, 1888-07-04

ouently on Mon Repos. On Enmore the
men took the opportunity Of Mr.. Bethune
the manager being absent in iSerbice, to
attack the overseers and maui them, pretty
severely. Mr.. Wilkinson, Mr.. Antrobus
and Mr.. Kemble getting the worst drub-
bing of the lot, the others hiding them
selves in the Buildings and elsewhere, one
of them-a very little One-beneath a
black wOman'S gown. The coolies went
into the managers house and broke the
glass ware, but did no further damage.
They are accused of having drunk Mr..
Bethune's modest cellar, dry; but this is
questioned. 1t is said that some black
labOurers went in after the coolies had left
and seeing the liquor lying handy, thought
it quite in accordance with the unusual
occurrence to drink it. The police as
soon as they were sent for, went to the
estate and the suppression OF the dlstur-
bance was instantaneous. On Mon RepOS,
Mr.. Brands estate, the coolies gave over.
seer Schalckwick a severe beating, and
then marched off to the immigration
Department to say that they had left the
estate because an Overseer had chucked
one Of them. The cause Of these diStur-
Dances OF temper during the past two
weeks, has not yet been fully ascertained,
but it is supposed on very good grounds to
be due to the deliberate attempts on the
part of certain high.class coolies of the
preaching tribe, to provoke the men into
strife with their employers. All the
coolies who have miScOnducted themselves
are with few exceptions, new hands, and
in tvery case that has been investigated,
there has been found no ground for dis
satisfaction on the score of wages, and in
every case-Save one, EnmOre-the men
have gone quietly back to their daily work.
At ERmOre the question of the fairness of
the wages scale has been settled quit apart
from the Official authorities. There are two
classes of coolies on the estate, the inden-
tured and the unindentured, the former of
whom are the TOwditS, Il the latter q
body of men who can leave the estate
whenever they like aud need not work
unless they feel dispose l.. On the day
after the row the manufactured went to
the fields to work, quite %Satisit d with the
rate of wages, but the iudrntured tried to
prevent them working. The significance
of this incident cannot be overlooked, for
Il wage that amply satisfies an uninden-
tured coOlip, must be at least a fair wage
for an indentured one. There has been
some attempt on the part of the indiSCreet
to magnify these few disturbances into the
Importance of IA great rising of the coolies
but there is no excuse for sounding such
a false alarm. Men disposed to riot at
large, do not attack one or two persons
only on an estate, when they could attack
"A dozen, aud they do not, after the attack,
go deliberately to report themselves to
the authorities. The men have been bad.
ly advised by some villains who are as
vet undetected, but who will sOOn he
brought to light; and the great bulk of
them seem glad to be allowed to resume
their interrupted labOurS on the estates
quietly. Those Of them who were reck-
less enough to beat heir OverSeerS and
headmen, will be dealt with by the dis
trict magistrates in the ordinary way and
# there are any further displays of this
lawlessneSS it will be advisable to make an
example of the offenders by way Of show
ing them that they shall not take the law
into their own hands with impunity. The
police under the Inspector General and
Inspectors Hatrigan, Binns and Francis,
deserve thanks for the quiet expeditions
manner III which they have acted through
out the disturbances and dealt with the
excited coolies, wherever they have been
called in.