The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1857-12-12

Failure or the New French Slave Trade.
Louis NapOleon's niger speculation between
Wydah and Martinique does not seem to turn
out very we'll, if we may credit IN article from
the London Nesy, which we publish in another
column.
When we first denounced this operation to
the world, it was roundly asserted, both IN
France and England, that it was great hu-
manitarian project, which was to bring over to
the West Indies few hundred thousand
Africans, who, after serving six or ten years on
a sugar plantation. at the handsome wages of
eleven francs (about $2) month, were to re-
turn to their own country with pocket full of
savings, and SO firmly grounded in Christian
doctrine as to be able to preach salvation to
their benighted brethren. Besides this, the
high and humane governments Of Europe, I'M
dertaking and consenting to this humanitarian
enterprise, were to see that every Krooman or
Congo negro was not imposed upon, but that
he could read, understand, and sign his con-
tract in his own proper person.
The prosecution Of this French niger
speculation has developed the fact that there
are very few if any free negroes in Africa to
apprentice themselves to labor. sin the Euro
pean settlements and factories, scattered SO use
fully along the coast. says the London Nsscs,
"as also in the American republic of Liberia,
and the Kroo country, native labor" is not alb
solutely free so the French traders went to the
old slave mart of Wydah. Here, however,
they offered only fifty dollars head for able
;aJ <ha eli laa
fered one hundred. Thus driven from the mar
ket there, the French ship had gone on to the
river Gaboon to fill up. One of the effects of
this new French trade was to set not only the
King of Dahomey on slave hunt, but the chiefs
of the great missionary town of Absokuta, re-
Gently set up by special act of Palmerston,
had also gone into the same business. Another
curious thing is exhibited in the Ne,cs' de-
nouncement of the French scheme. That jour-
nal sneeringly alludes to ''the boosted advan-
tages of six years compulsory service on the
sugar plantations Of Martinique and Guada-
lupc," conveniently forgetting the FIVE years
compulsory service of the coolies on the sugar
plantations of Mauritius and Demerara, and of
the Chinese in Cuba.
These European philosophers, in their
anxiety to obtain all the advantages of
slave labor without the name of
slavery, are perfectly willing to secure
at nominal wages the forced services of ne
grocs, coolies and Chinese during their prime;
but are not willing to come under obligations
to support the worn out laborer after he has
been used up on sugar plantation, as is incur
red by the master under the obnoxious system
of slavery.
We have painted this new French scheme in
its true ligats, from its very first inception; and
the results which it is exhibiting in Africa are
rapidly bearing out our assertions. In the colo
MES ts ultimate effect will be equally, if not far
more pernicious. When the term of service of
these apprentices shall have expired they will
not desire to return to Africa. to become again
the slaves Of ignorant and barbarOus chiefs
This is abundantly demonstrated in Cuba, where
hundreds of Africans annually liberate them
selves, under the benign provisions of the
Spanish laws, but whence they never desire to
return to their native country. Those Of the
French apprentices who are still able bodied
may obtain a renewed term of service, but
those who are not able to labor will become
paupers; and within the present generation both
the French and the English colonies will be
weighed down with an immense pauper popula-
ton, stepped in ignorance and vice. This re-
suit is already beginning to be attained in the
English colonies Of Jamaica, Demerara and
others, and every statesman having the true in
terests Of those colonies and of humanity at
heart will oppose policy which must produce
such untoward results.