Year: 1859

BRITISH GOVERNMENT ABDUCTING SLAVES


The multitude Of idle, worthless and demoralized
fugitive slaves who have congregated in Canada,
have become unbearabe nuisance that it is abso-
lutely necessary that something must be done to
abate it. OF course the wise and just plan would be
the forbdding of the admission of any more runa.
ways into the country and the enactment Of an extra
diton treaty by which masters would be enabled to
reclaim their lost property. But England cannot for
moment contemplate anything SO dreadful as this,
and another plan had to be devised for the relief Of
bnrdened and abused white Canadian subjects This
plan is ingenious and may succeed If the high con.
tracing parties on the side towit the colored
Canadian subjects Of her British Majesty, consent to
entertain an amiable disposition towards it. This
plan is their removal, body and personal plunder to
another portion of her Majesty's domains where they
may find any quantity of birds of feather to con-
sort with, the Island Of Jamaica.


In pursuance Of this plan the British Government
has dispatched envoy to Canada to feel the pulse
Of the darkey community and learn how it is disposed
towardsa scheme for their peaceable removal to Jama
ca, and we learn from the Windsor (Canada) Herald
that this high plenipotentiary is actively engaged
in prosecuting his mission. He called a meeting of
the coored population in that place. which about four



grafton, advancing the most seductive reasons why
they should eagerly embrace the opportunity afforded
them of exchanging the bleak cline of the Canadas
for the uxuries of tropical life. He enlarged upon
the profound interest in their welfare felt by the home
government, and assured them that it had their good
SO much at heart that it was willing to give them
their passage gratis, and support them after they got
there until they could find employment. OF course
tda uvbi Copo
dians felt to be rid of the colored brethren, whom
they had tempted to come among themselves, was
the reason for this scheme Of peaceable abduction,
for that would have destroyed its benevolent aspects
and annhilated the beautiful preext Of philanthropy
which rendered it SO charming.


Thus Great Britain has finally given over the island
of Jamaica, of the most beautiful and prof
liable of her possessions to free negroes and misery
and, hopeless of ever retrieving it, is willing to relieve
other portions of her domains by making it mere
colony for their outcast or outlawed population, as
Australia originally was. In his address to the ne.
grocs, the emigration envoy of the British Govern.
ment, among many other Inducements, referred to
the low price of lands, which, he stated, were very
cheap compared with those in Canada! So it is:
beautiful Jamaica, own sister to the Queen of the An.
TILES every inch of whose beautiful soil was once held
at enormous prices is far fallen behind that the
comparatively sterile fields of Canada snow. .shrouded
and ice bound through half the year. valuable
than her hills and valleys, which, with the least en-
couragement, laugh with the gorgeous abundance Of
the most costly Of the productions Of mother earth.
Could the experiment of free negro labor demonstrate
more striking result than is thus already obtained?
An experiment, too, in which the negroes were not
lett to work out prosperous destiny against OBJ.
staces, but after being toerably we'll civilized were
fairly set up in business and started under the most
favorable auspices.


The condition Of the press, that fourth estate" is
pretty good index Of the condition of community
and we happen to have before now copy of
leading paper of Jamaica, once the happy domain of
numerous, wealthy, and enlightened community
1t is published at the capital of the Island and its
appearance is 80 antquated, shabby woe.begone and
remotely behind the times that it will compare most
unavorably with the poorest little sheet published
in any backwoods border town of the South, where
the forest trees which grew the ground that its
office occupies were cut down perhaps a couple of
years ago. Since the emancipation project was car
ried out Jamaica has travelled backward faster than
any other portion of the world has Travelled forward
and the British Government will afford its decadence
great assistance by the importation of the fugitive
nuisances from Canada, movement which plainly
indicates that it has given up its case as hopeless.
Perhaps it would not be bad idea for some stout
6ibuster craft to lay of and catch the cargoes of
runaway slaves which the British Government is thus
going to run out OF the country by this new under
ground railroad on the high seas. A shipment has
already been made up and will leave Canada within
month. Canada is henceforth only to be depot
for runaways, and after being smuggled into it the
British Government will extend its direct aid and
sympathy and export them to place of safety
beyond the seas