Washington telegraph., 1865-08-16

all, it was found that two Coolies could
hardly perform the task which ons Affi-
can can accomplish with ease
From all this, and from. the expert
ence Of centuries, it is evident that the
African alone is physically suited to UNI
dergo with ease aud without danger the
fatigue Of field labori in the climates which
are suited fer sugar cultivation. We shall
presently allude to the obstacles which
have been thrown in the way Of obtain.
ing supply of free labor from that quar-
ter; and we think We shall be able to
convince the most scrupulous reader, that
the line Of conduct adopted by the psuedo
friends of the African, is one most admi-
rabl Y calculated to foster the state of bar
barism, cruelty. ignorance. oppression.
and crime, which is the melancho'y y char
acteristic of the inhabitants of that un-
happy country. In the meantime, let us
go back to the history of our colonies.
whose singular case OF unmerited perse-
cution is by no means yet brought to q
close.
''ln 1912, commit ee of the House of
Commons was appointed to inquire into
the state Of the West India colonies, and
from their report, which is now before us.
We make the following extract:
".Resolred. That, unhappily, there has oc-
Cured, simultaneously with the amendment in
the condition o. the negroes, a very great diin-
niiun III the staple productions of the West Iu-
dies to such All extent as TO naTe caused scr-
ous, and. IN SOM cases. ruinous injury to the
uropt i-tors of estates n thoSp rolpuips
I'm order that We may understand the
true position of the colonies, and the sit
ua;ion in which they have been placed,
eonfessedlv By no fault of their own, it
will be necessary to ascertain what is the
present cos, of production of sugar there,
under the curtailed and crippled system
OF free labor, as compared with that Of
the slave-growing colonies. We appre-
heud that it will not be denied BY any.
tha, the soil, climate, and natural posi-.
ton OF Jamaica aud of British Guiana
are in no way inferior to any in the
known world for the growth and cultiva
ton of the sugar-cane No statement to
the contrary has ev r yet been haza,ded;
and SO far as the application of capital
can so in rendering production cheap, the
British colonies have unquestionably the
advanta:. Of the Others. Let US look
then to the matter Of cost
According to one authority, the Plant
er Of British. Guiana, it would be as fsl.
luws.-
Cost of,pEodac;ioH IN slave counties por
ton, ElS 20
Cost ct @roIGe'ioH IA British Guiana, % %
Difference per ,oa n iayor of the slave Z
market. fIa 90
In other words, slave-grown sugar
cane 'can be produced at tloeire sktHixgs
per clct. less than in free colonies, besides
the additional advantage Of uncontrolled
and unlicensed transport - d .s So
The above probably may be taken as
The extreme case. because the cost of pro-
ductiou has always been great in Demer-
ara. owing TO the sniallness Of the popu-
latian, but the general hardship will be
sufficiently shown and understood by the
following extract from the resolutions of
meeting OF ST. DIvid's parish in Js-
maica, on the 2d Of October last
The great influx of slaye-srown pro-
duce into the home markets has in the
short space of six months, reduced the
value Of sugar from .c26 to ETA per ton;
whiie, under ordinary circumstances of
soil and season, the cost 10 us of placing
1t III the market is not less than ego per
ton.
"'from many calculatisns,' writes a
highly Intelligent and experienced cor
respondent, the lowest rate at which SUI
gar ran be produced, is about twenty shil-
linss per cwt on the average, or twenty
pounds per ton. No doubt some estates
may, and do, grow it cheaper than o,b-
ers- They may have advantages of sit
uation both i'll regard to weather and
command OF labor, bat one thing | am
certain OF, that no number of estates ia.
ken collectively, can grow it much under
twelve shillings'
with regard to the additional aryu
ment against the navigation laws, which
certain free trade journals have adroitly
contrived to extract from the statement
OF the planters grievances, our cores
pondent writes,-'A long article has been
written to show that We have got all that
was demanded some years ago, with The
exception Of the abolition of the naviga-
tion laws. This hold to be a very mi :
nor consideration, as, even We're these
abolished tomorrow, saving of one
shilling per cwt. freights would be the
Very outside. No doubt letter appear
ed in the Times. stating that last years
trelghts were six shillings per cwt. from
Dsmerara, which was quite true,-but
what are they now? RI. great rise was
caused by every bottom being employed
to import grain, which raised freichts in
America to nine shillings per barrel for
hour. which are now ons and six pence,
so that shipping of every denomination
was dear. These men forget, or will not
remember, that We asked for measures
which we hoped might benefit US, at a
time when we could reasonably calculate
upon this cpsntry keeping faith with us.
But had we then been told that in 1916
slave sugar would be Introduced at a
nominal ditferential duty of seven shii-
lings per cwt., to decrease annually till
all sugars were admitted Mt the same rate,
our demand would have been very differ
ent. Indeed have no doubt that many
would at once have abandoned their es-
tates: and thOuyh n dpSn.rata coprSa =,