The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 09, No. 53, March, 1862 by Various
page 12 of 288 (04%)
page 12 of 288 (04%)
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themselves and their families, containing 8,209 persons; that from
10,000 to 12,000 acres have been brought under cultivation by the proprietors of small properties of from one to five acres; that the export of arrowroot (which is one of the small articles raised by the negroes on their own grounds) has risen from 60,000 pounds before emancipation to 1,352,250 pounds in 1857, valued at $750,000, and the cocoa-nut export has also increased largely. The export of sugar has declined as follows:--Under slavery, (1831-34,) it was 204,095 cwt.; under apprenticeship, (1835-38,) 194,228; under free labor, (1839-45,) 127,364 cwt.; in 1846, 129,870 cwt.; in 1847, 175,615 cwt.[E] [Footnote E: Cochin's _L'Abolition de l'Esclavage_.] The moral condition of the island seems most favorable. In a population of 30,000, there are _no paupers_, and 8,000 is the average church-attendance, while the average school-attendance is 2,000. The criminal records show a remarkable obedience to law; there being only seven convictions in 1857 for assault, six for felony, and 162 for minor offences. The proportion under slavery was far greater. GRENADA presented clear evidences of decline long before emancipation. The slave-population decreased as follows:-- 1779, 35,000 slaves. 1827, 24,442 " 1837, 23,641 " this last number being that for which compensation was made. The total |
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