The Ashburaton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 1889. EMANCIPATION IN BRAZIL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2089, 16 March 1889, Page 2

The Ashburaton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 1889. EMANCIPATION IN BRAZIL.

Brazil with its wonderfully rich mines and fruitful territory is m many respects a remarkable country, yet it plays a very unimportant part — if indeed it can be said to play any part at all m the history of the world. Yet, during the year just passed away, it haß witnessed a revolu-

tion — not indeed of the political and sanguinary sort, bnt a revolution, the eifects of which will extend for all time and be productive of the happiness of millions. We refer to tho emancipation of her slaves, for Brazil is one of the few countries m the world where the institution of slavery has survived until bo near to the end of this century of liberty and enlightenment. When the year opened (says the " Boston Transcript ") there were nearly, if not quite, a million bond people m the Empire ; it closes with not a slave on the soil that owns the sway of the good Emperor Don Pedro. 'Iho tidings contained m a brief paragraph m the daily papers of May 11th that the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies had passed an immediate abolition bill meant that tho century which had elapsed since the opening of the abolition agitation by Clarkson and Wilberforce m England, was to be rounded out gloriously by the breaking of the bonds of an oppressed race. A few days after the passage of the Bill by the Deputies, the Brazilian Senate passed it, and it received the signature of the Princess Regent, then m Kurope. Brazil, as far back as 1871, hud begun the policy of gradual emancipation. This policy persisted m and greatly aided by the stimulus of tho example of the Imperial family, had reduced the slaves from about one million five hundred thousand to somewhat over one million one hundred and thirty thousand m 1886, when the last estimate readily accessible was made. Aided by an emancipation fund and anticipating the operation ot ibo law, many planters voluntarily enfranchised their slaves, so that tho slaves m the Empire m 1886 (1,180,000 m round numbers) were 107,0Q0 fewer than m 1885. As emancipation made great strides m 1887, it is safe to say that at the most 1,000,000 bondsmen and bondswomen were benefited by tho total immediate emancipation law passed this Bpring. While the labor market and trade generally have suffered some disarrangement m tho process of adjustment to the new industrial conditions, emancipation brought with it none of those evils to Brazil which had been predicted by the ultra Conservatives, and the apprehension of which undoubtedly delayed the consummation of tho hnmane policy begun nearly twenty years before.