The Ohio union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1849-1854, 1853-06-08
Free Slavery.

SEco oldVoLy'
A new feature in the African Labor
Market" has recently been brought to light.
|, appears that certain English 'praclical
phllanlhropis's," under the sanction Of the
British Government, have teen turning
their disin'eresled lahors in the suppress.
sion Of the slave trade 10 good account
The CELEBRATED" slaves taken frum s%lavers
on the high seas have been introduced into
the British West India Colonies, under a
system Of paid vassslage, differing only
fiom The old system in name. For the
details Of this iniquilous scheme our read
ers are referred TO tho suhjnined article
from the Philadelphia North american:
The latest scheme Of the British gov
eminent 10 satisfy the clamots Of The plant.
ers, whose continual cry is fnr more and
better labOrers, has been 10 contract with
BRUSH houses to procure a SUPP y OF AZ
ricans. They are Of course, not 10 be
slaves-lhal is, they are moi called so; but
The government does not appear to require
10 know exactly whence they came or
how they are obtained. In a large mum
Der of instances, The negroes forming the
cargoes Of slave ships destined for Cuba or
Brazil, when captured BY British cruisers,
have been taken 10 the British colonies,
and, under The name of"liberaled Africans"
have been "allolted' among The planters
whether with or without The consent of
the negroes themselves, is 10 be connect.
ured.
The last arrival al B ltimnrc from Lii.
IBERIA, has brought to light circumstances
which give some insight into the mode Of
working Of The new system Of obtaining
African laborers by contract. 1t seems
according 10 the express terms Of an official
proclamation issued BY President Roberts,
that Messrs. Hyde, Hodge Il Co., of Lon.
don. one of the firms with whom the Bri.
fish government have contracted to furnish
African laborers for their West India COLI.
MES, have sent some Of their ships 10 the
coast of Liberia 10 look for them there
They have offered an advance Of ten dol.
lars Tor every laborer who can be induced
to emigrate thence to the British colonies.
The advantages enjoyed by The American
enigrants in Liberia are such that there is
no fear Of of them going willingly 10 a
British colony in the West Indies, to toll
on a plantation for such miserable wages
MS are there offered. But there are large
numbers of Africans in the Liberia terrific
RIGS who are moi, from the United States
indeed, the vast majority Of the population
of the republic is composed of such per-
sons. They are natives, anil have, by, the
judirious policy of the government, been
induced 10 reiinqdish their tribal a%ssocia'
lions and savage habits and customs, and
become citizens Of the republic. They
are necessarily very ignorant, capable Of
being deceived and seduced by offers which
they canno rightly appreciate. The pro.
clamaton, however, shows that the new
system has even another and worse fea-
lure. It seems that the advance Of Ten
dollars rer head is very nearly equal 10
the price formerly paid for slaves by the
traders during The prevalence Of the old.
fashioned slave trade on the coast. TO
obtain this money, the native chiefs waged
wars with their n~eighbors, in order 10 make
caplives who nigh, be sold for slaves
The advance i, is believed, will have
the effect of r%eviving the slave trade. As
ii is, some of The rebellious native chiefs
who refuse TO submit 10 the Liberian go.
vernment, are reported to have engaged
with The British agents in question to fur
nish a number of "laborers" for the Yves,
Indian colonies: and these honest subcon-
tractors are known to have lately made a
number Of capliVes by predatory incursions,
whom they have collected in barracOons
near Grand Cape Mount. It is not as.
,onishing. in view of these facts, 10 hear
tina, complaint has been lodged with The
President Of Liberia that these poor wretch
es are 10 be sent of without their own
consenl-just as slaves are 10 Cuba or Bra
I'll.
The President of Liberia has acted in a
proper manner in this juncture. lie has
issued his proclamation, directing that, in
order to prevent abuses, the vessels carry
ing, or intending 10 carry away emigrants,
shall first proceed to Moravia with their
passengers, and obtain passports for them,
in order that an opportunity may be afford
ed Of asceItaining whether the emigrants
be free or constrained.
The wars Of The native tribes outside
the L.iherian territories have greatly de.
creased their numbers, and conslantdrains
con iequeni upon The slave lraGs has thinn.
ed them still more. II is not, therefore, 10
he wondered a, that some Of these chiefs
have been lalterly committing depredations
upon the Liberian territories, as we learn
by The advices received by the Shirley at
Baltimore. The peaceful natives, dwell
ing under the protection Of the Liberian
government, have ihrVen wonderfully, and
afford a tempting display for the bandit
chiefs who gather slaves for the Traders
But for the precautions taken BY President
Roberts, who knows but that, under the
operation of the new British contract sys.
lem, some Of our own free blacks from the
United States, d seeking their fortune IN
Liberia, might find themselves, some fine
morning, working as involuntary appren
tiers on a Wesl India sugar plantation.
The Curculio.
We hnne some of our hotticnllnra