The Express. — 1852-09-22 (London, England)

SLAVERY IN CCBA. (From the 7 rtbunr.) In spite of treaties and prohibitions, the slave trade still flourishes in Cuba, and forms a rich source of income'for the Spanish officials who share indirectly in its profits. We learn by a private letter from a trustworthy person, that some six weeks since 500 negroes were disembarked at Ortigosa, and that Canedo, the captain general, pocketed 34 dols. per head for conniving at the net. No wonder the Cubans desire to be freed from a government which adds to perfect despotism such corruption as this. The character of slavery in Cuba is in some respects wore than in our own Southern States. Of its main features an intelligent German, who recently visited the island, gives an interesting account. lie uys that slaves there are taken care of about as well as work hones in Europe. Marriage is unknown among them. They are without all relietious or mental instruction. Every year a priest baptizes the whole lot of children born on the plantation, and on Sunday afternoons they are mad* to say an Ave Maria, the Creed, and a rater Koster. They always work with au overseer standing over them with a heavy whip. The lowest overseers are themselves slaves, and have the right to inflict three blows. Tho white overseers have the right to inflict twenty.five blows, a punishment which results in several days' illness. You find no slave who hu cot been punished. and even men of four score are met with who still bate to submit to the scourge. The women are flagged by their husbands, in the presence of the head overseer. At 10 in the morning tho oxen of the plantation are driven under shelter from the heat. But the slaves continue to work without interruption through the day. They are also kept late at night. Ou some plantations they are highly favored If they are allowed to sleep two whole nights in a week. The master is not allowed to inflict the punish• meat of death, but in case of great crimes must hand the slave over to the authorities, when ho may renounce his property in the negro, which frees him from responsibility for costs of trial, fled, &s. But this is almost never done. Useless and incorrigible negroes are got rid of " in a more simple way without troubling the authorities." Prostitution is universal on the plantations, beginning at the age of 10. But the woman who has a mulatto child is liable to fifty blows of the whip. At nine in the evening all the slaves who are not destined to night work are shut up by families in stalls, %there they sleep on boards. Each family has a pig to fat, and a little piece of land, which is cultivated on Sunday alter nnont. Every slave receives yearly two snits of linen, a blanket, and a woollen cep. Bread they do not receive, hut have three rati-ns daily of bananas, mangoes, sweet poInto,s, corn, dried fish, and dried beef, which is imported from Buenos Ayres. The freedom of an unborn child can he bought for 24 dollars, suit fathers often adopt this way of emancipating their children. .lany slaves escape into the mountains; such are exposed to the pursuit of bloodhounds, and aro also betrayed by vultures hovering over their places of refuge. Many hang themselves, with the idea that atter death they will find themselves, with the same Wits as before, at home in Africa. By way of stopping this practice, the owner, has, the remains of the suicides cut to pieces; rather than return to their native country thus mutilated, they prefer to live and suffer in Cuba. Such is the condition of a great portion of the inhabitants of that lovely island. What effect the independence of the island would have upon the " peculiar institution" is a question. There is no doubt, however, that it would stop the introduction of Degrees from abroad.