The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1854-02-01
LETTER FROM A CUBAN PLANTER TO
A FRIEND IN NEW YORK
Correspondence Of The New York Daily Times)
Havana, Sunday, Dec. 23. 1853.

Correspondence Of the New York Daily Times)
Havana, Sunday, Dec. 25, 1853.
/ DEAR Sin The objec, OF anxious fear to:
| the tate Of Cuba, which has recently engaged
the attention. OF ell who have something u, stake
IN 1t, has beer at last unveiled, Ike mysterious
announcements, purposeiy made obscure by Ie
government organs, haze ~oma Ia a clear de-
fvropnfnt oi gast change. Qualified hy the
Dtafio dc Ia Marian Of, yesterday in .ie FLOW
| ing words:
:" The wholr population of Havana and the
whole sland wil read anxiously d,crees OF a
magnitude SO gigantic, wherein the most deli-
tcatr points connected with our situation ana in-
'crnal organization are touched aad decided
Aud II II is useless for US to enhance their i,n4
Epoftancc, IT would be equally idle to imagine
That IN ibis fist nome NJ aur hanLls voice couie.
be iiearc, while every resounds and every
mind IS awed with the grave words coming from
tie public authority
After inonopollzing the subject Of labor, hav-
Eing imposed silence upon the Diario de Ia H,.
Fbana, and forced The removal of the editor, who
was oonoxious, the government organ, uncheck-
ed by any liability to public discussion, has late
ly announced that il was necessary TO supply
largely the scarcity of laborers, that being the
paramount consideration in the present state of
the agriculture o' this island. That organ has
| wrongly attributed The extraordinary increase Of
the staple productions 10 the abundant provision
OF iaborers heretofore Obtained through cis ndes.
tine Imporiatons from Africa whereas
from the returns of the various crnsuses
and from the indispu.abe items of labor
saving reforms introduced, and easily enuu,e,l-
ted required, it is evident that the latter cause
and not The insignificant increase of hands, has
brought about The wonderful augmentation in
The sugar crop 1t has also overlooked the fact
that the relative scarcity of labor has vastly i'm
proved ths condition OF the slaves in physical
aa wen as moral point of view It appears to
Ignore that Indifference 10 the comfort, to the
preservation of health, lite, and happiness Of
The slaves, and the cruel severity of their treat
ment which accompanied, some years ago, the
excessive importation al Africans, as well, also,
Us that depreciation of property which followed
the cbeapness of labor which was thereby pro.
duced.
With erroneous hints, therefore, on the
situation OF labor let out occasionally bY the
soie organ IN advance, the captain general now
gives publicity to three important documents,
which have al once revealed the plan and policy
OF the administration, and which shall rapidly
quality, first remarking that, since the exs
'ence OF the colony, this is the only time that
matters so momentous have been resolved with,
out any regard to, or any consultation Of the
opinion OF the country vitally interested in them
The first of these documents in the decree
granting freedom TO the maacipados, or prize
negroes, whose time was up. With regard to
Il, have simply to say that the language and
publicity given to it, the solemnity attached To-
the act connecting it with The Qeens birthday,
and the manner in which England the faithful
and powerful ally, is mentioned in it, mark a
change oil policy Heretofore, when such man.
omissions took place, the emancpados becom
ing Tree were REQUIRED TO leave the country; and
tbs internal regulations against the free coored
IN the rural districts, and the imprisonment OF
an iree negroes arriving in the ports of the
island, clearly showed that il was considered in
compatible with the preservation of slavery to
allow The slaves to mix with other laborcrs Of an
improved civil condition
The second document is a circular to the sub.
ordinate officials, requiring that in the search OF
prize negroes they should exclude the rural DO.
micils from The general search in conformity
with the laws suspended during Canedo's period
oi command, and simultaneously ENCOURAGING
the Tree introduction of coolies and Indians and
homlnailY OF o2aniards, to work Jointly with
the slaves, on term sufficiently advantageous TO
exci.e the ambition Of the negroes, and restric.
ted enough to create the dscontent of the new
emigran's. This circular announces boldly the
unavoidable necessity of substituting for the
labor heretofore exclusively in existence an.
othes which shall weaken the stimulus of private
ayarice, I'm the slave trade,) aud which shall
direct individual interest in the same channel
with the benehcient intentions of the Queen.
and with the fulfment Of the obligations en.
cred into
In connexion with the penal laws of 1s45,
lei me note the remarkable versatility of the
Spanish government. Lord CIarendon tran.
quilted the British Parliament last Nav. on the
subject OF Spanish bad tai h, by announcing the
obseqnious suspension Of the law; which act
though then rendered mark Of prospective
good With, is now undone, apparently without
d'spcaslng the British government Is not
this mysterious2
The Ordcnaurs, or by laws, for the intro.
duction, management, and general government
of the new emigrants, is the third document.
do not undertake its analysis, but it would be
'aafair to deny that is very ably done, and tha.
it must have been the work Of mature ana In
teIhgent study. With a government supported
ny moral strength honest agents, and earnest
and active religious teachings, it mpht prove
as perfect the best scheme for the obstruction
of slavery. During two years (Which time NAV
be extended) il proposes 10 introduce other in.
ferior races, to be mixed with the slaves. Dis.
regarding the principles of the Spanish law in
iaVor OF ifeemen, OF whatever color, it subjects
these new comers TO obligations, incomnatible
with their legal, lnalenabIe rights. IT., how
ever, softens the punishments which the gov.
ernnient thus Tar found it necessary to sanction
IN order TO preserve subcrdnaton amonp the
Chinese already imported, and extends this
reform to the latter also. 1t makes both the
employer and the laborer not independent on
the law to decide between them, but leaves
them equally at the mercy OF the greedy and
snbord mates OF government; and it
necessarily must arouse, through the exhibition
of daily difficulties, disagreemen,s, and dis
cussons of right between the apprentice. Gor
such they are, by whatever name callrd1 and
their masters, spirit of common ambition and
discomfort among the negroes.
Let me add that The views herein expressed
are fully understood by the Spanish organ.
The Iiario dc la Marina Of this day, de
cember 2o,) alluding TO the repugnance OF the
groes, says:
"lf immigration is TO be successful, (ecunda.A
it must assimilate TO the remaining element Of
population, or rather it must create NEW ONE.
which shall not be completely homogeneous with
any OF those in existence, and which should
resemble them only in manner not to wound
the customs, nor the acknowledged views nor
the pTeJudiccs. 1t is thus that immigration will
represent in perfect harmony the mother-thought
from which 1t elnanates, which consists in pre-
pairing, through perpetual compromise, the
transition from the PAST TO THE PRESENT AND
FROM THE PRESENT TO THE FUTURE"
The resume of Gen. Pezuela's Ordenaura
may be expressed thus: 1t is the suppression
OF negro slavery with no eye to the moral con
ditlon OF the individuals concerned in it, oper.
ated through the thraldom or modified seryitude
OF an inferior race of men heretofore free. IT,
norance, cheap labor, unsatisfed wants of the
deprecated aboring classes, and general des-
cent in the scale of morality throughout the
entire population-these are the welforeseen
consequences OF the introduction of an inferior
race, destined TO undermine slavery, whether it
be attempted on large ora restricted scale.
And raising our eyes from the soil of Cuba, is
such course, and the future it reveals, one
calculated to enlist the sympathes and excite
the encouraging smiles of the northern philan-
thropist'
1t is now publicly asserted here, that the inn
mediate effect of General Pezuela's DEGREES
has been to stimulate the slave traders, whose
orders have already gone forth to the United
States, whence vessels are to sail without DELAY.
TO swarm the island with Africans This be-
iieve to be true, and it is the triumph of British
policy, because the seed of the apprentice svs.
TEN is left to work its mission Of up,re,ared