Parliamentary Papers, Volume 23, Part 4H.M. Stationery Office, 1848 - Bills, Legislative |
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Common terms and phrases
Africans amount answers Antigua apprenticeship asked average Barbados beet-root sugar Brazil British Guiana British West Indies Calcutta cane capital cent Ceylon charge coast of Africa Coffee Colonial Office Committee consumption continuous labour contract Coolies cost of production cotton crop Cuba cultivation of sugar Demerara Despatch differential duty distiller ditto Earl Grey East India emancipation England estates evidence expenditure expense export foreign sugar free labour freight gallon Government Governor hogsheads immigration imported improvement increase India island Jamaica Java Kitt's land Lord Lord Harris loss machinery Madagascar Madras malt manufacture Mauritius Navigation Laws negroes opinion Pickwoad plantations planters population Porto Rico present prices price of sugar quantity of sugar reduced revenue ships showing slave labour slave trade slave-grown sugar slavery spirits statement sugar cultivation tion tons Trinidad wages West India colonies William Gomm witness witness's
Popular passages
Page 65 - I believe, even in this age, are still to be found prevailing amongst them, viz., that to be industrious is a duty and a virtue ; that to be independent in circumstances, whatever his station, raises a man in the moral scale, amongst his race ; and, that his ability to perform his duties as a citizen, and, we may add, as a Christian, is increased by it. These, and such motives as these, are unknown to the fatalist worshippers of Mahomet and Brahma, and to the savages who go by the name of liberated...
Page 65 - That one which urges the mere support of animal existence will not induce them to continuous and skilful labour, when their wants can be supplied by the most parsimonious use of their muscles. The fear of the law, it is manifest, is not very readily brought to bear on them. Luxuries they do not generally know of or require. The only independence which they would desire is idleness, according to their different tastes in the enjoyment of it.
Page 66 - African, fit to be placed in a position which the labourers of civilized countries may at once occupy ; they must be treated like children, and wayward ones too ; the former from their habits and their religion, the latter from the utterly savage state in which they arrive.
Page 69 - My desire has been impartially to study the interests of both parties, at the same time never to lose sight of the fact, that the coolies are placed here under peculiar circumstances, as utter strangers in a foreign land, and therefore requiring the zealous and increasing care of Government : that they are, also, far from being the best class of the Indian labouring population ; are naturally dissolute and depraved in their habits, if left to themselves, and much inclined to fall into habits of drinking...
Page 160 - Bentinck brought forward his motion for " a select committee to inquire into the present condition and prospects of the interests connected with and dependent on sugar and coffee planting in her majesty's East and West Indian possessions and the Mauritius, and to consider whether any and what measures can be adopted by parliament for their relief.
Page 1 - The report of both committees show, beyond all doubt, that unexampled distress existed in the colonies. The report of 1848 declares : " That many estates in the British "West India colonies have been already abandoned, that many more are in the course of abandonment, and that from this cause a very serious diminution is to be apprehended in the total amount of production. That the first effect of...
Page 180 - Provided always, that such goods may nevertheless be charged with any proportion of such duties as shall fairly countervail any duties of excise, or any coast duty, payable on the like goods, the produce of the part of the United Kingdom into which they shall be imported...
Page 89 - Be it enacted by His Excellency, the Governor of British Guiana, with the advice and consent of the Court of Policy thereof...
Page 78 - Negro requires that the cultivation of sugar should not be abandoned, and that the proprietors of European race should be enabled to maintain their present place in the society, which can only be done by giving them greater command of labour.
Page 13 - We are told too, that the effect of such a proceeding will necessarily be to cause a great diminution in the amount of production ; that it will be absolutely impracticable to cultivate sugar ; that the colonies must be thrown up, and that nothing but ruin will ensue. Sir, so far as the amount of the production of sugar is concerned, I am not quite certain that to some extent a diminution of that production would be matter of regret.