New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-08-04

We gave an account the other day of debate in
| the British House of Commons on the subject of
emigration from Africa. In that debate, great ap-
prehensons expressed lest, under the disguise
of an emigration Of free laborers, the slave trade
should be substantially revived. The same subject
| has also been before the House Of Lords, on mo-
tion of Lord Broug am for an address to the Queen
to discountenapce all such emigration projects.
From the adverse statements made in the course
of that debate, good deal of difference Of opinion
would seem to EXIT among those claiming to have
special knowledge Of the African coast, as to the
possibility of obtaining bona fae free emigrants
from Africa. Those who insist On the possibility
of obtaining such emigants rely particularly upon
the Kroomen, who inhsbt district of five hundred
miles along the coast in the neighborhsod of Sierra
Leone, and who are generally employed by the ships
trading to Africa, in loading and unloading and the
river work, aud frequently also in navigating the
vO,ses bach to England when there has been loss of
hands by fever 1t is no unusual thing to see KrOO-
men in London who have reached that port ss
sailors, and occasionally, ALSO we see them in
New. York, of which recent instance occurred in
case which got into the Courts and the newspa-
pers by reason Of q suspicion on the part of the
Krooman and of the public of an attempt to hold
him, OF at least of his having been brought from
Africa, as a slave. Sir Henry Hunt, formerly
Governor of Gambia aud Jealous advocate for
African immigration according to his statements
cited in the debate, knew q case Of thirty KrOOmen
employed to bring vessel to England, and who
worked at the pumps all the way. He also stated
that $40 KrO, men were employed by an English
Company at Fernando Pc, which was 500 miles
distant from their country, under stipulation to
work three years, when they were sent home and
their places supplied by fresh hands. These Kroo-
men were never slaves, but free labOrers who made
their own bargains.
1t was alleged OH the other side that, though
these KIoomen we're willing to serve Europeans
temporarily as sailors and laborers employed 10 the
loading of ships, and though they might be excel
lent bands for that purpose, it BY no means fol-
lowed that they would enter into contracts to
emigrate to distant countries and to labor as agr
cultursts for terms Of several years. In fact, the
experiment had been tried already. Several of the
British West India Colonies had made the attempt
| to get voluntary emigrants, especially Kroo emf
| grants, from Africa, without success. The wages
| paid to the KrOOmen on the African Coast
amounted to from eight to twelve dollars month,
| with full rations or their money value equal to
seven dollars more. Those wages altogether OK.
eeeded any amount that the West India planters
we've willing to pay, and made the project of volun
| tary emigration, so far as the KroOmen we're con-
| cerned, quite hopeless
1t appeared from the statements of Lord Car-
| endon, that the French Government have had q
plan in contemplation for four or FIVE years, of q
distinctly different kind. So long ago as 1858, they
informed the British Government of their intention
to purchase slaves on the west coast of Africa to
emancpate them Immediately, and then to intro
duce them as free labOrers into their colonies. To
| this statement of intentions the British Govern
ment replied that, before slaves could be bought
and emancib sted, they must first be made. That
it was great mistake to suppose Gas s quite CON-
mon) that servtude is the general condition of the
African race. That in general, the African Chiefs
bad no more slaves than they needed for their own
domestic purposes and that if for any reason an !
ditionsl number were needed they must be kid
mapped in wars waged for this very purpose. The
British Government further insisted, that it would
be very ficult to make the African Chiefs per-
ceye the difference between selling slaves to French
spectators for emigration to Cayenne and selling
the same slaves to protested sayetraders for ex-
portation to Cuba, and to make them understand
that, while the one transaction was a wrong to be
prevented, the other was lawful trade to be pro.
/ iectsd and fostered.
To the argument Of the French Government that,
since Slavery was abolished in the French colonies,
all emigrants brought into those colonies, no
matter what their original condition or how OBJ
tanned, must necessarily be free, the English
Government replied, that if this system were
adopted by France, it would not be long before
Spain and other slsveholdlng countries would have
recourse to it. They would pretend to import
negroes as free laborers, and, il the English Gov
eminent consented to the adoption Of THU
system by France, they would lose the right to pro-
test against the abuse Of it BY other nations, and
the power to prevent it.
1. would appear that thess remonstrance' % iai