The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1862-04-16

to hide her faults and to apologize for her
weaknesses In Jamaica IL is not SO
Pla.ters, officials, clergymen. merchants.
shopkeepers, seem to take delight in ex
posing the worst features of its social life,
ia declaiming against the lower classes of
the people, in representing everything as
gone to utter decay, aud in 6eprecating |
the prospects before them. Nothing is
right. The Government is tyrannical and
bad; the officers are veual; the Legisla-
ture is governed by class Interests, and
addicted to 'log-rolling;' the planters are
poor. their estates worthless, and their
cultivation thriftless aud unskillful. The
people are idle. vain, improvidsnt, un-
chaste. Their religion is hypocrisy; their
social condition is one of African barbs-
rism and dark superstition. In short, the
! island is in q state of irretrievsble decay.
Such is the picture which is held up to
stranger, and no little pains are taken to
make him believe it faithful representa-.
ton. There is much in the appearance
of Kingston 70 corroborats this view. Its
wharves are comparatively silent; the
stores and warehouses which follow the
line of the harbor are but partially occu-
pied, and betray but few signs of active
business; some are tenantless. Here for>
ty years ago the commerce of Central and
Southern America had its entrepot. 1t
vas the mart where the productions of the
tropical countries of the West were ex-
changed for the manufactures of Europe.
That trade has found other channels.
The Island of St. Thomas has partially
attracted it, while csrgoes are now sent
direct from the mills of Manchester to
the markets they are intended to supply
1t is only during the shipping season for
sugar that activity prevails among the
stores, which were formerly busy the year
round with foreign and inter colonial
traffic. The merchant Of Central Ameri.
ca rather prefers to avail himself of the
facilities which steam affords, to visit the
marts of Europe than to stop half way at
the warehouses of Kingston, and the
rich produce of the mines of Mexico now
goes direct to it's destination iE the coff-
, ers Of the banks of England, Frarce and
I Spain" ssa
TRINIDAD
Has also bad to pass through . terrible
ordeal.
Three years after emancipation, il
o lS4l, the condition of the island wa
most deplorable:, the laborers had for th,
e most part abandoned the estates, and ia
ken possession of plots of vacant land
especially in the vicinity of the towns
without purchase or lawful right. Va
!. prancy bad become an alarming habit Q
!. great numbers; every attempt to take
census of the population was baf1ed b
). the frequent migrations which took place
= Criminals easily evaded justice by ah
!. sconding to places where they were un
;, known, or by hiding themselves in th
II dense forests which in all parts edged 9
:. closely on cleared lands. Drunkenne,
a increased to an enormous degree, assiste
h by planters who freely supplied rum
n the laborers, to irduce them to remain I
). cultivators on their estates. High wag'
;. were obtained. only to be squaudsred
= amusement, revelry and dissipation;
- tho same time, these high wages induce
IS a diminished cultivation of food, and
corresponding increase in price and
the import of provisions from the neig
: boring islands and continent. The labo
n ers steadily refused to enter into contrac
which would oblige them to remain in I
service of q master; this would too mu
have resembled the state Of slavery frc
which they had just emerged. 1t "
i, with reference to this state of things th
=. Lord Harris wrote in l84S:
ow Oae of the many errors which ha
vns been committed since the granting
nm. emancipation, is the little attention pi
zen to any legislation having for its end
of formation of society, on true, SOU
.ve aud lasting principles. As the questi
in at present stands, race has been fire
axe but society has not been formed. L
has ertv has been given to q heterogsne'
ad. MACS Of individuals, who can only &C
ion prehend license; a partition in the rig
the and privileges, and duties of civilized
ave cloty nus uecu Srautou W eoein3 tuoy
om- only capable of enjoying its vices.
f he In the time of the French occupat
.ov. (Hayti,) before the revolution of II
will thousands of hogsheads of sugar '
an d produced; now, not one. All is dt
ing and desolation The pastures are des
can ed, and the prickly pear covers the
dian once laughing with the bright hues of
pro. sugar cane. The hydraulic works, OF
the ed at vast expense for irrigation,
sue. crumbled to dust. The pillow is an
,ibly known implement Of culture, althoug
raw eminently adapted to the great plains
n to deep soil of Hayti. A country so C
but BILE of producing for expor', and there
this for the enrichpent of it's people
gen. sides sugar and coffee, cotton and to
com. CO, the cacao bean. spices. every troy
new fruit and many of the fruits of Euro
social lies unoccupisd. uncultivate1 and {
loto It's rich mines are neither EXP