The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1857-08-13
Broom the \. Y. Journal d commeree.

director unless he owns rs shares of stock
From the NJ Y. Journal Of Commerce.
THE FRENCH CONTRACT FOR AFRICAN NEGROES
The contract between the French ministers Of marine
and foreign affairs and mercantile firm in Marsees to
obtain ten thousand free African negroes who will emil
CRATE to the French West Indies to labor there for ten
years and the proposal to adopt similar plan for the
demption of the British West Indies from their present
ruined and unproductve condition, have given rise to
considerable excitement and newspaper comment in Eng
land Discussions have taken place in both houses of
Parliament the subject and Lord Brougham the elo
quent disciple Of Wbcrforce and Clakson, but whom
the London Times calls that distinguished representa-
tive Of theintentions and failures Of the last generation
moved address to the Crown experimenting the French
contract, and calling for executive interference to dis
countenance and defeat any scheme tending to re-
vva of the slave-trade His ordships arguments find
no favor with those who approve of the new African
emigration scheme; they are designated '' obsruct-
i've ingenuity = and though the Exeter Hall party
support and admire Them of the leading jour
nails the Times at their head warmly advocate the
expedency and humanity of ''the steps taken by our
neighbors across the channel (the French) for the
free importation of Africans into their West Indian plan
tations, with security for their free employment sufi
cent wages and liberty of return and confidently asks
why the English should not adopt plan of which ''all
the broad facts of the in favor ~ The alleged
"broad facts appear to be- that the emancipation Of the
negroes in the West Indies, far from answering the
commercial and humane purposes which 1t designed
to serve has resulted in the bankruptcy and ruin the
finest possessions in the world = has destroyed I'VE
quote the London Times of the 18th ult) an immense
property, ruined thousands of good families, degraded
the negroes still lower than they were and after oil in
creased the Of slavery - that for tropical labor the
African is found to be by far the best and most efficient
laborer and that if free Africans be induced to emf
CRATE, under engagement to work for fixed PERIOD for
suitable pecuniary remuneration, with Clothes medical
care and protection from hardship oppression during
their term Of service and back to their country
when that term expires, the plan is commendsble in
commercial sense because it will afford supply of the
only labor which experience has proved to be adapted to
the development of the of the West Indian colo
MES, and in humane point of view bccase when II is
proved that free African laborers be obtained at
cheaper rate than slaves the slave trade viii cease and
that important question will be solved which nineteen
years exerton, solemn treaties naval sqadons and the
most rigorous reprcssive have failed to accom-
plish. The worthy men who cxtngushed slavery in
the West India possessions and who naturally very
ouchy very Obstinate very nconverble on that very
tender point other words, the Exeter Hall philan-
hropt and abotonists deny most of the above broad
facts " and insist that the entire project would be a re-
VlVal OF ana OF slavery OdlOuS
and deestabe form than of old that it is impossible
obtain free negroes perfectly at liberty to regulate their
movements in any numbers who will to cross
the that the only way in which Africans can be
procured is by purchase of their bodies from the native
chiefs, who will compel these free emgrants to embark
that this purchase and sale will revive the fearful feus Of
the barbarian chiefs to obtain the wretched victims of
their traffic that the engrants masters who have no
interest in their laboror beyond the ten years of their
servtude will have every inducement to work them
hard and none to spare them and that it is impossible by
any legislation supervision to prevent the whole ys
tenn being made as oppressive slavery existed
The evidence of those best acquainted with the
of the western coast of Africa distinctly states that it is
impossible to obtain 1000 free blacks to eigae on any
terms and that negroes cannot be obtained great mum
bers in any other way than with the consent after regu
lar bargain and SALE of the native kings If this be SO
how would the system differ from egalized slave trade
and how would the lot of the apprentice obliged to labor
for certain term of years. differ from that of slave
unless it be that the former would be infinitely more
wretched than the latter exposed to all the hardshps
and possessing Of the comforts and with which
the selfnterest If no higher motive of the slave
surrounds his bondsman for life
The French contract which is in progress fufment
will test the experiment The contractors stpulae to
send 900 negroes to Martinique and the same number
to work for ten years at the monthly wages Of Ia francs
s2 5O out Of which the emgrant is to pay back the cost
of his transport from Africa 200 francs or 6 months
wages In the published abstract of the contract
ton is made of any clause orbdding the engagement of
any but free cmgrants, the employment Of money
obtain negroes by bribery purchase The only stpul
ton to be that the to be got and convey
ed to the islands within given me the contractors be-
ing free to go where they please and any they
please to attain their purpose.
We do not believe that the plan will be found to be
practicable voluntary emigration, and the English poo
pie will consent to renewal Of the slave trade 1t
is doubtful also whether for the sake of the interests
Guadaoupc and Martinique, Napoleon III will incur the
odiun which would attach to him he to sanction
the However this may be- the disclosures and
admissions which have been made during the controversy
to the utter failure in economical and benevolent
sense of negro emancipation instructive and valuable
Theirs is fashion prevailing at Cape May which has
not yet been introduced at Newport The ladies go into
the water promiscuously with beaux, making regular
engagements for dance, to meet them the beach
among the breakers There is bhght-eyed little
gypsy from Baltimore, the belle of Congress Hall, who
is engaged ahead for bathing we'll dancing during
the remainder of the and sometimes in order to
keen the peace among her admirers she has to athe with