Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1858-07-14

whole establishment is under the efficient supervision
Of CO. F. L. MOKE, in every sense host within him
asM .Hs >for Wiilahston und the ohkarHsisdW Elsni-
ston uatel
sIAURITIUs, OR TIIE ISLE OF FRANCE.
There is .mal! island n the Indian Ocean, some
six hundred miles East Of Madagascar, which is in;
rr0m the experiment. .lave labor that have
been made upon it within thu last half century. 1is
known upon tue map Us .Huritius, or the Lste cf
frunce, and has belonged to the English .inco1Sl4,
having been then eeded Ly tie French under an ar
tcle Of the peace Of that year. Its white population
is largely French with al admixture Of English and
other peoples and its sociey distant and secudedas
it il, has the reputation Of no nconsderabe degree
Of polish, education and refinement For many years
it was slurcholding community; in lS2oj of $1,000
Inhabitants about 63uD0 were slaves. The system Of
labor has .incs that time undergone sevsrs changes
until now involuntary scrvitude no longer exists on
the little island but has been suppantcd by tue labor
of Ilindoo Immigrants, they called which,
it is claimed, is genuine Instance of the success OF
free labor in developing tropical wealth. go,
Whether this development may not'lc set down us
the rcsult'of peclinr adaptation of climate SOIL and
seasons to the easy growth Of certain valuable pro-
ductiohs, rather than arising from my particular
complexion Of ssrvitude connected therewith, and
whether the small Of country here to DO deve-
opcd is of sufficient consequence to mark it as any
thing than experiment owing its partial suc-
cess to such adyentitous circumstances rs might or
might not tell in other localties-arc questions
that should of be well weighed before deciding
the instance Of Mauritus to be argument for free
labor reysus slave labor. But precedent considera-
ton is whether FREQ labor" in the case Of Naur-
tue il free lsbor-whether those captivating words
may not really represent system free only ia name,
and not in its actual operation. Upon this point we
have recently read with much interest letter from
Lieutenant HADRRsHAN, of our Navy, being ono OF a
series hc s at present contributing to the columns Of
the Phadcphia Ledger from his distant wandcrings.
He writes after soourn of some length upon the is
land in question, during which his enquiries wcre es
pocslly directed to the true condition Of labor and
the laboring population under tho existing establish
mcnt. When we add that Lieutenant II. has cviuced
in prcviou. series Of letters the accuracy and accu
men of close observer and correct thinker his tes
timony in regard to the present matter will be recog
nzed 40 entitled to much consideration. It s in CUB
stance this:
The "frec labor" of Maurit;us is admitted to con-
sist in tho labor vf free IIindoos, who have to
the island without compslsion, and the purpose Of
whose coming was to enter the service of the Iuwi
tian propretors az laborers. But It is stated upon
the information Of respectable planters Of the island,
that they haro mostly been deluded into the step by
high.soundug promises of wealth and position. One
OF the Lieutenant's informants, Mr. MoR0Ay, used
such language as this upon tho aubject: "Why, s~
said he "we have to tell them tho most abeminabe
lies to induce them to come. We have to promise
them that they shall be princes and judges, and live
upon the fat Of tho land, &c. &C." These are the
words Of planter who works three Hundred hands
ploysd to uvsigo the ignorant HindOos into this sOr-
vice. But with all such riekory it appears impossl-
be to entrap enough Of aborsrs to answer the purpo-
ses of this dinnutvO planting district. Resort has
boon had to the policy of elevating some Of them to
the post Of overseers With many extra advantages and
privileges; and after they have become fully satshed
and pleased with their promotion, they are sent to
beat up recruits in India Their perquises are pro-
portioned to their success in this business, and of
course they leave no story untold to achieve it. Yet
after all, as we have sad ia the supply messre and
insufficient to devolope tho full resources of the island
Deluded and cntrapped into ive-yesrs torn Of Ia
Dor for which they receive litc or nothing, tho poor
indoos con with difficulty be persuaded to enter into
any contract for q second term. True, they remain
on the island but it is purely on account Of their in
ability to get away the restrictions Of tho island gov
ernmeut and their own sotbfuness operating together
as virtual embargo upon their privilege Of locomo-
ton. And thus many of them are kept in the ser
yico of the islander, at the lowest rates OF hire COM
pstible with d tolerable subsistence. Many others
though quit the service in utter disgust preferrns rath
CT to exc out scanty support with such limited means
andfaclities as are allowed them by the civil author
ties. AS consequence OF this condition OF things
there is now presented the island OF Nanritf"s
picture which scarcely has its parallel on earth. 1tls
the picture Of nearly 100000 unurunates Of inferior
blood held in subsection to superior race not as
slaves, but as free ctizes forsooth; 10000 OF whom
are the tools Of unscrupuous ask-masers and en-
ployed in cultiveting coffee sugar. and cotton panta-
tons at rates that tho eanest free luborer in Amer'
ca would scorn to notice; whilc the rcst,-sonic
$4,000, men women and children,-arc subsifting us
best they Gun by their own sbacked cIertionS, and
forming perhaps the most immoral, deprnrcd and
Yitiated community in the world. That thuse who
are under engagement the plantations are virtually
slaves, our Lieutenant ayers upon these grounds:
III No free laborer is ever swindled into an engage
ment as these Hndoos are. (2) No free laborer is
ever whipped by oyersesrs as these Hindoos are. (3
No free labOrer hunted up by the luw md returned
to tho employer from whom he has deserted before
his term Of serrce has expired, these Hndoos are.
~ No free laborer works fvp years for his passage
money, food and clo,aing his only wages, us these
uindoos do.
The conclusion IL, that Mauritian FREQ labor exhib
its far greater evils in its train than does involuntary
servitude as established in tho Southern States of the
American Union. 1t is harder service even who
the aborer is at degree Of health and strength
but when he is DID, and weak and d0crepd, and when
he is then thrown OF as useless and Improbable
appsndage, to shift for himself as best he can, it
surely becomes IN infinitely moro odious system.
When in addition it is remembered, that the
and children of this laborng caas left uncaredfor
and unprotected by either individual or governmental
aid, and are now literally involved in the most cor
rupt degradation, does not our noble patrisrchal cs