The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-06-28

government are n0t ignorant that the scarcity d
nee aborers and artisans, or rather the want OF
must have contributed in great measure TO all
mechanic services being performed by slaves. Thus
1t is that, in order to facilitate the effect Of the
measures which have for their object to promote
within the towns the replacement Of slave laporers
Dy iree ones and IN order to remedy Immediately
as far as possible the actual scarcity Of labor it
indispensable to authorize the immigration of white
coonists, Spanish or foreign with whose assistance
the free and laborng class which ia wanting may bt
formed in Cuba.
The experiments made up to this time show thai
this remedy will be eicacous; bat in order to pro
vide for its due Development it is indispensable tt
determine the conditions on which the introduction
of c0lonists ia to be permitted, and to fix the rela
tions between them and their masters with regard
to the public interest and the powers Of the govern
ment.
The Governor Captain-General of Cuba jealous
for your Najestys service and believing the want Of
labor to be most urgent published an ordinance au
thorizing for two years the free importation
lists from SPAIN China, or Yucatan, and making egu
latons for that purpose as also for determining the
reciprocal rights of the colonists and of their
tiers. Bat the government, considering the import
ance and gravity Of the subject have judged 1t in
NIT them in the form Of decree to your Majesty g
sanction. Its principal objects are-to facilitate the
introduction of colonsts in or Ter that competition
may increase the supply, and thus lower the price
posed upon by avaricious spectators; to empower
the government to impose special conditions with
the same object the importers, according to the
nationality number, and circumstances of the colo
nists to be introduced in each expedition; to give
facilities within the limits Of the law for fixing the
particular conditions of the contracts with the colo
nsts in order that these contract may be SO drawn
up as not to give RISE by ambiguity or obscurity to
questions of difficult solution; to establish proiec
torate confded to the political authority, which
may decide er Gquo ct bono, all the questions that
may be raised between the colonists and the mas
tiers, and may be susceptible Of this proceeding; to
determine the most essential civil rights of the
coOnists and of their families, that those rights
may be respected in the contracts; to empower the
coonists and their masters to rescind these con-
tracts at fixed periods, either on account of mar
rage or by previous compensation in order that the
condition of the colonists may not degenerate into
slavery in some cases. or may not be worse in others
than that of the slaves themselves; to enact mea
protective Of the health and life Of the colo
nists in order to prevent the avarce Of any master
from putting the one or the other in danger; to
grant disciplinary jurisdiction to the same mas
tiers for the correction such slight offences as may
not be cognizable by the Tribunals. In all these dis
positions, nevertheless, the government have care
fully abstaned from opposing the smallest obstacle to
the free agreements of Individuals and if they have
fixed between the colonists and their masters some
reciprocal obligations and rights Independent of
the contracts, these have not gone beyond what
morality, religion, or the State.
by the owners of slaves, and to put stop to the lille
Ultimate hopes which have 80 much contributed to
the dminution of the slave race, it is indispensable
to put end by efcacious measures to the eternal
question Of the slave trade. The government are
resolved to cause the solemn treaties which they
stipulated with England to be fulfilled but they will
not propose to your Majesty any measure which may
relax in the slightest the severity of discipline which
is the guarantee and forced consequence Of slavery
Although the fear of measures of this kind being
adopted in contravention of the Penal law of lS45,
which prohibits Investigate ons to be made within
the estates in order to ascertain the origin Of the
slaves existing in them, may have the good effect Of
keeping back many from the Illicit commerce Of DO.
zal negroes, nevertheless it has the evil effect of
creating among the legitimate proprietors feeling
of insecurity and disquietude. In order to prevent
at such fears and dangers it is requisite stop
the complaints and demands OF the government OF
Great Britain which, in the of the right given to
it by treaties watches strictly their fullment;
and this will not be attained without radically ex.
tinguishing the slave trade.
The means which the government propose to your
Majesty for eecting this, have in their opinion, oil
the advantages that be desired, since their eff
cacy Icing unquestionabe, and their execution most
easy, they ensure nd guarantee all the existing
rights relative to slavery. BY opening in each cap-
tai or lieutenancy OF government register, where
all the slaves who exist in the island may be in
scribed and iated; by closing defnitively this ne.
ulster for any new inscription as soon as the neces
sary time has arrived in order that no proprietor
may fail voluntarily to inscrbe his slaves; and by
considering manumitted and free all men OF color
who in future do not appear inscribed and
fated, making at the same time exceptions In favor
of infants and of fugitive and absent slaves during the
time for the inscription and of those whose conduct
is disputed before the tribunals there will not be in
future more slaves than those now in the island and
their DESCENDANTS there will be an exterior visible,
and unreasonable mark to distinguish them from
the free men; and if some Bozal negroes should
be clandestnely introduced, it would be impossible
A. ~ogk
the serious risk Of losing them the first time they
might be met with without having the proof OF
their inscription in the civil register This danger
will necessarily remove the temptation of profit,
which has hitherto maintained that Illicit traffic in
spite of prosecution.
The negroes fraudulently introduced are worth
now as much as legitimate slaves for as soon as
they are disembarked and divided amongst the
Estates neither the one nor the other be the OBJ
ect OF legal search, because 1t is always easy to us
trate any Investigation respecting them. But when
the register is once established and closed the
tenure of the real slaves will be as secure, as
will be ephemeral and uncertain that which it Is
sought to exercise over those which are not so.
This will at least produce very considerable differ
ence between the value Of the respective classes;
and the consequence of all this will be, that the
slave traders not finding the risk they run suffi-
GENTLY compensated by the profit they obtain, will
abandon forever so unworthy traffic.
The obligation which Is imposed on the owners,
OF causing to be noted in the register all the acts
and contracts which affect the condition of the
slaves, or the rights which are exercised over them,
will also contribute, in great degree, to secure the
property over them and to prevent the frauds which
are committed in the transactions concerning them.
When the fulfment of this obligation shall be Sc
cured by declaration that the acts and contracts
which are not so registered shall have no effect in
regard to third parties, who may not have inter-
vened in the same, no one will be able to alienata
the slaves of another, or to sell as free from all
lien the partially redeemed slaves (coartados) or
to commit any other fraud of the same kind.
But the inscriptions and annotations made in the
registers being Of such consequence, it is indispen
sable to secure, by all possible means, the RESPONSE
bility Of the functionaries who are to have the
charge of them and the exactness, clearncss, and
legitimacy Of the statements. With this object,
some rules of organization and procedure are SUBJ
mitted to your Majesty, which will require to be
completed by such regulations the first authority
of the island may adopt.
These, Madam, are the fundamental principles Of
the three projects Of DEGREES which the President of
your Council Of Ministers has the honor Of submitting
to your royal appreciation, If your Majesty deigns
to approve them, this will bestow upon your people
OF the Antilles some improvements and reforms Of
great importance for their preservation prosperity