The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-11-19
Our West India Correspondence.

amount to much Sentence deferred for the present
Our West India Correspondence.
ST. MARTIN, West indies, Sept %, 1853
S0rery an the Dutch West desCession Of The large SAT-
Pond in 81. Martin Frenchman Condition to Ihich
il wiN Reduce the Aland-An Appeal 10 the King Of
Holland, dc, dc.
You may not be that slavery, in modified FORM
still exists the Dutch portion of this island This how
ever the fault Of the inhabitants thereof and when
have fully stated the case to you, will leave you TO
draw the inference regards who bameable in the
matter.
The island Of St. Martin is small speck the map of
the W, st Indies yet considered Of sufficient i'm
porancc be possessed by governments The flags
Of France and Holland fly us. IN lS4s the French
government manumitted the slaves their portion Of
little isle They did not do so, however, without
paying for them 1t is true the remuneration was not
large but still II was compensation to extent THIS
procedure the part of the French made the slaves on
the Dutch part of the island virtually Free for hours
walk from any part Of tho Dutch domnions placed their
feet upon French and consequently free soil. The
consequence that agriculture became and still Isl
nuity. AT the time It was in comparatively fourishng
existence The Misunderstanding into consideration the
then state OF the aborng popuation that the large salt
pond Immediately back OF the town Of Philpsburg was in
forward state for rakng that the article of salt was
very important export indeed only remaining
OF tho colony since the almost entire destruction of agri
cultural pursuits, that the ahOrerS did
on the Dutch part OF the island the salt would not no
reaped, thus cutting of, as il were, the only
Of revenue TO the government and means of living
10 the nhabtantshcld public meeting and passed an
agreement whereby corporal punishment abolished
and placing them footing with the manumtted blacks
residing in the French quarter far giving evidence
without OATH of civil and criminal jurs
ton. This done short time after the reception OF
the French emancipation law BY this fortunate Step the
crop of salt roaped, sufficient laborers remaining 10
do IL. Notice was given to the parent government dol
land Of this procedure on which they petoned the
King 10 egalze their action and TO go still further, to
entirely manumt their slaves and give them compensation
for them. These events occurred in ls4S From that
period mp to the present time have remained in stou
quo the aborers being neither entirely free nor entirely
slave This nchoate state has been and Is pre-
judicial TO all kinds of industrial pursuits, whereby all
classes OF inhabitants are sufferers for the slaves are
unwilling 10 labor and when they do so, it is in such
is not at all remunerativc. The inhabitants
have for time been in correspondence, through
committee appointed by them for that purpose with Mr.
Cohen advocate Amsterdam gentleman of great ability
and untiring assiduay in their behalf but as yet the
States General of Holland have not fit to comply with
their very reasonable and Just demand Of emancipation
with compensation.
slaves here free and that too by the act OF the
prictors. This is very ialacous idea, my previous
remarks viii show they only placed IN such stu
alton that they might, with facility be manumttcI
by tho sovereign. The inhabitants only manifested
their desire TO do so whenever u suited his pleasure
they receiving compensation for the same Slaves
have been bought and sold since the ever memo
orablc Process Verbal of the inhabitants in the year
1S4S. Another proof | would bring forward of their
being still regarded personal property is that before
permission il given them by the authorities TO leave the
island for the adjacent American guano island Of som.
brero anywhere csc they have TO be advertised five
days TO get the consent OF the creditors OF their
owners
have no hesitation in saying that had the Dutch gov
eminent freedom @ their slaves everywhere, and
compensation to their owners early IN the year 1879 this
colony would be Of the most ourshing in I'll.
West Indies FOR then the impoverished proprctors would
have had The OF either successfully cuyang their
estates, would have been enabled 10 embark 10 the
manufacture salt The parent government appears
he unadysed regards the local importance and interest
generally Of this colony.
The only remaining Of support loft the large
salt pond back Of thu q PhliTsburg Il i asoash
that such 4 lucrative of the
government should 50 long remain unnproycd or only
partially particularly when II would require small
outlay 81 capital % make u permanently remuneravc
The pond does not require any very scientific engineering
10 make produce an annual crop OF salt and when IA
Norcd by dry weather perhaps two yearly crops On the
contrary, nature requires only little assistance 10 make
her lavish her saline benefits. dam dividing the pond
~ Two parts 50 as 70 have one moiciy a. reservoir the
other cry-ta2er, with two trenches leading into the
sea- the the head the other al the foot n the town.
for the purpose a letting IN water and conveying
away superuous rain water, all that " required 20
cle, the above. The probable cost might nearly reach
one hundred thousand gudersa mere bagatciic when
reflect the certain results OF such improvements. The
pond has produced ,op of i've hundred thousand bar
rcis q salt Tho export duties this
Gmcriran) per barrel would he thousand dollars or
twenty IKE thousand guiders. The average profit per
barrel on salt The private dam. og this pond Is i've
cents, which makes the pretty iuic Q. tvcny i've tlon
sand American dollars lyc hundred thousand barrels.
These arc deductions based on statistics.
and loiiica situation, you vii doubtless BE-
psed 10 afn hat his Majesty has thrown away an this
pccuiiary advantage, AMI given the pond away ~ n
FTcncbman f1r eighty years Tor tue very small 81
two cents (AmericaI) duiy on one hundred thousand
barrels take effect eight wears from the date Of dona
ontnc said foreigner Jay after that period duty only
on that amount, when he can easily make nvc times that
quantity oi salt.
IL pond has BY The Kings decree Of 1915 been nc
knowicdgcd be the property ~ tho inhabitants. IN
every private concession made ~ this any portion ~
the island ~ any other pond, % parts of this pond,
has always becn necessary 10 advertise the IN
Ihlnsburg the Dutch town aud Sarot the French town
giving notice Il the inhabitants ~ both sections or tie
icmpated grant that any nhabsnl could " he chose
step forward drmnr said In all appor
tanning any pond Of ihi Island from is earliest hss,o
~ the principle and letter has been observed that the
ponds Of the island the common property &c the
iabitants without distinction of nation. We, his Majesty
has witIot the previous knoNuig. of the in1bt
ants granted this only left the colony OF
nUe 10 him existence T. va 10 foreigner ami his
holrs for eighty years. TINS, Intentionally, doubt
doing great injustice tphs subjects here aud H. thu
subjccts his imperial Majesty 81 France resting tic
French port ~ The island wo, by The treaty ~ 1G5S
JOY equa rights With " Ia tho po's'ssnn % IN the ponds
N * IL be hoped before the arrival W this French
teman-beore b. 4 permitted take possession Of this
wait and reap salt iar ogt years saUi'0usy, and after
wards a merely nominal prccbriofe hc ~ allowed u
grasp only means 81 cxsiencrthe clause Of tho dc
cree which requires the approval Of their Fxcelcnrcs
tie Governors o Curacao and Of s colony. VIII be tacn
advantage or by lhe Dutch government ccy the sal
mistake which they have fallen n,p. probably from the
Interpretations u some person or persons hostile TO
this unfortunate colony III" nhebtauts have believe,
ali confidence their INN lts executives aud are vii
ling "a submit the m-itcr u their vol known Justice aud
equity they better acquainted with every thing
necicd with ~.
shoud the inhabitants succecd in setting aside This nm
Inst grant no doubt Wall would be willing
a hand ~ this business.