Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1868-01-24

districts, and an inspection OF the reiuihs sho"'
that in the country districts the population was
steadily on the decrease from 1885 to lo60-not
oven the importation of laborers between 1880 |
and 1860 suficing to keep it up. How the rate |
of increase or decrease has been since 1860 am |
not able to say, the census tables of 1861 being
the last published up to the time of my leaving |
the island. The large importation of laborers,
nearly 1000, for the estates, from the East In
dies. Barbados, &C., of which spoke in for
mer letter, was made since the census Of 1861.
believe some effort was made during the year,
1865 to induce an importation of freedmen from
the United States to the number of 500 men; bu
without success.
The lessening of the population of the Danish
West India Islands did not begin with the act oil
emancipation in 1S4S 1t had been in progress Tor
some years, and seems TO have continued Win
slight fluctuations down to 1866
This gradual diminution of the population
especially in st. Crox-is owing to several
causes. The gradual reduction of the product
I've power OF I0e SUI. VI nllASh nav SfNAN-
former letters, has been one cause. Under the
unvarying system of cane culture, to the exclu-
sion of almost every thing else, its power to FUR
nish support for the people lessened, and natur-
ally people left it for other regions The decay
which extravagant living brought upon many
estate owners-leading to bankruptcy and the
r &. ,o+a nD1pr hank
rupt sales to the ownership Of single CREDITORS
either resident or non-resident-broke up tmalles
and sent the more enterprising individuals
abroad to seek better fortune than they could
ever look for at home. No doubt, too, the at
traction which comes from commercial activity,
which direct steam communication between other
West India Islands and both continents has large
" promoted within the last twenty-five years
in which St Croix, from its lying outside of the
chain of the principal islands, has not participated
has drawn away many from the quiet life OF an
island 50 entirely agricultural as St. Crox LET
bright young man, born on the island, once OBJ
tain fair education for business, and you may
be quite sure (said one who had had ample time
and occasion to note the facts THAT he Will soon
take himself off from this island" Peculiar
relations of family and property would cause ex-
ceptons: but that the tendency is in conformity
to his remark there can be no doubt.
That the two towns, Christiansted and freder-
icksted, gain somewhat in population at the e1-
pense of the country districts is not to be Won
dered at. Life has some more variety there, and
those who get their living there by trades, by
porterage, huckstering, fishing, and the doing Of
odd Jobs Of all sorts, are less tied upby close rule
than the laborers are on the estates. 1t Is not
very uncommon therefore for an estate laborer
who has saved his gains to buy little house IN
town, by the rent Of which he will add TO his in
come till he gets ready to bid good bye to estate
labor when October comes round, and TO try a
more alluring though quite likely less gainful
life in town Some also find the hustle Of the
stirring seaport of St Thomas very attractive
All these conditions concur to lessen the popula-
ton in the country districts.
But there is one fact which, unquestionahly,
is more potent TO keep down the population than
any other, perhaps than all others combined
This is the comparatively small number Of chill
dren which are raised on the estates. All whom
1 heard speak on the subject agreed in stating
that fewer children are born or at least, II born
much fewer are raised on the estates since eman-
cpation, than there were while slavery prevailed.
This fact, so diverse from what would naturally
be looked for by one aware of the ease with which
al imal life is sustained in climate like that OF
the island-a climate so congenial to the African
race-merits a fuller explanation than can give
in this article l shall give it in my next
G. ". b.