Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1857-04-02
From the Rural Intelligencer.
A Voyage to Cuba.
IngeniO Aguica. Cuba.

W. plVhiSeu III our ldsb 10 enueaVOT W lur,
nish u solution of the enigma of so much
cruelty and inhumanity being practiced upon an
estate which is managed by human man,
one who is prompted by desire for the i'm
plovement and ameioration of the condition of
the negroes under his care In saying this Of
Mr.. C--we are making use of no satire'
and we have only to understand his position to
realize the dilemma in which he is placed be-
tween the promptngs of his better nature and
the requirements Of his employer Most OF
the sugar estates in Cuba are owned by non
resident p:oprietors, and are managed by ad-
ministrators, to whom are confded the whole
and businaps OF the estate the proprietor's
only concern being that as many boxes of su
gar, or, in other words. as large revenue as
possible, be yielded to him annually The con-
sequence of this system is, that administrators
have grown reckless and hardened to the cru
elites practiced under their rigorous rule by
their subordinates, and can only take time to
inquire into condition of the crop, the appara-
tus, &c, and to push every energy to its ex
trcmity, in order to equal or out-do their own
ers expectations and be so considered as faith
full stewards, Where one of different stamp
is to be met with, who compassonates the
poor negroes under his care, and would do
what he could 10 better their condition, he is
restrained in his benevolent impulses by the
tyranical example and influence of all around
him, who consider that no other rule than that
of cruel severity will answer in the treatment
OF the negroes and any effort to better their
condition would give it rise to complaints from
his neighbors, who would fear demoralizing
effect upon their own negroes from bis exam
pie, or. in other words, that their negroes
would grow discontented these complaints
would reach the proprietors ears, and, in
many cases, to the shame of humanity be it
spoken, the humane administrators would be
in danger of losing his situation. Mr.. C
had only been upon this estate IL little more
than year When he assumed its manage
ment he found it in very bad condition in
every respect, from the bad management of
the previous administrator. The buildings and
machinery were out of order and the hands
were worked to the last extremity and were
&C totally demoralized, degraded, brutalized, y
to use his own strong expression " by bruta
treatment and injustice. Their hearts, sale
he, " are crushed Out of them and they labor
as do the oxen with very little more intelligence
Of what they are doing Lie has been endeav-
oring TO introduce reforms, and has in the shor
period, he has had charge of the Agnica, af
fected much. But said he. g Rome wa
not built in day" There is a great deal tC
be done here to make the estate what it ough
to be, and it will take great while to do it
while am expected to keep up the averag
yield in number of boxes of sugar and even t.
exceed that of my predecessors. 1t will not d
to relax any energy that will tend to LESSEE
the revenues of the estate ; though l am at lib
erty to introduce, with some restrictions, sue
reforms us | may deem advantageous and bes
for the interest of the Count. This is ii hAr
i task at best, but it is rendered more dificu
Q here, where everything is SO out of order
where the apparatus is in crazy condition an
= where the hands are in such an inefficient col
dition. There is, besides whole army Of ra
, cally understrappers, whom | would like
discharge at once, but cannot do so as tf
work could not go ; am aware that they es
ercise their authority with brutal severity, bl
~ cannot teach them differently, and have
let them aloue Then the negroes are so d
= humanized that they require to be punished
:. order to. get anything out of them. kno
y that the back of man was not made for ii
whip, but they are not men they are
- longer they are mere brute beasts. Tb,
are SO accustomed to be Aogged upon any
in upon no pretext whatever that they expect
Ia They will not believe US; they are utterly Il
v. reliable, and the moment our backs are turn
So they are worthless. They will not give
their confidence and they will not allow US
n place confidence in them So accustomed are th
,o to severity, that they connot but distrust o.
I eniency apdntended kindness they think
= a trick 1t will take long time to bril
:, them into a better state Of feeling SO -ass
"a place contideneaslg nv PROMISES. al2hey q
4 heing 4 flsa Il u ezlsaA
l, chiaery gets a:lt AZ -oEdar, II yoke of OK
IL runs away II cart upsets or an axle is broker
n for every mishap entirely beyond their cont
er was the whip applied. | have tried to aboli
,b these abuses and to see that justice WAS do
Ter them. When first came here they were
called together and tod them of the polio,
:" meant to persue; that would expect of ca
one the strenuous performance of his dut
ht that disobedience or deness would be punish,
Al but that meant to have strict Justice done
les then, and that if any one had any grievance
re- complain of on the part of his overseer he
*, but to come to me for redress. But they "
ey not do it, if anything goes wrong and tt
Der fear punishment, they runaway; and Il
I'VE they are bought back and have to be punsl
ng for examples sake. There was gang of m
elf than fifty ineorrigible runaways on the est
We, when came here, who were all wearing ire
len This could not endure. | told them ii
en- would now be trusted, and that if they wo
We. do their duty and not runaway, their r
III would be taken off They all gave me til
ac- promise. Their irons were removed, and
ou show you how reliable they are, the next mo
gh ing thirty of them were missing. A 70
'lt, brake that afternoon in the mill, and six m
ly. of them runaway | sent after them and t
he were mostly brought back, punished and
the TO work in irons at the furnaces as you 81
You say you cannot bear to look at them,