Arkansas true Democrat., 1857-09-08
From the N. Y. Journal of Commerce.
The French Contract for African Negroes.

From the N. |. Journal of commerce.
 The French Contract for African Negroes | The contract between the French ministers of marine and foreign affairs and mercantile 1 firm in Marseiies to obtain ten thousand free African negroes who will emlgrate to the | French West Indies, to labor there for ten years, and the proposal to adopt similar plan 1 for the redemption of the brltisn west lhd'eS 1 from .heir present ruined and unproductive t--.. .ndition. have given rise to considerable eX- a remeut and newspaper comment in England. i Discussions have taken place in both houses of Parliament on the subject, and Lord Brougham, the eloquent disciple of Wilberforce and Clark son. but whom the London Times calls |" that distinguished representative of the intentions and ttliItyes of the last generation" moved an address to the Crown, experimenting the French contract and calling for executive interference to discountenance and defeat the scheme tend
 ing to revival of the slave trade. His lord ships arguments find no favor with those who approve the African emigration scheme; they are designated "obstructive lngenulty;' and though the Exeter Hall party support and ad- mire them. some of the leading journals (the Times at their heart) warmly advocate the ex- pediency and humanity of "the steps taken by our neighbors across the channel (the French) for the free importation of Africans into their West Indian plantations, with security for their free employment sufficient wages, and liberty of return," and confidently asks why the En- glsh should not adopt plan of which "all the broad facts of the case are in favor?" The alleged broad facts" appear to be that the emancipation of the negroes in the West Indies, so far from answering the commercial and humane purposes which 1t was designated to serve, has resulted in "the bankruptcy and o1c+ +Io E,,o, ha d.D has |" destroyed (we quote the London Times of the 18th ult.) an immense property ruined thousands of good families, degraded the ne- groes still lower thau they were, and, after all,
 increased the mass of slavery;' that, for tropi- cal labor the African is found to be by far the best and most efficient laborer and that, if free Africans can be induced to emigrate under en- gagement to work for a fixed period, for su- table pecuniary remuneration, with clothes, me- dical care, and protection from hardship or oppression during their term of service, and conveyance back to their country when that term expires, the plan is commendable ma commercial sense, because 1t will afford supply of the only labor which experience has proved to be adapted to the develop ment of the resources of the West Indian colonies and in a humane point of view, be- cause, when it is proved that free African la borers can be obtained at a cheaper rate than slaves, the slave trade will cease, and that inn portant question will be solved which nineteen years exertion. solemn treaties naval squad rons, and the most rigorous oppressive mea- sures have failed to accomplish The "wor- thy men who eXtingushed slavery Tn the w est India possessions, and who are naturally very touchy, very obstinate, very inconvertible on that very tender point'--n other words, the I ol, ictc deny most of the above broad facts,' and n- sist that the entire project would be a revival of the slave trade and ofslavery in more odious and detestble form than of old; that it is i'm possible to obtain free negroes perfectly at li- berty to regulate their own movements in any numbers who will consent to cross the sea; 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 emigrants to embark; that this purchase and sale will revive the fearful fcuds of the bar barian chiefs to obtain the wrctched victims of their traffic; that the emigrantS' masters, who have no interest in their aborers beyond the ten years of their servitude will have every inducement to work them hard, and none to spare them, and that it is impossible by any legislation or supervision to prevent the whole system being made oppressive slavery as ever existed.
 The evidence of those best acquainted with the negroes of the western coast of Africa dis tinc;ly states that 1t is impossible to obtain 1000 free blacks to emigrate on any terms, and that negroes cannot be obtained in great numbers in any other way than with the con sent, after regular bargain and sale, of the na- tive kings. If this be so, how would the sys- tenn differ from legalized 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 formeNould be infinitely more wretched than the latter, expos ed to all the hardshps and possessing none of the comforts and cares with which the self interest, if no higher motive, of the slave own CT surrounds his bondsman for life?
 The French contract which Is Tn progress of fulGllment will test the experiment. The con- tractors stipulate to send 5000 negroes to Mar unique and the same number to GaudaIoupe within three years, who shall be obliged 10 work for ten years at the monthly wages of 12la francs, (S2 50,) out of which the emigrant Is to pay back the cost of his transport from Air- ca, POO francs, l6 months wages. In the published abstract of the contract no mention is made of any clause forbidding the engage ment of any but free emgrants, or the employ ment of money to obtain negroes by bribery or purchase. The only stipulation seems to be that the men are to be got and conveyed to the islands within given time, the contractors be- ing free to go where they please and use any means they please to attaln their purpose.
 We do not believe that the plan will be found to be practicable as voluntary emigra- tion, and the English people will never consent to a renewal of the slave trade. It is doubtful, also, whether for the sake of the interests of Guadaloupe and Martinique, Napoleon III, will incur the odium which would attach to him were he to sanction the measure. How ever this may be, the disclosures and admis- sions which have been made during the contro. verSy as to the utter failure, in an economical and benevolent Sense of negro emancipation, are instructive and valuable