OCR Text |
Show 180 THE CONTRAST. dred free laborers instead; and soon, by dint of job work, mechanism, and short procC'sses, reduces that number to sixty or seventy. Thus his debit in account comes to be almost as much decreased, as his crosses and his cares. Hcmember A. B's declaration that he had rather-for the profit's sake-" make sixty tierccs of cofree under freedom, than one hundred ant! twenty under slavery." True indeed it is, that the circumstances of different estates, and even of different colonies, varied considerably as to the expenditure occasioned by the support of the slaves; and the figures, in the comparison now instituted between slavery and freedom, will vary in proportion. But so far we have omitted to take into the account the interest of the capital invested in slaves, and the dead loss occasioned by the excess of deaths over births- items which used to produce tremendous debits in every fairly arranged balance-sheet of a West Indian slave holder. Bring these items into view, and the saving of expense on the side of freedom is undoubted, uniform, and, in many cases, very large. I II. We prove the correctness of a sum in diviHion, by a corresponding process in multiplication. Just so do we prove the truth of the two preceding propositions by a fact of which there is now taking place a gradual hut sme development, in all the islands which we visited; viz. that real property has risen and is rising in value. In the towns, both the enhancement and improvement of property are very extraordinary. In the country, the value of the slaves-to say the least of it-is. already transferred to the land. Re· member the declaration of our friend in St. 181 THE CONTRAST. pher's, who had bougl t . 1 an estate bcf twn for £2,000 and no ld ore emancipa- ' w wou not sell . f and that of our friend in Jam . tt or £6,000; estate" for £1 500 ·tnd atca, who sold "G-- ' ' ' now rem· k I . £10,000. I wish it how ar s t tat It is worth ' ever, to be und t I the comparison is not h , . d . ers ooc, that . . ere ma c With th 1 tunes of slavery when tl . ose o den . . ' te sods of tl · 1 were m .t heir most prolifi c s t·a te, and the ·J·l e IS ands selves of a correspondin . 1 . s •tves them-f g va ue: but with tl d o depression and alarm h ' 1 . Iose ays f w IC 1 preceded th o emancipation. All th· t I e act ,1 mean to a · landed property in the B . . 1 . ssert, IS that ntis 1 colomes 1 , the bottom, has found th· t b Ias touched . ·I ottom solid h· 1 men considerably and . ' ,ts a ready ' IS now on a stead march towards the recovery of"t h'. I y ascending • 1 s tg test vatu 0 Cd ircum. ,s tance which greatly contn ' bu ted to p' rode. .n e e. prectation, was the cry o f m. tcrested p , nee Its IVIShed to run it down . d h crsons who I , an t e demand f, . I ms risen among these very pers ·' or It w 1ich it to its rightful valu R ons, IS now restoring . e. emember the old 1 m Antigua, who is alw· . . gent eman of freedom, and alwaysa~s c_ompllammg of the effects . . uymg and "It · h It IS nauooht saith th b · IS nang t, " ' e uyer: but when he i . way, then he boasteth."I s gone his 1 Extract of a letter dated D at ~ublic vendue on twelve mont e~~rar~, August 1, 1840 :-" Yesterda sta· tmn Ogle, on the east hs credtt, plantation Montrose and pia y sea-coast of D ntr Michael M'Turk for £38 00 emcrara, were sold, the former to Anderson and Co. for £26 50~ i .. ~nd the latter to the house of George not la~ger than could hav~ be~n b es~ are very large prices, as large, if the rcstdent planters and rncrcha ot tamed ten years ago, and prove that to h~vc ruined their properties . n s ~o not really consider emancipation :;d lit po~tie to pretend that thi~nistl;:~e c~lony, however much they may est~ antaho~ Herstclling, has issued c~sc. Mr. Retcmcyer, attorney tc, of winch he has had th 1· , an ~ddrcss to the laborers of the e soc and umntcrruptcd charge fOr the last |