Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1857-03-14

From Household Words for March,
v AT SURINAM.

on the slave struggle between North anu south
America, that we seem to have forgotten that Hol.
land. q country to be seen on n clear day with a
good glass from the coast OF Yarmouth, or Low
estoft. owns forty thousand slaves in the colony of
Surinam, situated between the English colony Of
Dcmerara and the French colony of Cayenne
Professor Van Howell, formerly a clergyman, but
now a member Of tho Dutch States General. has
recently published a very interesting work, emit
tied Slaves and Free. wherein he reveals the mys-
teries of the slave-driving craft in Surinam, IN
which colony he seems to have spent several years.
The work is now in its third edition. Three edi.
tons in little more than q year, of q Dutch work.
Is quite a literary phenomenon. The work is at
once a noble contribution to Dutch literature, and
q fearful revelation Of crimes perpctrated in Surf
mum, under the sanction of laws prescribed by the
S~tates-General of Holland-0ne Of tho leading
Christian Powers of Europe, as the Dutch like to
call it. We select two sketches from it, and rec
omrend those to WHOM Duteh is not perfect Greek,
to read Mr.. Wooevells volumes in their entirety.
What news Is there, bastinado :" y asked q
man about fifty years Of age, of a negro who stood
before him with q whip in his hand. the symbo. OF
his dignity. lie who made the inquiry had a
cOuntenance on which the traces Of an immoGer-
ate use Of brandy and rum were clearly percepti'
BILE, while his imdamed eyes and husky voice, his
trembling hands and blOated face, md the clamuy
sweat that cove red his forehead, were SO many ov-
licences that he had, ut least, the night before,
been INDUCING to an excess in those burning wat
ers. lie was dressed in coarse linen trousers, and
a jacket that covered his shoulders, leaving his
chest bare, to cool as much as possible by the
morning air the consuming fire that was burning
within. He was the director of n remote planta-
ton which we 90 not care to name.
THE slaves have done the work given them yes.
terday; there were Il few lazy ones, but n stroke
Or-tSo bad the effect of making them complete
their task"
'Is that all, bastinado7 ?"
eyes, nlassa. One of the cows has calved, but
the calf is dead"
The cali dead ?" asked the director with q fear
ful curse "the calf dead? How can that be?-
Why is not my property better taken care Of? That
Is my property, bastinado."
Il don't know, sir, what was the cause Of the
misfortune. Old Herman says that the cow could
not stand yesterday evening, so that he could not
drive her into the stables, and had to leave her all
night in the meadow"
$50! then this is the fault of that cursed old
Herman He has neglected to look after this busi-
ness. So he left the COW in the meadow! The
lazy Niger, what else has he to do but to look af
ter my property? What else hos he to do, basti-
nsdoi'
Nothing, massa, nothing"
"But l understand it perfectly wall. II is all a
tale that he could not get the COW into the stable.
He has done all this TO suit himself. He wanted
the beast to calve in the meadow; there was no.
body near. lie killed the calf, and now he says
it was dropped dead-thinking l will not eat it,
end that he will thus have it all to himself. Is 1t
not SO, bastinado ?"
II don, know, massa."
ais it not so, bastinado % he repeated, with fea-
lures excited into savagery, with eyes threatening
to staff from their sockets, with a voice that yelled
~fearfully through hoarseUess and passion.
Eyes, massa, it is so" answered the bastinado
apprehensiyely.
80, then, then, you charge Herman with hav
ing killed my calf!' 49,.
"The bas,inado uttered a scarcely audibl
Yes"
Bring the wretch herel I'll speak to him."
The bastinado retired, but shortly returned, az
companied by a slave, who followed him tottering
ly and with difficulty. Emaciated and bowed dow
with age, the old man approached, coughing an
wheeling, with evident symptoms OF astonishmen
and fear. He had been born on that plantation
and that his father was of European, and not A
rican origin, was proved by his color and features
His whole life he had labored for the man VIII
called himself his master. Then, even in old aS'
with it's attendant infrmities and failings, he wa
always driven to the field with the whip, till h
broke his leg by a fall, VIXEN. as he could no lol
ger labor at feld-work, he was made a cOwkeepe
His duty then was to look after the directors ca
tie; to provide their food, and superintend ever,
thing relating to them.
80, you ungrateful DEVIL" said the directo
shave you killed my calf? Is that because | hay
given you such an easy place of in"
THE calf was dropped dead, massa."
Dropped dead? You liar! And why the
did you leave the COW out? Aud why were 20
not in the field that night when she calved?"
II could not poss bly, get the COW in. Last evel
ing she could scarcely stand on her legs. | hay
not been out the whole night"
"YOu lie. The bastinado caught you at it. II
saw you kill the calf-didn't you, bastinado2'
The negro nodded almost imperceptibly.
lis it possible !" sighed the old slave. and W;
silent.
'Ill pay YOU cut for this" growled the directo
"you shall remember, my man, trying to feed
we'll on nv meat. Bring the wretch to the COTE
loft, bastinado, and shut him up there. Let II
body 60 near him; if anyone dares to 90 near hi
he'll have a devil to deal with"
The slave, ~limping, followed the bastinado, al
was locked up in the cofeeloft.
And there lay the unhappy man upon the foe
Nobody attended to him, for the fear of the dire
tors rage kept all his fellOw-slaves away. The
be lay, unfriended, without bread 30 eat or wat
to drink. With the evening, hunger and thirst b
gan feartully to torment him, but no one came net
10 bring him a banana or a draught of water.
He fell asleep, but at midnight he was awok
tormented by an intense burning sensation in h
throat and cutting pains in his stomach and boy
els. But nobody came to console him., to comic
him, in his dreary solitude. No slumber came
refresh his heavy eyelids, and now and then h
smarting pain drew from him shrieks of agony.
At length morning appeared. He hears foe
steps; they approach his prison-house. AT la,
thought he, | shall get some food; bu. drink -
for a draught of water! The footsteps come net
er; the loft door is opened: the bastinadu ente,
With straining eyes the wretched creature watc
es his hands, but they bring nothing for him. L
bastinadO opens a window in the loft that looks
to the field, and, without uttering a word, lea,
again.
Then the slave sees the creole-mamma with
young negroes--boys and girls-entrusted to /
care, approach the building in which he is shut
Each Of the children carries the food and wa
that served them for breakfast. AS they approa
the coffee warehouse, the mother orders the cE
dren to sit down and get their breakfast.
That was a diabolical invention of the direct
TO excite still more the hunger and thirst of
prisoner; TO sharpen his appetite and increase
agony by letting him see with what eagerness a
Joy the children devoured all that was given the
The director himself stood at n short distance,
be able to discern the effect of this strategy on
countenance of the miserable slave. When
moal was over, the creole mamma went away W
her troop of Juveniles, and the starved Herman