Polynesian., 1857-02-14
White Slavery in Scotland,

There are few people who now know that so re-
Gently as 1899 there were slaves in this country.
Twenty-Five years before, that is in l775, there
must have been thousands of them-lor this was
then the condition of all our cnlers and saters
They were literally slaves. They could not be
killed or directly tortured, bat they belonged like
serfs of an Olden time, TO their respective works.
with which they were sold as part Of the gear
ing. With few very I'D exceptions, the condi-
ton of the head of the family the cond ton of
the whole house. For though child, if never en-
terng with the work, was free, vet entering was
its natural and almost certain destination; for its
doing so valuable TO its father, and its getting
into any other employment in the neghbOrhood,
resisted by the owner. So that wives, daughters
and sons went on from generation TO generation
under the system which was the family doom. OF
course it was the interest of a wise master to use
them well, as it was to use his other cattle we'll
But as usual, the human cattle had the worst of it,
1t had rights, and could provoke by alluding to
them 1t could alarm and unite. 1t could not be
slain, but he had protection against fits of ty-
ranny or anger.
We do not know much of their exact personal or
domestic condition, but we know what their work
makes them even when they are free, and within
the iealoas benevoence of Il softer age. We know
that they formed Il separate and avoided tribe, as
to great extent they still do, with language and
habits of their own. And we know what slavery
even in its best form is, and does. The complete
ness of their degradation is disclosed by one public
fact. The statute of I70l, which has been extoll-
ed as the Scotch haJeoS corpus, proceeds on the
preamble that " Our sovereign lord considering it
is the interest of all his good subjects that the lib
ertv of their persons be duly secured" Yet, while
Introducing regulations against wrong inprisOn-
ment and undue delays in trials the statute con-
tains these wordS-"And 1t is hereby provided and
declared that this present act is in no way to be
extended to colIicrs or salterS." That is, being
slaves they had no personal liberty to protect.
These facts en1ble US to understand the heredi-
tary bIackguardsm which formed the secondary
nature of these fixed underground gipsies, and
the mysterious horror with which they were re-
garded, and which in a certain degree attaches TO
all subterranean laborers.
The first link of their chain was broken in l775,
bv the 18th act of George the Third, chapter 2S
1t sets out on the preamble that nany COIliers and
saI,ers are in state of slavery and bondage" ii
emancipates future ones entirely; that is, those who
after the lst of July l775, 'shall begin to work as
collicrs and saters.'' But the existing ones were
only liberated gradually; those under twenty-one
in seven wears; those between twenty-one and
thirty in seven years, those between twenty one
and thirty FIVE in ten years; the liberation of his
father was declared to liberate his family. And
the freed we're put under the act of l70l.
Bat this measure, though effective in checking
new slavery, was made very nearly useless in It's
application to the existing slaves by one Of its
conditions. Instead OF becoming free by mere
lapse of tme no slave obtained his liberty unless
he instituted a legal proceeding in the sheriff's
court, and incurred all the cost, delay and trouble
of a lawsuit; his capacity to do which was extin-
guishcd by the nvariable system of masters having
their workmen in their debt. The result that
in general the existing slave was only liberated by
death.
But this last link was broken in June, 1899, by
the Seth George Third, chap. 56, which enacted
that from and after lis date call the Golfers in
Scotland, who were bound colliers at the passing
of the 18th George Third, chap. 29, shall be free
from their servitude.'' This annihiated the relic.
-Cockjrn's Memorials of has Timc.