunate yet resign.
ed-snd with the other beckon the miserable oonvots %
better and happier prospect Of existence We would rec
ommend that the rural population (bac) be made
70 evaenalo the small plantations where they are now
squatng-verabe haunts Of vazabonds, dfunkards aud
debauchees- that this population be centred on the
and productive estates, where system q Industry
may be established without exorbitan outlay We believe
this puchn be effected for the sum OF TWOOO
Already SlO0O0t0 have been expended with no good re-
suit"
why, perhaps you ask, shall not the penal colony be
confined the eeward balfof Guiana Why extend this
the whole olthe country We reply, that the
position Gifts plantations has always been serious
awbnck the prosperity Of the colony This Is the oph-
ion all emil Rhiened familiar with the Facts II a
be TAKEN and the country be not
Gu pied good purpose, the idle blacks viii take ref
ge on the estates where they will prouuoe nothing,
and where the experiences OF each day viii eace the eeblu
remnant OF morality and civilization which they pos
sess ID would be- in short, Incomplete, prodoc-
i've Of no pond to the colony runous alike the treafuy
ard 10 The blacks themselves The present meonch oily
| position Of affairs would be unchanged"
Here we see proposition, made evidently after mature
deberaon surrender to the mother country the whole
cultivated territory OF Cayenne, which once supported
twenty thousand Frenchmen in ahuence, for less than
one and three ourhs millions Of dollars and TO abandon
entirely 10 the possession of The and negro non.
uaiior No better illustration could be given Of the des.
perae extremity 10 which these cooniss are reduced
Emancipation has ruined the and worked no good
10 the slave The condition OF the latter Cayenne was
never OF hardship We have before us letter writ
by the leading member Of mercantile house in Ss
lem, Massachusetts who spent many years IN French
Guiana and u familiar with the history of the colony be
fore and alter emancipaliona house which, by way