The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1858-11-10
THE RUSSIANS on THE ANoop

IHE RUSSIANS On THE AMOOR.
A letter which appears in the st. Petersburg Ga
zete of the Sth ut., from the pen of an officer of
rank, furnishes some curious details on the impor-
tance of the acquisition lately made by Russia on
the banks of the Amoor. The writer was, at his
own request, appointed by Admiral Kazakevitcb
Governor of Nicolaif, that river, to explore the
country, with view to open a new means of com
municaton.
| must observe, he states, that at the spot at
which l am writing the Amoor is but sixty versts
from the ocean, On this part of the coast and so
near to the Amoor, is the magnificent Bay of Cas-
tries, discovered by La Perouse and by him named
after the French Minister of Marine of that day
But the cape, and natural arch of rock under
which ships have to pass, bear the name of the dis
coverer. The bay has deep and commodous an
chOrage, whilst vessels of more than fourteen feet
draft cannot enter the mouth Of the Amoor. Lower
down, the Amoor turns again to distance from
the sea, and does not fall into the ocean till after
course OF $50 versts 1t results then that if rail
way were constructed to the point above men
toned, all the merchandise that comes from Siberia
down the river, and all sent from America into ST.
IBERIA, would shorten their traet by 600 versts and
would have land transit of only 60. The adyan-
tage is the more evident as vessels would be re-
eved from the difficult and sinuous entrance into
the AmOor, and would DISCHARGE diractlv in the
Gulf of Castries.
The country round the Gulf is surrounded by
virgin forests. The trees attain an elevation of
twenty sagenes (more than forty yards) and are as
straight as an arrow and nearly yard in diameter
The writer of the letter says that after search of
many months he discovered defile in the noun
tains, through which the line of railway might be
easily taken. Tho Gull OF Cnstres has set:n de-
clared free port, and the writer has been nstruc-
ted to draw the ground plan for a town, to be loca-
ted Just where small stream falls into the Gulf the
construction of which would be begun as soon as
the railway to the Amoor had been completed. All
vessels, whether Russian foreign, take pilots at
the spot in question: either when entering the river
or leaving in ballast.
Among the vessels to the Gulf was the Russian
tender kamtchadal, which arrived from China with
dispatches from Admiral Putiatine. During his
voyage, states the writer of the letter. Count Pu-
tiatine discovered another gulf to the south of Cas-
tries, and opposite to the Japanese island of MATS
mai; To this the Count gave the name of Port st.
admir-, and planted there cross with an in
scription establishing that the port had been dis
covered and occupied by the Russians. The inhab-
iants, who are of the Japanese race asserted that
no vessel had ever approached there before, and
were, therefore, immensely astonshed when they
beheld the Russian steamer America.
EMANCIPATION AND THE WEST INDIES.
The following letter has been addressed to the
editor of the London Times
Sir-The Secretary of the Anti-Slavery Society
read to-day, at the meeting of the Social Science
ASSOCIATION an able paper on the effect of emanci
patton on the West India Colonies, with much of
which L entirely agree. Owing, however, probably
to a theoretical rather than a practical knowledge
OF the subject, the writer fell into some errors which
intended to point out during the usual discussions;
but, in consequence of a call from another section
Lord Brougham, who had presided, left the room
suddenly, fresh paper was taken, and no opportu-
nifty occurred. Should you think fit to admit these
remarks they will no doubt be seen by all who heard
the paper.
The writer undertook to prove that slave labor is
dearer than ree and to this end compared the price
paid for gangs let out for hire in Cuba with the
wages OF the Jamaica negro, stating correctly that
allowance must also be made for effective slaves
for the interest of money, &c. but omitting to men
ton that in Jamaica the negro seldom works more
than SIX hours day for four days week, and that
he takes In August and at Christmas HOLIDAYS yary-
ing from fortnight to six weeks; while the Cuban
slave tolls frequently for Is hours a day, and for
seven days in the week during the whole year This
materially alters the calculation 1t is this want of
continuous regular labour, fully as much as high
rate of wages, which forces the planter to seek for
laborers under contract, just as people do here
when they wish to have work finished in certain
time.
This is the explanation of the call for Immigrants
not (what cannot help calling the absurd fction}
that the large body of shrewd Englishmen and
Scotchmen who now own and reside on so MANY
West Indian estates should, from mere caprice i'm
port Indians at a heavy expense and send them
back in few years with their pockets full of money
rather than pay fair wages to the native peasantry
around them.
The paper went on to state that there have al
ways been cries of distress in jamaica arising from
extravaganza and SO forth.
True, but estates then passed into other hands,
and never before was the spectacle presented of SO
much of that splendid island lying utterly waste
that the crop had fallen from 90 900 to 10 900 tons
With the Society's objections to the Act of 1916
West Indians not likely to find fault but if free
is so much cheaper than slave labor, that Act
would be imperative, because surely cateris pari
bus, English enterprise would drive the Spaniard
out of the market.
But lastly, says the Society ''this is a low COM
mercial argument. Let the West Indian be ruined,
the great principle is established The sentiment
was cheered, and the West Indian, no doubt,
ought to be much honored by the sacrifice; but let
us pause a little, Are not planter and principle
sacrificed together? Did England saw owe viii
only have free labor sugar; if you cannot make It
we will forego the sweets, and you must
ferego the profits" the sentence might be
hard, but it would be just and equal. But England
says, ou shall not have slaves land till lately she
has said, you shall not have immgrantsl, but we
will not have an ounce less sugar we will, in fact,
consume more every year." Hence the unprece-
dented quantity of Cuba sugar, the produce of mur
der, as Lord Brougham truly said to-day, which
has this year poured into our markets Hence,
notwithstanding the Slavery Society's song Of
triumph, the sorry figure England makes in the
eyes OF slave-ownng nations, and hence the material
condition OF the West Indies is the test of success or
failure of emancipation
remain, sir, your obedient servant