The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-09-23
WASHINGTON, D. C..
For the National Era
FREE LABOR IN TROPICAL PRODUCTIONS.
Emancipation in the British West Indies.
CONCLUDED
THE WORKING DAY.

mere IS oaJ 9 work, as you understand it,
where the lsborer gees in and does his best,
and his employer, looking to the general result,
is ssssfied. TIE so-called "das's work" is
almost invariably known quantity of work,
which is carefully measured, and for which a
certain rate is paid. 1t is in fact, piece or
task work. Or some estates, when there is a
heavy press of work, the lsborers are eucour.
aged to do extra WORK, for which they are paid
In proportion. In crop, they usually work by
the task, and frequently, as already said,
(Query g. job by the hogshead Of sugar.
CULTIVATION
9. There is no comparison between the free
and slave labor periods, as regards the cultiva-
tioa OF the estates. The Island is now, from
one end to the other, IS you have seen. cultiva-
ted ike q garden, and its productiveness is
greater, by far, than the most sanguine ever
anticipated under any system of labor. Our
staple exports are fully double what they were
IN Slavery time; 1nd although we do not raise
as much food as we did when We had slave
population to feed, but depend for large pro-
portion Of IT upon our IMPORTS, chiefly from your
country, the fault is certainly not due to free
labor, nor yet to the land under cultivation.
Many of ozr planters have taken up the idea,
that the growing of provisions dictionaries the
land fer producing canes, and with some of
them the notion is so overpoweripg that they
Won't allow potato slip or a blade of corn to
6Ud footing on their estates. They buy every.
thing of the kind they want and it is ne IN.
common sight to see loads of oats and hay
goiEg into the country, to feed horses and
males thst might be fed, at little or no cost,
on produce raised at home. The sugar crop
has to bear all the expenses of the estate, in
GLIDING this hsy and cats and hence it is that
yOH viii often hear II stated on good authority,
h. fos e. Il
IN agricultural reports, &c, that the first cost
Of hogshea1 Of sugar to the place Of ship
ment GENERALLY Bri6getoWn) is $40, 500, or
even more.
hope it Is 10 libel to say, that the agricul-
turRl mind throughout the world is noted "a
being generally net the most open 10 convic-
ton. Right or wrong, it has the repute of ad.
herring to established notions, prejudices though
they be, WI a pertinacity that sets both rea-
son and experience at defiance. But for this.
We have had quite evidence enough in the
practice OF particular planters during the last
few years, to roo. out this antprovision fallscy.
and increase the profits of the estates whilst
increasing the supply OF food for cur teeming
population. | could mention several of these
planters who have not found the growing of
provisions to interfere in the least with the
production Of cafes but selec. the one who
he's carried the practice Of provision growing
further than auy other, and with the most
marked results. Oar colored friend, Mr. j.
Brown Mspp, whose estate, " Jackman 81" in
this parish, you nave visited, is the largest pro
vision-grower in the Island, and is making, at
the same time, larger crops of sugar than the
estate ever made On the anti-provision
system and, what is more, paying all the ez
peRseS Of the estate nth the provisions, his
sTgar crop being so much clear prcft-ccsting
him, virtually, nothing hogshead TO make it.
OF course, If everybody grew provisions to
nearly the same extent, they would be much
cheaper than they are at present, and much
less profitable to the growers. But they never
could be so cheap as to be altogether unprcfit.
able as an ordinary crop; and the result Of
Maps practice, not to mention any other,
goes clearly to show that the growing of them
TO the fulles. extent does not In any way tend
10 deteriorste the land for producing sugar, tie
sugsr-produciDg power Ct his estate having in
fact, increased very considerably, concurrently
with the large production of provisions. hope
you won't think this long oigression out OF
place.
COST OF PRODUCTION
10 Fror what has been already said under
preceding queries, you will readily infer that
the cost Of production Is, generally speaking,
less now than it WAS in the period Of Slavery. |
am fully convinced, that wherever this is not
he case, the fault is entirely in the N management
OF the estate. The introduction of implement
al husbsndry may be advanced as one circum.
stance that he's tended TO this result, but it may
be questioned whether this improvement in cui-
tivstion was not itself a consequence of eman.
cipstion.
PUBLIC OPINION IN THE ISLAND
IL. Nobody here decries emancipation as an
evil. All are willing to acknowledge il a great
social boon to the colonies, and to the slaves
themselves an inestimsble blessing. Those OF
our late shareholders Jet living among US are
rather ashamed of the past, than willing to de-
fend it; ard although there are some willing
CROUCH, no doubt, to restrict liberty as much
as they dare, and here and there, perhaps, a
nOruS homo who would gladly avail himself o
tie absolute poser of Slavery as q means Of
establishing his own newborn Importance,
really DO not think there is g single respectable
man of aGF intelligence in the Island who would
seriously desire to have back the peculiar in.
stitution" in is integrity, did its restoration
depend on him.
FEELINGS OF THE EMANCIPATED
IL. l am not aware of any instances in which
the emancipsted slaves have, at any time,
evinced spirit Of revenge for the wrongs sus.
tanned u Slavery, although individual cases
might hsVe occurred without my knowledge,
and would by 10 means be surprising The
period of apprenticeship, injGdiciously inter.
posed by Government, with no doubt the best
intentions, between absolute Slavery aud sbso.
lute Freedom, was fasrfdlly abused by some Ct
the planters, and became q means of mutual
Irritation, instead of Cancellation nevertheless
at its termination, the people generally settled
down quietly en- the estates as laborers for hire
aud evtCced every disposition 10 conduct them
aelvas paSCaahlv- crderlC and in ohad,apca n
Law. which. by me way, was not always mind
ful of their interests. Many of them, know
have never ceased TO ackEo sledge, with a lively
SrautUds, ise kindness OF iSfmer masters and
uaistresseS; and l could mention INSTANCES IN
which, opportunity having been afforded, that
gratitude hRs been manifested In more than
words. The negro IS lsr more mindful of ben.
efts from his superiors than injuries, and will
often forget the latter, whist Boosting OF the
former. Whether this is a natural character
istic Of the race, or trait superinduced by long
degrading oppression, we need not stop to in.
1Uus. Such is the fact.
RELATION OF THE LABORERS TO THE ESTATES
l3. This question must be answered generally
in the negative. The slave, you must remem.
Der, was part and parcel OF the estate, and iden.
tilted himself with it almost as a matter OF
course. Whatever gave it Importance, or de.
tracied fFora It, effected him il similar way. in
the estimation of his fellows sud a "poo ting -
(poor thiRg) connected with some 6epreeistory
Circumstance in reference to the estate was felt
as mere bitter sarcasm than D'Isrseli has
ever perpetrsted n bis severest mood. Things
are different now. The free lsborer feels him.
self no longer in this reat on to tie estate OF
his employer. Locsted upon it as tenant Ia.
bcrer, be gays has rent AID does his work, IT.
IL. al. l. -