New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-07-20

Return of Enaig1,ants
THEIR LONG ABSENCE FROM HERE

For the past few days great interest has
been felt in the expected arrival of the
Haytien schooner Jeanette, as it was re-
ported that she would bring large number
Of native Haytiens, who had, under con-
tract a la Chinoise, come to the State Of
Louisiana to work as agricultural labOrcsr
for term of years.
The interest felt in the expected arrival
was heightened by the mysterious shadow
that seemed to surround it. Who had
originated the enterprise Was it the pre-
cursor of further enterprises of like ma
ture! Was it intended to act as an equi-
pOise, as balance of power in relation to
the multitudinous influx of Chinese emi
grants or COolie labOrerse Will this thing
60 on-a cargo of Chinese, then cargo Of
the African race, the efforts increasing to
keep the benefits of numerical superiority
in favor of each race, until the South be-
comes what Belgium has been for genera
tiOns-a battle ground for contending
antagOnisms
The arrival of the jeanette at the Plea
yune tier, yesterday morning, at eleven
o'clock, settled all donbts, and dispersed all
illusions; for 10! instead of cargo of semi
barbarians, as much alien in every respect
as are the Chinese, the vessel had brought
home body of native Louisianians who had
left the State ten years before.
When we boarded the Jeanette, we found
the decks crowned with passengers con-
sisting of cOlOred men, women and children,
most of them in pOstures by no means ex-
pressive of comfort, although there was
nothing of neglect or squalOr in their ap-
pearance, on the contrary, they had the
look Of selfreliant intelligence indicative of
people who knew how to take care of them
selves.
In few minutes we discovered the
"Commodore" of the party, and from him
we gathered some interesting memoranda
which we present for the benefit Of the
readers of the REPUBLICAN.
1t is well known that several times within
the present century attempts have been
made by the Haytien government to induce
emigration to that country among the col
ored population of the United States.
These attempts, however, met with but
partial success at any time. But something
over ten years ago the hattering offers made
by General Jeffrard, President of the Hay
ten republic, excited the attention of the
ss bseasy sSlSsa people a % shs s' hs @sns esn
sequence was that in 1860 a con-
siderable number of colored people
from the OpelOusas country emigrated
in body to Hayti, and settled in the neigh
borhood, of st. Marc, which is sixteen
leagues distant from Port-au-Prince, the
capital 1t is easy to suppose, then, besides
the grants of land offered, the great tempta-
ton to go to Hayti was the entire absence
of all political and civil disabilities of every
kind, on account Of race, color, or previous
condition. The number emigrating from
this State was about five hundred, mostly
from Opelousas. ..
The result is shown by the arrival of the
jeanette; they are all coming back, glad
to reach the old home at any rate, after
their ten years. expatriation. The young
man of whom we have spoken of as Com
modOre, is named Jean Francois; and is a
remarkably bright and intelligent man.
Like a majority of his fellow passengers no
can read and write, and the strong, selfre-
ant expression of his face seems to indicate
a capacity to take care of himself and make
his way through the world. He informed
us that all the people who emigrated to
Hayti were agriculturists; that they had
proposed to raise principally cotton in their
new homes; but that cotton as well as other
produce of the grounds, although not en-
tirely unsuccessful, was by no means equal
equal to the cotton and other produce OF
Louisiana, either in quality or guam
tity. He says the climate is altogether
too dry to raise produce equal to
that Of the South, and that the
result OF farm labor there was very different
from what it has been in Louisiana. That.
their ten years experience OF Haytien
far poorer than when they left home: so
they have come back to recuperate and
stay.
This they are the more happy to do, for
they come back to find their political status
changed, and fully equal to their former
political superiors.
During their long absence, these people,
notwithstanding their expressed intent to be-
come Haytien citizens, appear to have chung
tenaciously to their American nationality.
This is shown by the fact that they have con-
stantly intermarried among themselves, SO
that the eighty-eight persons who come
in the jeanette are pretty much large
family. Of course they brought some
thirty or more native Haytiens, who will
now act the part of American babies.
They state that they have no particular
fault to find with the Haytien government,
except the attempt made more than once to
draft them into the army. This they sue
cessfully resisted. .
They seem to set very low estimate on
the natives of the land they have left. They
describe them as fonder OF whisky than
work, very unambitious of riches, and con-
tented to live from hand to mouth in semi
idleness, rather than accumulate by means
OF energetic, persevering industry. Hence,
as they grew better acquainted with their
indigenous fellow-citizens, they the more
felt disinclined to incorporate themselves in
a nation the characteristics OF which were
not of the energetic kind that leads to pros
perity.
They describe the climate as very healthy,
and their own appearance seems to show 1t,
for more healthy, wholesome looking
company of people could not be found and
it must be considered, too, that they had
just ended tedious voyage of thirty days,
during part of which time they suffered
much from want of water having been put
on short allowance. They are mostly light
mulattoes there are a few grifs, and
not more than one among them. or two, of
darker color. They are looking for the
earliest opportunity to return to their own
homes in Opelousas. where they will no
doubt remain thankfully content
They add one more to the numerous
instances that have occurred during the
past few years, of men rushing in haste to
escape from fancied ills by going to hap
pier climes, and returning disappointed, but
convinced that '"there is no place like
home"
The means of acquiring riches are nu-
merous, but none are easier than to buy
ticket in the Louisiana State Lottery that
will draw. We related yesterday the fact
that poor man in st. Mary parish drew the
capital prize in Kentucky lottery, being
nothing less than farm valued at one hun
dred and fifty thousand dollars and ten
thousand dollars in cash deposited in bank.
Mr.. Mclaughlin will now no longer be
ioI TO ynry-o another