, 1873-05-07

Mr.. LEONARD WRAY, as an old West
Indian, said he wished to thank Mr..
Walker for his able and interesting paper.
At the time he arrived in the West Indies,
the noble chalrman's grandfather had lust
quilted the island. He (the speaker had
passed ten years of his life in the West
Indies, and had seen the inhabitants in
their slavery, their apprenticeship, and
their freedom. Mr.. Walkers paper re-
called the hope that every West Indian
must cherish, namely, that those islands
were likely soon to become themselves
once agai0, for it must ever be remember
ed that they were once very bright jewels
in the crown OF England. The vessels
that sailed from this country for the West
Indies not Only took out large quantities
of goods for the planters, but they all
came home laden with the products of
those islands. 1t would scarcely be
believed that the richest estates were fur
nished by the proprietors in England, but
such was the case-alI their beer, port
wine, bacon, and such like articles were
sent from this country. The time of the
inhabitants was wholly given to the manu-
IdCLulC VI CCt jail 5LCuU oCdDlCoJ dc SuSfi3
rum, coffee, chocolate, &c. In 1884
when the Emancipation Bill was passed
and the negroes were set free, there was
invested in Jamaica alone Ill ,000,000l.
sterling. Tho v~ct2toS. 2t = It time were
yerv magnificent. He had known the
overseer of one estate to have in his house
no less a sum than SOOJ. in silver belong
inc to the proprietor. 1t was also no I'M
common thing for us many as thirty SER
wants to be kept in one house. AS an IN
stance of the size and costIiness of the
buildings in Jamaica, he would mention
Rose House. TrclaWuy, the residence of
Mr.. Rose Price. In that building there
were 365 windows looking on to the sea,
and the whole of it, which was wood,
was made Of nothing less valuable than
cedar, while the principal part of it was
MAHOGANY. As for their luxury, that was
proverbial, but far beyond that was their
hospitality. Nothing could give English
men an idea of it. After a stay of SIX
months he went to the East Indies, but
their hospitality was nothing compared
to that Of the West Indies. In the West
Indies a man was hospitabIe from his ma
IufC. Even llOLl Vic hui vi LlG plGuLCl
the same spirit OF hospitality was met
with. But low all this had passed away.
And why 1t was very easy for him to
say, because he had passed through the
ordeal At one time the whole country
was nothing but d beautiful garden. But
the Bill for the abolition Of slavery came,
and prosperous colonies were Immediately
turned into a state of adversely. No la
bour was to be had. For months after
the negroes became free, in August 1888,
not one could be got to go into the coffee
fields. They said, and very Justly, What
is the use Of my being a free man and
having to work" 1t was but a natural
idea, and for some time no work of any
kind was done. In consequence of the
high rate Of wages estate after estate was
ruined. The Duke of Buckingham's PLAZA
tation, which used to yield 100000 lbs. of
sugar, cam down to yield only 10000
lbs. The white creole ultimately had to
fee the country in order to better himself,
and no labour Of any kind was to be OBJ
tanned. Such was the result Of the ena