Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1867-02-01
{ Eii,ona, Correspondence Of the Free Press. !
From the West Indies.

ST. CRoIx, Jan. ,, 1867.
In my last letter gave 4 general account Of
the peculiar labor System in force in this island
for the working ef the " estates or plAnta
tons as they would be called in onr country.
7 a'ugh the main points Of ,hat system were set
,rth, trust with clearness and sufficient full
ress. there are many subordinate points mat
tcrs ofde;sil-shi;h need to be known before
stranger can see how it all works III practice.
What the change from the system Of slave ls-
Dor 10 the system Of free labor-slch as that
system s-efee,ed in this island. can not te
clearly apprehtndel, without knowledge Of
What slavery was here, for generation or two
Immediately anterior to the general emancipa-
~ act Of Governor General Won Scholten in
-is. Bad enough as slavery continued to be
long as it had any existence, it had been
fa,y melorsied from what It was century
ore, and 80 long IS the slave trade was allow
n these island'. The humane tpirit Of the
Kings Of Denmark, Christian VII and Christian
VIII, during the fore part Of the present Gen.
tury, was constantly influential to check by
wholesome laws the rapscity and barbarity Of
slave owners, overseers and drivers aud to in
prove the condition Of the slaves The Governor
General, Won scholten, who held hi. Office as
such and resided in ST. Croix from 1897 to the
nIldle Of 1s4s (having been previously Govern
or ofSi Thomas) was proverbial for the zeal
with which he seconded the humane disposition
Of the crown. Practically his power here was
hardly inferior to that Of the King himself and
be was not slow to use it whenever he thought
the occasion demanded. Flsgrsnt acts Of afro
eious treatment we're zealously hunted up and
the guilty parties were vigorously punished.
Some Of his most important measures for the
benefit Of the slave population, shall have Oc-
casion to notice in the progress Of these letters
Ifin early times the slave was regarded here
much as elsewhere, as no other than two legged
er's pleasure and proft-as a creature destitute
OF any rights which a white man was bound
Z, respect" as an animal which might be
starved, beaten or MANNED 8; the pleasure Of q
brutal o, erseer or at the command of an infur-
ia,ed owner, and even the life OF the slave taken
a, the pleasure Of the master, the case was far
fferent under Won Scholten's rule No doubt.
even in his time, instances Of very cruel treat
ment Of the slaves would in numberless cases
escape punishment. have heard illusions
made to them not only by those who once were
slaves but by aged white resdents-such sllu-
sions accompanied with strong emotion at the
painful recollection--for, as one, once q slave.
who bought his freedom from kind master
who never struck him q blow, said to me,
"it was better for the .lave to submit,
in most cases and hope for kinder treatment tc
follow than by complaining to expose himself
to be kept in purgatOry all the time after ~
Nevertheless. it was great thing for the slave
that the law afforded him protection in man,
rights, and that redress In extreme cases Of in.
Justice was within his reach. Some Of thes,
rights were the following and IL on comparing