The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-01-29

THE Operation OF West India Emancipatiou.
LECTURE BY REv. c. ". DRSIs0S.
Rev C. W Denison, formerly United States Consul in
British Guiana, lectured TO very small audience last
evening" Shiloh church (colored,) corner Of Prince
and Marion Streets the workings of The English Emsn
cipston act in the West Indies
The reverend gentleman, after preliminary devotional
exercises, and some remarks deprecatng the small al.
tendance, commenced with observations
ing the importance Of the subject He thought it
much misunderstood Attempts were made in the public
prints and otherwise to show that the Emancipation act
mad proved failure. He should combat this idea, not
serving any party, but leaving facts to speak them
selves He had resided at Georgetown, in British Guiana
and had opportunities for having access to
all Necessary documents and free intercourse with the
people of every class He had done this with the design
Of correctly informing his countrymen of the truth which
he hoped To be able to utter TO them First TO be con
sidered, the difficulties which had TO be
countered by the act There the fear of
outbreak st. Domingo. II expected except
prove failure The EGO 900 900 compensation to the
owners OF the slaves was another diihculty, and
il was natural when such vast sum was TO be &C
counted for great would be attsined The in
uence of this emsncpatng compensation on the slave
the money came to them, but all Of it went to their op
pressors. Then there the sense Of power on the
part of the proprietor and the OF heplessness on
the part of the slave The emancpated slave could
have that the boon of liberty could be desired
There was the disposition to withhold on the part Of the
into operation on the first Of August 1888. he
would not attempt to describe the moment OF the
emancipation Of these 800, 1000 human beings-how
that at first the act received, not with rejocings
with bonfres and shouting-but on their Bonded
knees in their temples. True there rejoicings
they presented themselves again for labor All, he
thought who had been accustomed to labor before pre-
sented themselves for hire after emancipation Next
the conflict for wages, for which the act had not
provided The master not accustomed TO pay any wages
who had all along been cheated out Of their due,
wanting to make up for lost time During the discussion
that the negroes would not work but the fact was they
would not work for nothing But plan of wages was
settled finally, and the negroes did not refuse to
work for the agreed upon by the planters Then
there came by ysterous dspensation of Providence,
q great drough-the fields all parched then
disease-in some instances laying waste whole sections
where the people engaged In labor. Thus at the
outset Of the act these caames operated its dis
advantage Another noticeable fact was the plan Of
employment The resident planters were not owners.
The owners were resident, nearly all of them,
10 England or Scotland. The agent system Of operating
drawbacks had been partially removed, entirely so,
what was the resuhf He would say that the emancipa
not founded on fact He would not say had wrought
perfectly well. but had wrought well The first proof
he adduced was that both the planters and the people
contened He had tested fairly by formal inspec-
ton the feelings Of the aborers, and he had met
man woman among the thousands that he who
wanted to back. But were the planters contenedS
He assured them that every planter with whom he had
conversed expressed satisfaction with the working OF the
act He quoted as fair specimen Of the feeling of the
planters the sentiments of the Chief Justice of British
GUIANA who had lost by the act ESQ., but said that he
felt amply recompensed by the increased value of his
lands and the coutentmen and Improvement Of his labor
the days of slavery there had been but 50 900
hogshesds Of produced in the country but the last
he there there 81 900 hogsheads OF
showing gain of 8 900 hogsheads of sugar year
for liberty slavery There products
larger than during the time of slavery that the
pie consumed more themselves This true in great
measure Of the island Of Barbsdoes The Injuries and
the necessities OF life not confined solely TO the
planter and his family but divided among the poor
blacks Emancipation was not failure, because II had
spread its benefits universally Another proof Of the
cunary advantages of emancipation that there had
been Of trade between the emancipated colo
nies and other countries. There ten vessels
where there were formerly but Eve All along our coasts
the various exports were largely taken to these colonies
There two lines of vessels running regularly from
New York Philadelphia and Charleston and large
bers Of irregular vessels. What did these vessels 60
out there for emancipation a falureS Did
| the Yankees have much money to spend TO
| seld vessels there TO bring back merely the news
emancipation n aiuref The fact that the people
with the other crying, "Give good cargo" Though
vessels might come from there in ballast the captains
always brought the sinners for the csrgces which they
had taken there. They had newspapers too In these
colonies and he had actually rocking chairs aiver
tsed for sale Think Of emancpated niger rocking his
lazy legs 10 rocking chair They had bridal bonnes,
and chldrens bonnets due course Of time Qaugh
teri They used lumber there too, and built their
houses and had railroad constantly bringing down pro.
duce. He wished he could take his audience through
some Of their beautiful villages, built Of lumber, brought
extensively from the British American provinces and from
tne tnltcu sthtes Iuty utu SChoos SCnoonouses
rearing themselves in the most popuous parts and the
School superintendent Of British Guiana had told him that
he had 900 children collected together engaged in
study and he had doubt there 900 ofhem
bearing fair comparison with children for Intelligence
The people also payn attention TO their churches
and their ministers The ministers had much credit
corded them for the Emancipation act, and the people
providing for them well. He gave a description
Of church where the ministers salary 81 900
year. They were even sending missionaries to the
beahen. There drawback account OF the in
PRODUCTION ny ,ue English and Portuguese OF ardent sp
4 n. NJ III
cup Other nations bad emancpated their slaves in their
colonies, near the English colonies France, Denmark,
and even money making Holland within few months,
had emancipaied their slaves. Would this have been
done had emancipation proved failure or unprohtaole'
Truly this GROWING proof ana only for that rea
son, he would hope that America would not long stand
by the sde OF BRAZIL and OF the few mai Ons COun