The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1876-08-16
THE ISLAND OF BARBADOEs.
Terrible Condition of that Overcrowded
Islaud-People Dying Of Famine and
Eaten by Dogs.

Terrible Condition of that Overcrowdet
Islaud-People Dying of Famine and
Eaton by Dogs.
The annual report of the auditor.
general at Barbados for 1876 has just
been issued. In addition to much val1.
able information on the finances and
defective system Of taxation, this report
throws some light on the social and
economic state of the colony
The island contains 1853 square miles,
or 1885, ,470 acres Of land. Taking 16,
470 as covered by towns, garrison,
roads, public buildings, sea beach, etc.,
there would remain, supposing every
acre to be cultivable land, 80, 900 acres,
or just half an acre for the sustenance
OF every individual in the colony. The
present population gives 1904 to the
square mile. ...',
The census Of 1851 gave 135, 1889 OF
population. That OF 1881 gave 152, ,275,
showing gain in ten years of 1885,
Notwithstanding the loss in 1854 Of TO-
727 by cholera, as shown by the COVER
nor's report upon the census of 1871.
The census of 1861 gave 152, ,275 as the
population; that of 1871 gave 1852, ,042,
showing gain in the ten years of 8, 767,
Notwithstanding the loss Of 20, ,408 by
immigration during that period. The
population having been 1852, ,042 in 1871,
has risen'to 10000 up to the thirty
first of December, 1875, showing an in
crease in the five years (1871-5) of 49,
600, as compared with an increase Of
",767 in the previous ten years (1861-70),
and at this rate, unless pestilence, need
or immigration intervene, in 1881 the
population will reach 200, 900.
It would have been %. 900 for the Last
five years, but for the frightful mortali-
ty among children. The loss of these
has been put down by an eminent
clergyman at 1000 per annum. . He has
described these as "preventable
deaths" and advised the government of
Demerara to establish founding hospi-
tails in Barbadoes to save and rear the
infants for the labor market of that
colony. Barbados being innocent of the
possession of any such humane institu-
tions.
The great majority Of these poor in
fants are illegitimate. The mothers do
not themselves know who the fathers
are, or they are married men with wives
and families which they ere scarcely
able to support; or, If unmarried, hav-
ing prior claims, Of the same sort fully
taxing all resources. The poor law in
Barbados Bsterribly defective, and the
consequence is the large crop of infant
deaths. The parents Of the mother
often. discard her for rxaesul1iaace; and
in her weakly state she is unable to sup.
port herself. much less her infant.
When death takes her child she is more
than resigned, if she has not by delib-
crate neglect hastened it's approach. :.
The correspondent of the London
Times says: The laws regulating labor
and labor tenure, the. harsh conduct Of
planters and their agents, a defective
educational system and oppressive taxes,
have largely conduced to, the present
lamentable state Of the Balbadoes poor,
and it tremains. to show in a few words
how far their present condition has been
affected by the present psrsimonious
system. of poor relief. No better evi-
dence ON this:point could. be found than
that given in The records of coroner's
inquests. have read q large number
Of these documents, and have been ap-
palled at their shameful disclosures.
When the strength of old men or women
fails them, when women are pregnant or
in child bed, when those of either sex are
incapacitated for the time by sickness,
no help or shelter is afforded them e1-
cept, in very. extreme cases, such
wretched doles usually about three
pence per week-as are permitted but
not enforced by the Barbados. yestry
laws while, 80 long as they continue to
occupy their holdings, the rent is :, in
many cases mercilessly demanded, or
deducted from any small sums they may
have been able to earn by ftful labor.
The necessary results Of this system. are
misery, vagraney and, in too many cases,
absolute starvation. " have read the
most narrowing records which attest the
existence of these evils. As one striking
example, I will quote the evidence given
by Thomas Henry Kirton, manager OF
Clifden plantation, in st. Philips parish,
at an inquest on the body Of q laborer
named Samuel Dottin, aged about fifty,
who had been found dead in his cottage
Oh the eleventh. of August, 1870: ,..
I knew Samuel Dottin.; he was 9 ten
mt and lsborer on This estate. When l
took up the estate, about five years ago.,
I. found deceased, working for ten cents
(fYe pence) a day. had talk with
.sdr. Haynes about him, as he asked me
for more wages, and Mr.. Haynes raised
his wages to twelve cents. Deceased
paid twenty-six cents week for piece
of land. He only got the twelve cents
when he worked for day. He seldom
worked q whole week. Three days was
about the average. Some weeks he did
nothing for q whole week, the following
week he had fifty two cents to pay. He
looked very weak, and tottered as he
walked, going from ono side Of the road
to the other. -. ..'
The medical man who had examined
the body then described it as "emacia-
ted to the last degree" though "with the
slightest trace of disease )" there had
been "only general wasting of the It's
sues from, 8 long continuance .of defect
i've nutrition" The verdict was: "Death
through want of the common necessaries
of life" ...
: If space permitted, I could give you
the official minuti@ of numberless other
heartrending cases in which colored
men, women and children have died
from sheer hunger and want, sometimes
in houses, sometimes in the canefelds,
quarries or cages. In one case woman,
dying thus, was eaten by dogs. In an
other, that, of an infant, in which the
verdict was death from starvation, it
transpired that the. mother, while still
weak from her confinement, had been
obliged to try and earn some money by
working in the cane6elds. In the effort
her strength failed her and her milk
dried up, and as she had nothing but
"corn pap" wherewith to feed her
child, it very soon persisted. Nor are
these exceptional cases. The bishop and
many of. the" clergy have avowed that
not day passes without it's one or more
victims to starvation in this island, no
bigger than the isle of Wight. The
state of the poor at this moment is no
better than it was in 1845; it is even
certain that there has been serious retro
gression. Nor is it in the least likely
that any effective measures of improve
ment will be passed by the present Leg
islature, or by any Parliament elected